We serve residents from the neighborhoods of East New York, Cypress Hills, City Line, Starrett City and Spring Creek, which has a population of 200,293. We are a racially and ethnically diverse community with thriving immigrant populations from the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Mexico and Bangladesh. Our services and programming are available to all community residents, and strengthen the neighborhood through empowering its residents to act as leaders and determine the future of their community. The majority of our board members currently live or work in the neighborhood, and residents are continually involved in designing and refining our work.
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC) was founded by local residents and merchants in 1983. Cypress Hills had undergone a period of rapid neighborhood change, systemic disinvestment by city government and banks, the flight of long-time residents and the loss of local businesses that devastated the Fulton Street commercial strip. Together, these community members sought to revitalize and improve Cypress Hills through community development. Over the decades, our organization has gone from a one-program organization with an annual budget of $35,000 to one with six program divisions serving over 11,000 people a year, with a budget of over $20 million.
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Our Mission
With community residents leading the way, the mission of CHLDC is to build a strong, equitable East New York, where youth and adults achieve educational and economic success, secure and preserve affordable housing, and develop leadership skills to transform their lives and community. We actively promote policies that advance racial equity.