Stephan Russo, Goddard Riverside Community Center Decades of Serving The neediest cases Community Builder

Stephan Russo was 25 when he began his career at Goddard Riverside Community Center (593 Columbus Avenue) and except for a three-year detour in the mid-1990s, has been there ever since.

Russo, who grew up during the Vietnam-Civil Rights era, preceded his time at Goddard with a two-year Peace Corps assignment in Colombia, South America. Those early experiences helped shape his strong desire to help communities in need.

Executive director since 1998, Russo’s first job at Goddard, back in 1976, was as a youth outreach worker. “Many of the kids were in trouble or not doing well in school, and would not come to the community center, so we went to where they were [playgrounds, street corners].”

Russo rose to become director of youth programs in 1979 and served in that capacity for five years. “Some of my proudest accomplishments are the work I initially did with the young people,” Russo said. “I’ve gotten to see some of them now with children of their own… multiple generations positively impacted by their involvement with Goddard Riverside.”

Goddard Riverside Community Center was formed in 1959 with the merger of the Riverside Community House and Goddard Neighborhood Center, and features numerous programs for preschoolers to senior citizens. Major programs include: College Access OPTIONS Center, which counsels students through the application process all the way to graduation. The College Access Professional Development Institute became a part of the program beginning in 2005. College advisors are trained in all New York City public high schools and other community-based organizations. Russo explains that this has allowed Goddard to potentially impact over 150,000 juniors and seniors.

In 1989, Russo, shifted focus to the homeless and helped launch the Supportive Housing Network of New York, in which groups and organizations develop permanent housing for the homeless. This spearheaded a movement that has moved state- and nation-wide.

Goddard currently has 589 housing units in five separate residences for formerly homeless people and seniors. Russo points out over the past seven years alone, Goddard Riverside has helped over 3,000 formerly homeless individuals find housing, and that “permanent housing with supportive services, such as healthcare, education, substance abuse, is vital.”

In 1993, Russo thought he had “done it all” at Goddard Riverside and wanted to tackle social issues while working within the government, so he joined Mayor David Dinkins’ team as an Assistant Commissioner in the newly created Department of Homeless Services. “The significance of my time there was recognizing the important role city government plays in finding solutions to homelessness.”

Of city government, Russo says, “I see a greater understanding in this current administration [than the previous] in the commitment to making the city a more equal and just place, such as providing funding and other resources to help those most in need.”

Goddard Riverside’s budget, which was a mere $700,000 in 1976, has increased from $12 million to $30 million in the last 10 years alone. Although about three-quarters of the budget is city and state funded, Goddard still needs to raise a lot to continue, and expand, their programs.

Russo has a wife and two children, and lives on the Upper West Side with the great luxury of being able to stroll to work. “For my job, I get to try and make a difference for the community I live in and love. It’s been an honor.”