NYCHA Swim Safety Corps

Every year a kid drowns in the waters around NYS because that person never learned to swim. As a child, swimming is one of the “must learns” in life. It is mind boggling to me every time I come across and adult who doesn’t know how to swim. My life began in LA and my father tossed me in the pool before I was one year old, but that is another story. The NYCHA Swim Safety Corps is one of my favorite programs we partner with at the Public Housing Community Fund.

We have helped this program grow over the past few years. I love so much about it. People get to learn how to swim, swimming empowers you, then many go on to work at the lifeguard where NY is in desperate need of more lifeguards every summer, and the program has grown year after year. I can hardly wait to see how many people go through the program next summer!

The information below is from the weekly newsletter that we send out from the Fund on Sunday mornings. Always makes my day.

WE’RE BUILDING A STRONGER, MORE EQUITABLE NEW YORK CITY.ISSUE 25 | AUGUST 17, 2025WELCOME TO THE PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITY FUND’S WEEKLY NEWSLETTERNearly 100 NYCHA youth dove into something extraordinary this summer – graduating from the six-week ‘earn while you learn’ NYCHA Swim Safety Corps (Swim Corps). Launched by the Fund and Rising Tide Effect in 2022, in partnership with the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), Swim Corps has grown dramatically, with a record 96 youth graduating this year. From conquering the water, learning how to swim and gaining drowning prevention skills to earning CPR/AED certification to building resumes and cover letters, exploring careers in the blue economy, and preparing for NYC Parks’ lifeguard training program, graduates are not only ready for the deep end, they’re helping make summer in the city safer for everyone. And they weren’t the only ones making waves. Last month, with the support of our partners at Champlain Hudson Power Express and Gotham Gives, the Fund sponsored 75 girls living in public housing communities to attend Eagle Island Camp on Lake Saranac in the Adirondacks, where they learned to swim, boat, and sail. Many were away from home for the first time, making friends, building skills, and confidence that will last a lifetime. We’re proud to have supported swimming and water safety instruction for many NYCHA youth with our incredible partners and funders. Our city is home to over 90 public pools and 520 miles of waterfront, and water safety is a life skill no one should be without. This summer, hundreds of young people left the water stronger, more confident, and ready for whatever challenges lie ahead, proving that when our city’s youth step up, they don’t just make change, they make waves of change.