Larry Richardson Retires After 30 Years of Leadership at YMCA of the Roses

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 YMCA of the Roses

Aired; March 26th, 2025.

Larry Richardson, President and CEO of YMCA of the Roses, has announced that he will be retiring after more than 30 years at the organization. He played a major role in transforming the organization and strengthening the Y’s impact on housing insecurity and homelessness in York and Lancaster. His journey with the Y began in 1994 at the YMCA in York when the organization was struggling financially.

“The YMCA was better for my wife and our family, with young children at the time, versus coaching and education,” Richardson said, reflecting on his decision to stay. “I like turnaround situations, and I enjoy fixing things.”

In 2021, Richardson was involved in the merger of the YMCA of York and Lancaster, forming the YMCA of the Roses. The merger was initiated during the challenges of the COVID pandemic when Lancaster was struggling to reopen. Richardson and his team stepped in to provide management services, reopening the facilities.

“York and Lancaster are different in many ways, but they are also very similar,” Richardson explained. “The river divides us, but it’s also what unites us.”

Richardson worked to address housing insecurity and homelessness in the region by implementing the Y Community Development Corporation to provide affordable housing in York and played a key role in advocating for the Y to operate a low-barrier homeless shelter in Lancaster. This led to the creation of 112 affordable housing apartments and 120 bed men’s shelters in York.

“In the 1920s through the 1950s, the YMCA was the number one hotel in the world,” Richardson noted. “When I got here in 1994, we were essentially acting as a slumlord. We weren’t leaning into the men’s needs, and I knew we could do better.”

Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation.