Sunnyside CARE NYC — Free Caregiver Peer Support in Queens, NY
Sunnyside Community Services runs CARE NYC, a free caregiver support program for family caregivers in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. As one of New York City’s longest-running multi-service nonprofits, Sunnyside has built CARE NYC around the realities of caregiving in the city — diverse families, demanding work schedules, and an aging-services system that’s hard to navigate without help. The program offers peer support groups, individual counseling, respite assistance, and case management at no cost.
What to Expect
CARE NYC’s free caregiver support groups meet on a regular schedule in person at Sunnyside’s Queens locations and online via video. Groups are facilitated by trained social workers and follow a confidential, peer-driven format. Members share what’s happening at home, listen to others, and trade strategies on common caregiving challenges — managing medications, coordinating with siblings, navigating Medicare and Medicaid, finding home health aides, and grieving the slow changes that come with a loved one’s decline. Caregivers can also pair group attendance with one-on-one counseling and case management for situation-specific help.
Who This Group Is For
CARE NYC serves anyone living in Queens, or anyone whose family member in need of care lives in Queens. Services are also available in Brooklyn and Staten Island. Members include adult children caring for parents, spouses, partners, grandchildren, and friends who have become primary caregivers. The program is built with the linguistic and cultural breadth of Queens in mind — services are available in multiple languages, and staff are trained in working across the cultural traditions of NYC’s immigrant and multigenerational households.
Why Peer Support Works
Caregiving in New York City can mean working full time, navigating expensive housing, coordinating with multiple medical specialists, and trying to keep an aging parent in their longtime apartment for as long as possible. A regular peer support group answers that complexity with a consistent room of others doing the same work. Members trade vetted home health agencies, find Medicaid-savvy social workers through each other, and build a small reliable network around the role. Sunnyside’s combination of peer support and one-on-one casework means caregivers don’t have to choose between community and personalized help.
How to Join
All CARE NYC services are free. To enroll, call Sunnyside Community Services at (718) 784-6173 or visit scsny.org/programs/care-nyc. Staff will conduct a brief intake and match each caregiver to the right combination of group support, counseling, respite, and case management.