Town of Huntington, NY - News Details
12/4/2014 - Huntington Opportunity Resource Center Opens New Headquarters
Huntington Station – The Huntington Opportunity Resource Center has settled in at its permanent home at 1264 New York Avenue, marking the event December 3 with an open house that commemorated the partnership among the Town of Huntington, its Community Development Agency and the County of Suffolk that provides a single location where residents can access Town and County resources and services related to economic opportunities and quality of life.
Spearheaded by Supervisor Frank P. Petrone, Councilwoman Tracey A. Edwards and County Executive Steve Bellone, with the support of the Huntington Town Board and the Suffolk County Legislature, the Center had been operating for the past five months from the Huntington Business Incubator two doors away, while renovations were undertaken on the former Huntington Station Enrichment Center. Over that period, the Center had 646 client visits from persons looking to take advantage of its range of services.
The Center provides resume preparation; helps with job searches through the County Department of Labor; helps residents explore career options; provides access to training; gives tips for interview success and job readiness; provides Department of Social Services application assistance and not-for profit service referrals; and fields general human services questions. The Center offers English as a second language now and plans to include classes for Spanish as a Second Language as well as other on-site training opportunities.
“This is a networking building,” Supervisor Petrone said in marking the grand opening of the new headquarters. “It is a facility where people are coming together. People will come in here, and they will leave this center, hopefully, with information and in a better place than when they walked in.” The Supervisor also highlighted the Center’s role in Huntington Station’s revitalization, noting, “This is what the station is about. It’s pulling people together, it’s bringing them together to solve problems. And this center is so important to the revitalization of the Station -- so very important that we take care of the concerns and the needs of our own people here in the Station and in Huntington as well.”
Councilwoman Edwards, in her remarks, pointed to a poster on the wall of the Center’s training room that had the aphorism: The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become. “That’s what this opportunity resource center is about,” she said. “It’s about bridging that gap. Bringing a community together is about reducing crime, engaging and empowering the people and it’s also about providing opportunities. We are going to change people’s lives here, that is that this is about.”
“I applaud Supervisor Frank Petrone and the Huntington Town Board for the willingness to work collaboratively with the County to bring County services to the residents of Huntington,” said County Executive Bellone. “This initiative was strengthened by the leadership shown by Councilwoman Tracey Edwards and Legislator William Spencer in pursuing partnerships between Town, County, and community based entities to deliver information and services efficiently and effectively to our community members.”
Among the community-based organizations working with the Center is United Way and its Youth Build program. Of the 646 visits to the Center from July through October, 139 related to Youth Build, a community-based alternative education program that provides classroom instruction and occupational skills training to individuals 18 to 24 years old who have been in the juvenile justice system, have dropped out of high school or are at-risk of falling to reach key education and career milestones. Youth Build Long Island helps youths earn their GED while learning green construction career skills by building housing for the homeless.
Other envisioned partnerships will offer Veterans services, pre-apprenticeship training and additional support for youth programming.
“We had Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday. Today is Resource Wednesday in Huntington Station,” Councilman Mark Cuthbertson said, “This is just the beginning and we look forward to this paying great dividends in our community.”
“It’s a wonderful partnership with our county executive, who really cares,” Councilwoman Susan A. Berland said. “We have to concentrate on the positive in Huntington Station. Let’s go from here with more positivity and more things that will show what a great part of town this is and what a great town this is.”
“This is really what it’s all about,” Legis. Spencer said. “There are 100 people in this room right now, and when I think of the resources…It is just like a kitchen with all the ingredients for an apple pie. It takes a chef to bring all the ingredients together and make a great apple pie, and that’s what Tracey has done…we have brought all the resources together. I am overwhelmed.”
The Center is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free assistance is available for both walk-ins and by appointment. For more information, call Michelle Foulke or Juan Contreras at 631-385-2305.