Nilsa: Coming Home to Grand Street

Growing up in the Lilian Wald Houses in a single-parent home, Nilsa always considered the settlement houses of the Lower East Side the heart of her community. Her single mom taught sewing classes at a settlement house, and during the summers she signed her up for the best summer camp in the neighborhood: Grand Street Settlement’s. That was one of the best parts of going to summer camp at Grand Street: the site where Nilsa went every day was filled with her neighbors, friends, people from the area who’d grown up together. “It felt like a family,” Nilsa said.

Nilsa’s family background in community-based care accompanied her throughout her career. She was always easily able to curate a community where parents could confidently voice their wants and needs. While Nilsa enjoyed her work with public school families, a surprising opportunity presented itself in October 2020: a Family Advocate job at Grand Street. Nilsa could return to the place that had offered her younger self a sanctuary. From the moment she started at Bushwick Child and Family Center, Nilsa knew: “This is the place where I’m going to grow old and retire.”

When Grand Street’s Bushwick site received news that the site would be moving to a new location in the fall of 2026, Nilsa worried about telling parents. An important part of the family advocate's job is to teach parents how to be independent. Nilsa had done just that as families received news of the site move with only one question: “What’s the new address? Cause my baby’s graduating from this center.”

As Bushwick Child and Family Center opens its new location this fall, Nilsa is optimistic about the future:

“This is going to be an opportunity to meet new families, bring them into the fold, and share with them the Grand Street Way.”