Fort Greene Senior Center May Be Closed by Cuomo

Seniors from the Ingersoll and Walt Whitman houses are stunned that Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s new state budget proposes shutting down a N. Portland Avenue center that is like their second home.

The Willoughby Senior Center between Park and Myrtle avenues in Fort Greene is one of 105 centers citywide that will have to close if Cuomo’s $25 million cut to state funding is approved.

“It would affect the seniors' socialization, their feeding themselves — just keeping them alive and active!” said Brenda Johnson, 63, the director of the center. “I can barely talk about it I’m so upset.”

Currently, the Willoughby Senior Center provides breakfast and lunch to anyone who shows up that can prove he or she is over 60. The center organizes a variety of activities and resources for seniors, including games, dance classes, computer labs, and exercise. Johnson said that generally 80 to 90 people pass through every day.

The majority of regulars come from the public housing nearby, but some hail from as far away as Crown Heights and Bushwick, according to several seniors on Thursday.

But more importantly, the center is a refuge for many older people who have lived in the neighborhood for most, if not all, of their lives.

“With all the gentrification and changes going on in the neighborhood, this place is like a safe house,” said C-Allah Coombs, 63, a lifelong resident of Fort Greene. “In the summer when it’s too hot it’s a place to get cool. In the winter when it’s too cold it’s a place to get warm.”

Local politicians are gearing ready for a showdown.

“I’m drawing a line in the sand, I’m going to fight this with every fiber of my being,” said Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Fort Greene. “It’s the only center that serves the Ingersoll and Whitman houses. It’s a vital source of community life.”

State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, D-Park Slope, whose district includes the Willoughby Senior Center, also expressed dismay at the Governor’s budget proposal.

“I’d be surprised if the Senator voted for [these cuts]” said Jim Vogel, a spokesman for Montgomery.

But he added a somewhat hopeful note: “Let’s wait and see how this play out. The game isn’t over yet, we’re only four weeks into this budget session.”

A spokeswoman for Cuomo did not return a phone call, but a spokesman for Cuomo did tell The Wall Street Journal that the cutbacks “provide some state fiscal relief.”