📞 (718) 457-1017
✉ info@nhsofqueens.org
📍 94-33 Corona Avenue, Elmhurst, NY
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| HUD-Certified
About
The Casita
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Home / The Casita
94-33 Corona Avenue.
A permanent home for Queens.
The building is purchased. The community is ready. What remains is the renovation — and your partnership to finish it.
⚡ Active Capital Campaign · 2023–2027
$6,309,546
Total Renovation Goal
$2,550,000
Already Raised
$3,759,546
Funding Gap to Close
2027
Anticipated Completion
WHY THE CASITA
A high-impact, community-critical investment for Queens.
For three decades, Neighborhood Housing Services of Queens has been a quiet but indispensable engine of housing stability and economic mobility — serving more than 115,000 residents across Queens Community Boards 1–4 and District 27 in Jamaica.
NHS of Queens helped 827 low- and moderate-income families purchase their first home. It saved 1,278 households from foreclosure and prevented an estimated $88.9 million in social costs to New York City and State. It connected 2,633 residents to jobs, served more than 255,000 meals, and graduated 132 neighbors from digital literacy programs.
Every one of those outcomes happened in temporary, borrowed, and constrained spaces. The Casita changes that.
The Casita is not a building project. It is the infrastructure for resilience across a corner of Queens that represents roughly one million New Yorkers.
What The Casita Enables
Four floors. One integrated mission.
01
Expanded Housing Services
The renovation builds out dedicated counseling rooms, financial coaching offices, and group education spaces for homeownership, foreclosure prevention, and post-purchase support — purpose-designed capacity that the current space cannot provide.
03
Family-Friendly Programming
An on-site Kids Zone allows working parents — disproportionately women and immigrant residents — to fully participate in counseling and training without childcare being a barrier to economic mobility.
02
Workforce & Digital Skills Hub
Purpose-built training rooms enabling concurrent workforce development cohorts, digital literacy classes, and the Icing on the Cake culinary entrepreneurship program in a properly equipped kitchen-classroom.
04
Community Hub & Partner Space
Multi-purpose conference and training rooms create capacity to host elected official forums, agency partnerships, and cross-sector convenings — a public-facing civic asset for Queens.
PROJECT TIMELINE
From acquisition to occupancy.
2023
Launched
Capital project initiated; design and DOB approval workstreams begin.
2025
Active Construction
Architectural drawings finalized by HUE Architects PLLC; DOB submission Feb 2026.
2026
Build-Out · You Are Here
Interior finishes, accessibility systems, and program space outfitting underway.
2027
Completion
Anticipated occupancy with full program capacity online.
THE INVESTMENT CASE
Returns measured in housing preserved, families stabilized, and emergency interventions avoided.
The Casita aligns with the stated public investment priorities of New York City and State: housing preservation, anti-displacement, workforce reentry, immigrant integration, and energy resilience. It is not an organizational expansion request — it is the build-out of capacity that the existing demand has already justified.
The renovation has already secured over $4 million in public funding — a strong testament to its impact and community support. To bring The Casita to completion, we are seeking an additional $3.5 million in private and philanthropic funding to finalize renovations and open our doors to the community in full capacity.
What that capital does
Permanently anchors NHSQ in the heart of Elmhurst, in proximity to the highest-need neighborhoods in our catchment.
Triples concurrent program capacity — multiple cohorts and counseling sessions can run simultaneously instead of sequentially.
Removes the childcare barrier — Kids Zone allows full parent participation, especially for women and immigrant residents.
Creates a civic asset — a public-facing space for forums, partner convenings, and community gatherings.
De-risks operations — eliminates dependence on borrowed space and rental uncertainty.
PARTNERS WHO SAID YES
$2.55M committed by people who already see what's possible.
Public agencies, elected officials, financial institutions, and individual donors have already brought The Casita 40% of the way. Your partnership closes the gap.
Sponsorship & Naming Opportunities Available
From Kids Zone naming rights to counseling-room dedication to legacy gifts in the Casita's permanent recognition wall we can structure your gift to reflect what matters most to you. Contact our development team →
HELP US CLOSE THE GAP
$3,759,546
between Queens and a permanent home.
Every dollar moves The Casita forward. Every partnership writes a chapter of what comes next for working families in Queens.