YWCA Brooklyn

In 2006, as New York City’s shortage of affordable housing reached a crisis point, YWCA Brooklyn declined offers from developers seeking to convert its historic building in rapidly gentrifying Downtown Brooklyn to luxury housing and instead committed to reinvesting its real estate in service of its mission. The building was in serious disrepair and neighbors complained it was a blight to the community. The organization was in a dire financial position and had already lost most of its programs. Developers were pouncing at the opportunity to turn this historic building into high-rise apartments. The fate of YWCA Brooklyn stood at a crossroads.

That’s when Martha Kamber, the now CEO and President of YWCA Brooklyn, stepped into the picture. Kamber is a longtime women’s rights advocate who first discovered YWCA as a homeless teenager in Massachusetts. “I got involved with that YW and I can say, without hesitation, that it totally saved my life,” she said. “It gave me a community of other women who were all working to empower women.”

More than 20 years later, Kamber got a call about stepping in to help rescue the YWCA Brooklyn building from foreclosure. It was Kamber’s turn to save the same organization that once saved her.

After six years of fundraising and construction, the YWCA Brooklyn now houses 300 women in permanent and affordable homes. Their mission is to eliminate racism through economic empowerment for low-income women of color.

Of the women living in the Downtown Brooklyn building, 50% of them are making $14,000 a year or less, 87% are women of color, and 91% are trauma survivors. These are women who are experiencing food insecurity and homelessness, who are coming from abusive relationships or are recovering addicts, and they are looking for a place to call home.

“​​The fact that this is permanent housing was really profound for us, because it’s really hard to put your life back together if you don’t know where you’re going to live; it’s kind of a springboard for everything else,” Kamber said.

With single-room occupancy apartments, the YWCA building attracts an older crowd of women who are seeking a community to support them as they age. Rather than having to send these women to a nursing home as they get older, YWCA has made the promise to support these women as they age-in-place.

“We would provide the support they needed to continue to age in a community of their peers with dignity and respect, and a nurturing environment for as long as they want. That was our commitment to them.”

However, in practice, this lofty goal was more challenging than the YWCA anticipated. With 160 women aging in place, the YWCA needed staff who were dedicated to working with the seniors. In their 60s and 70s, many seniors are still relatively independent, but by the time they reach their 80s, they often need more help. “That’s where Brooklyn Org really came in,” said Kamber.

Unlike programs for younger demographics, which Kamber noted are relatively easy to fund, “it is very difficult to raise money for seniors. Most foundations won’t fund seniors, and yet we have a huge number of women in our building who need support. Funding from Brooklyn Org is really critical. It allows us to have case managers who know all of our residents, and that is so important to helping them stay housed.”

That support has enabled YWCA to provide wellness programming like adaptive yoga, art therapy, nutrition classes, and reading circles. Kamber shared that “being able to have our comprehensive, holistic model—Brooklyn Org is a piece of that, and that’s really important.”

These women don’t need to move to assisted living or a nursing home, Kamber explained. They just need a little bit more help to continue to live independently and age in a community with people they know and trust. At the end of last year, 100% of their seniors remained stably housed, and they expect to see the same thing following the end of this year, said Kamber.

“Brooklyn Org has made that commitment to us and to our residents.”

This story was written by Casey Glickman, who volunteered with Brooklyn Org during summer 2025.