Welcome

Mission Statement

The mission of the Hodson Center is “to promote” growth and development within the seniors of our community, and to create an atmosphere which will be conducive to this growth. Also, the Hodson Center teaches that our disabled seniors learn to adapt to their physical conditions through creativity, and that the end result will be an overall good feeling about one’s self.

The Center

Millions of Americans over 65 struggle with losses and the stress of growing older, and the numbers are increasing sharply as the nation’s population ages. We know that when people become older, their supportive social networks begin to break down which may cause isolation, depression and prolonged stress.

William Hodson Senior Center is making a difference in the quality of life for our older population. This is a century marked by great changes for the older adult in terms of average life expectancy. We promote on-going education through today’s technology. We strive to dispel the myth and stereotypical labeling associated with aging, especially in this part of New York City. With your help and support let us continue to be a beacon of hope for those around us. William Hodson Senior Center is a “home away from home” and a safe place where all seniors can socialize.

History

Although modest, the William Hodson Senior Center’s early beginnings combined the best of community initiative and community resources, in order to respond to a growing problem – our older adults. In the early 1940’s little professional attention was directed towards this growing population within our city. It was evident that many of our elderly people lived in isolation, on meager incomes, and had a wide array of needs which were not being met. In March of 1943 a group of workers from various city agencies, as well as the private sector, gathered to discuss ways to assist seniors in their plight. As a result of these services an idea was conceived which caused the Willian Hodson Senior Center to be founded in late 1943.

Prior to the Center’s opening, William Hodson, for whom the Center was affectionately named died in a plane crash en route to North Africa in an effort to establish the wartime rehabilitation program. In 1947, the Center had 350 members. By 1954, Old Boro Hall had increased in size to 850 members. For a prolonged period of time, the William Hodson Senior Center functioned as a New Your Senior Center. In December of 1991 William Hodson officially became one of the first senior centers to enter into the private world as a city funded agency. Today, The Board of Directors has an ongoing contract with the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA), and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) for basic funding operations