Catholic center a haven in inner city

The building that houses the Neighborhood Community Centre in Albany's West Hill neighborhood has a history of meeting the needs of the people.

Built in 1932 as the social outreach center for St. Patrick's Church, it housed recreational activities for parishioners. Bowling, CYO programs, sewing classes and dances all took place in the brick structure at 340 First Street, off Clinton Avenue.

"The programs were tuned in to Clinton Avenue," said Denise Kirkley-Cain, executive director of the Neighborhood Community Centre, a Catholic Charities agency. "It's always been in response to the community and always had great programs."

New emphasis

As the neighborhood changed, so did the programs offered. Food pantries and tool libraries replaced dances. Today, eight programs are housed in the building, including the Tutorial Afterschool Program (TAP) for children ages six through 17.

While the building primarily serves those living in the neighborhood, it still has ties to the families who once lived in this community but have moved away.

"We have ten to fifteen adult basketball groups," Ms. Kirkley-Cain said. "These are not inner-city groups. These are men from the suburbs, sons of the men who bowled here. One group has been playing for 17 years. People grew up knowing this is where you go."

Body and mind

Like their predecessors, the children in the neighborhood experience a sense of security at the Centre. They, too, play basketball in the building, but they also get a meal, help with their homework and interaction with positive role models.

The TAP program was designed to provide children with positive role models and educational support so that they will succeed later in life. That's important, Ms. Kirkley-Cain said, because many of the children know only of life on welfare.

"We're servicing the third generation" on welfare, she noted. "Welfare is debilitating, crippling and problematic."

Building success

The TAP program is committed to providing services in five areas: education, life skills, enrichment, games and recreation, and arts and crafts.

"I'm highly focused on people's ability to succeed," said Ms. Kirkley-Cain. "Every kid has the ability to succeed if you work with them."

There are challenges for those working in the TAP program. Reggie Bell, one of the TAP employees, said his job is "to help them be children and have fun. Some of them have mothers and fathers who are drug users. There's pressure [for the child] to get out and work."

He hopes he can point the children in the program in the right direction. "I try to be a mentor," he said. "I'm stern, but in a positive manner."

Getting involved

When Ms. Kirkley-Cain was hired to manage the building two years ago, her first priority became the children.

"I was hired to manage the building and create programs," she said. "Children and family programs were needed."

She described the neighborhood as being filled with "a lot of drugs and prostitution." When her six-year-old daughter began talking about prostitutes, Ms. Kirkley-Cain decided it was time to get involved and change the neighborhood. Now, she reports, people say, "Leave the lady from the Centre alone."

Safe haven

The programs in the Centre have provided the neighborhood with some stability. "It gives some security," she said. "Safety permeates the air."

She also reports that the vandalism and fires that once were common at the building have now disappeared.

Programs at the Centre are designed to improve the life of those in the neighborhood. Currently, the Centre offers support groups, advocacy, referrals and community health services to adults. In the future, Ms. Kirkley-Cain would like to see education programs for adults as well as an effort to encourage voting.

"We want to make people physically, financially and spiritually sound," she said.

(The Neighborhood Community Centre is home to Hispanic Outreach Services, Albany Community Land Trust, Sure Sew, the Employee Ownership Project, Arbor House Day Program, Capital District Community Loan Fund and Food Pantries of the Capital District. For more information, call 465-5408.)

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