Creating Space for Blossoming Communities

July 5, 2017

When people picture New York, they think of looming buildings, busy folks and bustling traffic. In stark contrast to these images stand magnificent green spaces. Parks like Central and Riverside play a crucial role in the well-being of city dwellers, who utilize them for a reprieve from the city that never sleeps. The positive impacts that green spaces have on wellness have been researched expansively and CUCS ensures that at each of its buildings, there is ample outdoor space for clients to benefit from.

This commitment to providing green spaces started when CUCS was still part of Columbia University. The very first program of the agency, a drop-in center on 115st Street, had a backyard and Joe DeGenova, our Associate Executive Director, recounts the appreciation of its outdoor space. “Imagine if you were a street homeless person and you almost never had any real privacy. It was clear that people really enjoyed being able to spend time in a private outdoor space.”

Beyond providing much needed privacy, studies show that spending time in green spaces can reduce stress, lower anxiety and depression levels, and improve moods and well-being. Research even suggests that green spaces can positively impact people’s decision-making abilities, strengthen attention and memory, and improve productivity levels.

From that first drop-in center, this commitment to green spaces continued in the development of our other housing programs like 350 Lafayette, Delta Manor, and the Kelly to name a few. At 350 Lafayette, there was a roof terrace that CUCS furnished with plants and wooden furniture. Joe remembers that “as soon as we put the furniture out, people would go outside. It looked like people enjoying their own backyards.”

For our clients struggling with addiction or mental illness, green spaces can help them break out of their isolation and develop new skills and interests. At many of our housing sites, these spaces are home to community gardens. Tending a garden and watching plants grow and thrive can give people comfort and goals to focus on, while also providing a social group to immerse themselves in.

This year on a warm, sunny day in April, staff and residents at The Hegeman, one of our supportive housing sites, were able to dedicate a few hours to planting flowers around the building and in the backyard. They gathered around planters with shovels, dirt and beautiful fresh flowers, excitedly plotting out where their plants would grow and flourish. Amongst their enthusiastic chatter, passers-by complimented the flowers and thanked the group for helping to beautify the community.