Bland Houses Senior Center In Flushing Saved From Closure

FLUSHING, QUEENS — The James Bland Houses Senior Club in Flushing will stay open — for now.

The mayor's office planned to close the Bland Houses senior center amid budget cuts, but the City Council announced Friday that it had restored funding for the club to stay open through the 2020 fiscal year.

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Aging Committee Chair Margaret Chin and City Council Member Peter Koo said they managed to fund 10 of the 12 senior clubs the mayor's office had planned to close.

The Department for the Aging will take responsibility for operating the senior centers under the new funding plan, according to Johnson.

New York City Housing Authority had previously run the Bland Houses center, which is located on College Point Boulevard as part of the public housing complex of the same name.

"Senior clubs are especially important to our aging population here in Flushing, as they help connect older adults to vital services and activities that help them stay healthy and independent," said Koo, who represents Flushing.

"In an area where many of our senior clubs are already over 100 percent capacity, it is essential that we do everything we can to protect these important gathering spaces that allow our seniors to age in place with dignity," he added.