Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch founded Greenwich House on Thanksgiving Day in 1902 to improve the living conditions for immigrants. Now, 120 years later, our work stays true to Smikhovitch’s original vision of establishing a community hub of social services and the arts for all New Yorkers. Today, Greenwich House enriches the lives of New Yorkers of all ages through arts and education programs, older adult services, and social and mental health services.
In 2022, Greenwich House held a series of events to celebrate 120 years of service to the community.
Greenwich House kicked off its milestone anniversary celebration with an event in Washington Square Park, featuring musical performances highlighting genres from over the past 120 years, tablescape pottery, musical instrument petting zoo, face painting, workshops on tai chi, art making, and training on NARCAN administration.
The Greenwich House Older Adult Network boogied down at a “Dance Through the Ages” prom-style event, featuring music from across the decades.
At our 120th Anniversary Benefit, Greenwich House raised mission-critical funds to support our arts and education, older adult services, and mental and behavioral health programs, and also for needed renovations and repairs to our historic West Village buildings and spaces.
Thank you for your support!
Government Funders
Special Thanks to our Friends and Close Partners
The Greenwich House Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program has a long-standing history of pioneering progressive and patient-centered care since its inception in the 1970s.
Building upon this legacy, the 2022 “GH@Home” pilot program represents a paradigm shift in the approach to methadone maintenance treatment. By cross-training certified peer counselors as home health aides, the program provides personalized care within familiar surroundings. This approach promotes independence, better health management, and individual empowerment.
In 2022, 64 participants enrolled in phase one, experiencing improved self-esteem, self-efficacy, and overall health. GH@Home’s success showcases the organization’s commitment to innovative and patient-centered care.
It serves as a model for future expansion and advancements in addiction treatment, offering hope and transforming lives through its emphasis on dignity, autonomy, and sustained recovery.
“It’s really about medication management and harm reduction. Many of our patients tend to be very private people and some self-isolate unconsciously, so this program allows them to receive support and treatment in a familiar setting.”
As a home health aide, Elisabeth helps patients with finding health care providers and with becoming more self-sufficient. As a certified peer recovery counselor who has lived experience with substance use disorder, she shares her recovery experiences and gets to know them personally in order to build trust.
“Focusing on my health and starting to follow through with taking care of myself was a huge part of my own recovery. I really try to get the patients to understand and that their life will be better if they visit their primary care physician and go for regular checkup. I tell them you’re worth taking care of, and I know it can be difficult to accept, but it’s really the truth.” – Elisabeth Diekmann
In 2022, Barrow Street Nursery School stayed true to its mission of igniting a lifelong passion for learning, the arts, and nurturing community and environment.
An incredible partnership with PS3 was continued, welcoming 30 fresh faces to the community.
In total, BSNS teachers delivered enriching learning experiences to a total of 229 students throughout the year, while families actively participated through meaningful dialogue and support.
On November 1, 2022, the Lifelong Skills and Opportunity Center opened as a groundbreaking pilot program focused on connecting out-of-work New Yorkers to job opportunities and training, with a focus on older adults.
With an eye toward supporting communities long-served by Greenwich House, including individuals in recovery receiving behavioral health and older adult services, the center provided technical skills development, interview coaching and job search
support. GH’s workforce team also educated older adults on the employment options available to them while receiving government benefits.
The center is committed to empowering New Yorkers through case management, skills development, job training and coaching, making a positive impact on their journey to the workforce.
Gregg Powell, a 73-year-old retiree, photographer, and multimedia artist, visits the computer lab daily to edit his photos and acquire new computer skills to enhance his entrepreneurial pursuits.
“My long-range objective is to establish a website to sell my work online,” said Powell, who is a full-time artist, having retired from his careers in carpentry and computer programming, respectively, after 25 years. He lives on the Upper West Side and travels to Greenwich House daily to edit his photos and learn new skills.
“I am also improving my word processing skills through a class here. I use Excel to create numerous tables and graphs to chart the events in my life.”
Greenwich House Pottery (GHP) continued its mission of cultivating creativity in clay by providing an enriching communal space for 1,200 students to explore their artistic talents.
Additionally, GHP showcased seven inspiring exhibitions, featuring exceptional artwork created by world-class contemporary artists, and emerging talent. The program’s commitment to accessibility and inclusivity was demonstrated by awarding financial aid to 15% of students, ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds could engage in the transformative power of pottery.
Four artists in residence brought their unique perspectives and artistic practices to GHP. One of the program’s participants, multidisciplinary artist and educator Alva Mooses, combines her ceramic sculptures with geological materials such as rammed earth, cast concrete, and volcanic stones, serving as commentary about the impact of colonialism on our social and physical environments.
While taking advantage of GHP’s state-of-the-art facilities and resources, Alva used her residency time for artistic experimentation to further realize and elevate her creative vision.
The GHP community was invited to take inspiration from watching Alva’s art practice unfold, gaining new insight from her unique approach to the ceramics medium.
Our Youth Community Center’s engaging enrichment programs combined play, movement, technology, and creativity with academic support, ensuring children had a safe space to explore their interests, discover their potential, and develop essential social skills.
With a diverse range of arts and STEM after-school classes, and summer/holiday camps, the center stimulates learning and builds character.
In 2022, 475 students actively participated in the center’s offerings, which included 30+ STEAM classes, including cartooning, coding, tennis, woodworking, podcasting and much more.
“Knowing that our child is brought by staff to the YCC and that our child feels safe, happy and at home in the community there is wonderful! She loves each of her classes, trusted adults, and the social time until we are able to leave work and come get her. We know that her afternoons at the YCC are enriching to her emotional, social and academic well-being and are very thankful for the staff and their generosity of expertise, time, and care.” – YCC Parent
Greenwich House Music School (GHMS) is a vibrant hub where the beauty and transformative power of music, art, dance, and theater come to life. With a steadfast commitment to providing high-quality and affordable arts education, GHMS ensures that individuals of all ages can access the enriching world of the arts.
Thanks to the generous $200,000 gift from the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund, GHMS has expanded its Artist-in-Residence program, providing six exceptional artists with the freedom to innovate over the next five years through the Uncharted concert series. This investment empowers artists, nurtures unique voices, and strengthens the artistic community. GHMS, alongside the New York Presenters Consortium, identifies these talented individuals and offers them a supportive platform to develop their craft.
As GHMS continues to amplify the voices of emerging artists, it enriches the cultural landscape, fostering creativity and collaboration for a vibrant artistic future.
“The Elebash Fund’s generous gift enables us to continue supporting exceptional artists from diverse genres,” said Rachel Black, the director of GHMS. “Through our Artist-in-Residence program, we provide these talented individuals with the necessary resources to further develop their artistic vision.”
In collaboration with Grand St. Settlement and Little Mozart Foundation, the Music School, expanded music and arts access to 400 HeadStart students, aged 2 to 4, in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.
GHMS and LMF’s expert arts instructors were embedded into Grand Street’s early childhood classrooms, exposing students to classical instruments through LMF’s vibrant, bilingual workshops. This transformative alliance underscored a profound commitment to invigorating NYC’s underserved communities with rich arts education.
Against a backdrop of COVID-19, cost-of-living inflation, and the complex landscape of food insecurity, Greenwich House Older Adult Centers continued to be a destination and resource for social connections, artistic exploration, and healthy living for thousands of 60+ adults in the community.
With a staggering 50,734 meals served across our 4 Manhattan locations, older adults were assured access to nourishment and a sense of community. Our new Westbeth Center, which opened June 28, 2022 at 155 Bank Street, is one of the few older adult sites in the City offering meals and services on weekends when so many go without.
The highly anticipated Art Show at Center on the Square returned in 2022 with much fanfare and celebration after a three-year hiatus caused by COVID-19. In addition to offering thousands of health and wellness, education, and arts classes, Greenwich House forged a partnership with the NYC
Parks System improving the quality of life for older adults in downtown New York by expanding outdoor classes to include Tai Chi, dances, picnics, community gatherings, as well as drawing and painting classes at Washington Square Park.
Beyond our doors, GH older adults enjoyed trips to The Whitney Museum, Broadway performances, and culminated in hosting their own Off-Broadway show hosted by Jo Firestone at GH Theater.
by Roberta Curly, member at the Westbeth Older Adult Center
Roberta Curly, a retired administrator for the NYPD, became a member of the Westbeth Older Adult Center shortly after its inception and has since discovered a welcome and vibrant community among her fellow peers. Curly derives immense pleasure from participating in weekly poetry classes and engaging in enriching excursions to art museums and Broadway plays. In fact, she accepted a job as a poetry instructor at the Center. She even composed a heartfelt poem titled “Celebrating Center Core” to express her profound gratitude for the invaluable services and unwavering support she receives from Westbeth.
“Celebrating Center Core”
I feel cared for
I feel lucky
I am categorized as “old”
I live alone
I’m childless
I have a really old boyfriend
Our relationship is vicissitude-filled
He’s fun — a low-key riot
Often I need space
But I’m not solitary
My brothers hover, occasionally
I have culinary assistance—
Fresh Direct appears at my door
I choose my daily activities
Westbeth Older Adult Center opened
Two blocks away
They serve balanced, hearty lunches
Sometimes better than Fresh Direct
More nourishing than food though- –
Is camaraderie – never lacking here
Perks magically appear in this center
Museum trips, shopping jaunts
A drawing for free “Wicked” tix
Jubilant vibes from dedicated Directors
A laudable, multigenerational staff
All empathic, easy to know
like our social worker —
Classes, movies with fresh popcorn
What likely keeps me returning?
Mostly retirees, like myself
Or those still on the job
Hanging out, opening up, sharing
Somewhat like a dating service…
But with heart
| Operating Revenue and Support | |||
| Contributions and special events | $ | 2,288,676 | |
| Government grants | $ | 4,427,386 | |
| Tuition and fees | $ | 7,594,039 | |
| Medicaid and other insurance | $ | 6,601,774 | |
| Rental income | $ | 393,456 | |
| Investment returns | $ | 11,068 | |
| Other income | $ | 311,410 | |
| Forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program | 2,189,317 | ||
| Total Revenue | $ | 23,817,126 | |
| Expenses | |||
| Program services | $ | 17,965,989 | |
| Management and administrative | $ | 4,892,158 | |
| Fundraising | $ | 414,616 | |
| Total Expenses | $ | 23,272,763 | |
| Assets | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 6,573,048 | |
| Investments | $ | 2,940,438 | |
| Accounts receivable | $ | 4,950,786 | |
| Contributions receivable | $ | 518,350 | |
| Prepaid expenses | $ | 405,368 | |
| Beneficial interest in remainder trust | $ | 246,047 | |
| Property and equipment, net | 2,935,966 | ||
| Total Assets | $ | 18,570,003 | |
| Liabilities | |||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses |
$ | 1,799,901 | |
| Accrued salaries and related liabilities |
$ | 632,749 | |
| Deferred tuition | $ | 4,197,783 | |
| Line of credit | $ | 752,645 | |
| Loan Payable | $ | 492,500 | |
| Total Liabilities | $ | 7,875,575 | |
| Net Assets | |||
| Unrestricted assets | $ | 5,918,722 | |
| Temporarily restricted assets | $ | 3,064,445 | |
| Permanently restricted assets | $ | 1,711,261 | |
| Total Net Assets | $ | 10,694,428 | |
| Total Liabilities and Net Assets | $ | 18,570,003 |