The Germantown Life Enrichment Center (GLEC) has received a $750,000 state grant for critical building renovations, which state Sen. Art Haywood (D-4th District) presented to the organization on Sept. 17.

In desperate need of repairs and upgrades, the grant money will let GLEC begin roof, electrical, and other repairs to the 100-year-old building, according to Lyn Kuebler, GLEC’s executive director.

Taking on the name GLEC in 2011, the former YMCA at 5722 Greene St. left the national organization. YMCA began moving away from housing programs in the 1950s, with fewer and fewer locations offering rooms as the 20th century concluded.

GLEC opted to maintain that tradition, offering transitional housing and support services in Germantown. The rest of the facility operates like a typical YMCA, offering programming for recreation, fitness, education, after-school, and summer camp.

Separated from the larger organization, GLEC must rely on its own budget and grants for funding renovations and repairs. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s (PHFA) Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement fund awarded GLEC $750,000, allowing them to chip away at a long list of repairs and upgrades.

“We picked the electrical and the roof because they were top on our list, and the roof and the electrical help both” the housing and recreation center, Kuebler told the Local. “Our needs because the building’s 100 years old are great. If we were to write everything down on a wish list for the residential and fitness side, it would probably be $20 million to do everything.”

She added, “We are interested in doing the most needful things first, so we have been seeking other funding from the local and state level. We received $2.5 million in July through PHFA’s [Home American Rescue Plan], so that would be for residential, and we also received state funding from Local Share Account, and that was $956,000.”

Kuebler said Haywood visited GLEC in December 2024 and gave them suggestions on gathering grants and starting fundraising efforts.

“This investment is a fantastic step toward strengthening our neighborhood,” said Haywood in a press release. “The Germantown Life Enrichment Center is a place where neighbors can gather, learn, and build community. This $750,000 investment helps ensure that GLEC can continue serving Germantown for years to come.”

With GLEC’s building turning 100 this December, Kuebler hopes to increase funding efforts as the building passes its first century.

“We’re really appreciative of this grant,” Kuebler said. “It was the starting point, and I encourage people in the Germantown and Chestnut Hill community to come see what the facility has to offer and the potential in it, and what it might be for even more participants in our community.”