If you walk past 324 Eldert Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, it may look like just another well-kept home. But behind that door is a remarkable legacy—one built by sisters Mildred and Lula Phillips, who not only fostered 16 children, but also transformed their home into a safe haven and hub for the Bushwick community.
Now, the Phillips family’s impact is entering a new chapter: a scholarship program in their honor and a street renaming for Mildred Phillips, who passed away two years ago, are ensuring that their story continues to inspire for generations to come.
Mildred and Lula
In 1984, Mildred and Lula Phillips purchased a dilapidated building on Eldert Street through a city auction. While the city may have been eager to offload a rundown property, the sisters saw something more—an opportunity to create a home, said Cher Nobles, Lula's only biological child.
By January 1991, the Phillips sisters began fostering children. Over time, they opened the doors of their three-story, six-family home to more than a dozen children, offering not just shelter, but love and stability, Nobles said.
Having grown up in a large, tight-knit family, Mildred and Lula were deeply inspired to share that same sense of warmth, connection and belonging with children who needed it most.
“I'm from a very, very large family, and it was eight of us… as I was growing up, I always felt extremely loved, protected and cared for, and my heart went out to children when they didn't have families,” Lula, told BK Reader. “When I realized that children, all children, didn't have that opportunity, the Lord laid that on my heart, just to reach out and to include children who didn't have in my world.”
Beyond fostering children, the sisters were also huge advocates for extending care to others outside of their home. They would often spend time feeding and caring for over 400 unhoused people while taking care of their own family, Lula said.
The sisters' devotion and unrelenting generosity often spread to others in the neighborhood. They connected with local grocery stores and soup kitchens that would give away fruits, vegetables and other items.
Once, Lula recalled a local merchant giving her free pots once he found out she was looking to make 50 gallons of soup for the homeless.
Two of the Phillips foster children, Libria Gibson Obama and Matthew Tyquan Phillips, are now adults and have careers and families of their own.
They remember watching Lula and Mildred, who they affectionately call Tia Mae and Tia Coco, make ends meet to supply for their family, they said.
Obama said she lived in the Phillips household alongside six siblings after being in the foster care system. She recalled feeling very loved and is now, more than ever, appreciative of the time spent together.
“We went on trips, we traveled, and we really just enjoyed spending time together and spending time with the neighbors in the community,” said Obama. “Just recognizing their sacrifice is huge."
Tyquan Phillips, who is now a father, says he understands the sacrifices that Mildred and Lula made for them. As he raises his child, he notices that he is, in many ways, just like Mildred.
“She was very detail oriented,” Phillips, said, who recalled Mildred noticing the smallest thing. “I've grown to be more like her than I realized.”
The Legacy
Now, two years after Mildred Phillips’ passing, Community Board 4 has approved the renaming of Eldert Street in honor of her legacy. A dedication ceremony and children’s block party will be held on July 26, 2025, near the northwest corner of Eldert and Knickerbocker Avenues, according to Cher Nobles.
In addition, the Phillips family’s Bushwick home will undergo renovations, and all of the apartments will be rented out. The proceeds will fund a new scholarship program for local students pursuing college degrees, Lula Phillips shared.
Reflecting on the journey, Lula said the most rewarding part of her legacy has been raising children alongside her sister and watching them grow into “beautiful adults.”
“They've grown up and they are doing things that my sister and I dreamt of doing,” Lula said.
“We wanted to encourage them to go further, do more, understand more. For that, I am so proud that they are making their footsteps in the sand...and what they're doing is impacting other people.”
