EDITORIAL

DOING GOOD,
LOOKING BETTER
Surprised you, huh? Welcome to a sleeker and
hopefully more readable City Limits-new
package, same award-winning, tell-it-like-it-is
magazine. We think this new design will help
us-and you-as we try to translate the com-
plex, often baffiing intrigues and infrastructure
of New York into compelling journalism that
also makes the city a better place.
Up front, you'll find an expanded news sec-
tion, Frontlines, featuring neighborhood
reports, uncompromising assessments of time-
ly issues, and profrles-of newsmakers, trou-
blemakers, and the people of New York City.
Following that is Inside Track, a close-up look
at the inner workings of the five-borough
world-from the scoop on city agencies to the
latest community development trends. As
always, at the heart of the magazine are
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features about the issues that really matter to
the city-including housing, education, neigh-
borhood politics, child welfare, labor, health
care and the environment.
Last bur very much in the front of our
minds is Intelligence, a new section all about
Call us obsessive
(we do), but all this is just
phase one of City limits'
25th anniversary revamp.
policy and advocacy. It starts on page 30
with The Big Idea, a news column where
policy isn't a dirty word-it's a world of
schemes for changing society and of people
who fight it out in couns, statehouses, union
halls, foundations, Washington, the acade-
my and the streets. You'll also find a guide to
Cover photo by Joshua Zuckerman; door of vacated apartment, Prospect Plaza.
y u
l ~
new reports. City Lit is an expanded book
review, with updates on current releases.
Making Change is all about the business of
nonprofits and other social enterprises-
what it really takes to turn big ideas into
action that alters lives.
Call us obsessive (we do), bur all this is just
phase one of our 25th anniversary revamp.
Coming this fall: a totally redone City Limits
and Center for an Urban Future web site, fea-
turing full text of articles, the Weekly Bulletin
and classified ads, a serious search engine, and
all-new research resources for community
advocates. And no brick wall.
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n h
-Alyssa Katz
Editor
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FEATURES
14 TOWER WRECKERS
Jane Jacobs would approve: replace decrepit high-rise buildings with
a cozy mix of homes. But for tenants of Brownsville's Prospect Plaza,
the new public housing is leaving behind the residents of the old.
By Robert Neuwirth
19 WE'VE GOT ISSUES
Eight years of Giuliani is enough to turn anyone into a would-be
urban planner. But as the new slew of candidates takes on the city's
toughest choices, they may regret getting what they wished for.
25 SCHOOLS OF DOOR KNOCKS
Deciding to become a community organizer used to mean post-col-
lege purgatory. Now it's a lifelong profession. City Limits examines
15 organizing schools that prep tomorrow's rabble-rousers.
By Tracie McMillan
CONTENTS
5 FRONTLINES: FEDS KILL HAITIAN RADlO ____ SORRY KIDS, CLINIC'S CLOSED ....
CHELSEA CHAMP FIGHTS ON .... BRONX BUILDING: CLEAN AND GREEN .... COURT BLOCKS RENT BREAKS
INSIDE TRACK
9 SECTION EIGHT IS NOT ENOUGH
Getting a housing voucher from the city is tough. Finding landlords
willing to accept them is an even bigger struggle. By Erin Drasler
12 SYSTEM ERROR
Computer centers for the poor were the bees' knees yesterday, today
they're passe. Dubya's first budget may be the fatal blow.
By Nora McCarthy
2 EDITORIAL
4 LETTERS
35 JOB ADS
40 PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
42 OFFICE OF THE CITY VISIONARY
JULY/AUGUST 2001
INTElliGENCE
30 THE BIG IDEA
Sending drug offenders to rehab instead of jail may ease up
overcrowded jails and courts. But can coerced drug treatment help
people get clean? By Maia Szalavitz
32 CITY LIT
The Lost Children of Wilder, by Nina Bernstein; American Pharaoh:
Mayor Richard 1. Daley, His Battle for Chicago and the Nation,
by Adam Cohen and Elizabeth Taylor
34 MAKING CHANGE
Tiny community groups grow quietly in grassroots New York, even
before they brave the paperwork of becoming official non profits.
Meet the "out-ot-pocket sector." By Nora McCarthy
3
LETTERS
WHO'S WACKO? UNHAPPY HOMEOWNER
Is City Limits nuts? Since when is it
appropriate to use an anonymous quote to
attack ACORN ["Lending Fences," May
2001]? ACORN has ptobably done more to
combat predatory lending than any other
group in the city. Advocates can complain
about the deals organizers cut for their mem-
bership, but they should have enough nerve
to get quoted.
I read Judith Macloff's article ["Houses of
Inequity", May 2001) with a great deal of per-
sonal interest. I, too, have been attempting to
purchase a home in Central Harlem, through a
New York City Housing Partnership/HPD pro-
gram called Central Harlem Townhouses. HPD
is unresponsive, at best, and the private builder
and developer have left much to be desired.
Thankfully, the Partnership has been tremen-
dous. I have been able co work with the Partner-
ship in a way that makes it easier for a first time
homebuyer like myself co understand home con-
struction, including classes that offer information
on getting insurance, making repairs, etc.
4
Mary Dailey
Lead Organizer
The Northwest Bronx Community
and Clergy Coalition
Anonymous
F
~ U t ~ Y a n
. u ure
Not all of the influential
writing about policy issues
in New York City today is
coming from the Right .
the sister organization
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CITY LIMITS
Volume xxv Number 7
City Limits is published ten times per year, monthly except bi -
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CITY LIMITS
FRONT LINES
Radio Free Haiti
EVERY EVENING, A HANDFUL of Haitian radio stations based in F1atbush
ignite rhe airwaves with the mellifluous tones of Creole and French, the
rhythms of compa music and passionate debates about Haitian and New
York politics. For the price of a shortwave radio, about $30, Haitian
immigrants can stay up to date on the tools they need to survive in the
ciry, from immigration policies to housing law.
These sounds are not nearly what they were just a year ago, how-
ever, when more than 20 stations, most of them lacking legal permits,
crowded the FM bands in Brooklyn. Last summer, the Federal Com-
munications Commission shut down most of those pirate stations
and scared the rest off the airwaves. The crackdown coincided wirh
the stunning defeat in Congress of former FCC Chairman William
Kennard's proposal to allow up to a thousand low-power stations
onto the radio. With permits to operate a station on the FM dial
costing tens of millions of dollars, members of the Haitian commu-
nity are desperate to find alternatives. This spring, they learned
there's too much at stake not to.
In April, immigrants and their advocates were desperately trying to
spread details of a federal rule rhat would have allowed more than half a
million undocumented immigrants across the country to stay in the U.S.
while applying for legal residency. The law was scheduled to sunset at the
end of the month, and a rerurn home for these immigrants often means
they are barred from America for years.
Jean Michel, executive director of Chay Pa Lou ("The Load Is Not
JULY/AUGUST 2001
Heavy"), an immigration rights organization, believes thousands of
Haitians did not apply because they had inadequate information about
the process. "Because the pirates were not on the air anymore, the infor-
mation just could not get out," he says. "The radio is really important in
our communiry, because most people listen to radio." With a high illit-
eracy rate, he adds, "They don't read newspapers."
F1atbush Congressman Major Owens is considering using a Haitian
pirate station as a test case against the FCC's tactics, but Beltway insid-
ers express little faith that Michael Powell, the new deregulation-friendly
FCC chief, will revive Kennard's proposal. "I have serious questions
about the constitutionaliry of the FCC's regulations in terms of free
speech," says Owens. "People like the Haitians, whose starions are only
in Creole, end up with aImosr norhing. "
Meanwhile, rhe surviving stations continue to broadcast on subfre-
quencies that can be picked up only on shortwave radios. All day at
Radio Lakay-which was a pirate station until February, when five busi-
nessmen chipped in to buy a sub-frequency permit for several thousand
dollars a month-people walk into the cramped second-floor office on
Church Avenue to buy these radios. On a recent Saturday afternoon,
Laguerre "Tom Male" Lamour, the station's programming director,
helped seU the brightly colored boom boxes. He is certainly well aware of
the problems. As he thanked a customer, he admitted with a laugh, "You
cannot fight the FCC."
-Jeff Chang
5
FRONT llNES
Did the city run its
own child health
clinics right out of
business?
By Julie Hantman
GLORIA ACEVEDO FONDLY REMEMBERS working
in a child health clinic in East Tremont during
her summers off from her job as a school nurse.
"It was rotally free, " says Acevedo, now presi-
dent of nurses Local 436, part of DC 37. "And
you especially had a lot of young mothers that
would use this as their primary care because
they had nowhere ro go, they didn't have
money. My gosh, I have a great letter from one
of these young mothers, how this is how she
learned to be a good parent. Besides giving
immunizations and general health care for
these children, the parents got parenting class-
es, nutrition, everyrhing."
But if state authorities allow the city to
move ahead with its plans, one in five of the
ciry's child health clinics will close their doors
6
Failing Health
for good. Officials at the city's Health and Hos-
pitals Corporation (HHC) want ro shutter
nine of them, as part of a bid ro close 27 city-
run health clinics citywide and save the agency
$2 million in operating expenses.
The child health clinic closings will also let
the agency duck out of over $2 million more in
needed repairs and renovations on the chil-
dren's facilities, according ro HHC senior vice
president LaRay Brown. Faulty wiring, flood-
ing and heating problems affect eight of the
nine clinics slated for closing, most of them in
city housing projects. Over the past rwo years
those eight have already been temporarily
closed, awaiting repairs and renovation. "In
these eight clinics' cases, the clients are being
served in other locations, and the staff have
been moved already tq those locations,"
explains Brown. Under HHC's plan, the tem-
porary reroutings would become permanent.
Originally established in the early 1900s as
"clean milk stations" that passed out free pas-
teurized milk ro combat infant mortality, the
child health clinics also helped quell diphthe-
ria, whooping cough and tetanus via mass
immunizations. Their hallmark has been coun-
seling and education, with treatment services
added in the 1970s.
Now, HHC is scrambling ro take care of its
bottom line. With Medicaid revenue dropping,
state subsidies drying up and outpatient care
increasingly hard ro fund, HHC loses money
on its clinics. In that light, the relatively small
child health clinics-staffed by one docror, one
nurse and support staff-don't offer economies
of scale. They show some of the lowest utiliza-
tion rates of the city's clinics; the nine slated for
closure had on average 3,300 visits in 1999.
"These are tiny clinics that in this era are not
the kind of clinics that most people want ro
come ro, " says Brown. Many who do come are
uninsured.
But if child health clinics are small, HHC
itself has helped ro shrink them, charges Dr.
Katherine Lobach. A clinical professor of pedi-
atrics at Montefiore Medical Center, she over-
saw the child health clinics for a decade, first at
the Department of Health and then under
HHC, after the clinics were transferred ro the
hospitals agency's oversight in 1994. Says
Lobach, "It's been clear since they were trans-
ferred ro HHC that many of them would sort
of be left ro hang out ro dry. "
Under Lobach's management at HHC,
counseling and education remained rop priori-
ties, medicines and lab supplies flowed freely ro
the clinics, and the agency aggressively recruit-
ed public health-oriented staff. But HHC elim-
inated Lobach's unit in 1998, the year the
agency decentralized its facilities into six
regional nerworks headed up by hospitals.
Decentralization was the "final blow," says
Lobach. Now, some clinics have a rough time
getting the medicines they need from busy hos-
pital pharmacists, and clinicians are often jug-
gled from facility ro facility, so kids can't stick
with a particular docror.
Drawing people ro the clinics has taken a
backseat as well. Advocates charge HHC has
neglected ro mount promotional efforts that
could boost their patient numbers. Until the
1970s, integrated linkages across the public sys-
tem meant all new moms were referred ro the
child health clinics by public hospitals or field
nurses. Today, there are few such connections,
and no outreach aside from some community
fairs. Signage outside the clinics is poor or non-
existent. It's even hard ro find a working phone
number for the clinics, as Hunter College stu-
dents enrolled in a communiry-organizing
course found out this spring. Armed with sur-
vey questions for child health clinic staff
regarding clinic utilization, the students
CITY LIMITS
couldn't get through to 40 percent of the phone
numbers they tried. Phones rang and rang, or
worse. "They were either closed, or there were
disconnection notices, and not really any for-
warding number," according to senior Caroline
Budhan.
While there's little effort to pull in new
patients, the clinic closings have already been
shrinking the rolls of existing patients. When
the Forest Houses Health Clinic in the South
Bronx closed for repairs in 1998, patients and
staff were rerouted to the Melrose Houses Clin-
ic, a mile ro the southwest. But only a third of
the kids from Forest have ever showed up at
Melrose for care, estimates one Melrose staffer
who asked ro remain anonymous. The new
traveling distance-which could require two
buses with small kids or in bad weather-is the
prime reason that fewer showed up than
expected. Unlike Forest residents, "the parents
who live here at Melrose, they can just say, 'I'll
be down in 5 minutes,' and for sure they'll be
here, " the staffer explains.
With the high asthma rates plaguing the
South Bronx and the city, Dr. David Evans of
the Columbia School of Public Health agrees
the extra distance is "a step backward. " New
data stemming from a recent multimillion-
dollar collaborative project with the child
health centers showed that when staff are
trained to better manage kids' asthma, it helps
protect kids' health and save HHC money.
"People did make fewer ER visits and more vis-
its to local centers for treatment of acute
episodes of asthma," says Evans. "They were
getting treatment from people who knew them
and were providing their ongoing care."
Getting the clinics reinstated may well
require City Council members and other polit-
ical leaders ro fight for "their" clinics and even
fund repairs out of their own budgets. That's
how Manhattanville, also temporarily closed
down, stayed off the hit list: through advocacy
by Council member Stanley Michels and a
million-dollar donation by the Manhattan bor-
ough president's office.
For Pedro Espada, a council health commit-
tee member whose district includes the now-
closed John Mitchell Houses Clinic, the best
solution is the most obvious: more money for
HHC. "They always ask for zero budgetaty
dollars, zero tax levy dollars," says Espada of the
agency's annual requests to the council. "It's
almost impossible for an organization that's
chartered ro take care of all the indigent care in
the city of New York to be able to afford it. "
Julie Hantman is a Manhattan-based health
writer.
JULY I AUGUST 2001
FRONT llNES
U R BAN lEG END
Gregory P. Mango
Outlasting Chelsea's Slumlords
IN THE BASEMENT OF A ROW HOUSE on West 17th Street, a slight woman with bifocals and shoulder-
length gray hair sits at a folding table with a volunteer lawyer. A dozen embattled tenants have come to
seek her counsel. Jane Wood convenes the weekly meeting of the Chelsea Coalition on Housing by urging
these tenants to resist eviction, harassment and hazardous repairs. After agreeing to bake fudge for the
coalition's upcoming annual block party, tenant Dee Vera jokes, "You just can't say no to her."
Landlords who have tried to reckon with the spry 94-year-old know it's an impossible task. Since found-
ing CCH three decades ago, Wood has picketed landlords' homes, squatted in threatened buildings and
rallied hundreds if not thousands of tenants. In the 1980s, she stared down goons hired by unscrupulous
landlords to bully and intimidate tenants. She shocked church officials a few years ago by denouncing the
manager of Leo House, a low-cost women's residence affiliated with Catholic Charities, as a slumlord. "If
you have Jane Wood on your side, lots of times landlords will just cave in," said State Senator Tom Duane,
who has worked with Wood on housing issues for 25 years. Even when landlords don't back down, Wood
doesn't feel defeated. "The community organized in such a way!" she says of the fight for the Leo House
tenants, who were ultimately forced out. "Part of it is just being together. "
The diminutive St. Louis native has been at the forefront of every Chelsea housing dispute since the
1960s. She began by protesting the destruction of affordable tenements called home by Greek immigrants
working on the nearby piers to make way for Penn South, a middle-income cooperative complex. Though
the buildings went up, those who had lost their homes were given priority in the new housing.
The intrepid organizer has lived in her three-bedroom apartment on West 19th Street since 1947, and
she remembers when Chelsea was a working-class community with a thriving manufacturing district.
"That was before the real estate industry decided it was a neighborhood," she said.
Though suffering from emphysema and hip problems, Wood hasn't let up on her crusade for "integra-
tion not gentrification." She can be found on the picket lines, even if it means trekking to Brooklyn to
protest rent hikes proposed by the Rent Guidelines Board, as she did at the end of April. And don't think
because she has a cane that she needs a rest. When someone at the demonstration tried to get Wood to
sit down, City Councilmember Christine Quinn recalls, "She looked at him as if he had four heads! There
was a rally and she was there to picket. Why would she possibly need a chair?"
-Megan Costello
7
FRONT LINES
==HOUSING==
Judge Dread
THIS SPRING, A TENANT called the Metropolitan
Council on Housing's hotline to ask ifhis land-
lord could legally take away the rent discounts
he'd been getting for years. Recognizing a jump
in the neighborhood's housing market, his
building's owner wanted to significantly raise
the rent, to the maximum level allowed under
the state's rent regulation laws.
Don't worry, Met Council organizer Dave
Powell told the caller, New York's housing laws
prohibit landlords from making a switch like
that until the current tenant moves out. Pow-
ell's answer was correct-until the next day,
May 22, when the Appellate Division of the
Manhattan Supreme Court ruled that anytime
a lease comes up for renewal , landlords can
raise the rent to the full amount allowed under
state rent regulation.
For tenants in neighborhoods like Harlem,
Bushwick and Williamsburg, where once-
struggling housing markets are heating up,
rents could as much as double. And some advo-
cates predict it could mean a spike in evictions.
"This will give landlords a real incentive to jack
up rents if they have other tenants who are will-
ing to pay that price," says Powell.
The appellate division's 3-2 ruling threw out
a decision made by the state Division of Hous-
FIRSTHAND
School's Out
ing and Community Renewal in 1997 that
rejected a landlord's request to charge higher
rents for tenants who had been paying what are
technically known as "preferential" rents. In
that case, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred
Heart sought to raise an East Village tenant's
rent by $70, 5 percent more than the rate
they'd charged for the previous two years. The
court said there is no reason to conclude "that
the preference was to survive after the econom-
ically depressed market recovered."
Landlords applaud the decision, saying the
reductions were always meant to be short-term.
"It's always offended me that if an owner did a
favor for a tenant, that became permanent," says
Dan Margulies, president of the Community
Housing Improvement Project, a landlord group.
Meanwhile, tenants hope DHCR appeals.
''I'm really scared they'll decide to not fight
this," says Ken Rosenfeld, legal director for the
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corpora-
tion. "If it stands, it's a major blow for tenants
in gentrifying neighborhoods. "
-Matt Pacenza
- ENVIRONMENT=
Days in the Sun
CASA DEl SOL, A COMMUNITY center in Mott
Haven, barely dodges the shadows of the Bruck-
ner Expressway, bur its directors are determined
to take advantage of its spot in the sun as a way
to cut the air pollution that has put the South
Bronx neighborhood on the map.
Run by the Cherry Tree Association, a local
nonprofit that has battled environmental
threats, from medical waste incinerators to
power plants, for the last eight years, Casa plans
to become the first environmentally-sustain-
able community center in the city by the fall of
2003. Already equipped with a community
garden and solar panels (candelabras are also lit
as the sun sets), Casa del Sol plans to install the
latest solar technology to heat its water and
electrify the entire building. A rooftop green-
house will be used for composting, and its
plants will purify the water and air that will
then be funneled throughout the center.
In a neighborhood where the asthma rate
among kids is twice the city average, say the
people at Cherry Tree, any change is welcome,
and they are working with the City College
Architectural Center and New York Institute of
Technology to make it happen.
Of course, a friendlier environment is not
free, and in this case it could run as much as
$7.5 million. Some funding has already been
slated from the city Department of Environ-
mental Conservation, Con Ed and the Nation-
al Resources Defense Council. While it may
take some time, Cherry Tree also hopes to
make money by selling excess power to energy
users around the city.
-Hillary Russ
I'm assuming that I'm going to speak to a case manager and get a plan to get me
back to work. But what I'm told is, "Here is the assignment. " Aren't they supposed
to assess me and ask what I'm capable of doing? Then I went to my WEP assign-
ment.lt was maintenance work using chemicals. I have a bad rash on my arm and
so I said, "I can't use chemicals. Can't I get an office job?" They said no: "You have
to do maintenance work. " There was no type of adjustment made. Everything is run
like you're in a herd.
Mireya Acierto
My dealings with the welfare office on getting an education were mind-
boggling. I went in and asked, "What training programs can I be involved in? Can
I go to college?" I was told, "You can't do it. "
HRA's message is you come in and do exactly what we tell you to do. I've had
friends who were forced to stop school because of welfare. If you're already in
school, it's difficult. If you want to go to school, it's not an option.
I'm a mother of two boys. Simeon is 6, Sam is 8. I'm 39 years of age. I have a high
school diploma. I worked at Chemical Bank for 15 years: first as a clerk and ulti-
mately as an officer of the bank. I didn't pass this insurance exam so they fired me.
In 1998, I first collected welfare. I've been on public assistance on and off now for
three and a half years.
I really want to go back to school. I want to do something to help children and
let parents know they have rights. Parents on welfare take a whole lot of crap that
you would never take but you want to help your children. When I first went to HRA,
I cried because of the way they treated me. At no time should you experience that
humiliation. In high school , I had to go with my mother to her welfare appoint-
ments. It was horrible. The system now is the same as it was for my mother. It was
horrendous then a nd it's still horrendous now.
My first contact from HRA was a letter that says, "Come to a work orientation. "
-Sandra Killett Williams, as told to Matt Pacenza
8
CITY LIMITS
INSIDE TRACK
Section 8 Is Not Enough
In a tight housing market, government rent vouchers are
rapidly losing their value. By Erin Drasler
ESTElLA CARTER VISITED 15 landlords and regis-
tered with nearly 40 real estate agencies during
her months-long search for an apartment earlier
this year. She'd waited two years to get a Section
8 voucher that would allow her to spend only 30
percent of her low income on rent. Now all she
wanted was to escape the cold and rundown
three-bedroom she shared with her five children.
As she pounded the pavement, however,
Carter found her ticket to cheaper rent was not
worth a whole lot. All over Brooklyn and in
Queens and Staten Island, no landlord would
even show her an apartment.
In a painfully tight real estate market, Carter's
story has become common. Finding a landlord
who will accept Section 8 vouchers is harder
now than it has been for years, if ever. After wait-
ing up to 10 years to get into the program, about
one-tenth of the city's voucher-holders return
them unused because they cannot find an apart-
ment by the end of a four-month deadline,
according to the city Housing Authority.
Carter is three months into her search. One
landlord told her she had no Section 8 apart-
ments, though several brokers had her building
listed as a program participant. Another insisted
Carter's family was too large for the three-bed-
room apartment he had available, although Sec-
tion 8 guidelines recommend a three-bedroom
home for a six-person family. At press time,
Carter had a lead on a place in Crown Heights.
While an expired voucher can be renewed,
buying another two months, it's still no guaran-
tee. Some people go through up to two renewals
while bouncing between shelters, staying in
dilapidated apartments or struggling to make
rents beyond their means. "Section 8 vouchers
just aren't working as well as they used to," says
Patrick Markee, senior policy analyst for the
Coalition for the Homeless.
Families get caught in a housing market
(fap. They can no longer find apartments in
many neighborhoods they once relied on, from
Fort Greene to Washington Heights. But the
deeply poor neighborhoods still open to them
offer few vacant apartments that meet the
stringent standards city inspectors demand.
The program's travails are no surprise to those
JULY/AUGUST 2001
who mounted opposition in 1982,
when the Reagan administration
replaced housing construction pro-
grams with rental vouchers. Sup-
porters of Section 8 claimed it
would offer poor families mobility
instead of clumping them in hous-
ing projects. But some housing
advocates criticized the plan, foresee-
ing its failure to increase the afford-
able housing stock, particularly in
tight markets like New York City's.
Almost 20 years later, low-
income tenants are being shut out of
many neighborhoods. Landlords say
there is little incentive to participate
in the Section 8 program. "If owners
can rent to someone else, they will,"
says Roberta Bernstein, president of
the Small Property Owners of New
York (SPONy), estimating that
about 20 percent of her 1,000 mem-
bers participate in the program, the
lowest rate in years. With the city's
vacancy rate at about 3 percent,
down from 5 percent five years ago,
many building owners can afford to
be picky. HUD sets one flat maxi-
mum rate that amounts to less than
half of what landlords can get in
many parts of the city.
Estella Carter can't find a landlord willing to take her
family and Section 8 voucher.
The result is the very ghettoiza-
tion the program was supposed to fix. By all
accounts the bulk of vouchers are now used in
the South Bronx and eastern Brooklyn, where
property values are low and vacancy rates rela-
tively high. "Ten years ago, you could get a Sec-
tion 8 apartment in Park Slope," says Vincent
Castellano, a real estate broker who specializes
in Section 8. "You just can't do that now. " For
landlords in poor neighborhoods, however, he
calls it the best rental assistance program the
government runs. Building owners in those
areas often have a hard time finding tenants
who can pay the rent, he says. "You have to look
elsewhere. To me, the best elsewhere is Section
8." Within two months, he adds, he usually
finds a home for people with vouchers.
But many landlords report apartments are
increasingly hard to come by, and demand is
growing. In 1997, Congress ended a three-year
freeze on new Section 8 vouchers. Today,
210,000 New Yorkers sit on the waiting list, and
if the past is any indication, they could wait as
long as a decade. Recognizing the shortage of
housing for their clients, government officials
have made attempts to lure landlords in. This
year, the city increased the maximum payment
to property owners, to $949 for a two-bedroom.
It has also started offering bonuses of up to
$6,700 to landlords who rent to homeless fami-
lies using Section 8.
It is too early to see the full effects of these
initiatives to get more apartments into the pro-
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gram, bur another, started two years ago, has
received mixed reviews. In 1999, Congress gave
landlords new flexibility to reject or evict Sec-
cion 8 tenams, which had previously been very
difficult. Many tenant advocates say the change
has created an easy out for property owners. "It
is backfiring for the tenants who have to move
more frequendy. Many landlords just don't
renew those leases," says Ranjana Natarajan, a
lawyer at South Brooklyn Legal Services. Nocic-
ing an increase in evictions and a tendency for
landlords to refuse to renew leases, Legal Services
flled a lawsuit against the Housing Authority last
November. It charges that tenants must wait too
long-up to two years, the lawyers claim-to
get a voucher for a new apartmem once they are
evicted. These "emergency" vouchers are sup-
posed to take less than 30 days to obtain.
DESPITE ATTEMPTS TO BRING them in, many
landlords are scill saying no to Seccion 8, reason-
ing that the perks don't outweigh the costs. Nor
only is their remal income often reduced, says
Bernstein, who refuses to accept vouchers in her
Brooklyn buildings, but the program costs them
rime as well. The paperwork alone rakes weeks
to fill out and process, and by the time a check
is run on a landlord's history and an inspector
surveys the property for a fresh paint job, win-
dow guards and a smoke detector, four months
have typically passed. "In the meancime," she
says, "the property owners are left high and dry. "
While tenants and advocates chide the city
for failing to sufficiendy scrutinize Section 8
apartmems and placing residems in uninhabit-
able buildings, some landlords poim to the
unwieldy inspection process as reason for drop-
ping out. Brooklyn landlord Ed Korman says
he waited three years for one comract renewal
to go through. HUD evemually paid him what
he was owed, bur after years in the program, he
decided not to accept new Section 8 residems.
It's no surprise that inspeccions have slowed.
The city got almost 2,000 new vouchers last
year, while the number of Section 8 staffers
dropped. The Housing Authority is now looking
to fill about 40 spots to handle the increased
workload. Korman calls the agency's new infor-
mation sessions for landlords a promising start,
bur adds, "It would take a lot to convince land-
lords that they've cleaned up their acr."
Castellano agrees that the program needs bet-
ter management, but he says that fixing Section
8 misses the point. "The real issue here is the
lack of affordable housing," he says. "With addi-
cional tenants chasing fewer and fewer apart-
ments .... You can't fit a four-pound salami into a
two-pound bag."
CITY LIMITS
INSIDE TRACK
System Error
Community technology centers were a glowing hope for bridging
the digital divide. Can they survive a crash? By Nora McCarthy
Asian Americans for Equality got a windfall of cash to open a Chinatown
computer center, but little money to keep it going.
ON 14TH STREET IN BROOKLYN, cwo classrooms
at Project Reach Youth are full with adulrs
bem over worksheets, ringed by humming
computer screens. "Who's used a computer
before?" asks teacher Luis Perez, and only one
young man, from Ecuador, raises his hand.
Perez looks surprised, then says, "OK-he
can help the rest of you. "
The srudems, all Spanish-speakers here co
learn English, roll their chairs over co the
computers. But they're no more experienced
with DSL than they are with ESL. One
woman pushes her mouse around with one
finger. Others type. No one knows how CO
open the imernet English program they are co
use, and once Perez helps them find it, they
can't read the directions.
Teaching technology skills co the uniniti-
ated is difficult, and community technology
cemers (CTCs), like the three Project Reach
Youth opened last fall, are still working out
JULY/AUGUST 2001
the kinks. Still, they are providing an oppor-
runity for low-income New Yorkers co learn
computer skills, from word processing co data
entry to job searching, that can get them
white-collar work. It's a pricey undertaking.
Besides buying computers and other equip-
mem and services, cemers have to hire staff,
raise money, and develop curricula that use
the technology effectively. Computers quick-
ly get outdated, making expensive upgrades a
frequem necessity.
All told, running a CTC can cost hundreds
of thousands of dollars a year. As the economy
slows and technology continues co lose its lus-
ter, non profits that run CTCs say that raising
the money to keep them going has become a
formidable challenge.
Many started with big dollars and dreams
to match. Project Reach Youth is one of 11
city non profits awarded federal Departmem
of Education grams in the last two years to
start 34 community technology centers.
Those grams wem to big nonprofits like
Abyssinian Developmem Corporation,
which has built six cemers in Harlem, and
Lehman College's Bronx CTC Necwork,
which developed 11.
These nonrenewable three-year grants start
out big-nearly $300,000 in their first year is
typical. Each year, the CTCs supply more and
more of their own funds, starting with 30 per-
cem of their operating budgets the first year
(perhaps $100,000), 40 percem the second
year, 50 percem the year after that. Then
they're on their own.
The feds expected CTCs to be able to
raise huge matching grams from tech com-
panies and private foundations, as well as
start profitable vemures that would quickly
make the cemers self-sustaining. They were
fueled by a belief that money would come
pouring in to anything associated with tech-
nology. Some have made the emrepreneurial
model work. The Restoration Information
and Technology Education cemer in Bed-
Sruy charges fees for classes and hires out its
staff to set up necworks, create web sites and
assist other nonprofits.
But instead of trying to leverage money
from communities that have little to give, most
CTCs look for grants and donations. "Ir's sim-
ple math, really, " observes Nick Noe, a research
associate at MOUSE, a nonprofit promoting
technology in city neighborhoods. "You are
serving underserved populations that don't
have resources. That's why they needed public
support in the first point. "
Even for big organizations, finding big
dollars has not been easy, and the competi-
tion has been fierce. "It's been hard to raise
even 30 percent. It's kind of frightening to
even consider what the next year will look
like, " says Claudia DeMegret, the program
director at the National Puerto Rican Forum,
which received nearly $1 million over three
years from the feds. "You keep having co
replace equipmem, especially when you're
doing high-quality services, not just lerring
people diddle on the computer. "
11
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Our commitment to a better tomorrow
starts today.
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THERE IS NO SUCH THING
AS A FREE LUNCH
But there is free legal assistance
Not-for-profits, community groups and organizations working to improve their communities in New York
City are eligible for free legal assistance through New York Lawyers for the Public Int erest's
(NYLPI) pro bono clearinghouse. The clearinghouse draws on the expertise of lawyers at our 78
member law firms and corporate legal departments.
Our network of attorneys can work with you on a wide variety of legal issues:
Establishing your group as a not-for-profit
Lease negotiations and other real estate matters
Establishing a long-term relationship with one of our member law firms
Representing your organization in litigation matters
If you believe your organization can benefit from legal assistance, call Wendy Brennan
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All legal services are free of charge.
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CITY LIMITS
While the centers are in decent shape now,
the people who run them say their fledgling
programs will have to make serious cuts when
the federal funding stops. "When the grant
ends, we're not goi ng to have any money, our
computers are going to be outdated and a lot of
CTCs are going to be competing for the same
money, " says Maricela Brea, CTC director at
Project Reach Youth. "How are we going to
maintain all this, plus staff?"
Brea may have to find answers sooner than
she was planning to. President Bush's proposed
budget shifts funding for community technology
centers into block grants that states can spend as
they choose. If that happens, there's no guarantee
that centers will receive the grant payments
they're due. At the same time, federal funding is
likely to be cut drastically. A new round of grant
applications that was supposed to start this spring
hasn't begun, and most observers expect it never
will. Says Noe of the new budget, "It's pretty
much going to decimate the CTC. "
Only a year ago, closing the digital divide
was a national priority, and the gap is still far
from closed. The much-hyped Department of
Commerce study "Falling Through the Nd'
documented that only one-quarter of black and
Hispanic households have internet access, com-
pared with half of white and Asian families. Yet
while the need for CTCs is only growing-
nearly 75 percent of new jobs require tech
skills-government has quickly abandoned its
former urgency.
"The whole craze for CTCs and the digital
divide, well, the heat of the issue just started to
cool off," says Francis Lam, program manager
for the Asian Americans for Equality computer
center in Chinatown. "A year ago, it was the
biggest thing in the world. But when the dot-
com world started disappearing, a sudden dis-
interest was very apparent."
IN THE LATE 1990S, more than a hundred small
community technology centers sprang up with-
in non profits allover the city, funded by dona-
tions from computer giants like Gateway, city
and state grants, and private foundations .
AAFE's Division Street computer lab opened in
1999 with 12 computers paid for by start-up
grants from the State Assembly, Bell Atlantic
and Verizon.
At first, it focused simply on access. Then,
as more of its clients acquired computers at
home, the center tried to switch its focus
toward structured, socially relevant projects
that incorporate technology training, like a
workshop where teens create a community web
site in English and Chinese. But that kind of
JULY/AUGUST 2001
proj ect requires extensive staff, and the center
has yet to win the grants it needs.
In part, that's because finding money for
hard costs like computers and software tends to
be easier than raising cash for staff. Funders can
see the results of buying a dozen monitors, and
those cost a lot less than a full-time teacher,
Lam observes. While the Chinatown center
scurries for funding, it has ended up offering
mostly open access and few classes, and cut
back its hours. "Like a restaurant," Lam says,
"we started to close earlier."
Smaller CTCs are already deep into what
the federally funded centers will soon have to
"A year ago it was
the biggest thing in
the world," says
the head of one
struggling center.
Then the dot-corns
started
disappearing.
face-trying to generate enough in grants,
donations and partnerships with other non-
profits to scrape by. And while large organiza-
tions say they'll have an easier time raising
money, the experience of the Fortune Society, a
large nonprofit whose computer center serves
500 ex-offenders each year, suggests otherwise.
Fortune got money two years ago to build a
14-computer lab and staff it with one instruc-
tor, Eric Applegate, who jokes that he's "always
screaming about getting another paid instruc-
tor. " Applegate has created sophisticated pro-
grams-ex-offenders learn to build web pages,
email with a class of adults in Germany, and
join online discussions of the criminal justice
system-but he stiLI teaches almost every class
himself, from 9 to 5. "A lot of grants are
focused on equipment, but if you look at offer-
ing a curriculum that makes any sense, the
training is what's important," Applegate says.
"We often get mesmerized by the technology,
INSIDE TRACK
but we should be truly empowering them to
use the technology as a tool."
If the experience of small CTCs is any
indication, the federally funded programs will
soon be in trouble, too. None of the small
centers have the money for software and hard-
ware upgrades, broadband lines or adequate
staff-exactly the things the government
grants have covered so far. This fall, MOUSE
released a study of city CTCs, and found 60
percent "anticipate funding difficulties." Noe
now calls that "a tame way to say they're hav-
ing serious problems."
A MAJOR OBSTACLE for everyone is that CTCs
have not formed a strong community among
themselves. In everything from planning
courses ro finding profitable side projects, the
centers have been reinventing the wheel , some-
times paying to write a curriculum that's hard-
ly different from what's offered down the
block. CTCs could run more efficiently by
saving money on group purchases or by shar-
lI1g programs.
That's why MOUSE and other CTCs lob-
bied the City Council's Subcommittee on
Small Business, Retail and Emerging Technolo-
gies back in March, hoping the council would
budget funds for a CTC Bank. The bank
would act as an intermediary to provide cen-
ters citywide with resources like grant writing,
technical assistance, pooled curricula, staff
development training, bulk discounts and con-
nections ro social venture philanthropies. Ir
would primarily be directed toward small
CTCs, especially in underserved outer-bor-
ough areas. The counci l added $500,000 for
the bank to the budget, to be followed by $1
million each year, part of which would go
toward grants to small centers.
But Mayor Giuliani's budget included no
mention of funds for CTCs. That may be
penny-wise and pound foolish; the city's econ-
omy, after all , depends on a supply of skilled
workers. A lot is riding on the public sector's
ability to teach word processing and web surf-
ing to people who can touch a keyboard for the
first time, look for a job on the internet or feel
the thrill of sending email to relatives in China.
'Technology is not an end in itself, but
using technology in service agencies can change
people's lives," says Mara Rose, who ran the
CTC Playing to Win in Harlem. "Exposure is
what makes us think bigget, and dream what
we've never dreamed before. " -
Nora McCarthy is a Brooklyn-based freelance
writer.
13
ower
Joshua Zuckerman
14
rec ers
1114) Hou
soon tear down 430
Saratoga Avenue to make
way for a new low-rise,
mixed-income community.
BY ROBERT NEUWIRTH
T
heir 368 apartments would be com-
pletely renovated. They would tem-
porarily move into newly built town-
houses nearby and rerum to their former
homes once the work was done. The town-
houses would bring new Life to the vacant
lots that surround their housing project.
They were promised a leg up on getting jobs
from the construction contractors. And, after
renovating their buildings, the government
would chip in millions of dollars for social
services-giving them a chance to learn com-
puters, to train for home ownership oppor-
tunities, and to get their kids enrolled in aca-
demic, arts, and recreational programs. All
told, $75 million in public and private
money would make their central Brooklyn
community bloom.
All they had to do was sign on the dot-
ted line.
Bur just five years after approving plans to
use a $22 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment HOPE VI program to renovate their
deteriorating houses, the tenants of
Brownsville's Prospect Plaza look back at a
deal they couldn't refuse and find themselves
puzzled and dispirited. They're getting the
reconstruction and some money to move-
and almost nothing of anything else.
First, their entire four-building complex
will be emptied, a process that is already
underway and should be wrapped up by the
middle of next year. One of the buildings,
containing 102 apartments, will be demol-
ished. The other three wiJl be renovated. The
tenants will be relocated, but not to nearby
townhouses. Those have yet to be built-and
when they are, most will be offered for sale at
prices far beyond the reach of the over-
whelmingly poor residents of the projects.
Instead, Prospect Plaza's tenants are being
offered replacement apartments in other
housing projects or Section 8 vouchers they
can use to rent apartments on the private
market. They have been promised the right
to rerum to Prospect Plaza, which defines the
area around Saratoga and Prospect avenues,
but most doubt they will ever be able to
move back. And the social services that were
supposed to be up and running already are
CITY LIMITS
The tenants of Brownsville's Prospect plaza proiects have
lived through snipers, despair and decay. But it took the
New York City Housing Authority-and a HOPE VI urban
renewal grant-to drive them out of the neighborhood.
nowhere in sighL A consortium of community groups and churches,
which joined with project tenants ro jointly administer the funds, are
now duking it out for control of the money.
All rold, many Prospect Plaza tenants have lost faith in the plan that
once seemed like their salvation. "I don't know anything, except we have
ro get out," says Joanne Jones as she sits in the sun in front of 1765
Prospect Place, where she has lived for 13 years.
"I think they're full of shit-straight cheese," says Keisha Washing-
ron, as her children rollerblade through the dirty halls of 1750 Prospect
Place. Several of the apartments are already empty, their doors pad-
locked. Washington, who grew up in the apartment where she is now
raising her seven kids, believes that the HOPE VI deal is simply a plan
ro remove the existing tenants and bring in higher-income people.
Washingron's got reason ro worry. Strictly interpreting a 1998 feder-
allaw, the New York City Housing Authority, which manages the city's
346 housing projects and is in charge of the Prospect Plaza deal, now
requires that half the vacancies in all public housing developments go ro
what it calls "working families"-with incomes between $31,450 and
$66,550, depending on family size. The 1999 Housing and Vacancy
Survey found the median income in city housing projects was $9,704.
Such "deconcentration" is an explicit goal of HOPE VI, roo. When the
development reopens, it will have the elusive income mix that NYCHA
officials are sweating ro achieve at other complexes.
Even residents who say they'd welcome higher-income neighbors
are running out of patience. Milron Bolron, the pres idem of the
Prospect Plaza Tenant Association and once a big booster of the plan,
is now ambivalent. He's distressed that the social service programs are
not established yet-particularly the homeowner training workshops,
since he someday hopes ro buy a house. Bolton, a soft-spoken bear of
a man, sits in a straight-backed chair and bounces his 2-year-old son
on his lap as his seven other children scoot in and out of the room.
"We welcome the changes," he says. "We welcome the impact if it's
done righL But no matter what we do, it still feels like we're fighting
a losing battle. "
Such gripes are normal whenever renovation plans become more
than dreams on paper. But this particular vision-$75 million invested
in troubled Brownsville-carries with it some terrible tradeoffs. To be
redeveloped, Prospect Plaza must become a ghost rown. Every week, sev-
eral families move out, and their apartments are padlocked. The remain-
ing tenants have been rold that they will all have ro be our within a year.
The renovations-scheduled ro be finished in early 2004--will almost
certainly make Prospect Plaza a nicer place ro live. But most of the fam-
ilies who patiently lived through rough times-drugs, deterioration, and
gun violence, including a 1994 roofrop sniper and the 1995 crossfire
killing of a four-year-old girl who was rollerskating in front of her home
at 1765 Prospect Place-believe that they won't be around ro celebrate
the project's rebirth.
T
he federal Homeownership and Opportunity for People Every-
where program, a.k.a. HOPE VI, proposes a good deal for tenants
and cicy agencies alike. It offers hope to housing authorities across
the country, allocating money ro severely distressed housing pro-
jects, seeking ro clean them up and build new housing. And it offers
hope ro tenants because HOPE VI leverages other funds to provide
JULY/AUGUST 2001
ongoing social services, job training, and recreational opportunities so
that the projects do not once again become human dumping grounds
dominated by crime, drugs, and gunfire.
But more fundamentally, HOPE VI, inaugurated by the Deparrmem
of Housing and Urban Development in 1993, was born from the sense
that the nation's grand experiment with public housing has failed-that
instead of giving people a boost, housing projects have become eternal
ghetros. So HOPE VI does not attempt ro create more federally subsi-
dized apartments. Instead, it seeks ro downsize housing projects, cutting
the number of units dramatically and demolishing high-rises in favor of
townhouses. And HOPE VI does not attempt ro make more housing
available ro the poor. Instead, it seeks ro tweak the income mix in the
projects, bringing working-class people inro housing developments
dominated by the very poorest.
With these goals, HOPE VI offers tenants a Faustian bargain. If they
want their housing projects improved, they must make use of HOPE VI
money. But, in most cases, if their deal is approved, they will have ro
relocate, and many of them may never be able ro rerum. Some buildings
in their developments will be demolished. The supply of public housing
will shrink. In essence, HOPE VI forces residents ro confront a horrible
question: Do we have ro destroy public housing ro save it?
In the eight years since HOPE VI was established, HUD has allocat-
ed $4.1 billion for 149 projects across the country. This, the agency
claims, has leveraged almost $7 billion in private financing for retail
development, local services and private housing. Much of the focus has
been on tearing down multisrory buildings. From 1993 ro 2000, HOPE
VI paid for demolition of almost 97,000 public housing units. In their
place, the program created 61,000 new or revitalized dwellings. In all,
HOPE VI has reduced the number of aparmlents at those developments
by more than 37 percent; in the last four years alone, the program has
authorized demolition of 33,796 apartments. As at Prospect Plaza, ten-
ants are offered replacement apartments in other projects or Section 8
certificates. But HUD has done almost no follow-up ro determine how
these families have fared in their new homes.
While the townhouse communities that replace the old high-rises
may be an improvement, the math is inescapable. HOPE VI may
make life better for some housing project residents, but it reduces the
supply of affordable housing. For instance, Albany, New York, won a
1998 grant ro improve the Edwin Corning Homes, but the plan
reduces the number of apartments by 35 percent, from 292 mostly
low-income units ro 160 mixed-income units in 80 townhouses. The
plan cal ls for another 200 units around the city, but, facroring in
income-mixing requirements, low-income tenants will still experience
a loss in available apartments. Similarly, Birmingham, Alabama, gar-
nered a $35 million HOPE VI grant to demolish a 910-aparrment
complex and replace it with 1,029 new scattered-site townhouses. This
sounded great, until residents read the fine print: Only 340 of the new
units would go ro low-income residents. In the end, there was a net
loss of 490 low-cost apartments. .
Boosters say HOPE VI creates vibrant new communities in areas that
have long been blighted. "We're not just revitalizing a development-
we're revitalizing a neighborhood," explains a New York-based HUD
official familiar with the project, who asked to remain anonymous. "It
may be the neighborhood needs a different mix of incomes. And the
15
departmenr for some time has been pushing racial deconcenrration and
economic diversity."
Critics conrend, however, that HOPE VI is a tool for displacemenr-
pushing out lower-income residenrs in favor of berter-off tenants. In a
1998 audit, HUD's own Inspector General recognized the problem.
While the audit saluted the "impressive physical revitalizations" HOPE
VI has brought about, it cautioned that "improvemenrs to the lives of
the residents who lived there are much less obvious. " What's more, the
audit revealed that at most HOPE VI developments, fewer than half the
original tenants returned after renovations were complete.
Some of those residenrs undoubtedly chose not to return, whether
because they found better places to live (though not easily in cities with
tight housing markets) or had no desire to move twice in just a few years.
HOPE VI is counting on them not to come back. In most of its pro-
jects, the result is about one-third fewer affordable units than when
reconstruction started, and some families that want to return may never
get the chance.
A
t fust glance, Prospect Plaza would seem an odd choice for a
HOPE VI grant. Its four red brick towers of 12 to 15 stories were
built in 1974, making them much newer than many of the city's
other housing projects. From the outside, the buildings don't seem
16
particularly deteriorated, at least not noticeably more than the sur-
rounding neighborhood. Indeed, to the east of the project, Prospect
Place dissolves into a vast vista of weed-filled lots, while to the west,
across Saratoga Avenue, many of the larger buildings are vacanr and
boarded up. Prospect Plaza's tenanrs have the usual litany of com-
plaints-rats, roaches, lack of security, thin walls, shoddy plumbing-
but they never felt that their homes were structurally unsound.
What Prospect Plaza did have was a number of vacanr parcels in the
area, providing room for new construction nearby. And from the New
York City Housing Authority's poinr of view, Prospect Plaza had anoth-
er important characteristic: it is an extremely low-income development.
The average Prospect Plaza family earns approximately $11,700 a
year-22 percenr lower than the rest of the Ocean Hill-Brownsville
community, and less than one-third of what the average household in
New York City earns. And, given that many Prospect Plaza residenrs
have large families, the disparity in income is even more shocking. Per-
capita income in the project is just $3,450 a year-80 percent below the
norm for the rest of New York.
So NYCHA made a pirch to secure HOPE VI funding for Prospect
Plaza. The fust proposal, submitted in 1997, conremplated renovating
all four towers and adding some new townhouses. Tenants couldn't see
a downside. At the time, HOPE VI regulations required that tenants
endorse all deals, and Prospect Plaza's residenrs overwhelmingly
approved the plan.
Unfortunately, HUD wasn't so ardenr. To the bureaucrats in Wash-
ington, that proposal was deficienr, both because it wouldn't break up
the density of the developmenr and wouldn't create new homeownership
units. HUD rejected the plan.
So NYCHA retooled its approach. A year later, it submirted a new
proposal calling for one tower-the 15-story, 1 02-apartmenr building at
430 Saratoga Avenue-to be demolished. NYCHA told tenants the
building had structural problems because it was built on low ground,
had water damage to the foundation and was settling unevenly.
The application offered no documenration of the alleged structural
problems with 430 Saratoga Avenue, and it's unclear whether NYCHA
ever provided HUD with any. In its application, the authority simply
noted that the building would be demolished. Again, the residenrs
signed on.
"The tenants were promised the earth, moon and stars, " recalls
Judith Goldiner, an attorney with the Legal Aid Sociery, who spoke with
Prospect Plaza's tenants early in the process. "They were happy with
what NYCHA was telling them and didn't want to hear anything else. "
This time, the application was successful: the feds allocated $22
million for renovation, demolition and new construction at Prospect
Plaza. Over the past year, NYCHA has quietly emptied 430 Saratoga
Avenue. In early May, there were only 10 families left in the building,
all of them waiting for apartments to become available in other pro-
jects to which they have chosen to move. The hallways were eerily
quiet, with gianr dead-bolts and padlocks dominating the doors to all
the vacant apartments.
"Nobody wanted to move; everyone was forced out, " says a
woman who grew up in her grandmother's apartmenr in the building
and asked that she not be identified. She adds that her grandmother
was happy in the building and was initially shocked to learn that she
would have to move.
Her memories are rosy, of knowing her neighbors and joining for
summertime block parties. Her grandmother moved into 430 Sararoga
Avenue the day it opened and is still in her bright, airy apartmenr as she
CITY LIMITS
waits for a similar-sized unit ro come available at a nearby housing pro-
jecr. No marrer what happens at Prospect Plaza, rhe woman notes, rhis
much is sure: Her grandmorher and many of rhe other 101 families rhat
lived in 430 Sararoga Avenue will not share in it.
Even as it has emptied rhe building, NYCHA has conrinued with
routine maintenance. The agency even brought in a conrracror ro lay
new tile and paint the walls on rhe 15th floor, despite rhe fact rhat all
tenants on rhat floor have been relocated and all the apartmenrs are
vacanr. (Officials working on rhe Prospect Plaza plan said rhey were will-
ing ro talk wirh a reporter as long as rhey got agency approval, but
NYCHA refused to allow rhem ro speak and declined ro cooperate wirh
rhe preparation of this article.)
In addition to demolishing one tower, the Prospect Plaza plan
calls for gut renovation of the other three buildings, which will
allow NYCHA to reconfigure the units to create larger apartmenrs.
(This will reduce the number of remaining units by 10 percent.)
The Prospect Plaza plan also calls for construction of 10 townhous-
es conraining 68 renral apartmenrs for low-income families and 40
two-family townhouses that will mostly be sold to middle-income
owner-occupanrs.
So far, only one portion of rhe reconstruction effort, rhe homeown-
er units, has moved forward. Settiemenr Housing Fund has been named
as the developer of those buildings, but planning has been delayed
because one of the proposed sites is currenrly used as a community gar-
den. NYCHA is also now considering wherher to expand rhe units ro
include basemenrs. The houses will cost around $130,000 per unit ro
build and are slated ro sell for anywhere between $107,000 and
$211,000, depending on what kind of money Settlemenr Housing can
put together to fund rhe project, says Carol Lamberg, the group's exec-
utive direcror. The bulk of rhe homes will be sold ro middle income buy-
ers. Twelve units will be reserved for low-income families making less
than $27,000 a year, but even those homes will be beyond rhe means of
most Prospect Plaza residenrs.
The project plan also calls for a 30,000-square-foot community cen-
ter that will house a day care facility, a computer laboratory, a room for
conrinuing education classes, a gymnasium, and a drop-in cenrer for
seniors. The neighborhood should also see a 15,000-square-feet retail
cenrer rhat will house shops and a small-business incubator. HUD plans
to invest $1.8 million in rhe social service effort, and it has budgeted
community groups to pump in anorher $6 million of rheir own.
I
f there's one per.son who's part of rhe project who would seem a like-
ly candidate to be rhe tenants' friend and advocate, it's Abdur-Rah-
man Farrakhan. A long-time housing activist, Farrakhan was working
in rhe community when Prospect Plaza was builr. For more than two
decades, he's headed rhe Oceanhill-Brownsville Tenants Association, a
group that manages and renovates rental housing.
He's seen many governmenr officials promise to invest in
Brownsville, and rheir consistenr failure ro follow rhrough has left him
suspicious and angry. "You've got a bunch of fucking thieves out rhere,"
he says. "The politicians of Ocean Hill-Brownsville are corrupr. Those
of us in leadership capacity should be ashamed of ourselves. We have
failed our community."
Farrakhan joined rhe HOPE V1 effort when the Oceanhill-
Brownsville Tenants Association took a seat on rhe board of rhe Prospect
Plaza Developmenr Corporation (PPDC), a new entity set up by
NYCHA ro manage rhe social service money coming to the area. His
group has promised to raise $2.9 million in private money to add ro
JULY/AUGUST 2001
HUD's pool of funds for job training, business developmenr and home-
ownership training at Prospect Plaza. This time, he's unusually opti-
mistic. "This is an excellenr opportunity," Farrakhan says. "HOPE V1
affords people rhe chance to make physical as well as human impacts.
The challenge is ro make lasting impacts sustainable over rhe long term
in borh areas. If we don't, we will be doing anorher HOPE V1 in 2010."
But if Farrakhan has commirred his organizing know-how and keen
understanding of pressure politics to rhe Ptospect Plaza efforts, it hasn't
looked that way ro orher players in rhe projecr. If anyrhing, he has
become a lightning tod for everyone's resenrments. Early on, when Far-
rakhan became chairman of rhe PPDC, rhe group quickly descended
into a nasty war of words. Farrakhan accuses orher non profits-in par-
ticular rhe Btooklyn lnrerborough Community Network (BICNet)--of
manipulating Prospect Plaza's tenants in rhe hopes of gerring large con-
tracts for job training and technical assistance. "Everybody is looking to
position themselves as best rhey can ro be able to take advantage of this,"
17
he says. Farrakhan says that Shelton Jefferson, who heads BICNet,
"wanted a guaranteed contract and went to the tenants to stir shit up."
Jefferson says he's astonished by Farrakhan's charge. "1 doubt if Mr.
Farrakhan would say something like that," he says. "I have become
involved in this project only because I was asked. I was asked by
NYCHA to be an adviser to the tenants. "
For their part, the tenants acknowledge an interest in getting skills-
and possibly jobs and contracts-through the training programs the
PPDC will administer. Still, they contend, Farrakhan has been a negative
influence. "He's a control freak," says Priscilla Davis, who has lived in the
tower at 1786 Prospect Place for 14 years and is a member of the board of
the PPDC, where she has feuded with Farrakhan. "I see him as a bully-
one of those schoolyard bullies I had to beat up when I was little. "
Meanwhile, the other non profits say Farrakhan is the one seeking
to cash in. His group group ran a $250,000 deficit in 1998, the last
One tenant offers some
harsh advice for housing
project tenants offered a
HOPE VI deal. "I'd tell them
don't do it. Run-run as fast
as you can."
year for which its tax returns are available. Leon Gelzer, assistant
director of Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation,
which is also part of the PPDC, points out that Farrakllan earns
more than $100,000 a year, while he and the executive director of his
group earn half that.
Farrakhan insists that hostility comes with the territory. "T under-
stand where they're coming from," he says of the tenants. "They're new
to this situation. Many of them have never ventured into something of
this magnitude before."
But at the same time as he professes empathy for the tenants, he is
clearly angry that they have not treated him with what he thinks is
appropriate decorum. At his job, staffers call Farrakhan 'Chief. ' Prospect
Plaza's tenants are much less deferential. "In leadership you expect
ingratitude, " Farrakhan thunders. "1 don't do what I do because of any-
one. 1 do what I do in spite of most people. "
As for the suggestion that he's only in it for the money, Farrakhan
turns cutting. ''I'm not known to be a liar, a thief, or an immoral person,"
he says. "I'm not looking to be no goddamned Trump of the ghetto."
Still, the projects' tenants aren't the only ones in the neighborhood
who've got a beef with Farrakhan. Tenants at several bui ldings managed
by Oceanhill-Brownsville have complained bitterly about hardball man-
agement practices, decrepit building conditions and bad renovations.
Acknowledges Farrakhan, "We have not always been as prudent as we
could be or should be. We hired a management company that really
18
made a mess out of some buildings, " and adds that he has since
improved his own organization's building management staff.
In March, Farrakhan was voted out as head of the PPDC, replaced
by Rev. Elliott Cuff, pastor of nearby Mt. Ararat Church, another part-
ner in tlle social service effort. So far, Cuff has cultivated more cordial
relations with the Prospect Plaza tenants.
Farrakhan admits that the dissention took its toll. "We should have
been well into this project six or seven months ago," he says. Indeed,
according to the project timetable, the social services were supposed
to begin in late 2000 and early 2001. But the only program that's up
and running is one that the tenants created: an effort to train people
who want to become cashiers at Walgreen's Drug Stores. The
promised big ticket items-from children's recreation to homeowner-
ship training, not to mention the construction of the new townhous-
es-have yet to get off the ground.
Compare that to the HOPE VI effort in Albany, which was
approved the same time as Prospect Plaza's. There, the demolition is
complete, half the new homes are already framed out and a new
community center is under construction, reports Darren Scott, the
city's HOPE VI coordinator. The development is on track to be
completed by fall 2002, when work at Prospect Plaza will probably
just be starti ng.
The lack of homeownership training is particularly galling to
Bolton and other tenants. They know that the price of the new homes
being built in Brownsville will be high, and that a tenant who hopes
to purchase one of them will need help understanding the costs and
benefits of owning a home and learning how to save and develop a
credit rating.
Tenants also worry about a much more basic thing. They have been
told that all tenants "in good standing" will have the right to return to
Prospect Plaza in 2004, when it is a completely renewed neighborhood.
This means that they must not be behind in their rent or face other
problems, like reports of poor housekeeping or household members
with criminal records. Given that NYCHA routinely sends eviction
notices to tenants who are more than five days late with their rent, ten-
ant association leaders worry that many residents, including themselves,
will be deemed "not in good standing" and refused permission to return
to Prospect Plaza once the work is done.
Bolton, who has put in countless hours on the Prospect Plaza deal,
believes that he will not be allowed to return to the project once the ren-
ovations are complete. He has been unemployed for a while and admits
that there have been many times that he has fal len behind in his rent.
He's even been put on probation for the problem. "What they're telling
me is once 1 leave, I'm nOt coming back," he says. "We just have to hope
they bring at least some of the people back. "
For the past five years, the tenants of Prospect Plaza have lived on an
emotional roller coaster. At times they have been elated about the
prospect of having homes in an ideal community. At other times, they
are filled with rage, angered that the programs and benefits they were
promised still seem so far away. Viola Bunch, who has lived in Prospect
Plaza for 11 years and is secretary of the tenant association, acknowl-
edges the despair. "Look," she says, "the last thing we need is hope and
dreams not coming through."
Priscilla Davis, who recently quit as Tenant Association vice-presi-
dent, believes the heartache and headache are not worth it. She offers
some harsh advice for tenants at other housing projects who may
someday be offered a HOPE VI deal. "I'd tell them don't do it. Run-
that's what I'd tell them. Run as fast as you can."
CITY LIMITS
,
e ve
ssues
For eight years, the answer to the city's problems has been a
cinch: Blame Rudy. So now what? Here are seven reasons
why the way to the future is less obvious than you think.
1. H 0 U SIN GIS HELL From the City Limits archives:
new Partnership housing in
of New Yorkers who were victims of felonies has been out- the Bronx, 1991.
I
t's a crime srat that defmes the Giuliani years: The number
stripped by the number who feel like they get mugged on
the first of every month. More than 525,000 households pay
more than half their incomes for a place to live. An estimated
150,000 live doubled up. This March, the homeless shelter
population hit 26,000, the highest since 1988. Is it any won-
der that in a fiercely competitive mayor's race, housing is hot?
Mark Green calls his five-year plan to build 50,000 units of
affordable housing "Apollo-like." Peter Vallone would create at
least 20,000. Not to be outdone, Fernando Ferrer wants
150,000 apartments over 10 years. All would spend a billion -
dollars or more, using city money to aggressively secure bond
and private dollars. Alan Hevesi is reportedly regretting his t
assertion last fall that housing is not one of his top issues; now, 1
he's ralking about leveraging pension dollars and World Trade
Center taxes.
But what do all those promises mean? As the city teeters
on a hill of debt, where are the big bucks going to come
from, and where would they go? When the cheapest new
apartment costs about $135,000 to construct and $2,100
(unsubsidized) to rent, according to the New York City Part-
nership, what exactly constitutes "affordable, " anyway? rather than looking at the totality," says Naomi Bayer, director of Fannie ~
These are all questions the city's community development industry is Mae's New York Parmership Office and one of the instigators behind Hous- ~
eager to clarify. With nearly a half-million dollars supplied by foundations ing First. ~
and Citigroup, ]PMorganChase, Independence, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Those agendas are many, and Housing First isn't pretending otherwise.
and Fannie Mae, a coalition of banks, housing finance corporations, for- The nonprofit Association of Neighborhood and Housing Developers is
profit builders, community development groups, and tenant advocates is emphasizing the need for rental apartments and construction targeted at
mounting a novel cross between a grassroots mobilization and a trade lob- the neediest. The Coalition for the Homeless, too, wants a large commit-
bying initiative. ment to the very poor; the Supportive Housing Network, to people with
"Housing First" is the campaign's name and its agenda: To make hous- special needs.
ing as bread-and-butter an issue as schools, cops and taxes in this year's But Housing First's tent is big enough to also include the for-profit New
City Hall races and next year's governor's election. The objective is com- York Srate Association for Affordable Housing and Real Esrate Board of
mitments from government for significantly expanded public support of New York. They see vast potential for a middle-income building boom-
new housing. They're proposing a $10 billion city investment over 10 years with the right kinds of incentives to make it profitable. Banks, toO, gain
to create 100,000 new housing units, and preserve lots more; homeown- from those deals, because they can rap into conventional fmancing. Pretty
ership and rentals, for low-, moderate- and middle-income New Yorkers, much the only thing Housing First's members have in common is a desire
as well as expanding supportive housing for the mentally ill and others to bring in more money to build more housing, and to alter the city's Dan-
who could benefit from access to social services. This would effectively tesque regulatory environment to make it possible to tum those dollars
double what the city now spends on housing. Among new sources of into budget bricks and mortar.
money suggested are property tax lien sales, loan repayments for city hous- The anger of middle-class voters who can no longer afford to live in
ing programs and real estate taxes. their own neighborhoods presents a precious political opportunity.
The people who build subsidized housing are trying to craft a unified "We've been trying to put our finger on why housing is such an issue
agenda- leaving behind, publicly at least, their history of competing for now," says Patrick Markee of the Coalition for the Homeless. Unlike in
government support. "In the past, when groups advocating for middle- the 1980s, he observes, "it's not just a crisis afflicting low-income people,
income housing or the homeless or community development corporations not just a rising level of homeless ness. Now it's affecting higher-income
got together, they would argue over whose agenda was more important, New Yorkers, too."
JULY/AUGUST 2001
19
B
y any measure, New York's poorest are suffering from a housing melt-
down. Among the very poor, spending two-thirds of income on
housing is the norm. There are about 779,000 households in the city
making less than $20,000, and abour 416,000 apartments affordable to
them, assuming they spend one-third of their income on renr. The Citizens
Housing and Planning Council estimates an additional 250,000 illegal
units, mostly dangerous basement apartments. One in five Asian and Lati-
no immigrant homes are officially overcrowded, probably an undercount.
Yet even the best-intentioned plan has to reconcile the poor's crush-
ing needs with the basic math of development: The more affordable the
housing, the bigger the subsidy must be ro get it builr. The amount of
public cash it would take to produce one apartment for the very poorest
could just as easily create five middle-income units. Those middle-
income residents will pay taxes, teach in schools, patrol the streets, staff
companies and spend their money at local businesses-in the city's econ-
omy, they're in the asset column. Middle-class New Yorkers are also ded-
icated voters and will be courted accordingly by candidates.
Housing First is following a similar course. Nearly half its proposed
100,000 new apartments would be priced for working- and middle-class
families. The other half would go ro households making less than
$20,000 a year. Supportive housing accounts for 16,000 of those low-
income units; senior housing, 2,500. There will be a call for new homes
for other extremely low-income households, making less than about
$16,000 a year. They represent one-third of city households. Yet on the
Housing First agenda, these would add up to 30,000 units at most, simply
part of what Bayer calls "a range of needs and a range of solutions that meet
those needs." As much as anything, Housing First is a proposition for bring-
ing prosperous residents back to battered communities, with a platform
that stresses "programs that create not only housing, but also safe, sustain-
able, mixed-income neighborhoods."
Strictly by the numbers, middle-class renters are not facing a crisis. At
the city's median income of $33,000, affordable apartments actually
slightly outnumber people, 1.16 million to 1.06 million, according to
the Census Bureau's 1999 Housing and Vacancy Survey. "It's not to say
you don't need middle-income housing production," says CHPC's Frank
Braconi, who has been advising Housing Firsr. "But I wouldn't do it on
the basis that the middle class is stressed on income burdens. "
That is to say that people live in a city, not a spreadsheet, and make life
decisions based on much more than the price of rent. Finding a livable
space in a neighborhood that's safe and accessible, with decent shopping,
schools and other resources, is just as importanr. A report commissioned
by Vallone and written by private builders lays out the bottom line: ''As the
city's new economy generates highly paid jobs for well-educated workers,
many of whom prefer an urban residential environment, the quality of the
City's neighborhoods is exacerbating the problem of housing cost infla-
tion. Rents in the few neighborhoods that offer the housing quality and
amenities those workers seek are being bid up to levels that threaten the
City's ability to attract talented and ambitious newcomers. It is necessary
to promote the development of the City's neighborhoods in a manner that
raises the quality of urban life so as to relieve market pressure on Manhat-
tan and the most desirable communities of the outer boroughs."
As for the low-income people who now li ve in those amenity-deprived
wnes-asswning they aren't displaced by a stampede of talented and
ambitious newcomers-some could benefit from moderate- and middle-
income construction. Builders of Nehemiah and Partnership homes found
that buyers tended to come from the neighborhood and often upgraded
from regulated or public housing, opening up units for other occupants.
But does large-scale building produce trickle-down vacancies? "It frees
20
up some, but how much?" asks Braconi. "I don't know, and I haven't seen
research." There are some inescapable barriers. Many landlords, especial-
ly those who bought their buildings at speculative prices, can't afford to
charge significantly lower rents. And Braconi observes that in the last
wave of city-sponsored development, under Mayor Koch's lO-year plan,
the construction of middle- and moderate-income housing appeared to
oversaturate some neighborhoods: The city saw a sudden spike in vacan-
cies among older apartments in the same price brackets.
In the end, what to build is the easy stuff. The biggest questions
remain where to put it all and how to get it built, reforming everything
from building codes to zoning regulations. Some developers want to see
less of the low-rise sprawl synonymous with the Partnership, which has
enjoyed privileged access to city-owned land, bur what's left to build on
isn't pretty: Much of it is brownfields, and New York still lacks a law that
would make their cleanup cost-effective. Rezoning manufacturing areas
is possible but would have to be done carefully to avoid displacing jobs.
The dipping economy threatens another precious resource: private-sec-
tor cash. The federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit pumps $14 million
annually into local construction for families making up to abour $35,000 a
year. But major investors are pulling out of the program, because real-world
losses have eclipsed their need for tax write-offs. In response, says William
Traylor of the Richman Group, which funnels credits to builders, some bro-
kers are trying to sweeten deals with higher percentage retutns for investors,
which in the end means less cash for building. While the market in tile city
is strong for now, he predicts that "you'll feel the impact in New York."
Private-sector malaise makes public investment that much more crit-
ical. The feeling at Housing First is that getting a commitment of any
kind is an improvement over a City Hall that won't even obey existing
legal mandates to fund affordable housing. A running start is as much as
anyone is hoping for. ''A billion dollars over 10 years doesn't come close
to solving the housing problem, " says Brad Lander, execurive director of
the Fifth Avenue Committee and ANHD board member. "It probably
should be double thar. Bur this is definitely what's possible. "
-Alyssa Katz
2. MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING
W
hile mayoral candidates agonize over which cash commitments
to make, the two men running for comptroller face a more exact-
ing decision: What do you do with 90 billion bucks? In April,
candidate Bill Thompson suggested increasing the amount of money that
the city's five municipal pension funds pur into "economically targeted
investments, " or ETIs, specifically economic development and affordable
housing. Thompson's proposed increase was tiny: abour one half of a per-
centage point from each of the five funds. Bur even a single extra point
from pension coffers could mean $900 million more dollars to invest in
the city's economy. Since 1982, the city has committed only $741 million
to such investments.
For former Board of Ed president Thompson, planning creative ways
to target pension money is a priceless campaign op. He can pledge to
invest the money in grocery stores and apartment buildings, or promise
to strong-arm big businesses. Bur while civic investing holds endless pos-
sibilities for fiscal baby-kissing, it's hardly ever done. The obvious reason,
as one pension trustee points out, is that "it's important that we keep the
funds very flush, so that the workers, who are essentially lower-income,
have something to retire on. "
For the trustees who control the pension funds, accepting a lower rate
CITY LIMITS
of return would be a violation of meir fiduciary duty co get me highest
rate of return possible on members' money. "If someming has a collater-
al benefit, great!" says one union trustee. "But you can't say, 'Here's the
collateral benefit, and I'm going co take a lower rate of return. '" For mat
reason, most municipal funds tend co invest most of meir money in blue-
chip scocks. "If you looked at me holdings of all mese big pension funds,
you would see mat by and large, mey hold vety similar mings, " says union
researcher John Abrahanl.
Pension fund managers shun local economic development in partic-
ular because it's been used, time and again, as a ruse for doling out pork
co politically-connected businesspeople. "What if there's fraud? What if
mere's mismanagement?" asks a union consultant. "Policy-makers tend
co shy away from this stuff because they've had so much experience of
money being spent in goofy ways."
Investments that claim co be bom profitable and socially responsible
open themselves co attacks on either front, as Comptroller Alan Hevesi
recently learned when a well-meaning effort co force Wall Street high
rollers co spread money in the local market earned some scorching press.
Economic development faces a double liability: Returns can be quite
low, even over the long term, and the risk is much higher. In me 1990s,
with scock market returns in me Himalayas, investing in anyming mat
wasn't bringing in supernaturally high dividends seemed not JUSt unad-
venturous but downright sinful.
All, but times were different men. These days, consistent returns in
me low double digits don't sound so bad after all. As me job market
withers while me housing market remains tight, investing in apartments
and jobs presents a stirring opportunity for civic rescue. It may not be as
sexy as guerrilla biotech investing, but in me dowdy world of municipal
pension fund management, affordable housing loans are ... well, hot.
T
he unions mat pay into pensions love the idea of using their own
dollars co seed housing and jobs. But it's not just up co me unions.
The city has a huge stake in me funds' performance, coo. Nobody,
not even me mayor, can take money from pension funds. But if me funds
are flush, me city's share of the contribution goes down. The smaller me
funds, me more me city must kick in. So me city naturally takes a keen
interest in how the pension money is faring.
Municipal pensions helped bail the city out of its 1970s fiscal crisis.
And just last year, New York's municipal unions agreed co plow $800 mil-
lion back inco the city budget in exchange for increased benefits and
perks. This "pension restart" set me stage for last year's budget surplus,
but me city will eventually have to pay the unions back.
Funky mings like mis can happen because me comptroller's vote is just
one of several. The resulting clash of interests makes for endless intrigue-
as fund managers learned when mey tried co impose geographic restrictions
on a high-flyi ng new class of investments. In me wildfire market of 1997,
low-risk, low-return investments seemed like a loser's ganle. So me New
York City Employee Retirement System (NYCERS), me biggest pension
pool , issued a call for fund managers interested in new, high-risk "alterna-
tive investments, " in me form of a private equity fund.
NYCERS came up with a bold notion. If no amount of fiscal magic
could make local investments highly profitable, mey reasoned, why not
force highly profitable investments co go local? Whoever they chose co
manage me fund was supposed co "seek, co me greatest extent possible,
to make investments which enhance the quality oflife and promote eco-
nomic activity in the five boroughs of New York City."
But mey found mat venture capital doesn't take kindly co being cold
where or how co perform its wonders. Since NYCERS was asking for Wall
JULY/AUGUST 2001
Even the best-intentioned plan
has to reconcile the poor's
crushing needs with the math
of housing development: The
same subsidy needed to build
one apartment for the poorest
could build five for teachers,
locksmiths and cops.
Street-level returns, the idea of restrictions did not go over well wim
prospective fund managers. One high-profile venture capitalist wimdrew
his bid-after a shouting match wim one of me trustees-because he was
told he couldn't invest in any firm mat might privatize local public-seccor
jobs. Another bidder, me one me city eventually selected, made no bones
about his feelings for me do-good requirement: When one of me trustees
asked him, hypometically, what he would do if me fund had co invest
exclusively in local businesses, he responded: ''I'd walk away. "
In the end, only six of the 48 alternative investments ended up being
in the city. Clearly, imposing conditions on high-return invescors was
not going co be easy, even with enormous amounts of money. "Listen:
we're huge. Aren't we huge? We turn CO each other and say 'Yes, we are,'"
rues NYCERS trustee Mike Musuraca. "We thought we would have
more control...[we thought] we should be able co do it, and people
would just dance. "
B
ut if dancing wim financiers didn't make for much local invesrment,
mese misadventures had an unexpected benefit: mey made low-risk,
low-return investments look mat much more reliable. This March,
Hevesi's office issued a call for intermediaries co make loans co development
projects, backed by city pension funds. Those brokers would seed money
into building or rehabbing apartments, mortgages for union members, sup-
porting businesses and scores, even building senior and day care centers.
It's not an entirely new scheme. Since 1982, the pension funds have
underwritten more than a half-billion dollars in local housing redevelop-
ment, mostly mrough me nonprofit Community Preservation Corpora-
tion. The funds created a mortgage market-and mey were making
money, an 11 percent rate of return. Better yet, mose loans were all
backed by government insurance, mrough programs like Fannie Mae.
Now, however, banks are increasingly crowding out pension funds in
competition for mose insured loans, so me funds are starting co consider
making loans mat are less than 100 percent government-backed.
Local economic development will be a lot cougher for invescors co get
excited about. Such projects have always been a cough nut for invescors co
crack, as me Bronx Community Paper Company discovered when it found
mat a recycling plant employing 400 would have cost up co $700 million;
it abandoned its plans. Even me New York City Investment Fund, found-
ed by fmancier Henry Kravis and run by New York City Parmership chief
Kamryn Wylde, has a hard time finding local businesses mat meet its stan-
dards. Thompson wants co bring Wylde in co help manage his investments.
Mark Jahr of me Local Inititatives Support Corporation, which backs
inner-city retail outlets, applauds unions for trying bur cautions that if
there's an economic development project that can bring double-digit
returns, it hasn't yet been discovered. LISC's return on its new Bronx
mall is "about 6 percent," says Jahr. "Those aren't the types of rates of
return pension funds are looking for. "
-Annia Ciezadlo
21
3. WELFARE NEEDS WORK
O
n a May night many of them would usually spend feeding their
kids, nearly a thousand spectators rose to their feet at a mayoral
candidate forum. Standing everywhere were public assistance
recipients who have toiled in the ciry's Work Experience Program, clean-
ing parks and picking up cigarette butts. They cheered loudly as each
candidate promised them training, education and jobs.
But perhaps the most striking thing was that the candidates were talk-
ing about those matters at all. The question of what will happen to the
nearly quarter-million ciry families still on public assistance has been vir-
tually missing from stump speeches. When they do talk about it, the can-
didates vaguely pledge to turn public dependents into wage earners and
to run a welfare program that will be kinder than the current mayor's.
Even those promises would require an overhaul of the current system.
Rudy Giuliani and Human Resources Administration Commissioner
Jason Turner have assembled a huge apparatus. That includes a 40,000-
strong WEP labor force and up to $400 million in job training contracts
with private companies. There's also the matter of the Giuliani adminis-
tration's aggressive diversion policies at the ciry's job centers, which have
deterred untold numbers of New Yorkers from applying for or receiving
benefits in the first place. "The ciry of New York has made it so onerous
for people who are trying to access welfare benefits," says Helen Lee of the
Legal Aid Sociery. "From constant appointments to prying investigations,
it's been a policy that successfully keeps the number of recipients down."
Keeping the rolls low, however, will be painfully tempting for the next
mayor. The Independent Budget Office has predicted a $57 million wel-
fare shortfall in the ciry budget in 2003, and that doesn't even factor in
the prospects of reduced federal aid and a weakening economy. The may-
oral candidates' pledges may be vague, but they're also expensive: Encour-
aging recipients to learn English instead of cleaning parks. Outfitting a
ciry network of communiry-based job trainers. Instruccing caseworkers to
help clients get all the benefits they are entitled to. All would cost the ciry
far more than it currently funnels into public assistance.
They also don't factor in the more than 20 percent of people who are
on the rolls because they aren't sick enough to qualify for disabiliry ben-
efits but are roo infirm or disabled to enter tile workforce. At the forum,
Ciry Comptroller Alan Hevesi, with opcimism echoed by his opponents
(and cheered by the crowd), said, "Ideally, we will have nobody on wel-
fare." Such hopes may not be backed up by the facts.
T
he primary target of the Democratic leadership's criticism of cur-
rent welfare policy is WEP. Peter Val lone said recently that WEP
"keeps people from learning job skills. " Along those lines, each
candidate has promised to create a workforce policy that emphasizes
practical job skills and reduces WEP's physical labor and busywork.
But transforming WEP will not be without cost. Last year the Inde-
pendent Budget Office revealed exactly how much the Parks Deparr-
22
New York welcomes
welfare reform, October 1996
ment now relies upon welfare's incredibly cheap labor-an average of
$1.80 per hour versus $8.65 for salaried Parks workers. Between 1991
and 1999, their WEP workforce grew from 170 to 2,389, while full-time
employees dropped from 4,285 to 2,101.
If they want to reduce the number ofWEP workers, the new mayor and
Ciry Council face dirry parks or huge increases in the Parks budget. The
same calculacion will determine the fate ofWEP workers mopping court-
houses, cleaning subway cars and sweeping me streets. The truth is that, if
solely measured in dollars and cents, WEP is a great program for the ciry,
providing not only cheap labor but an inexpensive way to involve welfare
recipients in work activities, in line wim federal law. This explains why the
candidates are careful to avoid saying they will eliminate WEp, a prioriry of
advocacy groups like ACORN and Communiry Voices Heard. In respons-
es to quescions from City Limits, Mark Green's campaign cauciously wrote
that the program shouldn't be the ciry's "primary employment strategy."
Green is advocating a hybrid approach: Keep WEp, but add wages
and benefits like health insurance. Other candidates have backed such
improvements as a screening process that makes sure recipients are fit for
work and a grievance procedure for workers with disputes.
That WEP may be here ro stay is hard for some activists to swallow.
But others argue that a well-run ciry work program could help the cur-
rent class of recipients, who continue to need benefits despite a booming
economy and an administration that tried to push them out the door.
"Many can't read or write," notes David Jones, president of the Com-
muniry Service Sociery. "They have disabilities that usually haven't been
adequately assessed. But even that bottom group should be engaged in
some work activiry. It's to the public's advantage. "
Whatever form WEP takes, the Democratic candidates agree that
many of the program's current workers would be better served in inten-
sive training that prepares them for jobs. But experts in workforce devel-
opment believe that revan1ping existing programs will be no easy task.
The Giuliani administration was a late convert to workforce develop-
ment, after it became clear that WEP wasn't enough to move people off
the rolls. So last year, the ciry issued 11 contracts to private organizations
and companies and created a vast, three-tiered job training system: Four
"assessment centers" identify mose who can immediately apply for jobs.
Recipients who need job-seeking skills go to one of 11 "employment cen-
ters. " Those who need the most training are referred to dozens of com-
muniry-based organizations (CBOs) for intensive skills building. This sys-
tem has come under criticism for emphasizing quick job placement over
substancial training [see "The Great Training Robbery, " May 2001].
Green and Hevesi have suggested they would enhance the current sys-
tem by putting more resources into the CBOs, which they say are better
equipped to offer personalized training. Green even joined former Labor
Secretary Robert Reich on a rour of Williamsburg Works, a Brooklyn job
training organization. Advocates for serious job training welcome these
proposals, but they warn that they won't be effective unless the ciry
makes heavy-dury new commitments.
William Grinker is a former ciry welfare commissioner who now
operates the Non-Profit Assistance Corporation, which runs one of the
employment centers; NPAC relies on CBOs, including Williamsburg
Works, to place clients into jobs. Grinker agrees that CBOs should do
more job training but warns that they'll need more than just a contract.
"There's a capaciry issue that has to be faced if you're going in that direc-
tion," says Grinker. "Everyone visits Williamsburg Works, but there
aren't many groups out there who can do what they do. The next mayor
would have ro be willing to provide resources to make more of mese
small organizations viable." NPAC proudly points to its own success-
CITY LIMITS
Checkup time at a community
health center, 1989
77 percent of ies clients who found jobs kept them for at least 90 days-
but Grinker notes that they couldn't have done the work with just the
city's money; NPAC raised more than $3 million in outside funds.
HRA claims to have put about 15,000 people in jobs so far. By all
accounes, the first placed were the easiest to serve: they typically had
employment experience and were suffering temporary setbacks. Much
more will have to be done to help the chronically unemployed. They are
likely to have children, lack a high school diploma, have a history of drug
or alcohol problems and little, if any, formal work history. "We need to
stop thinking of welfare reform as a program designed to save money, " says
Amy Brown, a researcher with the Community Food Resource Center,
"and recognize we need to invest in people to help them."
-Matt Pacenza
4. PATIENTS AREN'T A VIRTUE
N
ot long ago diagnosed with terminal illness, health insurance for
the poor has been revived by elected officials who are usually no
fans of government social programs. Mayor Giuliani has shov-
eled publicity on his Health Stat initiative, with the goal of enrolling half
of the city's 1.8 million uninsured into Medicaid or the state initiatives
that cover children and parents with slightly higher incomes, Child
Health Plus and the brand new Family Health Plus.
When the mayor announced Health Stat last summer, it was a rare
moment of consensus: He was joined by Public Advocate Mark Green,
Comptroller Alan Hevesi and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone. All
three have now made health care a campaign issue, with proposals essen-
tially the same as Rudy's: Sign up the uninsured. It makes sense to take
full advantage of these insurance programs, because the city pays only
about 25 percent of the cost, with the state and feds picking up the rest.
The ciry Health and Hospitals Corporation could certainly use the
money. When he entered office, Giuliani began cutting the city's $300
million subsidy of HHC and in 1996 eliminated it outright. To stay
afloat, HHC aggressively cut costs, reducing its staff by about 25 per-
cent. Facilities have been eliminated, including more than 40 clinics that
are closed or soon could be [see "Failing Health," page 6]. But all that
still hasn't put HHC in the black. The agency announced in May that it
faces a $235 million deficit that will only grow in the future. The city
will have to find that money somewhere.
Will increasing insurance enrollment help? Yes, and no. In some
cases, health insurance guarantees money will flow in. But increasingly,
it actually exacerbates the cash hemorrhage. First of all, many who rely
on the public health system are not eligible for the insurance programs.
Family Health Plus won't help most single adults, and most noncitizens
are also excluded-in all, almost 1 million of the current uninsured.
Meanwhile, Medicaid has been failing to pay providers enough to cover
their coses. Outpatient rates haven't gone up in over 10 years, and the
new regime of Medicaid managed care is even more of a money-losing
business for health care providers. Managed care's flat fees translate into
"roughly a 25 percent reduction in revenue, " says Rhonda Kotelchuck of
the Primary Care Development Corporation, which funds clinics.
When Medicaid reimbursement rates were higher, public clinics and
hospitals, required by law to treat the uninsured, could use the extra cash
to help pay for patients who weren't covered. In 2000, according to HHC,
the agency lost $421 million treating half a million uninsured patienes.
The losses will mount as managed care continues to be phased in.
Medicaid entollment overall is growing, ironically, because of Health
JULY/AUGUST 2001
Stat. The federal government requires that the city shift Medicaid-eligi-
ble children out of Child Health Plus and into Medicaid. That growth
spells trouble not just for the city, but for private facilities that treat poor
patients. "Two clinics have approached me that think they're going to go
under," said Andrea Ryan of the Urban Justice Center, who advises
neighborhood clinics. "They can't collect enough money. "
-Matt Pacenza
5. COPS PSYCH OUT RECRUITS
I
f there's one thing every fteelance social reformer thinks he can fix, it's the
NYPD. Suggestions tend to fall along two lines: make white cops be nicer
to black and Latino people (better training) , or hire more black and Lati-
no cops (minority recruitment). But what do black and Latino cops think?
"That's a bunch of baloney! This isn't about training," says Christopher
Cooper. "The politicians can certainly pander to what the community says
it wanes and needs. But when you know something about policing, you
know that one of the biggest problems is background investigations."
Cooper, a muscular, cornrowed John Jay professor, is on a mission to
reform the background investigation that every NYPD applicant must go
through, consisting of a written exam, several standard psychological tests,
and interviews with a background investigator and an NYPD staff psy-
chologist. "If you're black or brown, your life experiences will be perceived
as deviant," claims Cooper. "Blacks and Latinos are getting tossed out."
Cooper's not the only one criticizing the "psychological." The Latino
Officers Association and 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement have long
called the tests outdated, culturally biased and unduly subjective: "We
23
believe that the New York Ciry psychological unit must go through a
cuhural revolurion," says 100 Blacks president Eric Adams. "They're
using psychological testing as a form of character investigation, which ir's
nor supposed w be. "
Last year, the federal Civil Rights Commission reviewed records from
1997 and found no evidence that psychological screenings had blocked
minorities from the force. Ever since then, the tem have quiedy dropped
off the agenda, supplamed by sexier issues like racial profiling. But black
and brown cops have not forgonen, and many stilJ resem the tests. "h's a
farce," laughs one officer who has worked in recruitment, remembering
the test where subjects draw a tree, a house and a person. One candidate,
she recalls, drew a house with bars on the windows because thar's where
he grew up--in the projects, on a low floor, with bars on the windows.
"This psychologist had a problem with him because he drew a house with
bars," says the officer. "Maybe there was a problem with her, if she didn't
realize that nor everybody lives in a litde house with flowers around ir. "
Bur subjectiviry is what makes the test useful, insists Temple Universiry's
James Fyfe, who is conducting a study for the Justice Deparrmem of cops
who've been fired by the NYPD. Fyfe found that background investigations
are indeed subjective-and that those judgments often indicate who will
survive on the job. "You get an investigawr who looks at a kid who seems
perfect, and says 'There's JUSt something wrong abour this guy.' More often
than nor, ir's accurate; the people abour whom he says that end up gening
fired." Fyfe's research may dash any hopes Cooper and Adams have w put
background investigations back on the agenda. Bur even Fyfe agrees black
and Latino applicants get a raw deal. He found they have an extra burden
in the applicacion process because they are more likely w have gone w bad
schools, gonen fired from crappy jobs or had misdemeanor arrests. "The
whole thing is compounded by race," he says sadly. ''And ir's not that the
depanment is doing anything racisr. It's being dealt a cockeyed deck."
-Annia Ciezadlo
6. WHO'LL TAKE OUT THE TRASH?
F
resh Kills is finally closed, but there's still one big disposal derail ro
anend w: the estimated 27,000 rons of commercial garbage that rum-
ble through the streets each day on private ttucks. Asroundingly, no
one is sure exacrly how much trash New York businesses produce each year.
Since the ciry raised Fresh Kills fees in 1988, it has been dumped elsewhere.
The legacy is 73 waste transfer stations, from Williamsburg w Hums
Poim, host w streams of trucks schJepping garbage in and then our w far-
off landfuls. Many flout state and ciry regulations. "h's creating a lot of
problems for a lot of neighborhoods," says Persis Luke, environmemal
issues analyst for the Brooklyn Borough Presidem. "People have cracking
foundations, [[ucks tearing up streets. h 's gening worse."
The ciry's Trade Waste Commission is supposed ro regulate private
carters. Bur advocates say the commission, established in 1996, is pan of
the problem: As parr of its mission w rid the industry of mob influence,
it has gone after small haulers so aggressively that their long-term survival
remains uncerrain. That leaves JUSt rwo multinationals-Waste Manage-
mem Inc. and Browning-Ferris-in command of a massive marker.
Now, thanks ro a law passed last November by the Ciry Council, the
ciry is moving wward rational garbage disposal. The Department of Sani-
tation will pick a private firm w examine the effectiveness of enforcemem,
the ciry's power w dictate where the stations are located and how they
operate, and the possibiliry of using alternative fuel vehicles w carry trash.
There's also the prospect that commercial waste could go onw the same
24
barges handling household garbage, keeping trucks off the streets.
But regulating the garbage giants will take hardball negotiating, as the
Bronx learned a few years ago when it tried w rein in WMI. The com-
pany wanted ro open a new faciliry at the Harlem River Yards; local res-
idents wanted it ro close old ones firsr. The Bronx borough president
persuaded the state ro require the company w shut down an equivalem
amount of capaciry at existing transfer stations. WMJ complied, but
much of the capaciry it closed existed on paper only, limiting the relief.
Capaciry maners. Transfer stations are legally entirled w bring trash
from anywhere, and they do: Ciry records reveal that transfer stations have
accepted garbage from Westchester and Nassau counties. Haulers are less
inclined w use that capaciry for recycling, which is far less lucrative than
trash. To handle household waste under its current ciry comracts, WMI
ripped recycling conveyor belts right our of rwo stations and sropped recy-
cling at those plants. Now, despite a ciry moraroriun1 on new capaciry in
Greenpoint, WMI is applying ro the state for an expanded permir. "You
hear Sanitation saying, ' We're the hugest account in the world, so we can
make them do things,'" observes one solid waste expert. "But they don'r. "
-Alyssa Katz
7. THE WATER IS CLOUDY
/lJ
ong many headaches, the next mayor may have unexpected relief.
In May, federal judge Nina Gershon hinted that building a billion-
ollar fUtration plant may not be the only option for protecting the
reservoirs that provide about 10 percent of the ciry's water. The Environ-
mental Protection Agency insists that such a faciliry is the only way w guard
against bacteria. The ruling excused the ciry from more than $4.3 million
in fines the EPA hoped w collect after the Giuliani adminiStration missed
deadlines for securing a site for the planr. But more important for New
York's bonom line, the decision may allow it ro avoid futration emirely.
Judge Gershon ordered d1e ciry w seek permission from the state legis-
lature ro build beneath Van Cordandt Park. But the ruling also handed
opponents of a plant, including residents of nearby neighborhoods, a glim-
mer of hope. Aware that the legislature, pushed by local members and
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, is opposed w a filtration plant, she also
strongly suggested that the ciry pursue alternatives. "This throws the whole
thing in the air," says John Klotz, counsel for the Croron Watershed Clean
Water Coalition, which objects w a futration planr.
The ciry is now looking inro building a smaller faciliry; there are other
possible sites, including rwo in Westchester. Bur w avoid filtration emirely,
the next mayor will have ro convince the EPA that the federal law requir-
ing all open reservoirs w be futered does not apply to the Crown. By the
EPA's own admission, the Crown passes federal health standards; even so,
the feds cominue ro insist the reservoir is a time bomb for residents of
Harlem, Chelsea, Inwood and the south and east Bronx, which rely on the
reservoir. (Most of the ciry draws from the Catskill-Delaware system, which
has been temporarily excused from filtration.) "Every day the Croton is
online and nor filtered we consider w be a risk," says EPA spokesperson
Mary Mears. "We're not emertaining any options w let them not futer."
But the Bush EPA won't necessarily stay staunch on clean water. There
may be other new allies: Towns around the Croron, which at one time
resisted surrendering properry w protect the reservoir, have joined open
space programs w preempt suburban sprawl. Filtration foes hope the next
administration takes advantage of the wiggle room. "The ciry should go w
the EPA in a serious manner," urges Klotz. "Things cOlud start to move."
-Pam Frederick
CITY LIMITS
Schools of Door Knocks
A new generation of organizing academies asks:
Does making the good fight your life's work
have to be a one-way ticket to martyrdom?
By Tracie McMillan
A FEW YEARS AGO, as I prepared to leave college enthusiastic, politicized,
and yearning for a better world, the obvious option was communiry
organizing. But after four years of full-time work, full-time studies, and
part-time organizing-and the attendant vending-machine diet, absence
of social life, and borderline poverry-a better world didn't seem nearly
as important as my nutrition, rent and mental health.
Ten, 15 years ago, organizing came with certain lifesryle demands.
Incredibly long hours that vied with the most fierce workaholics on Wall
Street. Compensarion matching that of the Wall Streeters' maids.
Skimpy benefirs. If you worked for a national or even regional organi-
zation, heavy and unpredicrable traveling from campaign to campaign,
ofren alone. It all boiled down to a culture of sacrifice, where you gave
ir all up for the struggle. And if you couldn't or wouldn'r-well, you were
rhe weakest link.
You still have the diehards. You still have unions that will up toot you
on a day's norice for a campaign on the opposite coast. At some organi-
zations, you srill have low salaries and brurally long hours. But there's also
a growing understanding thar people organizing for a better world-
from Chicago mothers reinventing their family-work relationship to
striking ACORN staffers in Seartle-want to live in ir, too. 'There is a
slow shift, even with the most hardcore organizing directors I know,"
muses Krisann Rehbein of the Organizing Institute, the AFL-CIO rrain-
ing school. "Now, some unions have the rule rhar you have every other
weekend off, which was unheard of even five years ago."
Nobody, not even the Bureau of Labor Srarisrics, tracks comprehen-
sive numbers on the working conditions of organizers. But anecdoral evi-
JULY/AUGUST 2001
dence, and more than five dozen organizers interviewed by City Limits,
agree that the culture of sacrifice is on its way out.
Most credit the reinvention of organizing to changing demographics.
"As more women have come into organizing, as more folks with children
have come into organizing," says Timothea Howard, a senior organizer
with the National Organizers Alliance, "ir's had to shift from being this
lone cowboy, solitary male work culrure, to a culture that has to absorb
people who have children, have other partners. "
The stereotypical organizer, who blew into town and rabble-roused his
way to success, still exists, but he's immersed in an increasingly diverse field.
"Sixteen years ago, while there was an increasing amount of organizing in
communities of color, there were very few organizers of color leading that
work," explains Danny HoSang, a senior organizer with CTWO. "At that
point, " agrees Howard, "organizing was pretty much all white males."
In the 1970s, as organizations grew to realize that a powerful move-
ment would have to cross class, race, and gender lines, organizers began
to experiment. "For a while, everyone thought that the professional orga-
nizers were old white guys, and 'the people' were colored folks and
women," explains Makani Themba-Nixon, former director of the Grass
Roots Innovative Policy Project {and a City Limits board member}. As
organizers began to see that other models existed, both in the u.S. and
abroad-liberation rheology, Latin American basismo, grassroors faith-
based organizing--organizing schools became hothouses for changing
the movement from within. "If it wasn't for them, it would've been real-
ly hard for people to get through that," says Themba-Nixon. "The role
of organizing schools was really important."
Mosr of the 15 schools examined here report that women make
upwards of 60 percent of their classes. Chicago's Communiry Organizing
and Family Issues, which mounts campaigns around public schools, even
developed a "family focused" organizing model.
"There's a very conscious and intentional effort to support the staff as
parents so that they have time to be with their kids, " says cofounder Ellen
Schumer. "The message that ' Your personal life is your own problem, go
deal with ir,' is nor one we promore in communities or in the organiza-
tion." The racial divide is also under arrack. An increasing number of
organizing schools are run by people of color. Those that aren't keep a
close eye on the racial composition of their programs, and reach out to
communities of color; some also offer anti-racism training.
Most every school covers the same basic organizing skills: strategical-
ly designing a campaign, working with media, home visits and door-
knocking, building a volunteer base. What sets them apart is not just
how they organize, but why-what they prioririze, and the polirics
behind rheir work.
The best of them are places where organizers can creatively refashion
the profession-and make organizing a profession they wouldn'r mind
doing for the rest of their lives, not jusr until they burn our. "Our priori-
ry is thar the people see this work not as a six-month program, " says orga-
nizer Cynthia Rojas of the National School for Straregic Organizing, "but
see ir as their life's work."
(Next page: The Ciry Limits guide to organizing schools)
2S
Basic Training:
The City Limits Guide to Organizing Schools
Association of Community Organizations for
Reform Now (ACORN) training academies
Founded: 1970
Length: 6 days a week for 4 weeks
Frequency: 40 academies annually
Stipend: $1,000 for 4 weeks
Housing: none provided
Student:Organizer ratio: 3: 1
Location: across the country
Class size: 10
Girl:Boy: 1: 1
Racial mix: varies widely depending on location, any-
where from 10-90 percent white
Dropout rate: 50 percent
Recent college grads: 60-70 percent
Most likely accessory: knuckles skinned from door-
knocking
Required reading: "A Union in the Community" by Cesar
Chavez
ACORN is famed for its heavy emphasis on individual sac-
rifice, no bones about it. ACORN made headlines earlier this
year when two of its local offices-one in Seattle, the other
in Philly-went on strike with demands of guaranteed
lunch breaks, timely paychecks and at least two weekends
off each month.
One of the few national community-based organiza-
tions that offers its own training academies-"boot
camps," as Field Director Helene O'Brien calls them-the
four-week internship mixes classroom learning with a gru-
eling workout.
Recruits spend most of their time going into poor
neighborhoods and knocking on doors to enlist people.
They come in at noon and hit the doors by 3 p.m. Orga-
nizers meet one-on-one with students about the day's
events when they return around 7 o'clock to start
evening phone trees or plan actions. Saturdays are
shorter, with folks clocking in from 10 to 2, but every-
body's expected to pitch in with demonstrations and ral-
lies. It's a baptism by fire that just half of the new
recruits make it through.
Starting salaries hovered in the mid-teens for years
before bumping up to $18,000 in January. Most senior staff
26
top out in the $30,000 range. "You can pay me $50,000 or
$60,000 a year, or you can pay me $30,000 and use that
other money to hire two other people," says 12-year
veteran O'Brien.
It's all part of organizing a poor people's movement, say
recent program graduates. "There is a culture of sacrifice,
but we've all agreed to it," says Jenny Lawson, 25, a Port-
land, Oregon, ACORN organizer. "Financially, it's the only
way it's goi ng to work."
Jewish Organizing Initiative
Founded: 1997
Length: 1 year
Frequency: annual
Stipend: $18,OOO/year + benefits
Housing: not provided
Student:Organizer ratio: 1:1
Location: Boston
Class Size: 10
Girl:Boy: 4: 1
Racial mix: not available
Dropout rate: 0
Age range: 22-30
Most likely snack: bagels
Required reading: Pirke Avot, "Sayings of Our Fathers"
Faith-based training for organizers may still be rare, but
the Jewish Organizing Initiative explicitly links Judaism and
social justice. "It was an amazing experience to start look-
ing at Jewish scripture through an organizing lens," says
1999 graduate Tom Levinson. "Looking at Exodus as not
just a story about Passover, but as an archetypal organiz-
ing story- how to look at Moses as an organizer."
Participants' faiths range from conservative to nonob-
servant, so the level of discussion is perfect for some, not
enough for others. Similarly, the basic organizing training
provided during this fellowship program's one-week orien-
tation might be too elementary for experienced organizers.
After orientation, fellows spread out to their individual
organizing placements. JOI sends them to Boston organiza-
tions ranging from unions to interfaith committees on
worker justice to reproductive rights groups.
Every Friday, they reconvene to discuss their experi-
ences, as well as things like Jewish identity and Judaism.
Each class does a group project; Levinson's held a social
justice seder, where the class wrote their own haggadah
(the book used to tell the story of Passover).
The explicit goal , says founder Michael Brown, is to
keep people in the field for the long haul. "I've worked as
an organizer for 30 years, and people who have some reli-
gious or spiritual or moral core tend to stick around in the
business a lot longer than folks just trying to get someone
elected. If you don't have that, you'll be screwed."
Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program
Founded: 1985
Length: 7 weeks
Frequency: twice a year (summer and fall)
Stipend: $200 a week
Housing: provided
Student:Organizer ratio: 1:1
Location: orientation in Oakland; then around U.S
Class Size: 10-15
Girl:Boy: 2: 1
Racial mix: 30% Afri can-American, 20% Asian, 50%
Latino
Dropout rate: 3 percent
Recent College Grads: 66 percent
Required reading: Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis
Famed among organizers of color, the 16-year old MAAP
program at the Center for Third World Organizing takes
itself pretty seriously. MAAP's rep is so good, in fact, that
while the program is based in California, activists from
all over battle to make it into the program-last year,
there were three applications per opening. (Bushwick
represents: Taina Gonzalez, an up-and-comer with Make
the Road By Walking, got in last year.) Program appli-
cants must complete a three-day Community Activist
Training (CAT); if accepted they journey to a four-day
training in Oakland before being sent to communi ty orga-
nizations all over the country.
As well as outstanding organizing skills, MAAP stress-
es political analysis. "CTWO really brings an emphasis on
understanding the way that racism affect communities,"
says 2000 graduate Angela Chung, now an organizer with
People United for a Better Oakland, "and that really helps
you to understand the root causes of issues and develop
better responses. "
CITY LIMITS
National School for Strategic Organizing
Founded: 1995
Length: 6 months
Frequency: twice a year
Stipend: $125-$150 a week
Housing: provided if from out of town
Studenl:Organizer ratio: 2: 1
Location: Los Angeles
Class Size: 5-8
Girl:Boy: 3:2
Racial mix (last class): 4 Latino, 2 mixed ethnicity
Dropout rate: 0
Median Age: 25
Most likely accessory: clipboard and monthly bus pass
Required reading: City of Quartz by Mike Davis
Known for its relation to Los Angeles' formidable Bus Rid-
ers Union, NSSO combines a lengthy internship with politi-
cal education classes where readings range from Mao to
historian Robin D.G. Kelley's take on the new working class.
The political education is coherent, radical, and cross-
cutting. Held twice a week, classes grapple with race,
class, and gender, as well as revolutionary theory, at fairly
sophisticated levels. "I wanted to be immersed in political
ideology, and I was," says Jacqueline Campos, 19, who
graduated from the program last year. "It's an intense
learning process. "
For all the work that NSSO requires, the organizers
understand the importance of culture. The BRU is known for
its use of cultural politics-ranging from a joint effort with
the San Francisco Mime Troupe to dance-a-thons. Staff are
careful to impress upon interns the need to have time for
themselves apart from organizing. But Campos isn't so
sure: "Didn't Huey Newton say, 'If you surrender yourself to
the revolution, you'll have eternal life?'"
School of Unity and liberation Summer School
Founded: 1996
Length: 8 weeks
Frequency: once a year
Stipend: $2,000
Housing: not provided, but assistance given
Student:Organizer ratio: 6: 1
Location: Oakland
Class Size: 10-13
Girl:Boy: 3:4
JULY/AUGUST 2001
Racial mix: 92 percent people of color
Dropout rate: 3 percent
Age range, median age: 15-26, 21
Most likely accessory: No More Prisons! CD
Required reading: Marx for Beginners
Part of California's youth movement against prisons and
police brutality, SOUL is run by a largely female, Queer, of
color, and twentysomething staff. And, like many groups in
the anti-prison movement, they use cultural expression-
most explicitly hip hop-both to teach and organize. "It's
part of the way they teach organizing," says Rory Caygill ,
who took part in the program in 1999. "They really train on
using culture."
Though SOUL doesn't do cultural work on its own, it
works closely with organizations that do-pulling in
youth who often get left behind when organizing focuses
on college students. "Using hip hop and spoken word
helps to bring those people-working class youth and
youth of color- into the organization in a way that would-
n't happen otherwise," says Genevieve Gonzales, SOUL's
Bay Area director.
SOUL trainees spend 30 hours a week interning at a
community organization. What keeps them around,
though, is the rigorous political education: 10 hours a
week at the SOUL offices, centered on community-based
revolutionary movements. "It was really an incredible pro-
gram," says Caygill. "We really talked about using orga-
nizing as a tool not just to make changes in our communi-
ties-though we do need those reforms-but as way of
transforming the way power and wealth are held, and
building revolutionary change."
Southern Empowerment Project
Founded: 1986
Length: 3 weeks
Frequency: every summer
Cost: $2,400, or $850/week
Housing: provided
Student:Organizer ratio: 3: 1
Location: Maryville, TN
Class Size: 15-20
Girl:Boy: 3:2
Racial mix: 50 percent white
Dropout rate: 0
Age range, median age: 20-50, 31
Required filmstrip: "The Color of Fear," circa 1975
One of the few schools known for providing intensive edu-
cation and training on "the isms"-racism, classism, sex-
ism, heterosexism, to name a few- the summer program
at SEP lasts for three weeks: one week of organizing train-
ing, one of fundraising training, and one on the isms.
The school will set you back a bit; organizers are quick
to note they do provide scholarships. But students can sign
up by the week, taking only the courses they need. Because
SEP is a membership organization, most students have
sponsors. But the occasional college student, someone
changing careers, even organizers looking to broaden their
knowledge and skills on their own time come in as well.
Held on a small rural campus, the program has a col-
legiate vibe. Participants stay in the dorms, eat in a dining
hall , and have access to the campus gym. "It's kind of like
being in school ," muses Chetan Talwalkar, Interim Director
of the Democracy Resource Center in Kentucky, who attend-
ed SEP in 2000. "But they use a variety of popular educa-
tion techniques. It's definitely not, 'Read a book and dis-
cuss a chapter. '"
But the political education is SEP's standout. "I think a
lot of times, there's either an apolitical or strictly power-ori-
ented perspective in these kinds of trainings, or there's a
ranking of oppressions," says Talwalkar. "SEP was one of
the first training programs to actually include racism, and
sexism, and heterosexism, and classism, in its program. "
Training Institute for Careers in Organizing
Founded: 1996
Length: 12 weeks
Frequency: twice a year
Stipend: $920/month
Housing: provided at low cost
Student:Organizer ratio: 3: 1
Location: New York City
Class Size: 12-15
Girl:Boy: 2: 1
Racial mix: 38 percent white, 32 percent African-Amer-
ican, 21 percent Latino, 7 percent Asian, 2 percent
other/mixed
Dropout rate: 50 percent
Median age: 23
Most likely accessory: housing regulation book
Required reading: "Alinksy Discovered Organizing like
Columbus discovered America" by Rinku Sen
Known for its rigorous trainings-comparisons to ACORN
are common-TICO was in the unfortunate position of
being leaderless a year ago. But with the hiring of Director
Blanca Ramirez, the scrappy organizing school , a joint pro-
ject of ACORN, Mothers on the Move and the Northwest
Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, is restructuring.
"TICO's been very oriented towards the technical skills,"
says Ramirez. "I like to think that we're training a new gen-
eration of organizers that are critical thinkers that can do
the social analysis, the political economy."
Interns are placed with one of the three sponsoring
organizations, then return to the TICO office for an afternoon
27
of traini ng twice a week. "They rea ll y try to wear you
out, and you always have to have this ext roverted ener-
gy and devote most of your life to a cause," says Stan-
ton McManus, who participated in 1998 and decided
that organi zi ng wasn't for him. "I didn't know if I had
that that kind of fire in me. And I just wanted more of
my own li fe, too, I guess. "
But Ramirez has a change up her sleeve: a more
flexible schedule. "Anybody doing this work needs to
have a social life outside of their organi zing," she says.
"Organizing shouldn't be a cult. "
Training School for Strategic Consulting
Founded: 1998
Length: average of 4 months
Frequency: 12-15 in federal election years, 4-5 during
off years
Stipend: $100 a week. Must have a car.
Housing: provided
Student: Organizer ratio: 15:1
Location: all over
Class Size: 10-15
Girl:Boy: 2:3
Racial mix: not available
Dropout rate: 10 percent
Percent recent college grads: 50
Most likely accessory: headset for phone banking
Required reading: The Godfather
For those who fi nd union organizing too dreary and
community organizi ng too ideali stic, there's always a
future as a political operative. Every year, TSSC runs
five to 15 campaign schools, turning young, political-
ly mi nded folk into formidable campaign organizers.
St udents spend a week learning the nuts and bolts
in a whirlwi nd course on mail pieces, targeting voters,
ca lculat ing turnout, developing field plans, and orga-
nizing their base. When the smoke clears, they emerge
en masse and descend on a specified campaign, pri-
mari ly working for progressive Democratic candidates.
It's not unusual to work from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m., and
back at it again the next day. "I think my shortest day
was a Su nday when I worked 13 hours ," says Molly
Farrell , who enrolled in the program last year. The
intense schedule, low pay, and focus on electing a
candidate seem to draw more men than women-
unusual for organizing schools. Most recruits are
political science or "news junkie" types, not activists.
And though TSSC doesn't track its racial balance, par-
ticipants say it's mostly white.
Along with concrete tacti cal skills, the schools also
give young politicos a taste of real politics. "The man
I volunteered for was a Democrat , but very pro-life,
and the area I covered was conservative, so I had to
keep pushing that he wa s pro-life," recalls Farrell.
"But as a woman , it was hard to rectify that. "
The schools boast invaluable political connections
upon graduation, along with a job placement program.
Most go to work on other campaigns, and a few find
their way to Capitol Hill as aides. "I have to say, peo-
28
pie really see us as high quali ty, " says Farrell. "I can
tell you, we were all offered jobs on other ca mpaigns."
Ruckus Action Camp
Founded: 1995
Length: 1 week
Frequency: 4 times a year
Cost: $75 per person; no one turned away
Housing: camping-bring a tent and sleeping bag
Student:organizer ratio: 2: 1
Location: varies
Class Size: varies, generally 50-100
Girl: Boy: 1:1
Racial mix: depends on camp
Dropout rate: 0
Age range, median age: 14-90, 26
Most likely accessories: U-Iocks and climbing ropes
Required reading: Duffy littlejohn'S "Hopping Freight
Trains in America"
Meet the Alinskys
Everyone agrees: when it comes to learni ng di rect action,
Ruckus is the place to go. An outgrowt h of the radical
environmental movement, the Ruckus Society are the
folks who brought--or rather, didn't bring you- last
year's NAFTA, GAIT and WTO meetings. Last March, the
Rainforest Action Network teamed up wi th Ruckus to
train activists for its anti -Citigroup campaign.
Locations vary-each camp is conducted with a dif-
ferent organization-but the training is always heavy on
tactics. Organi zers learn everything from climbing 10-
story buildings to ba nner drops to locki ng thei r necks to
front doors. The centerpiece is a six-story climbing wall
and ropes. "The tactical skill s training is better than any-
thing else I've been to," says Peter Chung, an activist
with CUNY's Student Liberation Action Movement (SLAM).
Last summer, its preparation camp for the Democra-
tic National Convention got derailed when participants of
color called out other act ivists on racism. To its credit,
Ruckus shifted gears and broke the camp into impromp-
tu caucuses. The Citigroup camp also featured a Chal-
lenging White Supremacy workshop. Clearly, Ruckus is
aware that its style of organizi ng speaks most clearly to
white activists.
Nonetheless, camp culture is glaringly white. "I
remember being in my tent and hearing 'Sweet Home
Alabama'-I mean, there are some straightforward
attacks on anti racism in that song," says SLAM's Chris
Day. "It's a very white culture."
But when it comes to learning how to climb a six-
story bui ldi ng to drop a banner, alternati ves to Ruckus
are few. "It's the best option if you want to gain good
direct action skills," admits Chung. "I'd just recommend
that they pick and choose the trainers."
Few names loom as large in community organizing as Chicago's Saul Alinksy, author of Rules for Radicals. Sev-
eral schools cast themselves as part of the Alinsky tradition of strategic campaigns, nonpartisan community-build-
ing and ruthless analysis of power. Among the most revered Alinsky schools are the faith-centered Industrial Areas
Foundation, the 33-year-old Gamaliel Foundation and the more youth-oriented Midwest Academy.
Though IAF decided years ago to fly under the radar--organizers revealed li ttle more than the fact that it
runs a 1 O-day training program every year for its member organizations- it remains a widely known player in
organizing circles. Training focuses on developing progressive pol itical leadership within churches, teaching
church leaders how to make broad-based appeals for civic participation, and convincing religious organizers,
taught to wait for a better world on the other side, that it's important to try and change thi s one. "Basically, it
appeal s more to middle-class religious folks," says Bill Lipton, an organizer with the Working Families Party,
"especially to leaders who are told not to participate in the world as it is."
Gamaliel , another faith-centered school , has a similar mission. College kids aren't exactly turned away, but like
IAF, Gamaliel mainly trains church leaders and congregation members from 50 affiliates in 17 states, four times a
year in the U.S., once a year in South Africa.
Gamaliel pushes for an analysi s of the problems of urban sprawl and the attending concentrations of poverty
and race. Aimed primarily at experienced organizers, Gamaliel's seven-day trainings revolve around the art of mak-
ing demands. "At Gamal iel, people are made to realize that the government is not our bosses, we are their boss-
es," says Detroit pastor Joseph Barlow. "I shouldn't be afraid to tell my mayor that I'm not sati sfied with what's
going on."
For college activists, the place to go is Chicago, where the Midwest Academy offers summer organizing intern-
ships. The 28-year-old group also conducts strategic training weekends with the U. S. Student Association.
-TM
CITY LIMITS
Union Dues
"I think it was Saul Alinksy who said that union orga-
nizers are addicts," muses Krisann Rehbein, Midwest
Regional Recruitment Coordinator of the AFL-CIO's
Organizing Institute. "We're addicted to the kind of
adrenaline that comes with union campaigns."
Union organizing centers strictly on one kind of vic-
tory: a union election. While community organizations
build up research and long-term campaigns, union bat-
tles take place on a schedule ranging from six weeks to
six months. When the campaign ends, organizers often
shift gears-and addresses-to wage another one.
Much of the work is typical of any kind of organiz-
ing: house visits, phone calling, posters, leaflets and
demonstrations. What surprises new organizers most is
the vicious opposition they face, including harassment
and threats.
Politics often take a back seat to workers' rights, an
emphasis that can be difficult for inexperienced orga-
nizers. "In a union situation, you have people that are
very different in many ways-racially different. people
with much more conservative beliefs-and that's a dif-
ficult transition to make," adds Rehbein. "It really
requires this broad vision that to make change for work-
ers, you have to work within the structure of the labor
movement-and it's not perfect."
One bonus for union organizing: it pays fairly well,
with benefits and often travel or car allowances. Start-
ing salaries are in the mid-to-upper 20s, and many
salaries increase rapidly.
Organizing Institute
Founded: 1989
Length: 3-day evaluation + 10 week field internship
Frequency: 40 sites annually
Stipend: $400/week + health benefits
Housing: provided
Student:Organi zer ratio: 1:1
Location: all over
Class Size: 3-6 for internship
Girl:Boy: 3:2
Racial mi x: 45 percent white, 55 percent nonwhite
Dropout rate: 55 percent el iminated by end of the 3-
day eval uati on
Recent college grads: approxi mately 33 percent
Most likely accessory: "Kicking Ass for the Working
Class" bumper sticker
Required movie: Norma Rae
Almost 12 years ago, the AFL-CIO started the 01 to give
its rank-and-fi le members organizing skills. Over the
years, it evolved into a series of workshops where fresh
college grads mingle with motivated steelworkers. First
comes a three-day evaluation and training, followed by
1 ~ - d a y and three-month classes-for those who make
the cut.
"It's very, very competitive," says Geoff Bruen, 23,
JULY/AUGUST 2001
who went through the program last year. "It's like a the-
ater audition." The three-day training teaches house
calls, demonstrations, even how to negotiate strategy
with other organizers. "You go out in the morning, come
back at night, debrief, get a drink, and pass out. It was
great-except for the stress levels," says Bruen.
Rank-and-file union members go home after the
three days; outsiders looking for a new job, if they make
the cut. stick around for grueling house visits. If orga-
nizers make it through the 10-day internship, they're
placed into a 10-week program where they work as
organizers on a campaign. Upon graduation, there's a 95
percent job placement rate.
Younger organizers like Bruen, who joined out of
political commitment. may find the workers don't
always match up with their politics. "I remember this
intern telling me she had to try not to cry at a house visit
because the woman was saying, This is bullshit. Thi s
union is for black people and I don't want to be a part of
that,'" says Bruen. "I talked to organizers about it, and
the thing is, you know people are going to be preju-
diced-but once you get them into the union, you have
to have faith they'll learn more tolerance."
Union Summer
Founded: 1996
Length: 4 weeks
Frequency: 12-15 sites each summer
Stipend: $210/week
Housing: provided
Student:Organizer ratio: 10: 1
Location: all over
Class Size: 10-15
Girl:Boy: 5:3
Racial mix: 45 percent white, 23 percent African-
American, 14 percent Latino, 9 percent Asian, 17
percent other/mixed
Dropout rate: 2 percent
Age range, median age: 18-50, 22
Most likely accessory: T-shirts from union locals
Required movie: Bread and Roses
Unlike its older sister, the 01, Union Summer focuses
almost exclusively on introducing college kids to the
union world. Because it's a paid internship, the program
attracts plenty of folks aside from campus radicals. "I
filled out my name on a piece of paper 'cause I heard
the word 'internship,'" says Ha Nguyen, 23, who par-
ticipated in the program in 2000. "I was chased down
by a recruiter and I told her 'I go to school, I go to work,
I ride my bike-and you want me to do what?'" (It was
a good call; Nguyen now works for SEIU's Internation-
aL)
Groups of 10-1 5 students are assigned to four-
week field internships. The "organizers in training"
spend a week together doing intensive training, then
hole up in a hotel for three weeks and go to work orga-
nizing workers, from poultry processors in Omaha to
retail clerks at Di sney World. "It's a great program,"
says Nguyen, "for people who have no idea about the
labor movement."
Seminary Summer
Founded: 2000
Length: 10 weeks
Frequency: once a year
Stipend: $215/week
Housing: provided
Student:Organizer ratio: 1:1
Location: all over
Class Size: 30
Girl:Boy: 1: 1
Racial mix: 66 percent white
Dropout rate: 0
Age range, median age: 23-50, 28
Required reading: Organized Labor and the Church by
Monsignor Higgins
From the 1930s through 1950s, Catholic churches rou-
tinely ran "labor schools" out of congregations' base-
ments. Now Seminary Summer wants to rekindle that
commitment by immersing seminary students in the
fight for workers' rights.
Seminary Summer, a joint project between the AFL-
CIO and the National Interfaith Committee on Worker
Justice, sends seminary students out to work with
unions on campaigns and mobilize the local religious
community to support workers.
The program is open to all faiths-Catholic and
Protestant seminarians, along with rabbinical and Mus-
lim madrasa students, went through the program in
2000, its inaugural year. Few have much formal organiz-
ing experience, but most already have a commitment to
social and economic justice-"and a sense that the
charitable work of the religious community is not suffi-
cient to meet those ends, " says Kim Bobo, director of
the Interfaith Committee.
Seminarians try to reach a delicate balance: uplifting
workers, while using the language of spiritual faith to
appeal to management's sense of humanity. "We were
meeting with wealthy congregations that had CEOs as
members, and we were meeting with the workers," says
Jenkins. "Being in the middle of the dialogue, and help-
ing to expose the reality-that was very uplifting."
For some students, it's an invigorating experience.
"It was great, " says Alan Jenkins, who spent ten weeks
in northern Arkansas on a poultry plant campaign. "But
some of the seminarians didn't have a positive experi-
ence because the unions didn't understand what role
they could play-they got stuck doing office work."
The divide is often a racial one, says New Orleans
union organizer Martha Blackmon. "To be straight hon-
est, the majority of ministers who get involved with
worker justice issues are minority, because they have
the workers," she confides, all Louisiana drawl. "The
white churches mostly have the management."
29
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INTELLIGENCE
THE BIG IDEA
The Silent Treatment
By Maia Szalavitz
WHEN NEW YORK STATE'S Chief Judge Judith
Kaye announced last summer that she planned
to make drug treatment a sentencing option
for all state courts-not just special drug
courts-it sounded like the ideal "third waY'
drug policy. For liberals ski ttish oflegalization,
coerced treatment replaces the punishment of
prison with the compassion of care; for con-
servatives, it gets addicts off the street more
cheaply, but they still face the hammer of
incarceration if they fail.
Under Kaye's plan, slated to be phased in
gradually, starring upstate, recurrent misde-
meanor drug offenders could be sen-
tenced to coerced drug treatment
instead of a jail term.
Diverting nonviolent offenders to treat-
ment sounds great in principle, which is why
it's part of many drug reform efforts. As a safe-
ty valve for a justice system decimated by the
Rockefeller Drug Laws, mandatory treatment
is tempting--compared to regular criminal
courts, drug courts work. But while its propo-
nents can point to its success at unclogging
courts and prisons, coerced treatment isn't just
a legal fix; it's also a clinical enterprise. Both
literature and experience show that as a solu-
tion to addiction, coerced treatment has some
serious problems.
Treatment providers have long claimed that
forcing people into treatment gives them a bet-
ter chance of recovery. Some even say their
programs can't work without it. Addicts man-
dated into treatment are forced to stick around
for the length of the program, and study after
study has shown that people who stay in treat-
ment longer do better.
But while coerced addicts' length of stay
may be greater, their success rate is not, mak-
ing it less effective-and more cosdy-
than voluntary treatment. When the
National Institute on Drug Abuse
reviewed the body of "outcome studies" com-
paring court-mandated to voluntary patients,
they found no measurable statistical difference
in success rates, even though coerced patients
stayed in treatment longer.
There's a reason the extra time doesn't
help. Length of stay is really a measure of
motivation: The most motivated patients tend
CITY LIMITS
to stay longest, and do best afterwards. But
forced treatment is a far cry from motivation.
In fact, a large body of research from general
psychology suggests that coercion actually
reduces peoples' desire to change because it
makes them feel controlled.
Current clinical research on substance abuse
treatment confirms this. In studies conducted
on drug and alcohol treatment, both William
Miller of the University of New Mexico and
Alan Marlatt of the University ofWashingron-
Seattle found that the more personal invest-
ment an addict has in their recovery, the greater
their commitment to it, and the better their
chances of success. Studies also show that a
coercive and confrontational attitude from
providers actually increases relapse rates. In
short, empathy, support and empowerment
produce much better results, but these traits are
hardly likely to be found among counselors
dealing with a room full of people who don't
wan t to be there.
That same room is also less likely to be ther-
apeutic for voluntary patients. Coerced addicts
can be inspired by voluntary addicts, says
Howard Josepher, executive director of
ARRIVE, a program that trains current and
former drug users to do AIDS prevention out-
reach, but the reverse is less likely. People com-
mitted to recovery are inhibited if others are
just biding their time or even making fun of
those who are sincere; members of 12-step pro-
grams say meetings dominated by court-man-
dated attendees are less helpful. If all or most of
the patients are coerced, "a treatment center is
unbalanced," says Josepher, who was sentenced
to treatment himself 30 years ago. "It could
dampen the spirit. "
But Kaye's plan threatens to make coer-
cion the norm, diverting the flood of convic-
tions from the overloaded court system and
into treatment centers, loading them with
coerced patients.
Worse yet, increasing the numbers of
coerced patients in treatment could lengthen
waiting lists for voluntary patients. With New
York's limited number of treatment pro-
grams-none come close to providing enough
appropriate slots for all who want them-
Kaye's plan gives priority to those who don't
want help, while those who seek it can't get it.
Coerced treatment assumes that everyone
caught possessing drugs is addicted-an
assumption that is clearly not true for mari-
juana and may not even be the case for hard
drugs. Making it easier to get care for addic-
tions by committing a crime than by simply
entering treatment would be yet another bitter
drug war irony.
JULY/AUGUST 2001
SO WHAT CAN POLICY-MAKERS do realistically?
There are some common-sense solutions out
there. One of them, pioneered by UCLA pro-
fessor Mark Kleiman and applied to 7,000
parolees and probationers in Maryland, is to
coerce abstinence, not treatment.
People busted for drug possession or for
drug-related petty crime are sentenced to
intensive probation, primarily frequent
drug-testing. With each positive test, they
face swift, sure consequences-rapidly
increasing sanctions, up to a day or rwo in
jail. Behavioral research shows that immedi-
ate penalties are far more likely to change
behavior than the far-off possibility of a
long, harsh sentence.
The program, called Breaking the Cycle, is
designed to test for addiction. After a few
rounds of sanctions, people who thought they
could handle their addictions realize that they
can't-and are more likely to seek help. Treat-
ment is made easily accessible at the first sign
of interest.
Thanks to bureacratic bungling and lack of
adequate funding, the program only sanc-
tioned 20 percent of those who tested positive
in the program's early phases. But even a one-
in-five chance of sanctions had an effect: After
taking 16 drug tests, the number of subjects
testing positive was cut in half, and partici-
pants were 23 percent less likely than ordinary
probationers or parolees to be re-arrested for
new cnmes.
Kleiman's system avoids putting people who
don't need or want treatment into care, cuts
treatment costs by keeping our those who can
control themselves, and cuts incarceration costs
by not locking up those who stop using on
their own. It also increases motivation for
treatment-and avoids filling centers with
patients who don't want help.
Addicts, like everyone else, respond best to
being treated with compassion and dignity.
Instead of turning treatment into punishment,
effective solutions inspire-and reward-the
genuine desire to quit.
And it can work. "If you get the right bal-
ance, you can ignite those coerced clients, you
can motivate them-if they become part of a
community that does want to change, " says
Josepher. "Seeing other people's desire to get
better was something that captured my imagi-
nation and made me want to be a part of it. "
Maia Szalavitz is a co-author of Recovery
Options: The Complete Guide: How You and
Your Loved Ones Can Understand and Treat
Alcohol and Other Drug Problems (Wiley
2000).
INTELLIGENCE
THE BIG IDEA
NEW REPORTS
The number of New York City children in foster
care dropped 31 percent in the 1990s, but
arrests for endangering the welfare of a child
went up 243 percent. In 1999, there were 19.6
public library books per child in Rego Park/For-
est Hills, but 0.9 in Mott Haven. Packed with
similar statistics, graphs and maps on hous-
ing, welfare, education and many other topics,
a new 228-page report from the Citizens'
Committee for Children is an invaluable
resource for anyone who needs data on
Gotham's children at their fingertips.
"Keeping Track of New York City"s Children"
Citizens' Committee for Children
212-673-1800. x10
$40/ Free for parents
Eight years of Rudy Giuliani have shrunk the
Health and Hospitals Corporation's staff by
one-fourth, shut down several dozen commu-
nity health and dental clinics, and ushered in
a new policy of aggressively sending bill col-
lectors after poor patients for co-payment
charges. Detailing the incredible changes in
the city's public health system, with testi-
monies from doctors and patients, this new
report offers not just statistics but prescrip-
tions for change.
'Sinking to the Bottom line"
Commission on the Public's Health System
212-749-1127
Child care centers constantly lose teachers
and directors, typically replacing them with
less experienced staff, according to a new
long-term academic study of highly-rated
child care centers. Although the study looked
at facilities in three northern California com-
munities, the lessons hold true for any large
job market. Only 24 percent of teachers sur-
veyed in 1996 held the same jobs in 2000. The
biggest factor: Low wages, which actually
dropped for providers during the study period.
"Then & Now: Changes in Child Care Staffing,
1994-2000"
Center for the Childcare Workforce
Available on web: WIt1f.ccw.OIl or 1-800-879-6749
31
INTELLIGENCE
CITY LIT
Family Ties
By Suri Duitch
"The Lost Children of Wilder,"
By Nina Bernstein
Pantheon, 482 pages, $27.50.
NEW YORK CITY'S chi ld welfare system is
charged with protecting children from abuse
and neglect, a complex mandate under any
circumstances. The very people making these
decisions-caseworkers, judges, police offi-
cers-are constrained by legal, political and
religious forces that often have nothing to do
with a particular chi ld's well-being.
Understanding chi ld welfare is no easy task.
Given the complexity of the system, its ways
are difficult to comprehend even for experts,
let alone for people on the outside. More than
other public bureaucracies, chi ld welfare needs
a translator-somebody who gets the political
and the personal side of this vital public ser-
vice. Nina Bernstein does a thor-
ough and meaningful job of it.
Bernstein, a longtime local
reporter at the New York Times and
Newsday before that, has pub-
lished an ambitious child welfare
history, The Lost Children of
Wilder. She is a rarity among
reporters, having never abandoned
the "dead baby beat," as print
journalists refer to it. Child wel-
fare is a topic covered by cub
reporters on their way to bigger
and bener things. Bernstein has
stayed with it by her own choice.
Survey of Compensation and Benefits Among
Community-Based Not for Profit Organizations
Metropolitan New York 1999-2000
32
Community Resource Exchange has commissioned a survey of 50 nonprofits
that looks at the salaries and benefits for management positions in small to
medium sized organizations in New York City. If you work in a small non-
profit in a high-cost city, this report will help you consider employee
compensation levels, benefits, and other personnel practices. To order,
please send your $50 check to :
C R
*E Community
Resource
Exchange
Tracy Elliott,
Community Resource Exchange
39 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10006
CITY LIMITS
But it's not just that she has continued to
report on child welfare. To someone who has
followed her work closely over the years, it's
also clear that she is apt to cross the line
between reporter and advocate. Her bias is
clearly toward the children and families caught
up in the system, and against the system itself.
In some instances, this slant may even distort
her coverage, bur in this book, which follows a
complicated story over three decades, her
strong point of view is a major asset. Bern-
stein's obvious empathy with her subjects
makes for clear analysis of knotty siruations
and a much more engaging read than you
could get from a reporter with more distance
from the topic.
The book is abour the Wilder class-action
lawsuit, which challenged the strucrure and
administration of New York City's child wel-
fare system, and about the corresponding story
of lead plaintiff Shirley Wilder and her son
Lamont. The Wilder lawsuit, as originally filed
in 1973, alleged that the city's child welfare
system was unconstirutional because it shut
the door on services to black children, who
had become the majority of kids in the system.
Catholic and Jewish agencies who contracted
with the city to provide foster care services
would deny placements to Protestant children,
who were mostly black, in favor of children of
their own faith. As Bernstein writes, "The
structure [of the system] itself resulted in a
child-care system permeated by racial and reli-
gious discrimination."
The book runs along two threads: One fol-
lows the structure and politics of the instiru-
tion of foster care, and the other tracks the
ways those forces play out in the lives of real
people. Bernstein gives both equal weight. By
skillfully interweaving the policy and the per-
sonal, she illuminates the incredible complex-
ities and internal contradictions of the process
by which government intervenes in how par-
ents raise their children.
Thirteen years old at the time the lawsuit
was filed in her name, Shirley Wilder went
from foster care to juvenile detention after 12
different foster care agencies refused to take
her on as a client. She had severe emotional
problems and had run away from both her
family and from placements several times.
Such institutionalization was clearly wrong
and even destructive for her, but the judge
overseeing her case felt there was no other
choice; before Wilder was finally settled, the
city's foster care agencies had the right to reject
the girl.
Shirley Wilder struggled for the rest of her
life with these experiences. Less than two years
JULY/AUGUST 2001
after the lawsuit was filed, she handed over
custody of her son, Lamont, to the same sys-
tem that had done her so much damage. The
lawsuit in her name took an equally twisted
journey through the courtS, so confusing and
contradictory it practically defies description.
The final settlement, after 26 years in the
courts, put in place new rules that aimed to
put each child in the most appropriate avail-
able foster care placement, and gave the city's
child welfare agency more authority to oversee
its contract foster care agencies.
The story of Wilder, the lawsuit, was wait-
ing to be told. Wilder's impact on the city's
child welfare system was unprecedented not
just because it completely changed the
method by which children are placed with
foster care agencies, but because it also shifted
the balance of power from the contract agen-
cies to the city. Unfortunately, most people
who work in child welfare or other social ser-
vices these days know little about the case, or
even of its existence.
The story of Shirley and Lamont Wilder,
on the other hand, could easily have escaped
telling. Bernstein's effort to find the Wilders
and get to know them ties the whole story
together and makes it compelling even for
those without a taste for obscure policy dis-
cussions or a fan1iliarity with the names of all
those characters who still haunt city policy.
While it may have taken longer than Bern-
stein might have expected to finish it, the
book is actually quite timely, coming near the
end of a mayoral administration which over-
saw an important round of shifts in child wel-
fare policy.
Through its dual prism of the Wilder suit
and the Wilder family's experiences, the book
catalogues a good number of the child welfare
system's many faults: a bureaucratic fear and a
lack of decisiveness that leaves kids and the
adults who love them in limbo; the rigidities
of a bureaucracy that overwhelm and over-
power the attempts of many people who work
in it and genuinely want to help; and child
welfare policies that careen from one extreme
to another, implemented by well-meaning
administrators and providers, which at times
defeat the best efforts of people like Lamont
Wilder to live responsible lives.
Bernstein also documents the substantial
shortcomings of litigation as a tool to address
social wrongs, and helps us see both how
much and how little has changed for the sys-
tem-and for the Wilders in particular.
Suri Duitch is a public policy writer and
researcher.
INTELLIGENCE
CITY LIT
NOW READ THIS
American Pharaoh: Mayor Richard J. Daley,
His Battle for Chicago and the Nation
by Adam Cohen and Elizabeth Taylor,
Back Bay Books, $16.95.
Like a midwestern Stalin, Chicago Mayor Richard
J. Daley attained near-absolute power within his
bailiwick, and vast influence nationally, through
his control of both the mayor's office and the Cook
County Democratic Party, America's last great
urban political machine. From his mighty perch,
Daley-"the most powerful local politician Amer-
ica has ever produced," according to the
authors--doled out patronage and public goods,
always with an eye to forging bonds of loyalty,
obligation, and fear among subordinates and
potential rivals alike. Cohen and Taylor devote
particular attention to how his amalgam of polit-
ical self-interest and fundamentally conservative
values led him to resist racial integration in his
city- with dire consequences for hundreds of
thousands of Chicago blacks cooped up within
the nation's worst public housing projects.
-David Jason Fischer
Wild Nights: Nature Returns to the City
by Anne Matthews,
North Point Press, $22.00.
From the black-and-white warblers that perish
on Wall Street when the lights of tall buildings
interrupt their flight patterns, to the dozen falcon
pairs that nest on skyscraper peaks, NYU profes-
sor and journalist Matthews examines the crea-
tures that live alongside eight million humans in
New York. Both a reflection on the wild and the
tame, the book argues that the borders between
nature and the city are slowly blurring.
Irish Immigrants in New York City,
1945-1995
by Linda Dowling Almeida,
Indiana University Press, $35.00.
A careful study of the most recent wave of Gaelic
immigration: More than 100,000 Irish have emi-
grated to Gotham in the past 50 years. Almeida
employs both academic rigor and compelling tes-
timony to illustrate the lives of a barely studied
group of newcomers.
33
INTELLIGENCE
MAKING CHANGE
Non-nonprofits Pay Their Dues
By Nora McCarthy
SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO canvases hanging
from his shoulders, Aaron Redlin stands while a
boy and a girl kneel around him. Dabbing brush-
es into lumps of paint, they draw on his canvas
sandwich boards: a blue fish, a cree in fall colors,
a bold magenta Martian. "Do you get paid for
this?" asks the girl, outlining a blue face.
"No," says Aaron.
"Yeah," commiserates a man picking out tubes
of paint from a bucket, "you never get paid for
anything fun or good for others."
For the Freestyle Family, five twentysomething
artists, fun and good for others have always been
synonymous-and equally unpaid: With no bud-
get, and a loose cooperative scructure, the five-
member collective stages public art-ins where
youth can paint, draw, play music and write
songs. At one art party, the Freestyle Family set up
40 canvases and a bunch of paint, then let stu-
dents loose on the canvases-they started dump-
ing paint on the floor and breakdancing in it. The
idea is to make people realize that anyone can cre-
ate music and art, and have fun doing it. "If you
let people express themselves, " says founder John
Kaiser, "they will deal with the bad stuff inside."
Instead of applying for grant money, they sub-
sidize their guerrilla public art education with day
jobs. All five members live on the cheap and work
part-time, holding classes, performing and run-
ning a gallery out of their own pockets. They
spend pretty much all of their free time running
the collective-"because it's our duty to the
world," says Kaiser.
It may seem like a no-brainer that fledgling
socially conscious organizations should go non-
profit. But groups that provide noncraditional
education and recreation for children often run
out-of-pocket for years before signing on, even
though the work they do is essentially communi-
ty service. Dubbed the "out of pocket sector" by
author William Upski Wimsatt in his 1999 book
No More mom, many spend years as non-non-
profits, either because the complex machinery of
the nonprofit world is so time-consuming, or
because their ad hoc forms of community service
for youth don't easily fit into fundable categories.
"It's a big decision," says Nicole Burrowes, a
founding member of Sista II Sista, a collective
that teaches community organizing to teenage
girls in Bushwick. "We thought it could dramati-
cally mess up something in our structure. "
Founded in 1996, Sista II Sista didn't incorporate
until January of 1999, after it received a $2,000
34
grant from Wimsatt's Active Ele-
ment Foundation and $50,000
ftom the Fund for the City of
New York.
Aside from the obvious com-
plications of incorporating and
filing for a 501(c)(3)-and
diverting precious energy from
the kids-the eight women who
ran Sista were loath to surrender
control to a board of directors
who weren't doing the day-to-day
work, and who might have differ-
ent ideas about how to do it.
"That was one of our main sttug-
gles, " says Burrowes. "Why does
a board have that much say when
it's only here a few times a year?
That didn't make sense to me. "
With their mission of empowering and edu-
cating young women, the members of Sista II
Sista feared that by leaving the out-of-pocket sec-
tor, they might lose the egalitarian, collectively
run culture of the group. "Where nobody's get-
ting paid, everybody steps up. The fire and the
energy is easier to maintain at one level," says Bur-
rowes. "But when some people are getting paid, it
changes the energy."
Because small groups are often ineligible for
grants (or simply toO overburdened to fundraise),
Active Element, a foundation Wimsatt started
two years ago, hands out seed grants without the
formal application process most foundations
require. Essentially, the foundation comes to the
nonprofit, not the other way around; the idea is
to let small nonprofits remain small, and focus on
what they do, not on adminisuation.
"There's a sort of country club of non profits
that are sophisticated about fundraising, that
know to hire consultants and are able to--and
then there's the groups that aren't," says Wimsatt.
"Fundraising is its own skill, and it takes a huge
invesunent of time and energy to make that leap."
But foundations like Active Element are rare.
More often than not, nonuaditional kids' groups
rely on other non profits to loan office space or act
as fiscal sponsors, lending 501(c)(3) status while
groups pin down their often vague missions.
Like most out-of-pockets, Sista II Sista got a
leg up ftom a bigger nonprofit sibling, Make the
Road by Walking, one of four nonprofits to lend
them space and expertise. And a year ago,
Freestyle moved into a loft in the same building as
a nonprofit called The Space, which hooked them
up with schoolkids needing art workshops.
Working with The Space and Phun Phacrory,
an established nonprofit in the same building,
Freestyle members saw how nonprofit starus gave
them two of the key ingredients to running edu-
cational programs: credibility with schools and
access to funding.
In April, the Freestyle Family fued for incor-
poration. After five years of running programs
with virtually no funding at all, they decided that
without nonprofit status, they wouldn't have the
legitimacy to win the foundation grants and con-
uacts with schools that they need to make the
organization's work reach more people.
For the Freestyle Family, going nonprofit
helped them figure out if what they were all about
was performance art or education. "If you're cry-
ing to clean up a polluted river, you know what to
do," says Kaiser. "But it took us years to nail down
exactly what we were doing. "
Now they've developed a six-week course for
third-graders that started last month. And while
they may have to spend more time fundraising,
going nonprofit will give them the access-and
paychecks-to be able to work with larger groups
of kids. In May, the Freestyle Family convened a
dozen teens who are making a documentary
about the Queens Plaza mall. Working together,
they painted one huge canvas depicting their
dreams for the shopping mall's future. -
Nora McCarthy is a Brooklyn-based freelance
writer.
CITY LIMITS
ADVERTISE IN
CITY LIMITS!
To place a classified ad in
City Limits, e-mail your ad to
advertise@citylimits.org or
fax your ad to 212-479-3339.
The ad will run in the City
Limits Weekly and City Limits
magazine and on the City
Limits web site.
Rates are $1.46 per word,
minimum 40 words.
Special event and profession-
al directory advertising rates
are also available.
For more information,
check out the Jobs section
of www.citylimits.org
or call Associate Publ isher
Anita Gutierrez at
212-479-3345.
RENTAL SPACE
Wanted: 400-600 square feet of affordable,
windowed OFFICE SPACE for nonprofit admin-
istrative office. Share with other non profits
desirable. Access to conference room helpful
but not necessary. Best location: near 4/5/6
train in lower Manhattan. Please call
Stephanie Nilva at LIFT, 212-213-5035.
RFP
OPPORTUNITY FOR ORGANIZATIONS: Public
Allies seeks orgs. to host Allies (apprentices
ages 18-30) in a 10-month leadership dev.
pgm. Orgs must meet a financial obligation of
$12,400 and believe that youth can make an
impact in NYC communities. Begins 9/5/01.
For appS!info 212-244-5335 or newyork@pub-
licallies.org.
JOB ADS
COMMUNITY ORGANIZERIWELFARE RIGHTS
ISSUES Citywide membership organization is
seeking an individual to build membership, do
leadership development, staff an organizing
committee, and develop direct action cam-
paigns at local welfare centers. Responsible
for managi ng the CVH Welfare Center Cam-
paign and make concrete improvements in ser-
vice delivery at centers and working with
national welfare reform campaigns. SAL DOE,
Women, Spanish speakers, people of color &
LGBT Strongly encouraged to apply. Please
send res & let to CVH 170 E. 116th # IE NY, NY
10029212-860-6001 web: cvhaction.org.
JULY/AUGUST 2001
IMMEDIATE ACCOUNTI NG / FINANCE STAFF:
Several NYC nonprofit organizations seek:
GRANTS ACCOUNTANT, PROJECT ACCOUNTANT,
ACCOUNTING MANAGER, FINANCIAL ADMINIS-
TRATOR, Nonprofit exp preferred. Send resume
& letter to PNP, 212.546.9094, E-mail : mdilau-
ri @pn p- inc.com. Visit www.nonprofit-
staffing.com for more nonprofit opportunities.
POLICY ANALYST Corporation for Supportive
Housing, a national non-profit intermediary
organization, seeks highly motivated and
experienced individual to provide analysis
and facilitate communication to support pol-
icy development, advocacy, and technical
assistance activities related to affordable
housing, homeless services, health care,
social and employment services. Experience
with federal and state policy and programs in
related fields and strong written and verbal
communication skill s required. Position
based in New York with some travel required.
More information available at
http://www.csh.org/alerts/alert_43.html .
Competitive salary and excellent benefits.
Send cover letter and resu me to: Carol
Wilki ns, Director of Intergovernmental Policy,
CSH, 1330 Broadway, Suite 601, Oakland, CA,
94612, or e-mail to: carol.wilkins@csh.org.
EDUCATIONAL COORDINATOR position avail-
able in the Afterschool program at Grosvenor
Neighborhood House. Coordinator must be an
educator familiar with NYC middle and high
school requirements. Full time, excellent bene-
fits and supportive environment. Please send
resumes to 176 West 105th Street, NYC, NY
10025 attention: Selena Lucas, or fax to 212-
749-4060. www.grosvenorhouse.org
SUMMER DAY CAMP GROUP LEADER positions
avai lable at Grosvenor Neighborhood House.
Work with children between 6-15 years old in
an educational and fun filled summer day
camp. Must be enthusiastic, committed to
working wi th chi ldren and ei ther in college or a
graduate of coll ege. Grosvenor operates Mon-
day-Friday from 8am-6pm; staff works 8-hour
days for $10 an hour. Please send resumes to
176 West 105th Street, NYC, NY 10025, atten-
tion Selena Lucas, or fax to 212-749-4060.
www.grosvenorhouse.org
Citizen Action seeks PROJECT DIRECTOR for
sexual harassment education project to con-
duct community outreach through workshops,
a helpline, and development of an outreach
committee. Excellent communication/public
speaking skills, organizing/outreach experi-
ence, ability to work with women of all ages
and diverse communities. Bilingual
(English/Spanish) A+. FaxlMail resume and
cover letter ASAP: 718-694-2511; WRW, 88
Third Avenue Floor 4, Brooklyn, NY 11217. EOE.
Parent to Parent of New York is hiring a SEC-
RETARY for the NYC office located at 75 Morton
Street, NYC, NY. This position is part-time, 20
hours a week, salary is $7,500. We would con-
sider a job share situation. Strong preference
wi ll be given to the parent of a child with spe-
cial needs. This could be a great opportunity
for someone wishing to re-enter the workforce,
but sti ll have time to spend with children. We
are looking for a person who can fiel d calls
from parents and professionals; determine
their needs; refer call ers to the appropriate
coordinator, and provi de basic referral infor-
mation. Good interpersonal and organization
skills, a pleasant phone demeanor and basic
computer skills are a must. Applicants may
send a resume, with cover letter, to Ellen
McHugh, Regional Coordinator, Parent to Par-
ent of NY State, 75 Morton Street, Room 4C23,
NYC, NY 10016.
Parent to Parent of New York is hi ring a PRO-
GRAM ASSISTANT to plan, coordinate and exe-
cute trainings! workshops in New York and on
Long Island. This is a part time position, 20
hours a week. Travel at least monthly is
required. The trainings/workshops would
inform families about the services the Office of
Mental Retardation and Developmental Dis-
abilities (OMRDD) provi des and information on
the newest program. Medicaid Service Coordi-
nation (MSC). MSC will repl ace the traditional
Service Coordination model that has been used
in the past. Responsibi lities include, but are
not limited to: working closely with the Central
Office of OMRDD to create fami ly friendly pre-
sentations and materials; worki ng with the
Regional Coordinators on Long Island to plan,
publicize and present materials and work-
shops; present to families in a variety of loca-
tions in NYC and on Long Island. The ideal can-
didate is a parent of a chi ld with a disability,
who is knowledgeabl e about the service deliv-
ery system, can work independently, is cre-
ative, flexible and motivated. Good computer,
writing and interpersonal skills are a must.
Applicants may send a resume, with a cover
letter, to: Carolyn Shimanski, Parent to Parent
of NY State, 500 Balltown Road, Schenectady,
NY 12304
ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNICAL ASSISTANT
CUCS Housing Resource center seeks an
Administrative Technical Assistant. Resp:
Providing general office support to a fast-
paced Nat'l Trai ning & TA program. Work
closely with support staff, trainers, trainees,
and technical assistants. Duties include
scheduling trainings, conference set up, word
processing, statistics, etc. Reqs: Excellent
office, computer, and interpersonal skills. BA
and exp with non-profits preferred. Exp with
spreadsheets, databases, broadcast fax &lor
publications software req. Salary: Low $30's
+ comp bnfts. Send cover letter and resume
to Peggy Shorr, CUCS, 120 Wall Street, 25th
Floor, NY, NY 10005.
DIRECTOR OF HOUSING AND NEIGHBOR-
HOOD DEVELOPMENT The St. Paul 's Commu-
nity Development Corporation (SPCDC) a
nationally recognized faith based, non- prof-
it CDC is seeking a results-oriented profes-
sional with prior affordable, emergency and
transitional housing experience. Responsibil-
ities: Reports to the Execut ive Director, Direct
acquisition and development of affordable
multi-fami ly and si ngle-fami ly housi ng.
Direct SPCDC efforts in the supervision of
emergency and transitional housing, Oversee
all phases of development including, prede-
velopment, construction, sales, rentals and
asset management, Prepare housing grant
JOB ADS
proposa ls, project feasibi lity studies, devel-
opment budgets, market studies, financing
options, and project proforma for affordable,
emergency, and transitional housing pro-
jects. Advance community-building activi ties
by engaging community agencies, and
neighborhood stakeholders to plan and
implement comprehensive revitalization
strategies. Qualifications: College degree
preferred or an equivalent combination of
training and experience, Three years of pro-
gressively responsible experience in afford-
able, emergency, transitional and real estate
development, Affordable Housing finance
and tax credit financing experience pre-
ferred-Successful candidate must be com-
fortable in a faith-based community setting
with lots of diversity, Must possess a valid
driver's license. Background checks manda-
tory. Compensation: Commensurate with
experience. Application Process: Send or fax
cover letter, resume and salary requirements
to: Rev. Harry A. Dawkins III Executive Direc-
tor & CEO St. Paul 's CDC Personnel : 451 Van
Houten Street, Paterson, NJ 07501, Fax: 973-
684-5130 E-Mail: hd3ns@aol.com. Position
open until filled No phone calls please. EOE
Seeking candidates for a PROJECT MANAGER
position at a 15 year old Bronx CDC to assist in
development of a $14 million new construction
Community Center housing childcare, youth
and a host of other programs. PM will serve as
the 3rd member of a management team for
project and will provide day-to-day facilitation
and supervision of design, construction plan-
ning and contracts with consultants, archi-
tects and contractors. PM serves as owner's
rep during construction and participates in all
other aspects of project development. The PM
will also manage or assist with other housing
and mixed use development projects and work
with team to research and create a strategic
plan for next phase of real estate development.
We are seeking a dynamic, self-motivated, pro-
ficient individual interested in working in a
diverse community on innovative projects. Min-
imum 4 years of responsible experience in eco-
nomic or housing development, facility con-
struction or general real estate development
expected. Demonstrated project management
experience; knowledge of new construction and
familiarity with city, state and federal codes,
regulations and development programs. For-
mal training in development finance and/or
urban planning required. Experience in the
construction industry in NYC a plus. Competi-
tive salary offered; commensurate with experi-
ence. Send or fax cover letter and resume to:
Rita Bowen, The Mount Hope Housing Compa-
ny, 2003-05 Walton Avenue, Bronx, NY 10453.
718-299-5623 (fax) .
RACIAL JUSTICE ATTORNEY for Wm Moses
Kunstler Fellowship at Center for Constitu-
tional Rights (CCR) . Moder fed civ rts litig
req, history of racial justice comm. Public
interest work preferred. Please send cover
letter, resume + 2 writing samples to Kun-
stier Search, CCR, 666 Broadway, New York,
NY 10012. AAlEEO. People of color strongly
encouraged to apply.
continued on page 36
35
JOB ADS
continued from page 35
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation,
a community-based organization serving resi -
dents in Washington Heights/lnwood, is seek-
ing a CASE MANAGER to join the agency's
Homelessness Prevention Unit at the Dyckman
Job Center. Duties include providing case man-
agement services to families with rental
arrears and eviction notices; advocacy and
referral s; coordination of services between the
main office and the site at Dyckman; develop-
ment and implementation of service plans.
Requirements: Bilingual (Spanish/English)
and experience with housing/rental arrears.
Salary: Negotiable. Submit resume to Ken
Rosenfeld, Director of Legal Services NMIC 76
Wadsworth Avenue New York, NY 10033; Fax
212 - 7 4 0- 9 545; E-mail : ken rosenfe I d@
nmic.org
REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST SOBRO is seeking an
energetic, community-minded person for the
position of Real Estate Specialist. The Real
Estate Specialist will be responsible for the
oversight of two programs administered by
SOBRO on behalf of the City of New York (HPD:
Nei ghborhood Preservation Consultant Pro-
gram & EDC: Digital NYC, Wired to the World).
Responsibilities include: surveying buildings,
recommending intervention, preparing reports,
advising ownersltenants and organizing work-
shops/seminars (HPD), as well as marketing
newly established high-tech di strict, conduct-
ing marketing research, follow-up surveys,
hosting networking events and coordinating
advertising efforts (EDC). Send resume &
cover: Karen Hill , SOBRO, 270 E. 149th St.,
Bronx, NY 10455
The Valley, Inc., a comprehensive youth agency,
seeks PROGRAM DIRECTOR of its Preventive
Services Programs. Responsible for supervi-
sion of all direct services to clients in programs
that provide preventive services to young peo-
ple and their families at-risk of foster care
involvement. Requirements: MSW + 5 years
counseling experience and/or Child
Welfare/Case Work Experience; at least 6 years
experience in providing direct services. Doctor-
ate preferred. Working knowledge of ACS poli-
cies and procedures, UCRs, MPRs, and Plan
Amendments. Ability to prepare program sta-
tistics and to discuss same with monitor, and
excellent organizational and writing skills.
Please fax cover letter and resume to J. Malliet
at 212-222-4671.
Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, a community-
based job training organization, is launching a
new program to train low-income people for
high-wage careers as telecommunications
technicians. VOCATIONAL COUNSELOR ($35-
$37K) will work with 64 students/year, provid-
ing soft skills training, social supports, and
retention/advancement assistance. Job Devel-
oper ($35-$40K) will place graduates into
high-wage jobs in the sector by researching
NYC's telecom sector, marketing the program
to firms, and preparing students for work.
Excellent benefits. Fax resume and letter to
Josh Wallack at (718) 857-4322 or e-mail to
jwallack@fifthave.org
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER for community-
36
based not-for-profit housing organization,
develop and coordinate affordable housing
development projects including negotiate with
tenants, lenders, investors and contractors. 2
years experience and Masters required. Span-
ish a plus. 40K-45K plus benefits. Resume to:
V. Louie, CHDC, 480 10th Ave., NYC 10018. Fax
212-967-1649
PROJECT MANAGER for community-based not-
for-profit housing organization, develop pro-
jects including negotiate with tenants, fun-
ders, contractors. 1 year experience & BA
required. Spanish a plus. 28K-32K plus bene-
fits. Resume to: V. Louie, CHDC, 480 10th Ave.,
NYC 10018. Fax 212-967-1649
RECREATION SPECIALIST for community-
based not-for-profit housing organization,
develop and conduct activities, design empow-
erment programs, link with community activi-
ties. Experience with diverse populations. Cre-
ative and organized. Spanish a plus. 25K-28K
plus benefits. Resume to: 1. Levy-Raison,
CHDC, 300 W. 46th St., NYC 10036. Fax 212-
967-1649.
COORDINATOR OF COMMUNITY DIABETES
PROGRAM in the Bronx. Must have BA and exp
in education/community organizing. Training
skills and curriculum development exp recom-
mended. FT position with competitive salary
and benefits. Fax resume/cover letter to Juani-
ta Lopez, Health Force Director, 718-585-5041.
Education HEAD CHILD CARE WORKER experi-
ence w/ages 0-5, Queens Site, Degree pre-
ferred either in education or related field. Bi -
lingual a plus. Full benefits. Fax resume to
Linda Hocker 718-268-9235
Harm Reduction Coalition/Harm Reduction
Training Institute seeking an ASSISTANT
TRAINING COORDINATOR The Harm Reduction
Coalition is a national public health organiza-
tion located NYC. Currently we are seeking
someone with initiative and a good eye for
detail to join our growing Training program.
Position is responsible for on-site training
logistics, meeting and greeting attendees,
generation and editing of quarterly training
calendars. Person should be a team player and
have excellent interpersonal skills. College
and/or experience working with non-profits or
human services is desirable. Should be com-
puter literate with extensive knowledge of Pow-
erPoint, and Internet research skills. Potential
for growth exists. Salary $30,000 with excellent
benefits. Persons of color are encouraged to
apply. No phone calls please. Fax resumes Attn:
Amu ptah (212) 213-6582, or email to
ptah@harmreduction.org.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Primary function:
to assist two executives in the overall adminis-
tration of their work. Duties and Responsibili-
ties: Ability to respond to high volume of tele-
phone calls; ability to take minutes in meet-
ings; ability to manage two calendars; ability
to write: memos, letters, and reports; handle
all miscellaneous typing assignments; create
and maintain two filing systems. Require-
ments: Must have 2 to 3 yrs office experience;
computer literate: Microsoft Office; must be
willing and able to work overtime; types 40
wpm; BAIBS or equivalent experience; Bi-lin-
gual a+ (Eng/Span).Fax resumes to 212-535-
3775 Attn: J. Benito or email to
tioggin@inwoodhouse.com
MANAGER, DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH Devel-
opment research expert needed by leading
chi ldren's charity to create and manage new
research capability, manage donor database.
Detail-oriented, good communication skills,
analytical mind required. 3-5 years research
experi ence. Knowledge of Raiser's Edge a
must. Fax resume and cover letter with salary
history to: 212-477-3705. No calls, please.
DIRECTOR, SPECIAL EVENTS Experienced spe-
cial events director sought by leading chil-
dren's charity to coordinate all aspects of
fundraising events, develop strategies for new
events. Min. 5 years events experience, proven
track record in managing large events, strong
organizational and communication skills. Must
work effectively with volunteers and Trustees.
Fax resume and cover letter with salary history
to : 212-477-3705. No calls, please.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. The Park Slope Neigh-
borhood Family Center seeks skilled adminis-
trator to manage multi-agency community
center. The Center provides a shared location
for five independent social service and cultur-
al organizations. With a small staff, the Center
operates the facility, engages in community
outreach, coalition-building and advocacy, and
promotes interagency collaboration. The posi-
tion requires the ability to manage and main-
tain facility operations, including financial and
personnel management, and oversee imple-
mentation of capi tal projects. Candidates
must also have experience and ability to orga-
nize and implement a development and
fund raising plan (mail appeals and special
events), maintain ongoing public relations and
community outreach efforts, collaborate with
board on policy development, organize board
meetings, and facilitate resident agency rela-
tions. Salary range $40-50,000 depending
upon experience, plus health benefits. Send
cover letter, resume, and brief writing sample
ASAP to M. McKenzie at PSNFC 199 14th St.,
Brooklyn NY 11215.
The Center for Urban Community Services, Inc.,
(CUCS) , a growing not-for-profit organization
whose mission is to improve the quality of life
for homeless and low-income individuals has
the following position available in a dynamic
supported housing residence for homeless and
special needs individuals. This position is
available at the lime Square Program, a per-
manent supportive housing residence for 650
low-income tenants, many of whom have a
history of mental illness, homelessness, sub-
stance abuse and/or HIVIAIDS located in mid-
town Manhattan. CASE MANAGER - As a mem-
ber of a core services treatment team, this
individual will provide individual and group
services, case management, crisis interven-
tion, and coordination of program activities.
Reqs: High School Diploma, BA and exp with
population preferred. Salary: $25K + comp
bnfts. Send cover letter and resume to Eric
Caesar, CUCS-The limes Square, 255 West
43rd Street, NY, NY 10036. Fax: 212-391-5991.
CUCS is committed to workforce diversity. EEO.
Research unit seeks OFFICE MANAGER. Duties
include but not limited to: data entry, filing,
replenishing petty cash, handling purchase
requisitions, submitting reimbursements,
ordering supplies, and photocopying. Some
college required. Send resume/cover letter to
Jennifer Manuel jm703@columbia.edu, or
fax:212-870-2930
God's Love We Deliver is a non-profit, non-sec-
tarian organization providing meals and nutri-
tion counseling to people living w/AIDS and
HIV. We are seeking a BILINGUAL OUTREACH
ASSOCIATE to conduct outreach presentations
targeted at recruiting and identifying new
clients, delivery sites and meal distribution
centers. Responsibilities will include recruiting
new community sites, conducting outreach
presentations for community organizations,
and identifying agencies for alternate delivery
sites. Other responsibilities will include regu-
larly attending HIV CARE Network meetings
and maintaining the Outreach calendar. Ideal
candidates will be fluent in Spanish, have
thorough knowledge of HIV/AIDS, minimum of
1 year outreach experience and experience in
MS-Word and a database management pro-
gram. Candidates must possess strong bilin-
gual communication and presentation ski ll s
and a strong desire to work with a diverse pop-
ulation while maintaining a professional and
courteous demeanor at all times. Please fax
resume and cover letter to Fax: (212) 294-8101
ATTORNEY passionate about public interest
law to defend tenants. Passed New York Bar.
Deal with public agencies. Manage caseload
and follow-up. Salary low 30's. Women and
minorities encouraged to apply. Grassroots.
Fax resume 212-888-7140.
The Pace Women's Justice Center, a not-for-
profit at Pace University School of Law, seeks a
STAFF ATTORNEY for Yonkers Family Court
Legal Program. Staff Attorneys represent vic-
tims of domestic violence in family court, train
and oversee students, and participate incom-
munity outreach and education. Spanish-
speakers encouraged to apply. Interested
applicants should send a letter and resume to
Amy Barasch Director, Externships Pace
Women's Justice Center 78 North Broadway,
White Plains, NY 10603 fax: (914) 422-4102
PRESIDENT/CEO Bridge Street Development
Corporation (BSDC), a robust, innovative 5-
year-old faith-based community development
corporation is considering candidates for Pres-
ident and Chief Executive Officer. Serving Bed-
ford Stuyvesant, BSDC focuses on creating
community assets by developing low and mod-
erate-income housing, ranging from home
ownership to assisted living housing for
seniors; economic development including
financial literacy and small business develop-
ment; and community organizing. BSDC's
annual operating budget exceeds $1 million
and its housing development budget exceeds
$3 million. The competitive candidate has at
least six years senior management experience,
a proven track record in housing/economic
CITY LIMITS
development, and excellent analytical and
communications skills. A competitive benefits
package will be structured. forward resume
and cover letter to Bridge Street Development
Corporation, Attn: CEO Search Committee, 266
Stuyvesant Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11221
or e-mail Bridgestdc@aol.com
HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR Part-
time opportunity at YWCA of Brooklyn. 20 hours
per week, 150 employees. Thorough knowledge
of labor laws, benefits, recruitment, training.
Computer proficiency. Advanced degree or
minimum 3 years experience. Pro-rated bene-
fits. Please state salary requirements. fax
resume: Executive Assistant: 718-858-5731.
COORDINATOR OF AFTERSCHOOL & SUMMER
PROGRAMS. Management & ongoing develop-
ment of educational, recreational & cultural
enrichment program for elementary and
teenage youth (ages 6-17). Requirements:
Proven background in staff development, pro-
gram design and implementation with a focus
on academic enrichment, literacy, recreation,
and creative arts. Commitment to the develop-
ment of minority youth. Capacity to work effec-
tively with other youth programs. Experience
with t he Board of Education system and par-
ent involvement a plus. Strong organizational
skills, supervisory, writing and verbal commu-
nication skills. Minimum B.A. + 2-5 years
related experience. EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT,
Seeking seasoned professional to work directly
with Vice President in the management/over-
sight of all program components. Responsibil-
ities: research programmatic and funding
resources, grants management, handle a vari-
ety of administrative tasks, organize meetings,
take minutes, draft correspondence, handle
calendars, maintain office records. Require-
ments: strong computer proficiency in MS
Word, MS Publisher, Excel, Internet. Superior
organizational, writing, oral and interpersonal
skills; ability to be flexible, handle multiple
tasks, meet deadlines, and work as part of a
team. Experience with database management
a plus. Minimum BA or equivalent proven work
history. No telephone calls. for all positions
listed above: Salary commensurate with expe-
rience, competitive salary & benefits package
offered, bilingual Spanish A Plus. Send cover
letter and resume to: Estel fonseca, Vice Pres-
ident of Youth Service Mount Hope Housing
Company, 2003-05 Walton Avenue, Bronx, NY
10453 or fax: 718-299-5623.
OUTREACH WORKER Work on Manhattan's
Upper West Side engaging homeless people
w/untreated mental illness/MICA. Join a
dynamic team providing outreach & case man-
agement to help clients achieve psychiatric &
medical stability, sobriety, housing. Able to
drive req, exp w/mental health & addiction
pref, bilingual Spanish a +. Sal mid 20's, exc
benefits. Resume to Daniel Gerwin at Project
Reachout/GRCC, 593 Columbus Ave, NY, NY
10024. Goddard Riverside Community Center
VOCATIONAL COUNSELOR Join our clinical
team in a creative rehab prog for homeless &
formerly homeless mentally ill. Resp for voc
assessment, hiring/firing/promotion of partici-
pants in voc rehab, indiv job counseling, skills
JULY/AUGUST 2001
& support groups. Manage financial records of
voc prog. Caseload, maintain charts. Comput-
er lit, mental health exp, bilingual SpanlEng,
creative spirit a plus. Sal mid 20's, exc bene-
fits. Let/res: Kimberly C. Galway, The Other
Place/GRCC, 264 W. 87th St, NY, NY 10024
PROGRAM DIRECTOR Direct Outreach Program
providing intensive, individual care to home-
less mentally illlMlCA aimed at stabilization &
housing. Responsibilities include clinical over-
sight, crisis intervention, staff supervision,
program admin & development, contract com-
pliance, personnel , interagency relations. Req:
CSWlrelated MA, proven record of manage-
ment, teamwork. Salary commensurate w/exp,
excellent benefits. Cover letter, resume to Mona
Bergenfeld, Project Reachout/Goddard River-
side Community Center, 593 Columbus
Avenue, NY, NY 10024.
The Osborne Association, Inc. is a non-profit
criminal justice organization with its main
office in New York City. for over 75 years, the
Association has provided services to the
accused, prisoners, ex-offenders, and their
families. The Osborne Association operates pro-
grams and has offices in the Bronx, Manhattan,
Brooklyn and at several New York State Correc-
tional facilities and on Rikers Island. We offer a
competitive salary based on experience and
credentials, and a comprehensive benefits
package, including 4 weeks vacation, and
excellent health and pension plans. We have
the following positions available: full lime
MEDICAL BILLING SPECIALIST needed for Bronx
treatment program to process Medicaid and
private insurance. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
needed to oversee all agency fiscal and facility
matters. HUMAN RESOURCE DIRECTOR needed
to oversee all HR operations and employee rela-
tions. EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST needed to
work with adolescents and adults for program
in Brooklyn. Full lime FAMILY SERVICE SPE-
CIALIST needed to provide direct services to
incarcerated men and their families. FAMILY
TIES COUNSELOR at Brooklyn location to orga-
nize visitation between incarcerated mothers
and their children. FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER
AIDE needed in Brooklyn to administer the daily
operations of a hotline and information clearing
house for the families of prisoners. PARALEGAL
needed to assist Attorneys in providing civil
legal services to clients with HIV/AIDS. SENIOR
GRANT WRITER needed for administrative
office in Manhattan. PROGRAM COORDINATOR
needed for Wage Subsidy Program. SUBSTANCE
ABUSE COUNSELORS needed for Bronx Day
Treatment program. TRANSITIONAL PLANNER
needed to provide prison based transitional
planning and post release HIV case manage-
ment for parolees in Bronx. Send or fax resume
with cover letter to Recruitment Coordinator,
The Osborne Association, Inc, 135 East 15th
Street, New York, NY 10003 or fax (212) 979-
7652 EEO
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE: Dynamic statewide
coalition of providers of supportive housing,
seeks highly organized, self-starter with keen
marketing/ sales instincts and excellent writ-
ing skills to prepare foundation proposals,
manage special events and develop plan for
individual giving. Masters level preferred. Send
resume and cover to K. Halas, The Supportive
Housing Network of New York, 475 Riverside Dr,
Suite 250, New York, NY, 10015. fax to (212)
870-3334.
Employment Opportunity: Public Allies seeks
18-30 yr. Olds for APPRENTICE positions. Min.
requirements-HS Oip/GEO, leadership ability,
commitment to community. $1600/month,
health and education award of $4,725. Begins
9/5/01. for apps/info 212-244-5335 or
newyork@publicallies.org.
The West Side SRO Law Project seeks an expe-
rienced TENANT ORGANIZER to assist low-
income tenants. Will conduct all phases of
case load from intake to resolution. Position
includes policy, administrative, paralegal , and
advocacy. familiarity w/housing issues and
Spanish a plus. Start July 1st. Salary low to mid
30s depending on experience. fax
letter/resume to 212-721-1514
West Harlem Group Assistance, Inc., seeks a
full time SENIOR ACCOUNTANT. General
Responsibilities: preparation of all balance
sheet accounts and financial reports. Respon-
sible for receipts and disbursements. Performs
all duties necessary for the smooth operation
of the fiscal Department. Works with the
Comptroller and Chief Executive Officer to
meet the agency's needs for financial services
and administrative support. Qualifications:
Must possess a minimum of three (3) years
accounting experience. Knowledge of comput-
erized accounting systems is mandatory.
Please fax or mail resume with cover letter to:
West Harlem Group Assistance, Inc. , Account-
ing Department, 1528 Amsterdam Avenue,
New York, NY 10031, fax # 212-862-3281.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT: Lawyers
Alliance for New York, which provides legal ser-
vices to NYC nonprofit groups using staff and
volunteer attorneys, seeks professional to
manage/implement annual fund raising pro-
gram. 4-6+ years fundraising experience with
foundations, corporations, law firms, events,
etc. Supervise staff. Strong organizational ,
computer, writing and interpersonal skills
essential. Salary and benefits competitive.
Mail or fax resume with salary requirements to:
S. Delany, LANY, 330 Seventh Avenue, 19th FI ,
NYC 10001. fax 212-941-7458. No calls
please.
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATION Light receptionist
work. Assist Director of finance & Administra-
tion in administrative duties. Liaison with ven-
dors, contractors and travel agent. Maintain
staff timesheets, administer petty cash, moni-
tor office supplies and manage general office
appearance. Monitor daily schedules and con-
tacts for staff members. Qualifications: Prior
experience is required. familiar with Microsoft
Word & Excel. Email resume to
Ikadejo@cpj.org.
We are currently seeking a creative staff of pro-
fessionals to work with adults who are Deaf or
Deaf Blind. All Positions Require fluency In
American Sign Language. Excellent benefits.
Salary commensurate with experience. We
have immediate openings for the following:
DIRECTOR OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT
JOB ADS
PROGRAM: Responsible for the overall opera-
tion of the Substance Abuse Program. Staff
supervision and administrative responsibilities
include intake coordination, chart compliance,
and budgets. CSW, CRC or CASAC required
with at least three years of work experience in
substance abuse or completed CASAC training.
RESIDENTIAL COUNSELORS: full lime and Part
lime/Per Diem Positions Available. BA, AA pre-
ferred, High School diploma/GEO with some
experience in the direct care service or coun-
seling. Responsible for providing assistance to
individuals who are in our community resi-
dence program in becoming more independent.
EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST: BAIBS is required
with at least 2 years of job counseling or job
coaching experience. Must be willing to travel
throughout the NYC Metropolitan area to pro-
vide job counseling support services to
employees who are Deaf and Deaf-Blind.
Responsibilities include facilitating the resolu-
tion of job related issues and communication
needs between employers and employees who
are Deaf and Deaf-Blind. STAFF INTER-
PRETERS: full-time position interpreting
American Sign Language (ASl) in a wide vari -
ety of settings for both NYSD and community
assignments. RID Certified a plus. LONG
ISLAND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: A part
time position which requires administrative
experience. Person must be able to work inde-
pendently in handling correspondence,
answering phones both voice and tty and inter-
act with the consumers who come in for groups
at the Long Island Service Center. Send letter of
intent and resume to: New York Society for the
Deaf, Human Resources Dept., 817 Broadway-
7th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10003, fax # (212)
777-5740, Email : NYDeaf@aol.com
The Salvation Army, Homeless Services Depart-
ment requires an experienced OFFICE MANAG-
ER for varied duties in a fast paced environ-
ment. Train and supervise secretarial staff,
conducts communications, maintains records,
conducts special projects, establish and main-
tain effective working relationships. Type
50wpm and AA degree required. Salary 28-32K.
fax resume to Yvonne Mitchell 212-337-7279
or mail to 120 w. 14th Street, NY, NY 10011.
LONG ISLAND ORGANIZER. NYS Tenants &
Neighbors seeks full-time staff person to orga-
nize rent-regulated and Section 8 tenants on
Long Island. Must be self-starter w/strong
skills and ability to work independently. Car
required. Salary mid-30's. full benefits. Send
or fax resume / cover letter to: Joe Heaphy, Ten-
ants & Neighbors, 105 Washington Street, NYC
10006. fax: 212-619-7476.
COMMUNICATIDNS DIRECTOR The National
Writers Union seeks a full-time Communica-
tions Director. The Communications Director for
the National Writers Union is a new position,
with room for an innovative, proactive media
professional to define the job, learn fast and
grow with us. Please send a resume and a writ-
ing sample to: National Writers Union! UAW
Local 1981 113 University Place, 6th floor,New
York, NY 10003 Attention: Communications
Director Search Committee fax (212) 254-
0279 Deadline: June 1, 2001
continued on page 38
37
JOB ADS
continued from page 37
COMMUNITY FOOD EDUCATOR: Just Food, NYC
non-profit, seeks Community Food Educator
(CFE). CFE will conducVtrain others to conduct
educational activities for low-income commu-
nities to encourage consumption of fresh veg-
etables brought to NYC by regional farmers.
Requirements: food handling, cooking skills;
nutrition/health education, curriculum/materi-
als development; Spanish language;
writing/facilitation skills, energetic and partic-
ipatory teaching style; Part Time (3 days)
beginning late May. $19,200 (full time equiva-
lent $32K) with benefits. Send cover letter,
resume and 3 references. Fax: 212 645-9881,
email: shana@justfood.org by May 30, 2001.
ADVOCATE/CASE MANAGER Leading organiza-
tion providing social service and advocacy ser-
vices to the homeless has opportunities in its
Positive Step program for advocates/case
managers to work with individuals and fami-
lies affected by HIV on critical issues relating
to their benefits, entitlements and housing.
Ability to work with the real estate community
essential. Candidates should have a BNBS,
minimum one year social services experience;
knowledge of homelessness and HIV a plus. Bi-
lingual preferred. Excellent salary and bene-
fits. Send resume with cover letter and salary
reqs to: The Partnership for the Homeless,
Human Resources Rep., 305 Seventh Avenue,
13th Floor, New York, NY 10001
EMPLOYMENT MANAGER for non-profit train-
ing program for women interested in the con-
struction trades and other blue-collar occupa-
tions. Qualifications: experience in job place-
ment; Bachelors Degree; excellent written/oral
communication and organizational skills;
knowledge of construction industry/appren-
ticeship program; computer literate; teaching
experience a plus; $40s; excellent
medicallvacation benefits. Please fax resume
and cover letter to 212-255-8021 or email to
new@new-nyc.org.
CASE MANAGERS: Non-profit agency serving
pregnant and parenting teens in the South
Bronx seeks a FIT Case Manager. Good written
and communication skills. Extensive fieldwork.
Previous experience working with teens. BNBS
required. Bi-lingual a +. Mail resumes to:
Inwood House; Teen Family Services, Att: S. Wil-
son, 369 E. 148th Street, Bronx, NY 10455. Fax:
718-742-8099.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT: Non-profit agency
serving pregnant and parenting teens seeks a
FIT research assistant. Duties include entering
client data, working with staff to ensure data
collection/quality and assist in the develop-
ment of data collection systems. BA in social
science field required. Previous experience in
qualitative/quantitative research and adoles-
cent reproductive health. Please fax resumes
to Megan Weir at 212-535-3775.
YOUTH CARE WORKER Non-profit agency serv-
ing pregnant and parenting teens seeks FIT
Youth Care Workers. Must have 1-2 years expe-
rience and ability to work effectively with ado-
lescents. Weekdays and weekends, day and
evening hours available. Must have a valid
38
NYS drivers license, bilingual a plus. Please fax
resume to G. Carroll at 212-535-3775.
FOSTER CARE SOCIAL WORKER Non-profit
agency serving pregnant and parenting teens
seeks a FIT Foster Care Social Worker with
knowledge of ACS regulations and mandates.
Fieldwork required. Strong writing and verbal
communication as well as youth development
skills a must. Bi-lingual Eng./Span. A plus.
BNBS required. Please fax resumes to L.
Techell at 212-535-3775.
FOSTER CARE SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISOR
Non-profit agency serving pregnant and par-
enting teens seeks a FIT Foster Care Social
Work Supervisor. Must have min. 2 years super-
visory experience; solid knowledge of adoles-
cent and teen parenting issues. Fieldwork and
prior experience with NYC Foster Care System
required. Must be well organized; strong writ-
ten/verbal communication skills; computer lit-
eracy (MS Word & Connections) and sense of
humor. Competitive salary, excellent benefits.
Bi-lingual Eng.lSpan. a plus. MSW/MA
required. Please fax resumes to L. Techell at
212-535-3775.
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
seeks a WEATHERIZATION INCOME DOCUMEN-
TATION ASSISTANT. Responsibilities: Interview-
ing and verification of potential weatherization
clients' income status in office and in the field.
Organize and maintain client files, attend
meetings, interact with tenant associations,
building managers and owners, copying, fax-
ing, answering phones, scheduling appoint-
ments, report to weatherization Income Docu-
mentation supervisor. Requirements: Must be
fluent in English and Spanish, knowledge of
Spreadsheet and word processing, strong
interpersonal skills, ability to go beyond written
instructions and make quick decisions, knowl-
edge of electronic data transfer, e-mail and
good writing skills. Flexible, work hours a must
in order to work evenings and Saturdays as
needed. Two years of college/Associates degree
or equivalent work experience preferred. Salary:
$30,000 to 35,000 depending on experience.
Please mail or fax resume and cover letter to
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corp. 76
Wadsworth Ave. 4th fir Weatherization Dept. NY
NY 10033. Fax (212) 928-4180. No phone calls
please.
SECRETARY Downtown Brooklyn City Agency
seeks an individual with excellent word pro-
cessing, telephone, reception and organization
skills. Ability to work under pressure, Dictation
a plus. NYC residency required. High School
Diploma or equivalent plus 3 yrs related expe-
rience. Salary Mid $20's. Send resume, cover
letter and salary history to fax number 718-
802-2655.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR The Local Initiatives
Support Corporation ("LlSC"), a national orga-
nization which assists nonprofit community
development corporations, seeks a highly
experienced professional to manage its New
Jersey Multi-City program, based in Trenton.
Position requires exceptional leadership and
communications skill s, proficiency in real
estate finance and community revitalization
strategies. Experience in working with CDCs,
government officials, corporate and foundation
executives is essential. Excellent written and
verbal skills are a must. Bachelor's degree and
7 years senior experience in community devel-
opment required. Competitive salary and
excellent benefits. Send cover letter and
resume to: LlSC Search, c/o Tracey D. Cameron,
225 East State Street, Suite 102, Trenton, NJ
08608. EOE.
CLINICAL COORDINATOR The Center for Urban
Community Services, Inc., (CUCS), a growing
not-for-profit organization whose mission is to
improve the quality of life for homeless and
low-income individuals has the following posi-
tion available at the Prince George Program, a
permanent supportive housing residence for
418 low income tenants, many of whom have a
history of mental illness, homelessness, sub-
stance abuse and/or HIVIAIDS. The clinical
coordinator is responsible for the supervision
and direct oversight of a core services team.
This position has significant decision making,
supervisory, administrative, program manage-
ment and service delivery responsibilities
including, but not limited to, supervision of a
core services team, program development,
contract, regulatory and policy compliance,
inter-team coordination, and managed care
linkages. Reqs: CSW; 3 years post-masters
direct experience with population(s) served by
the program, administrative and supervisory
experience, strong writing and verbal commu-
nication skills, and computer literacy. Bilingual
Spanish/English a plus. Salary: $46K + comp
bnfts. Send cover letter and resume ASAP to
Suzanne Smith, CUCSlThe Prince George, 14
East 28th Street, NY, NY 10016. CUCS is com-
mitted to workforce diversity. EEO.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR Pioneering Education
Reform Program Breakthrough for Learning
helps NYC school districts transform them-
selves by building the quality and performance
of their teachers and leaders. Breakthrough's
specific initiatives include an innovative staff
recruitment campaign that includes the
ground breaking use of such incentives as
referral and signing bonuses, performance
awards, discounted mortgages, and peer sup-
port/mentorship. Program draws upon private
sector executive search strategies to recruit top
principals, offers resources to school districts
for promising ventures, and conducts in-depth
analysis of achievement data. See our website
at www.breakthroughforlearning.org. We are
seeking a talented individual to help lead,
drive, and manage our program. Skills in the
areas of budget and data analysis, strategic
planning, and organizational management are
key assets. Position demands energy, persis-
tence - and the ability to diagnose crisp
answers to complex questions. Education
background not required. Masters in bus
admin, pub policy, or related field preferred.
Send resume and cover letter to Executive
Director, Breakthrough for Learning, NYC Part-
nership, One Battery Park Plaza, 4th Floor, New
York, NY 10004-1479. E-mail: breakthrough-
leaders@nycp.org
Seeking a BOOKKEEPER, 16 - 20 hours per
week. Responsible for accounts payable,
accounts receivables, general ledger, account
& bank reconciliations; general accounting
duties. Will also produce reports for distribu-
tion, obtain signatures as needed, maintain
related files; assist in preparation for annual
fiscal audit. Ideal candidate has at least 3
years experience, strong organizational skills,
& a Bachelor's degree in accounting or related
field. Proficiency with QuickBooks & Excel , a
must. Send resume & cover letter to Bookkeep-
er Search at lia@cdvca.org, or 9 East 47th
Street, 5th Floor, NY, NY 10017.
Management consulting firm (located in Man-
hattan) working with non profits seeks ORGA-
NIZED INDIVIDUAL FOR ASSISTANCE WITH
CLIENT MATTERS; research on individual/insti-
tutional sources; word processing/office sup-
port. BNBS and 2+ yrs exp in
developmenVresearch. Requires computer lit-
eracy, deadline mgmnt, self-starter. Resume,
salary req, cover letter to: Nancy Carmichael ,
19 Upland Lane, Croton on Hudson, NY 10520,
or fax to 914-271-3451.No Calls Please. Thi s
Search Is Being Done In Confidence.
SENIOR DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE: Assist VP
in increasing size & diversity of grants & con-
tributions. Research & evaluate new
prospects. Produce, write, edit high-quality
proposals. Excellent writing skills, organized,
energetic, efficient, team player. BA,3-5 years
fund raising experience with demonstrated
success in grant development. Send salary
requirements, resume, cover letter to: A. March,
VP Development, Greyston Foundation, 21 Park
Ave, Yonkers, NY 10703, Fax (914)376-1333,
email ashleym@greyston.org
DIRECTOR OF GRANTS MANAGEMENT & COM-
PLIANCE. Non-Profit org. seeks a degreed indi -
vidual with 3 years grants and project man-
agement experience in a community develop-
ment or related setting. Duties include data-
base mgmt., site visits, monitoring, reporting,
tracking, ensuring deliverables are met. Span-
ish-speaking candidates encouraged to apply,
but not necessary. Fax resume & cov. Itr. to
212-410-3022. E-mail to jirish@umez.org,
mail to Mr. J. Iri sh, UMEZ, 290 Lenox Ave. NYC
10027. EOE. For more information, please see
our web-site at www.umez.org.
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTIPROJECT MANAGER for
AIDs legal services and advocacy organization.
Detail-oriented with excellent writing and ana-
lytical skills. Knowledge of Word, Excel ,
Microsoft Access, Front Page and Power Point
required. Duties include technical writing,
development and policy projects, executive
office management and clerical responsibili-
ties. Send cover letter, resume, writing sample
and salary history plus three references to
elsarios@aol.com or mail/fax to: Elsa A. Rios,
Esq., Executive Director, HIV Law Project, 161
William Street, New York, NY 10038. Fax num-
ber: 212-577-3192. No phone calls please.
Neighborhood Youth & Family Services a com-
munity-based, multi-service, non-profit
agency seeks the following: BILINGUALISPAN-
ISH CASE PLANNER. MSW, expo in child welfare.
NURSE PRACTITIONER. NYFS Li cense, + 1 yr.
Nursing exp., must be licensed to work with
adults & chi ldren.
CITY LIMITS
PSYCHIATRIST CONSULTANT. NYS license,
bilingual/Spanish A+. PROGRAM DIRECTORS
MSW/CSW 4 yrs. child welfare admin expo
SUPERVISORS. MSW & 3 yrs. court
related/Child welfare system, 2 yrs supervisory
expo FUNORAISERIMARKETI NG COORDINATOR
BAlMA, 2 yrs fund raising expo Qualified candi-
dates send/fax resume w/salary history to:
Neighborhood youth & Family Svcs, HR Dept,
601 E. Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY 10457 Fax:
718-299-2343.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR St. Raymond Communi-
ty Outreach, Inc., a growing non-profit non-
sectarian human services agency in the north-
east Bronx, seeks a full-time Executive Director
to manage the building of a 40,000 - 45,000
square foot Community Center and develop-
ment of a program scheme that will ultimately
be housed there. St. Raymond Community
Outreach Inc.'s mission is to strengthen indi-
viduals academically, physically and emotion-
ally and enhance relationships among these
individuals in order to build and sustain the
community. Leading a staff of five, the Execu-
tive Director will provide the strategic vision
necessary for the Community Center's success-
ful development. The Executive Director will be
responsible for the management and oversight
of the Center's construction. He/She will lead a
comprehensive fundraising program, including
the management of foundation, corporate and
public monies. The Executive Director will work
closely with the Program Director on the
agency's current education, social service and
recreational programming, as well as collabo-
rate with existing community groups and pro-
grams to develop and plan for the Center's
eventual program scheme. The professional we
seek must have experience in a senior man-
agement position, preferably in a multi-service
agency and a strong record developing and
maintaining strong relations with NYC corpo-
rate and philanthropic communities. The suc-
cessful candidate is a strategic thinker, self-
starter and excellent motivator of volunteers
and staff with strong speaking, writing, and
interpersonal skills. Must be focused on results
and able to manage multiple projects. A bach-
elor's degree in Management, Public Adminis-
tration, Community DevelopmentlEducation, or
other relevant field is required, Masters Degree
preferred. Salary will be commensurate with
experience. Candidates should submit a cover
letter, resume, and salary requirements to st.
Raymond Community Outreach, 1720 Metro-
politan Avenue, Bronx, NY 10462. Review of
applications will begin immediately and con-
tinue until the position is filled.
HELPLlNElRESOURCES COORDINATOR needed
for Learning Disabilities Helpline, telephone
information/referral service; Maintain data-
base, Resource Library; Conduct workshops;
Maintain supply inventories, perform related
support duties. Requires excellent
telephone/interpersonal skills, strong comput-
er, internet, writing, organization skills. Special
education, advocacy experience/training pre-
ferred. Bilingual Spanish a+. Send resume to
Hel pline; LOA-NYC; 27 West 20th Street; NY, NY
10011
Mint Leaf Productions, a social issue docu-
mentary production company, needs a DlREC-
JULY/AUGUST 2001
TOR to design and implement a local and
national grassroots distribution campaign for
the PBS documentary about workfare, "A Day's
Work, A Day's Pay". Salary commensurate with
experience. Call Kathy Leichter: 2121952-0121,
ext. 224.
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE FOR INDIVIDUAL
GIVING Immediate Opening The Center for
Constitutional Rights seeks a bright, energetic
person to help the organization continue to
develop its individual giving program. For 35
years, CCR has been dedicated to advancing
and protecting the rights guaranteed by the
United States Constitution and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. CCR is a non-
profit legal and educational organization com-
mitted to the creative use of law as a positive
force for social change. Reporting to the Direc-
tor of Development, the Development Associate
for Individual Giving is responsible for direct
mail appeals, stewardship of donors, Annual
Fund donors and planning special events, as
well as general assistance with all other devel-
opment activities. Qualifications for the suc-
cessful candidate will include a bachelors
degree, excellent communication skills, both
written and oral, good organizational skills,
and strong computer skills. Some development
experience preferred but not required. Excellent
benefit package including medical and dental.
Please send resume and cover letter to Devel-
opment Director, Center for Constitutional
Rights, 666 Broadway, 7th floor, NYC 10012 or
e-mail to rosborne@ccr-ny.org. Equal Opportu-
nity Employer. Women and Minorities are
encouraged to apply.
ASSISTANT PROGRAM OFFICER National non-
profit community development intermediary
seeks experienced, detail oriented individual to
assist the EVP/General Counsel with various
administrative and substantive duties
involved in overseeing the Information Technol-
ogy, Government and non-governmental grants
and contracts, Legal, and Administrative Ser-
vices Departments. Position is a blend of sub-
stantive project management duties and
administrative responsibilities. For more
details see the job description at our web site -
www.liscnet.org. Position requires 3 years
experience in administrative or managerial
assistance roles, superlative written and ver-
bal communication skills, strong computer
and organization skills and a Bachelor's
degree. Master's degree preferred; interest in
community development a plus. Send cover
letter and resume to MJ Allen, VP Human
Resources, L1SC, 733 Third Ave, 8th floor, NY
NY 10017, or mjallen@liscnet.org. L1SC IS AN
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: Growing and
dynamic Brooklyn-based community develop-
ment organization seeks profeSSional to man-
age all facets of fund raising and grant writ-
ing. Must be a self-starter with excellent writ-
ten, organizational and communication skills.
Background in corporate, foundation and gov-
ernment grants, and individual campaigns
required. Experience in special events and/or
public relations a plus, as is an interest in
housing and economic development. Competi-
tive salary and benefits. Send cover letter,
resume, and writing sample to: Fundraiser
Search, PACC, 201 Dekalb Avenue, Brooklyn,
NY 11205 pacc@prattarea.org.
Bushwick Family Residence, a Salvation Army
lier II for homeless families, seeks a HOUSE
MANAGER. B.A. degree or 3 years experience in
Human Services; experience with homeless
families. Send resume and cover letter to: B.
Burns, 1675 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11207.
Fax# 718-574-2713.
West Side Campaign Against Hunger, an
expending "supermarket" emergency food pro-
gram serving 1,500 primarily Hispanic house-
holds a month, has openings for a SOCIAL
WORKER, MSW, responsible to the Executive
Director for needs assessment, counseling,
referral and advocacy of food pantry cus-
tomers. Supervise intake interviewers, organize
customer workshops, project director for man-
aged care counseling assistance program.
Social work experience and computer skills
essential. $35,000.
The New York WORKS Project is a RESEARCH
DEMONSTRATIDN PROJECT for SSI recipients
who are 21 years of age or older with a prima-
ry diagnosis of mental illness. It is funded by
the Social Security Administration and operat-
ed by the NYS Department of Labor. New York
WORKS is studying what type of assistance,
supports, and changes to existing work incen-
tive rules are most helpful to participants in
obtai ning and maintaining employment. Some
of the services that may be available to some
New York WORKS participants and employers
include workforce planning, job placement,
assistance with accommodations, work try-
outs, and long-term employment follow-up.
Through multiple supports, NYW seeks to
increase the number of people with disabilities
in the workplace and ensure that this is a pos-
itive and successful experience for everyone
involved. If you are interested in participating
in the New York WORKS program please call 1-
800-732-7697.
Brooklyn Neighborhood Improvement Associat-
ing, Inc. (BNIA) seeks a PROJECT MANAGER to
manage the development of multi-unit project
and assist in developing other real estate ven-
tures. Responsibi lities include serving as lead
manager on assigned project, review and com-
ment on design and construction documents.
Represent owner with architect, contractors,
vendors and facilitate payment requisition
process. Qualifications: BS or equivalent and
at least 5 years experience in construction
management or real estate development.
Working knowledge of an experience with
design and code requi rements for various
local, state and federal agencies. Must be
familiar with various governmental and private
development projects and programs (i.e. HOME
funds, NHINRP and DHCR programs). Strong
skills working on a team and various projects.
Competitive salary offered. Send resume and
cover letter to: Executive Director, BNIA, 1482
St. Johns Place, IF, Brooklyn, NY 11213 or fax
718-221-1711. Application deadline: ASAP.
PROGRAM AIDES are needed to provide direct
service to residents of the Lenox Hill Neighbor-
hood House Women's Shelter. High School
JOB ADS
Diploma or GED, plus experience working with
a similar population required. EoE. Fax
resumes to Dan Weiss, Assista nt Di rector, 212-
570-1758.
Public Allies New York - PROGRAM MANAGER:
The Program Manager for Training and Learn-
ing will provide supervision and coaching for
8-10 Allies (participants between the ages of
18-30 years of age), serve as a liaison
between the Ally and the organization where
All ies are placed, and participate in a commu-
nity services project. In addition, the Program
Manager is responsible for coordinating week-
ly trainers and coordinating three leadership
retreats. Public Allies builds strong communi-
ty leadership skills among young adults
through full-time professional apprentice-
ships in nonprofit organizations, leadership
training, and team service. Requirements: BA
or equivalent experience. Two years working
directly with youth programs. Experience in
training. Salary mid to high 30's depending on
experience. Please send resume and cover let-
ter to Arva Rice, Executive Director, Public
Allies New York, 151 West 30th Street, New
York, NY 10001 or 212-244-2682 (fax). No
phone calls please.
GROUP WORKER BSW level , to work full time in
a Brooklyn school based community center
helping to administer the program and lead
groups and activities with children and teens
during day and evening. Must have group work
or camp experience and be familiar with the
purposeful use of activity. Bilungual Spanish
preferred. Send resume, attention Helene, to
Center for Family Life, 345 43rd Street, Brook-
lyn, New York, 11232.
JUNIOR PLANNER primary function is to
review ULURPS; represent the borough presi -
dent on land use issues; attend meetings
with constituents, government agencies and
elected officials; write testimony and ULURP
recommendations for the borough president;
present testimonies CPC, City Council and
other public forums. Requirements: knowl-
edge of NYC zoning and ULURP process;
excellent writing and communication skills;
self-starter; degree in either Planning, Public
Policy, Political Science. Must be a NYC resi-
dent. Send resume and cover letter to: Lee
Chong, Manhattan Borough President Office,
1 Centre Street, NYC 10007 or e-mail
luh@manhattanbp.org.
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation,
a community-based organization serving resi-
dents in Washington Heightsllnwood, is seek-
ing a CASE MANAGER to join the agency's
Social Services Department. Duties include
providing case management services to fami-
lies relocated into permanent housing by the
Department of Homeless Services, transitional
and lier II shelters; advocacy and referrals;
home visits; development and implementation
of service plans. Requirements: MSW, Bilingual
(Spanish/English). Salary: Negotiable. Submit
resume to Maria Li zardo, Director of Social Ser-
vices, NMIC 76 Wadsworth Avenue New York,
NY 10033; Fax (212) 740-9646. E-mail : mari-
alizardo@nmic.org.
continued on page 41
39
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
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The Not-for-Profit Specialists
Licensed Brokers -- Leasing or Purchasing -- All Boroughs
No Fees or Charges
Contact Vince Marrone at 212 -644- 3397,
or at vnmar@attglobal.net
DEBRA BECHTEL - Attorney
Concentrating in Real Estate & Non-profit Law
Title and loan closings 0 All city housing programs
Mutual housing associations 0 Cooperative conversions
Advice to low income co-op boards of directors
313 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201,
(718) 780-7994 (718) 624-6850
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036-1298
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SOURY COMMUNICATIONS
Full Service Public Relations and Marketing Firm
local and national media experts crisis communications govern-
ment and public affairs corporate sponsorships media
training advertising special events
Clients include AAFE, Green Guerillas, GM Minority Dealers, Kessler
Rehab, NY Ethical Culture Society, NY Chinese Scholar's Garden
offering non-profit rate
150 west 25 street, suite 403
new york, ny 1 0001
(212) 4145857
Isoury@soury.com
Committed to the development of affordable housing
GEORGE C. DELLAPA, ATTORNEY AT LAW
15 Maiden Lane, Suite 1800
New York, NY 10038
212-732-2700 FAX: 212-732-2773
Low-income housing tax credit syndication .
Public and private
financing. HDFCs and notJor-profit corporations. Condos and co-ops.
J-51 Tax abatement/exemptions. Lendingjor historic properties.
SPECIALIZING IN REAL ESTATE
J-51 Tax Abatement/Exemption . 421A and 421B
Applications 501 (c) (3) Federal Tax Exemptions All forms
of government-assisted housing, including LISC/Enterprise,
Section 202, State Turnkey and NYC Partnership Homes
KOURAKOS & KOURAKOS
A ttorneys a t Law
Eastchester, N.Y.
Phone: (914) 395'{)871
CITY LIMITS
continued from page 39
DIRECTOR OF MANAGEMENT: Non-profit com-
munity based organization seeks director to
oversee management of over 700 tax credit,
low-income cooperatives & mod-Section 8
housing units. Supervise maintenance & man-
agement staff. Requires 5 yrs Property Man-
agement & Supervisory experience, RAM or
equivalent certification. Send resume to: Zully
E. Rolan, St. Nicholas NPC, II Catherine St.
Nicholas NPC, 11 Catherine St., Bklyn, NY
11211 or fax to 718-486-5982 or zrolan
@stnicksnpc.com
PRO-LABOR JOURNALIST Major NYC union
newspaper seeks exp'd, bilingual (English-
Spanish) journalist (prefer 2 years on daily or
equivalent) with strong skills in news and fea-
ture writing, editing. Pluses: labor background,
photography. Exc sal/benefits package. Send
res to Amy Kadlub, Room 501, District Council
37, 125 Barclay St., NYC, NY 10007. EOE
We are seeking the following professionals:
HOPWA CONTRACT MANAGER -lnternallExter-
nal fiscal reporting; contract mgmt & audits;
implementation of budgeting & fiscal oversight
instruments, bank rec & other compliance mat-
ters as required. BA required in Acctg or Bus
Admin. Computer lit w/min 3+ yrs specialized
financial reporting in not-for-profit health-
care/gov't agency. Sal $35-40k/yr + full bnft
package. PROPERTY MANAGER - Locate apts,
negotiate leases, supervise rent collection &
coord maintenance for scattered site apart-
ment program for persons with mental illness.
Exp with Human Service housing program
desirable. BA desirable w/2+ yrs expo Send
resume w/current salary to: PCMH, HR Dept,
138 East 26th St, NYC 10010, or fax: 212-576-
4194. EOE, MIF.
St Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corpo-
ration, a non-profit Corporation located in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn is seeking a bi-lingual
full time CERTIFIED OCCUPANCY SPECIALIST
for its Property Management Department.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to,
marketing of new projects, maintenance of the
waiting list, initial and annual re-certifications,
renewal leases, subsidy applications and
renewals. Qualifications: Minimum 3 years
experience in the property management field
with LlHTC Certification and HUD 4350.3 Certi-
fication. Please send resumes with cover letter
by Mail, Fax or e-mail to: Zully B. Rolan, st.
Nicholas NPC, II Catherine Street, 3rd FI. ,
Brooklyn, New York 11211, 718-388
-5454, xI06,718-486-5982,zrolan@stnick
snpc.com.
We are an innovative grassroots community
based homeless services organization, located
on the north shore of Staten Island near the
ferry, with opportunities for individuals with
social services experience, especially working
with the homeless, substance using, HIV+ and
mentally ill populations. We are seeking indi-
viduals with various levels of education/certifi-
cation for many different types of positions (BA,
BSW, MSW, CSW, CASAC) Some knowledge of
computer preferred. Excellent communication
skills are a must. Some positions require a
clean and valid driver's license. SUPPORTED
JULY/AUGUST 2001
HOUSING CASE MANAGERS, OUTREACH CASE
MANAGERS, BILINGUAL CASE MANAGERS,
CASAC/SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELORS,
FAMILY SUPPORTED HOUSING CSW, HIV SER-
VICES AREA DIRECTOR, GRANT MANAGER,
FAMILY LAW ATIORNEY - PART TI ME, CASE
MANAGERS - MICA, HOUSING SPECiAliSTS,
CLIENT CARE COORDINATOR, HIV CASE MAN-
AGEMENT, PSYCCHIATRIST - PART TIME, CLI N-
ICAL SUPERVISOR - MICA, HOUSING ATIOR-
NEY, ON-CAll DR PART TIME CLIENT CARE
COORDINATORS. We offer an excellent compen-
sation/benefits package. Fax #718-720-5476,
email judeutsch@projecthospital ity.org or send
cover letter/salary requirements/resume to:
Project Hospitality, Human Resource Director,
100 Park Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10302. EOE
MlFNIH
VICE PRESIDENT OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES,
VP will oversee MHHC's Employment Service,
Job Readiness workshops, adult and youth job
development/placement. Responsible for pro-
viding the center with resources on labor mar-
ket trends, education and annual placement
goals. Maintain placement information and
ensure employers are solicited for job openings
as well as supervise staff in an articulate com-
prehensive manner. Individual will be responsi -
ble for presentations to foundations and grant-
ing organizations as well as proposal writing.
Candidates must have a four year degree or a
minimum of three years experience working
with employment programs. Salary commensu-
rate with experience, competitive salary and
benefits package offered. Send or fax resume
to: Attn: Executive Assistant, The Mount Hope
Housing Company, Inc. , 2003-05 Walton
Avenue, Bronx, New York 10453-4101, Fax: 718-
583-3907
COMMUNITY DEVELOPER SPECIALIST, Min 3
yrs exp designing, development and imple-
menting community based health
education/outreach programs, evaluation and
assessment of services, writing clear concise
educational/promotional materials. Must have
ability to identify community resources and
gaps in service, and develop and implement
innovative strategies to meet community
needs. Must be familiar with the structure and
work of community based health and social
service organizations, and should be able to
support work within a network. Exp. working
with individuals, citizens groups, CBO's and
government authorities regarding advocacy
issues in varied cultural environments. Famil-
iarity with the Bronx and communities in the
10452, 10453, 10456, 10457 zip codes and
background in diabetes and heart disease pro-
grams a +. Proficiency in computer applica-
tions including internet and web-based pub-
lishing. Bilingual EnglishlSpanish, knowledge
of Caribbean, Latino, African migrant, and
African American issues preferred. Send
resumes with cover letter stating salary req. to:
Laverne Davis, Fax 212-989-6170, email: hre-
source@institute2000.org
Parent Education and Custody Effectiveness
Program - The PEACElNYC Fami ly Court Pro-
gram is looking for a COURT OUTREACH WORK-
ER, to work in Bronx Family Court, 900 Sheridan
Avenue (close to Yankee Stadium). This is a
part-time position for the Summer and/or Fall
20 hours/week (Approximately $19/hour). Edu-
cational qualifications: Bachelor'S Degree,
preferably with a counseling, social work, or law
background or expressed interest in
custody/visitation and/or family court. Respon-
sibilities: Facilitate PEACE program in Bronx
County Family Court by: Monitoring custody/vis-
itation parts in Family Court; identifying and
screening cases appropriate for PEACE pro-
gram referral; enrolling parents after referral is
made; assisting parents in completing intake
information forms (including obtaining income
information); communicat ing regul arl y with
Program Coordinator to report intake progress;
attending bi-weekly supervisory group meeting
with Program Coordi nator and court Outreach
Workers from Brooklyn and Manhattan; other
activities necessary to implement the program.
To apply, forward resume and cover letter to:
Kathryn Krase, C.S.w. , PEACE/NYC, Family
Court, Program Coordinator, NYSPCC, 161
William Street, 12th Floor, New York, New York
10038, Fax 212-791-5277.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS for
Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment.
Manage educational initiatives in city planning,
urban horticulture, environmental science, and
early childhood, totaling $850,000 annually.
Guide educational staff of 8 fIt, 25 pit. Fax
resume and cover letter to 718-499-3750 ASAP.
Community-based adult and family education
center seeks: EMPLOYMENT COUNSELOR: To
provide employability skills workshops, individ-
ual career and job counseling, referrals, follow-
up, and development of community resources.
B.A. required, plus prior experience in employ-
ment counseling or related field. Bilingual
Spanish. SOCIAL SERVICES COUNSELOR: To
provide assessments, short-term counseling,
support groups, psycho-educational work-
shops, and supportive services to immigrant
families. Part-time (possibly full-time). Mas-
ter's in social work, counseling or related field
required, plus prior experience counseling in a
community-based setting. Bilingual Spanish.
Please mail or fax resume and cover letter to:
Martha Kamber, Director of Supportive Services,
Sunset Park Adult & Family Education Center,
414 - 80th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209, fax 718-
491-5060.
Progressive candidate for City Council in Brook-
lyn seeks to fill paid campaign positions for
CAMPAIGN MANAGER and VOLUNTEER COOR-
DINATOR. New York City resident with campaign
experience preferred. Please call T. Duncan at
212.489.8212 or fax letter and resume to
212.819.9494
Two NYC social service organizations seek PRO-
GRAM/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATES to provide
support including travel logistics, preparing
conference materials and web maintenance.
2+ years experience, excellent computer skills,
and strong interpersonal ski lls required. French
or Spanish proficiency a plus. $35K + and ben-
efits. Visit www.nonprofitstaffing.com.
Homesteaders Federal Credit Union is a com-
munity development credit union developing a
neighborhood branch which seeks the follow-
JOB ADS
ing: FINANCIAL OFFICER to play an integral role
in a community development credit union open-
ing a new branch. As FO you will manage all
day-to-day accounting and financial responsi-
bilities of the credit union. Responsibilities also
include budgeting, financial analysis,
assetlliability management, pricing strategies
and investments. Familiarity with credit union
accounting standards and terminology is a
plus. Salary commensurate with experience.
Please fax resume and salary requirements for
immediate consideration to 212 344-6457 or
email tohomesteadersfcu@netscape.net
STRIVE, an East Harlem based international
nonprofit, has an opening for a qualified indi-
vidual to join the staff as an ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANT. Individual must write well , have
experience with word processing and spread-
sheet software, be detail oriented, and be able
to work independently and as part of a team.
Generous benefits. Recent college grads wel-
come. Resume and cover letter with salary reqs.
To TIm Moriarity, STRIVE, 1820 Lexington
Avenue, New York, NY 10029-2019 or fax 212-
360-5634. Email as WORD document attach-
ment to: kfarrow@strivecentral.com.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION SPECIALIST
PROGRAM COORDINATOR Single Parent
Resource Center (SPRC) , a growing non-profit
for parents, seeks an experienced Substance
Abuse Prevention Specialist. SPRC is in its
25th year as a non-profit committed to provid-
ing supportive family services that strength-
ens parents and children. Services are
designed to help participants build their
capacity to manage the day to day challenges
of their lives and begin to work towards posi-
tive change for their families. The Prevention
Specialist/Coordinator will provide relapse
prevention and parenting support services to
single parents in recovery from addiction.
Responsibilities: Conduct relapse prevention
and parenting psychoeducational groups on
site and in community- based settings; Con-
duct outreach and recruitment for program
participants; Establish and maintain relation-
ships with referral sources; Provide individual
supportive counseling; Coach program partic-
ipants regarding advocacy skills & family
relationships; Refer program participants to
appropriate resources and services; Document
group sessions, maintain individual client
records and compile monthly reports.; Partici -
pate in agency-wide events & special projects;
Represent agency at relevant meetings as
assigned. Qualifications: CASAC or CASAC eli -
gible preferred; MSW or equivalent experience;
Experience facilitating groups; Knowledge of
parenting skills; Good writing skills and prob-
lem solving; Competitive salary with excellent
benefits offered. Please send a cover letter
stating salary requirements and a resume to:
P. Hanson, SPRC, 31 East 28th St. , 2nd FI , NYC
10016. Indicate the position reference #2230.
No phone calls please.
BSPCC seeks MSW to work with adolescent
girls in long term group home in Bedford-
Stuyvesant. Salary commensurate with experi -
ence. Excellent fringe benefits. Fax resume to
718-398-2940. EOE.
continued on page 43
41
I LLU STRATED MEMOS
OmCEOFTHECITYVISIONARY
'. / ' ," , ' ---
42
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of Commons just voted
to ban fox hunting.
Time to begin a new
tradition in New York?
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PLAN NQ 23568-A
GOT AN IMPRACTICAL SOLUTION ... ,oOtCV@GitYlimitS.Ot9
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CITY LIMITS
continued from page 41
Work with the Community Building Project of
the Bronx Cluster of Settlement Houses on a
VOTER REGISTRATION/mobilization drive and
on YOUTH LEADERSHIP. Project to last 10-12
weeks. Experience in these areas and bilingual
English and Spanish preferred. Fax resume and
salary expectations to Miriam Rabban at 718-
681-7053; back-up fax at 718-293-9767. Call
her at 718-293-0727, extension 161 for more
information.
FINANCE/ADMIN ASSOCIATE - Nonprofit
women's legal organization seeks highly orga-
nized and detail-oriented individual for full-
time position. Responsibilities include, but not
limited to, M', NR, payroll , Petty Cash, and
general administrative work. Position reports to
Director of Finance and Administration. Candi-
date must be computer literate and knowledge
of One-Write Plus, Excel, and Giftmaker Pro a
plus! Position begins immediately and offers
competitive salary and benefits. Please send
cover letter and resume to: Nancy Nagoumey;
Director of Finance and Administration; inMo-
tion, Inc., 70 W. 36th Street, Suite 903, New
York, NY 10018,
nnagoumey@inmotiononline.org. Or fax: 212-
695-9519. No phone calls please.
DIRECTOR - HARLEM BRANCH - The YWCA of
City of New York seeks a dynamic & enthusias-
tic candidate who is creative, flexible self-
starter and passionate/committed to our mis-
sion. Responsibilities include: program devel-
opment; create/manage Workforce Develop-
ment, Parenting & Youth programs throughout
city of NY; create linkages & collaboration w/
different community groups; knowledge of bud-
gets. Qualified candidates must have BS/BA;
Master's preferred. 5+ yrs. Exp. w/ supervisory
capacity. Knowledge of Harlem Community 3+.
Salary up to mid S50's com men. w/ expo & com-
preh. benefits pkg. healthlvision/dental. Send
resume/cover Itr: L. Davis, YWCA of City of NY,
610 Lexington Ave 9th FI., New York, NY 10022
or Fax: 212 755-3362 or Idavis@vwcanyc.org.
EEO
Pratt Institute Center for Community and Envi-
ronmental Development (PICCED) seeks an
individual to serve as its DIRECTOR OF
FUNDRAISING activities, including proposal
development, communication, written reports,
and publications. We require a BA and 5 years'
experience in fundraising and proposal devel-
opment, or equivalent; demonstrated excellent
writing and communication skills; knowledge of
the fields of community development, planning
or housing; and word processing, data man-
agement and Internet research skills. Salary
commensurate with qualifications. Please sub-
mit resume and cover letter by 6/29/01 to:
PICCED, Dept. DD, Pratt Institute, 200 Willough-
by Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205 (EOE).
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTIPROJECT MANAGER for
AIDs legal services and advocacy organization.
Detail-oriented with excellent writing and ana-
lytical skills. Knowledge of Word, Excel ,
Microsoft Access, Front Page and Power Point
required. Duties include technical writing,
development and policy projects, executive
office management and clerical responsibili -
ties. Send cover letter, resume, writing sample
and salary history plus three references to
elsarios@aol.com or maillfax to: Elsa A. Rios,
Esq., Executive Director, HIV Law Project, 161
William Street, new York, NY 10038. Fax num-
ber: 212-577-3192. No phone calls please.
COORDINATOR, YOUTH PROGRAM (BRONX
HELPERS), responsible for management &
ongoing development of innovative, award-
winning community service/youth organizing
program for teens, aged 12-18, &
training/supervision of program staff. Require-
ments: Demonstrated commitment to & experi-
ence in positive youth development, community
service & youth organizing toward social
change in CBO setting. MSW/ relevant
advanced degree or 2 years' directly-related
experience with youth & group work. Clear
commitment to teen program building in part-
nership with youth members and elected youth
leaders. Strong communication skills, eve &
weekend availability. Spanish bilingual a +.
Salary: low-mid 30s + excellent benefits. Mail
letter, resume and contact information for 3 ref-
erences to Job Search, New Settlement Apart-
ments & Community Services, 1512 Townsend
Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452. No faxes, please.
Health Force: Community Preventive Health
Institute is an award-winning South Bronx peer
education and community preventive health
organization which trains and empowers com-
munity residents to become leaders and educa-
tors in the fight against AIDS, asthma, diabetes
and heart disease. Current positions available
include: SR. COORDINATOR FOR HIV PREVEN-
TION supervises and coordinates new preven-
tion programs, including the Peer Training
Institute and a Women's Prevention Initiative;
minimum B.A. and 8 years experience in com-
munity health, curriculum development, peer
training, and supervision of peers and commu-
nity health workers. THE SR. COORDINATOR
FOR HOUSING AND HARM REDUCTION will
supervise and coordinate Health Force's exten-
sive harm reduction and access-to-care pro-
grams with a new housing assistance program
to help HIV+ clients maintain themselves in
better housing; minimum B.A. and 8 years
experience in community health, curriculum
development, training, organizing, and peer
and staff supervision. THE ASS1 COORDINA-
TOR FOR THE JR. ASTHMA PEER PROGRAM
trains asthmatic teenagers to become jr. peer
educators and then supervises them as they
teach asthma attack prevention techniques to
younger children. Currently, this position ends
at the end of September although it may be
funded longer. All full-time positions offer high-
ly competitive salaries and outstanding bene-
fits. Health Force is a project of BCC of the City
University of New York. FAX resume with brief
cover letter to Thomas Fanniel at 718-585-
5041.
Bronx CDC specializing in affordable housing,
employment services, real estate development
and asset-building programs is seeking an
ASSET-BUILDING PROGRAM MANAGER.
Responsibilities: Manage Individual Develop-
LET US DO A FREE EVALUATION
OF YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS
JOBADS
ment Account (IDA) Program, including facili-
tating economic literacy courses, overseeing
the day-to-day program administration, work-
ing one-on-one with participants in purchasing
a home, developing a small business or going
back to school , and building networks with area
organizations around supporting assets for low
income families. Position will also build new
services and programs around economic litera-
cy, predatory lending and supporting asset
accumulation strategies for families. Seeking
dynamic individual to design and lead innova-
tive programs in addressing financial issues in
a low-income community. Qualifications: a BA
or equivalent; knowledge of community/eco-
nomic development; refined oral, written and
interpersonal communication skills; interest in
working in community; demonstrated experi-
ence in program development and manage-
ment; established team-building and problem
solving skills. Experience in grant writing or
grant management a plus. Knowledge of Span-
ish a plus. Send cover letter and resume to Rita
Bowen, Mount Hope Housing Company, 2003-
05 Walton Avenue, Bronx NY 10453. Fax: 718-
299-5623.
PROGRAM SUPERVISOR To assist Program
Director in supervision of program activities,
supervise and evaluate case planning staff,
review case records, address critical cases as
needed and form part of a new ACS funded
general preventive program in Washington
Heights. MSWwith a minimum of two years pro-
viding services in a clinical capacity to clients
a must. Excellent writing and interpersonal
skills, ability to work independently and as part
of a team. BilinguallSpanish. Salary: $37-
$40K. CASE PLANNERS for new ACS funded
preventive program; Fully bilinguallSpanish,
BA or MA in social work or relevant field plus
minimum two years experience in preventive
services and good understanding of ACS. Ideal
candidate will be innovative, and possess
excellent communication skills, be self motivat-
ed, and a reliable team-player. Salary: $27-$32
Fax resumes to Denise Nina Hernandez (212)
740-8352 or email el_centro2001@yahoo.com
We have been providing low-cost insurance programs and
quality service for HDFCs, TENANTS, COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
and other NONPROFIT organizations for over 15 years.
JULY/AUGUST 2001
We Offer:
SPECIAL BUILDING PACKAGES
FIRE LIABILITY BONDS
DIRECTOR'S & OFFICERS' LlABILTY
GROUP LIFE & HEALTH
"Tailored Payment Plans"
ASHKAR CORPORATION
146 West 29th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001
(212) 279-8300 FAX 714-2161 Ask for : Bolo Ramanathan
43
ATM&TBANK,
WE PUT OUR MONEY WHERE
OUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE.
We are now accepting applications for our
Banking Partnership for
Community Development (BPCD) grant program
We believe that the continued success ofM&T
Bank is directly tied to the neighborhoods that we
serve. So, we are renewing our commitment to
Community Development Corporations (CDCs)
that are committed to making our neighborhoods
better places to live and conduct business.
M&T Bank's Banking Partnership for
Community Development (BPCD) will support
the neighborhood revitalization efforts of CDCs
in the following metropolitan New York City
counties: Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn) Queens, New
York (Manhattan) Nassau and Suffolk counties.
BPCD will provide operating and programmatic
support to help CDCs strengthen their organiza-
tional capacity and institutionalize their economic
role in their communities. BPCD will award
grants of $5,000 - $20,000 to selected CDCs.
Grants will be awarded for a one year term only.
CDCs will be competitively selected for
participation. Proposals will be evaluated based
on their conformance with BPCD program
objectives, the ability of the applicant
organization to meet the criteria outlined in the
RFP and the quality of the proposed work plan.
To obtain an application or for further
information, please send an e-mail to:
nmubammad@mandtbank.com or visit one of
M&T Bank's retail branches.
All proposals must be received by 4 pm on
August 3,2001.
Community is our best investment!
M&T Bank! NYC Division Banking Partnerships for community Development Grant Program
350 Park Avenue, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212-350-2523