The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit is permanently closing the North Oakland Family YMCA as part of its plan to stabilize, revitalize, and thrive again.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit Executive Committee passed a motion to permanently close the North Oakland YMCA effective today, October 6, 2020, to help minimize financial losses and to generate operating revenue to sustain the organization. “The North Oakland Family YMCA has served the community for 16 years and now its operating costs significantly exceed its membership revenues,” stated Helene Weir, President and CEO of the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit. 

“This is hard, we never want to close any of our YMCAs, they serve as valuable centers of community, however, we can not ignore that we were closed for six months and we simply do not have the resources to subsidize underperforming operations,” said Weir. She added, the YMCA has been serving this community for 168 years, and today’s focus must be on our recovery plan to ensure the YMCA is here to support future generations.

Weir shared that the Y is closing the North Oakland Family YMCA building, but the Y is not abandoning the community. Members of the North Oakland Family YMCA will also be given free memberships to access open YMCAs for the remainder of 2020 at any of the Y’s seven (7) other locations in Birmingham, Detroit, Downriver, Farmington, Macomb, Milford, and Royal Oak. Here are the specific YMCA Locations. 

Lynette Simmons, Vice-President of Operations for Community Initiatives, said, YMCA teams will serve in the Auburn Hills/Pontiac region. “We will continue to feed children and provide regular opportunities for children to safely engage in outdoor play, along with a host of other social and educational youth development efforts, through our:  Y Nourish, Y Positive Play Initiatives, Y Arts, and Metro Youth YMCA career and college prep programs,” said Simmons. During the six (6) months that the YMCA’s wellness facilities were closed, the Y directed all its available resources to help families during the COVID-19 health crisis.

• 200,000 free grab and go meals were provided to children throughout metropolitan Detroit
• 3,000 children were provided with childcare and/or other youth development support 

This was all made possible thanks to our longstanding members, donors, partners, and public funding. Learn more about how the Y is supporting metropolitan Detroit here. Weir said decisions are being made daily as the Y implements a plan that will enable the YMCA to continue to impact health and wellness, family and community, and child and youth development. “We will look and operate differently, but we will be here to continue to serve metropolitan Detroit”.

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