If you’ve spent any time in Forest Hills, Pomonok, or Kew Gardens, you may have walked past a Queens Community House (QCH) site without even knowing it. The organization operates quietly and pervasively across 40 locations in 15 Queens neighborhoods — one of the borough’s largest and most comprehensive human services providers. This Sunday, on Community Voices day, we’re shining a light on QCH and an upcoming event that’s open to the whole community.
A Settlement House Born From Conflict
Queens Community House was founded in 1975 as the Forest Hills Community House — specifically to help heal the wounds of a bitter neighborhood conflict over public housing that had torn Forest Hills apart in the early 1970s. The plan to build a large low-income housing development in the neighborhood had sparked one of the most contentious battles in New York City’s planning history. What emerged from the fallout was, among other things, a community center built on the idea that neighbors could choose to work together rather than against each other.
Five decades later, QCH has grown far beyond its Forest Hills origins. The organization serves residents of all ages, races, faiths, and ethnicities across one of the most diverse counties on Earth — Queens, where more than 160 languages are spoken and where over half the population was born outside the United States.
What QCH Does Across the Borough
The breadth of QCH’s work is hard to summarize in a paragraph, but here’s the shape of it: children and youth services, including afterschool programs, summer camps, and teen programming; young adult services including education, employment, and leadership development; adult and family services covering ESL classes, immigration assistance, food pantries, and case management; older adult services including senior centers and home care; and dedicated LGBTQ services.
The Forest Hills Community Center at 108-25 62nd Drive is QCH’s original and flagship location. More than 500 neighbors pass through it on a typical day — it transforms from a senior center in the morning to an afterschool site in the afternoon to a teen center in the evening. The recently renovated patio at this location will host QCH’s upcoming spring celebration.
The Pomonok Community Center serves one of the most densely populated public housing developments in Queens. The Kew Gardens site rounds out a network that reaches across the central and southern Queens neighborhoods that are often overlooked in coverage that focuses on Long Island City, Astoria, and the Rockaways.
The Garden Party: Celebrating Local Heroes — June 4, 2026
On Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 6 PM, Queens Community House is hosting its spring fundraiser: “Garden Party: Celebrating Local Heroes.” The event takes place at the newly renovated Forest Hills Community Center patio at 108-25 62nd Drive, Forest Hills, NY 11375.
The evening includes a reception, tours of the community center, evening programming, and the chance to mingle with fellow supporters and community members committed to strengthening Queens neighborhoods. The title — “Celebrating Local Heroes” — captures something QCH does every day: the quiet, sustained work of the neighbors, volunteers, and staff members who show up for each other without fanfare.
Tickets are $85 and available through QCH’s website. Sponsorship packages are also available for businesses and organizations that want to support QCH’s work more substantially. For questions, contact Melinda Placide at mplacide@qchnyc.org.
Even if the gala isn’t for you, it’s a good moment to find out what QCH offers in your neighborhood. The organization runs programs for just about every age and situation — and for many Queens residents, a QCH program is the difference between navigating a crisis alone and having a real support network.
Get Connected to QCH
QCH’s administrative headquarters is at 108-69 62nd Drive, Queens, NY 11375. Main phone: 718-592-5757. Email: info@qchnyc.org. Full program listings and a map of all 40 service locations are at qchnyc.org.
If you want to take action and get involved in advocacy — not just services — QCH’s “Neighbors in Action” program brings together participants and friends to engage in community, from park cleanups to documentary screenings to advocacy campaigns. You can connect at action@qchnyc.org or call 929-471-4478.
For residents thinking about how they fit into the neighborhood — whether they’re long-timers or newly arrived — QCH is a great place to start. And for those considering a move to the area, our Forest Hills neighborhood guide has the transit and rent context you need.
What You Need to Know
- Queens Community House (QCH) operates 40 service locations across 15 Queens neighborhoods, serving residents of all ages and backgrounds since 1975.
- Programs span children and youth, young adults, families, older adults, and LGBTQ services — including ESL, afterschool, senior centers, food programs, and immigration support.
- Garden Party: Celebrating Local Heroes is June 4, 2026 at 6 PM at the Forest Hills Community Center, 108-25 62nd Drive. Tickets are $85.
- Contact for event: mplacide@qchnyc.org | General info: (718) 592-5757 | qchnyc.org
- To get involved in community advocacy, contact Neighbors in Action at action@qchnyc.org.
