This year marks the first summer season that the Gateway Center will spend under the ownership of the nonprofit. While this is a new chapter for the complex, it also demonstrates the collaboration the Gateway Center and CCH have shared for nearly two decades.

Located in the former Chautauqua Hardware building, the Gateway Center was originally under the ownership of Gary Lynn. In addition to owning the building, Lynn was also the CEO of the commercial real estate development company Lynn Development.

Lynn owned the building up until October of last year when he donated it and the surrounding property to Community Helping Hands which he developed in 2000.

“He said last fall that he is no longer interested in being a person that was going to be intricately involved in all that (maintaining and owning the building),” Community Helping Hands Interim Director Carol Hay said. “He handed the building off to Community Helping Hands and we took over the operation.”

St. Susan’s Kitchen is one five tenants that calls the Gateway Center home. The Gateway Center was donated to Community Helping Hands in October 2018. P-J photo

With the donation, CHH now had ownership of the complex and also oversaw its tenant spaces. Over the years these have included businesses and organizations such as Love Inc., the Basket Company and The Food Bank Of Western New York.

Today, the Gateway Center consists of nearly a dozen organizations that call the center home. In addition to CCH’s main offices, there is also a thrift shop for clothing, a furniture store and a household store.

They are called The Depot, the Showroom, and Picker’s Place respectively. Money from sales of donated items are used to fund building costs including maintenance, utilities, repairs and similar expenditures.

“They are all the same kind of thing (thrift based with donations),” Hay said. “People donate clothing, furniture and miscellaneous items (to CCH) and in turn we have people who sort and price those things for sale. In addition, agencies refer people here.”

That work in turn is performed by volunteers from churches, social services participants and similar organizations.

“We also provide services to people looking for a job,” Hay said. “We have staff who perform training and soft skills education and bilingual interpretation.”

Hay said CCH and the Gateway Center also works with other organizations to provide services to individuals.

She cited the Salvation Army and Chautauqua Opportunities Incorporated as examples.

“Whatever the need is, we find the organization that best fits it,” Hay said. “Based on the need of clients we partner them with other organizations.”

Other tenants of the Gateway Center include the Baby Cafe, which offers support and education for pregnant and nursing mothers. Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES utilizes space for classrooms for subjects ranging from GED preparation to workforce development skills. Other organizations that utilize space in the Gateway Center are St. Susan Center, Evergreen Health and the His Way Archers: bow and arrow club.

In addition, CCH also hosts a family center that includes pool tables, a laser tag course, an indoor skate/BMX park and batting cages that are open during the fall and winter months. Hay said the family center is currently planning to reopen in October.

Currently, CCH is in the process of securing funding to construct multi-family housing opportunities on the upper floors of the Gateway Center. The project is being organized in partnership with the Southern Tier Environments For Living and the Jamestown YWCA.

In January, CCH received news that the YWCA received a $400,000 grant for five years totalling $2 million to fund one floor. At the same time, STEL received a grant of $625,000 for five years totalling $3,125,000 for another floor.

In spite of the changes that CCH and the Gateway Center have seen in recent months, Hay said that one thing will remain constant at the two organizations.

“The mission remains the same, to help people,” Hay said.

The Depot, the Showroom and Picker’s Place are open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m to 4 p.m. They are also open the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations can be made Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information contact Community Helping Hands at 487-1488 or visit them at 31 Water St. in Jamestown.