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It’s a Family Affair[space_20]
Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) has been helping adults earn their high school equivalency diploma since 2003, but it wasn’t until they launched Stronger Together and began collaborating with four organizations to deliver services to Red Hook public housing residents that they noticed the positive impacts of family participation.
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FAC is coordinating programming with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, Red Hook Initiative and Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation to ensure greater educational and employment outcomes for public housing residents of Red Hook and Gowanus.
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FAC noticed that family members are referring their relatives and creating great support systems for their loved ones that encourage – and enable – them to stick with the program and pass their high school equivalency test.
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Take husband and wife team Jasmine and Israel. They live in Red Hook Houses together with their four children, ages 4 to 14. [space_20] As part of its partnership with Red Hook Initiative, FAC has been able to bring adult education classes to the Red Hook neighborhood. Before classes were so accessible, Jasmine and Israel simply couldn’t dream of enrolling. With the responsibility of four kids, they just didn’t have the time to travel far outside their neighborhood.
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Now, with the Stronger Together partnership, classes are practically at their doorstep. But, the weekly 7-hour commitment was still a big hurdle, as was the fact that it takes many people a year of weekly classes to be ready to pass the test.
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“That’s where family comes in, said Brian Mendes, Associate Director of Education, Fifth Avenue Committee. “We’re seeing family members encourage – and sometimes force – each other to show up. And, there’s a healthy competition between family members that encourages individuals to push themselves to do better. It’s something you don’t see much with people who are friends.”
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Jasmine and Israel had a near 100% attendance rate at class – which is double the rate of many students. Jasmine passed the test in November, just 5 months after enrolling. Israel, motivated by seeing his wife succeed, passed in January. Jasmine is now in the process of enrolling in college; Israel is working to support their family.
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“You can see the difference family members make in the classroom,” says Mr. Mendes. “They are there to accomplish something and they push each other to succeed.”
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CHLDC Selected by Citi Community Development and LISC for Grant to Improve Commercial District
In March, Citi Community Development and LISC NYC kicked off the Commercial Corridor Challenge, a partnership between Citi, LISC and the NYC Department of Small Business Services around their newly-launched
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Three awardees were announced as recipients of the Citi/LISC funds at a March 13th press conference with SBS Commissioner Gregg Bishop and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito: Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, and the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco).
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Commercial Corridor Challenge grantees will receive technical assistance from Larisa Ortiz Associates to design early action projects that address needs identified through Commercial District Needs Assessments (CDNAs) conducted last year. Projects can include physical improvements to storefronts and streetscapes, as well as business retention and attraction activities.
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LISC NYC and Citi Community Development are pleased to support Capital Change Fund partner Cypress Hills LDC with their commercial corridor revitalization efforts along Fulton Street in East New York, Brooklyn. Cypress Hills plans to use grant funds toward beautifying the corridor, improving safety, and working with local merchants.
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St. Nicks Alliance Buys 248 Apartments Thanks to LISC, New York Equity Fund, and HPD; Keeps them Affordable[space_20]
St. Nicks Alliance Corporation, in partnership with the Joint Ownership Entity (JOE NYC) and support from LISC, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the New York Equity Fund, has added 248 apartments to their real estate portfolio. The purchase of the 43 buildings located in Central Brooklyn represents a rare example of a real estate portfolio in New York City owned by a for profit developer being acquired by a nonprofit organization. The sale ensures that the apartments will be maintained as affordable housing over the long term.
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HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer said, “The preservation of existing affordable housing is an important part of our mission to make New York City more affordable. Thanks to the commitment of JOE NYC and St. Nick’s Alliance, over 240 households can rest assured that their monthly payments will remain within their means. HPD is pleased to join in this exciting venture with JOE NYC and look forward to many collaborations to come.”
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Sam Marks, Executive Director of New York City’s LISC program stated, “LISC NYC is proud to provide acquisition financing for JOE NYC’s first acquisition of a privately owned affordable housing portfolio, and to provide additional support to the transaction through LISC’s New York Housing Stabilization Fund. Now more than ever, New York City needs to expand its portfolio of housing assets that will be stewarded for long-term affordability, and this joint venture between St Nicks Alliance and the JOE will do just that.”
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In Other News[space_20]
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According to Public Works Partners, when you think about how to design and implement effective performance management practices at your organization, focus on three key elements: culture, systems, and reporting. Public Work Partners has been working with our grantees to help them develop a culture that is data-driven and performance-oriented, systems and processes that are scalable and sustainable, and reporting tools that are targeted and inform actions. Read more about their Recipe for Metrics Success here.
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Enterprise’s Judi Kende and Council Member Ritchie Torres write in an op-ed in Next City that the presidential administration must reconsider its proposed budget cuts which would cripple the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and jeopardize critical community development programs.
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