From the Frontline

Internship Opportunity At Stryckers Bay

2011-05-12T13:14:00.000-04:00

Internship Opportunity

Program and Resource Development Associate

Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council, a community based non‐profit organization is now

recruiting interns to fill 2 available positions as Program and Resource Development Associates.

Interns will work as a team with the Executive Director to assess program needs and develop

funding strategies to support program activities. Interns will work closely with each other,

under the guidance of the director, to research and approach potential funding sources

(corporations, foundations, and government agencies).

Requirements:

1. All candidates must be enrolled in college or have an undergraduate degree.

2. Candidates should be resourceful, organized, and very responsible.

3. Applicants should have an interest in working in the non‐profit field and must be

4. able to work in open, community‐based offices with plenty of client and staff activity.

5. Must have excellent writing and proofreading skills and be able to meet proposal

submission deadlines.

6. Must be proficient in MS Word and Excel.

7. Applicants must know how to use the internet for research.

8. 2.8 GPA required

Learning and Work Experience Benefits:

Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council is on the frontline everyday providing essential social

service counseling, homelessness prevention, and youth programming for residents of the

Upper West Side community. Our interns have used their experience to move on to

employment with government and citywide not‐for‐profit agencies. Successful applicants will

gain essential hands on experience in the daily operations of a community based non‐profit

organization. Interns will also learn what it takes to keep a small non‐profit operating in NYC in

the face of a tight budget.

Hours: Minimum of 15 Hours per Week

Term: One and Two Semester Options Available

Compensation: Small Monthly Stipend and Metro Card Provided

Interested candidates should reply by submitting resumes and references to no later than June

30, 2011:

Kelley Williams, Executive Director Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council

kwilliams@stryckersbay.org

Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council, Inc.

72 West 109

Street NYC NY 10025 212.874.7272

Vote for Strycker's Bay for the Tech Soup Awards

2011-02-07T11:03:00.003-05:00

View and vote for Strycker's Bay's digital story to win the Tech Soup Audiance Choice Award. CLICK HERE TO VOTE

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Strycker's Wins Grassroots Community Planning Award

2010-10-08T13:50:00.005-04:00

Strycker's Bay Executive Director Kelley Williams named the recipient of the Grassroots Community Planning Award.

" Ms. Williams has been a community organizer for more than three decades, working to maintain an ethnically, racially, and economically diverse Upper West Side. At the age of thirteen, she became involved in community and tenant organizing. Since then, Williams has organized hundreds of low-income tenants on the West Side. In 1991, she organized parents to form a small, community-based public middle school named the Community Action School (CAS). Today, CAS has an enrollment of 230 students, and is committed to serving an academically and culturally diverse student body. Then, in 1993, Williams developed and secured funding for the Learning Action Center for Academic Success and Achievement (LACASA). The program is designed to help school-age children of all learning abilities reach their academic potential through after-school and summer programs. LACASA is now operating programs in two public schools and enrolls more than 250 participants each year."

NYC Current of Housing Lotteries

2010-09-21T12:18:00.002-04:00

Below and linked here are links to the NYC housing department's lottery program. If you need affordable housing, go their site.

Current list of available lotteries

Borough & Neighborhood	Size of Apartment	Units Available	Annual Gross Income	Application Deadline
Brooklyn
Ocean Hill	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom	11	View advertisement	September 20, 2010
384 Sumpter Street	1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom	11	View advertisement	September 20, 2010
East New York	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom	139	View advertisement	October 29. 2010
34 North 6th Street and 27 North 6th Street	2 Bedroom		View advertisement
Bronx
Melrose Section	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom	118	View advertisement	November 15, 2010
Melrose Section	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom	69	View advertisement	October 18. 2010
Bronx	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4 Bedroom	256	View advertisement
Anderson Avenue	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom	63	View advertisement
East Tremont	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom	95	View advertisement	.
Manhattan
Harlem	1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom	17	View advertisement	October 1, 2010
East Harlem	2 Bedroom	34	View advertisement	September 24, 2010
Harlem section	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom	29	View advertisement	September 30, 2010
610-620 W. 42nd Street in the Clinton section	Studio	82	View advertisement
34 West 139th Street	1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom		View advertisement
Staten Island
180 Broad Street	1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom	104	View advertisement
Willowbrook	Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom	72	View advertisement	.

Interested applicants can also find out about open lotteries by calling 311 and asking for HPD’s Affordable Housing Hotline which is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Haitian Creole, Korean and Russian. The hotline can be also accessed by dialing directly the following numbers:

English, 212-863-5610

Spanish, 212-863-5620

Mandarin, 212-863-8924

Cantonese, 212-863-8925

Russian, 212-863-8936

Haitian Creole, 212-863-8939

Korean, 212-863-8979

Eviction Prevention Hotline Launched

2010-09-21T12:08:00.003-04:00

We wish to welcome Gerry Peralta and Natalie Roman to Strycker's Bay.
They are two housing interns from Hunter College that start with us
today! They will assist with launching our Eviction Prevention Hotline
and Affordable Housing Counseling Call-In Center! Call 212-874-7272 From 10-5 M-F

Stryckers Bay Executive Director Nominated For Award

2010-09-13T11:47:00.003-04:00

The Municipal Art Society of New York's Yolanda Garcia Community Planning Award has nominated Stryckers Bay's Kelley Williams for it's prestigious honor.

Click here for more information on the award.

Support Affordable Housing at Art Show

2010-09-09T15:30:00.002-04:00

Art work is up and showing at El Taller Gallery...2710 Broadway @ 104th Street. The closing party for theUnderground Arts Collective Present "Strictly Grassroots" Art Auction and Exhibition is Saturday, September 11th from 6PM to 9PM -- I hope to see your there...please come meet the artists and show your support for Strycker's Bay and LACASA Kids!

Judge Orders Arrest Of Bronx Landlord

2010-05-24T10:30:00.002-04:00

The 49-unit apartment building in Bronx River has a tally of woes almost impressive in magnitude. It has 663 open violations. Its walls shed lead paint, rain seeps through collapsing ceilings, and cockroaches and rats scuttle across its buckled floors.

Now the building, at 1585 East 172nd Street, has another ignominious distinction. Fed up with the failure of the landlord, Sam Suzuki, to correct the violations and show up in court, a judge last week issued a warrant for his arrest, a rarity in housing court.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Internship Positions Available At Stryckers'

2010-05-21T10:39:00.001-04:00

Non-Profit Development Director and Associate

Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council is a community center that provides New York City’s working poor and fixed income families and their children with capacity-building programs that foster economic stability and personal growth.

We have three main programs that serve over 1200 families and their children annually.

a LACASA (The Learning Action Center for Academic Success and Achievement) is a youth serving program providing after school programming, literacy, counseling, and social activities for 200 youth between the ages of 5-21 annually.
a Tenant Advocacy & Housing Counseling Program provides crisis intervention services and prevents 300 evictions annually.
a Our Information, Referral, and Advocacy Program counsels and provides direct services to 700 households regarding eligibility requirements for income assistance, health insurance, food stamps, and subsidized housing.

Founded in 1959, we currently have eight board members representing the diverse residents of the West Side community. Our budget is presently just over $450,000, 50% of which we earmark for our youth programming. Overall, we serve more than 1200 NYC families per year.

Over the next three years, SBNC need to increase our annual revenue by $100,000, specifically by expanding our individual donor base and accessing new government and foundation funding. We are also working to strengthen board membership by recruiting corporate professionals, who will complement our current community resident members. We will also seek secure and renovate program space for our youth program LACASA.

To achieve our goals over the next three years, we must recruit and cultivate a full-time development director and associate staff person; development staff is essential to cultivating individual donor relationships, public relations outreach, and grant writing efforts.

Our internship position is designed to offer qualified candidates an opportunity to gain hands on experience in the area of non-profit program development while hopefully growing into the full-time on staff development director and associate the organization needs.

An ideal candidate for our development director and associate intern positions should meet the following criteria and have the following skills and abilities:

Currently a college student seeking hands on experience in the non-profit development and fundraising field.

Available to work 15-30 hours per week and/or available 20-30 per week during 7 weeks in the summer. One and two semester options are available.

Excellent research skills
Excellent writing skills
Can work independently
Enjoys a diverse work environment
Ability to juggle more than one project at a time

Interested candidates should submit resumes and references to:
Kelley Williams, Executive Director Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council kwilliams@stryckersbay.org

Strycker's Bay helping to spread the word about Pinnacle Tenants Class Action Suit Forum

2010-05-20T10:23:00.006-04:00

On April 27, 2010 a judge for the New York District Court for the Southern District issued a landmark ruling to certify the class action against the Pinnacle Group NY LLC and its owner Joel Wiener. It is estimated that the Pinnacle Group owns over 420 apartment buildings in the five boroughs of New York City and this lawsuit could impact up to 60,000 rent-regulated tenants who currently live or have lived in a Pinnacle building from July 11, 2004 to April 27, 2010.

The law offices of Jenner & Block are representing the class, and they need to reach as many current and former Pinnacle tenants as possible to notify them of class action status and the opportunity to submit evidence against their landlord. Borough President Stringer and Buyers and Renters United to Save Harlem (BRUSH) will be co-sponsoring a forum with Pinnacle tenants to discuss the case and next steps on May 23rd from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Oberia Dempsey Center on 127 West 127th Street. We need your help to spread the word!

The Borough President’s office is looking to housing advocates, community activists, and all who are committed to tenants’ rights to help notify Pinnacle tenants about this Sunday’s meeting. Volunteers are need to distribute letters and flyers in front of Pinnacle-owned buildings in Manhattan (Harlem, Washington Heights & the UWS) in morning and evening shifts starting today through Friday. Please contact Kate Spaulding at (212) 669-2094 or kspaulding@manhattanbp.org if you can give an hour of your time, or know colleagues, community members, or fellow activists who can volunteer.

Thank you!

Rosemonde Pierre-Louis

Manhattan Deputy Borough President

Office of the Manhattan Borough President

212.669.8299 (direct dial)

rpierre-louis@manhattanbp.org

Current Apartment Rental Lottery Opportunities

2010-05-14T13:34:00.000-04:00

In 2002, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg launched the City’s most aggressive affordable housing plan in two decades to create and preserve homes and apartments for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers ... READ MORE HERE

NYC Job Fair on May 18th

2010-05-06T13:14:00.003-04:00

Need a job? Come check out the job fair May 18th on 2 W 64th street from 10am-3pm

Future of Manhattan Valley: Follow-Up Presentation

2010-05-05T10:48:00.000-04:00

Recently, nearly 140 participants attended Assembly Member O’Donnell’s
Manhattan Valley Visioning event, including representatives of small
businesses, not-for-profit organizations, block and tenant
associations, and individual community activists.

The Pratt students present their report based on
this successful community meeting.

Thursday, May 6th
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Church of the Ascension; 221 W. 107th Street
(bet. Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue)

Please call Assembly Member O’Donnell’s Community Office at
212-866-3970 with any questions or concerns.

East Harlem Employment Opportunities.

2010-05-04T11:45:00.003-04:00

TARGET and Bobs Discount Furniture are opening a new stores at the East River Plaza on 116th Street and

1st Avenue. The two stories are hiring.

Types of Positions Available

 Guest Services / Cashier  Merchandising Team Member  Logistics Day

 Logistics Overnight  Cart Attendant  Brand Attendant

 Food Assistant  Sales Floor Team Member  Price Accuracy Team M

May 3rd - May 21st*, Monday-Thursday

Call the STRIVE East River Plaza Hotline at (212) 360-1100 for further information

The full flyer is below

The Underground Arts Collective Show Date Set

2010-03-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

Calling all artists!!! We need your canvas back by May 30, 2010 -- The show date is set for WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2010...Check our Facebook page regularly to see which artists have submitted their work and which artist have joined the collective...for those artists that have completed their canvas and need to get them to us -- contact Been3 via email @ mrbeen3@gmail.com he has our shipping account information.

Pratt Institute Graduate Students Present: A VIEW OF MANHATTAN VALLEY

2010-02-22T11:35:00.000-05:00

Study of This Unique Area of NYC Including History, Diversity, Zoning, Housing, Social Services,
Retail Character, Environment and Public Spaces

6pm, Thursday, February 25

at the NY International Youth Hostel
891 Amsterdam Avenue (W 103)

All Welcome Free Event

In Preparation for a Town Hall Meeting
to Discuss the Future of Our Neighborhood
Saturday March 6, 2:30-5pm
Red Oak Apartments, 135 W 106

Columbus/Amsterdam Business Improvement District
NYS Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell
Park West Neighborhood History Group

for further information : 212 666-9774

Strycker's Bay saves woman from homelessness

2010-02-04T10:23:00.002-05:00

With the high cost of living, unemployment, and shortage of affordable housing, many people in New York City face the threat of being evicted and losing their homes on a daily basis. Thousands of people are living in New York’s adult and family homeless shelter systems.
On August 14, Strycker’s Bay received a phone call from a distraught young lady who was evicted from her apartment and currently living out of her cart. Immediately we urged her to come into our office. As we patiently listened to her story, it was quite evident that she was upset, so we reassured her that we deal with these situations on a daily basis, and have encountered many situations as grave as hers.
In her thank you letter to Strycker’s she said “I appreciate that you never made false promises or guaranteed results, but feeling like she saw me as a REAL person going through a difficult situation also gave me hope; hope that if there were a solution, I was in a place that would make a genuine effort to find it.
Strycker’s Bay’s approached to dealing with urgent matters such as the one we describe here, is to manage each crisis as if it were our own. The staff is uniquely qualified to do this because they too have faced issues related to tenant’s rights, housing affordability and homelessness. In addition to our approach, staff are trained to navigate the court system and access emergency funds designated for people facing homelessness.
After collecting all of the necessary paperwork, and documents, we immediately began working on her case. We spent countless numbers of hours advocating on her behalf, when faced with obstacles we pressed on. Initiaelly her “One Shot Deal” application submitted to NYC’s Department of Social Services for emergency rent payment assistance was denied, however, we continued to encourage and advocate on her behalf. With diligence and perseverance, we were able to get her “One Shot Deal” application approved.
Through the working relationships that we have with other organizations, within a week we were able to secure funds needed to restore her into her apartment. The client expressed her gratitude through heart-felt words --- “I’m sure there are other agencies that provide similar services, but this organization is essential to the health of New York, you really are the difference between hope and homelessness. The Strycker’s Bay difference is in your diligence, compassion, and commitment to getting results.”

For more information on Stryckers Bay programs, contact
Kelley Williams
Executive Director
61 W 87th Street –Basement
New York, NY 10024
info@stryckersbay.org
212-874-7272

At risk of being evicted?

2010-02-04T10:03:00.002-05:00

If you or someone you know are at risk of being evicted, please visit our office during walk-in hours Monday-Wednesday 9am-10:30am or call 212-874-7272 for an appointment.

Gale Brewer Honors Strycker's Bay

2010-01-21T13:19:00.008-05:00

City Councilwoman Gale Brewer reads former LACASA Kid Carlos Frias' statement about how the world needs LACASA and how helped him get to college. Ramon blushes.

New York City Councilwoman Gale Brewer honors Strycker's Bay members Ramon Cuevas, Jeannette Mercado and Janice Bethea
Kelley Williams shares her experiences while Carlos Frias and Jenny look on at the award ceremony

Rebuilding Together rehabilitates the Strycker's Bay offices

2010-01-15T11:09:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, September 26th, Rebuilding Together NYC, in sponsorship from Shawmut Design and Construction, completely rehabilitated the facilities of Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council on the Upper West Side of Manhattan using all volunteer labor. All work was at no cost to Strycker’s Bay, a nonprofit that serves the low-income community and has never had an upgrade to its facilities in its 50-year existence. Staff, clients and board members of Strycker’s Bay pitched in on the workday to help Shawmut’s volunteers renovate the space.

http://www.rebuildingtogethernyc.org/

Vote for Strycker's Bay!!!

2009-12-03T15:15:00.002-05:00

Heat and Hot Water

2009-10-06T15:52:00.001-04:00

HPD - Residential Tenants - Heat and Hot Water
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$200 Grants Being Given To New Yorkers Getting Food Stamps » Frum Jewish News

2009-08-11T15:37:00.001-04:00

$200 Grants Being Given To New Yorkers Getting Food StampsAugust 11, 2009 cash2.jpgGovernor David A. Paterson today announced a historic collaboration with George Soros and the Open Society Institute (OSI) that will provide one-time, $200 grants to more than 800,000 children in low-income families across New York State to help purchase school supplies as they prepare to return to class in September. Families who receive public assistance or food stamps can access this one-time Back-To-School Supplement of $200 per school-aged child (ages 3 through 17) starting today. The Governor was joined by Mr. Soros and other elected officials at P.S. 208 in New York City today to make the announcement.“This first-of-its-kind partnership in New York is an example of how the public and private sectors can work together to foster a brighter future for the low-income families of our State,” Governor Paterson said. “These $200 grants will provide thousands of families with a much needed financial boost so that they can better meet the needs of their children as they prepare to go back to school. This partnership is a continuation of my commitment to aggressively identifying opportunities to use economic stimulus funds to help our neediest New Yorkers and to bolster our State’s economy.”The supplements will be placed in accounts for each eligible family that can be accessed with their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card, which are normally used to access public assistance and food stamp benefits. Two-thirds of the eligible recipients of the back-to-school supplements are in food stamp-only households, and the majority of these households are low-income working families or families receiving unemployment benefits.Families can use the money to buy their children books, pencils, pens, notebooks, calculators, backpacks, shoes, tutoring, school uniforms and other clothing and essential school items. Families should look to take advantage of discounts offered by retailers in the coming weeks before school starts. The $175 million in Back-To-School Supplements will provide an economic boost to communities throughout the State as families purchase supplies, bolstering back-to-school retail sales.Families should also check the New York State Consumer Protection Board/s “Stretch Your Dollar” tips at www.consumer.state.ny.us/syde_page.htm, to get ideas on how to make the back-to-school funds buy more while spending less to help their children. Recipients’ eligibility for public assistance, food stamps, child support and medical assistance will not be affected by receiving these one-time Back-To-School Supplements.NOTE: Click HERE to check you food stamp status online.
The Yeshiva World » $200 Grants Being Given To New Yorkers Getting Food Stamps » Frum Jewish News
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Working Families » The Rental Hell Video Contest

2009-06-02T14:43:00.001-04:00

Working Families » The Rental Hell Video Contest
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The Unveiling of Doris Rosenblum Way

2009-05-06T16:21:00.000-04:00

New York Is Our Home!

2009-05-06T16:10:00.001-04:00

Tenant Legislative Package

Real Rent Reform Campaign
Housing Here and Now
Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development
Working Families Party

NO MORE DELAYS – STRONGER RENT LAWS NOW!

May 6, 2009

Between now and June 22, the New York State Legislature must enact a number of necessary reforms to undo years of legislative giveaways to the New York City real estate lobby that have exacerbated the housing crisis in the city and suburban counties. While there are many important pro-tenant bills pending in both houses, the following represent the absolute minimum of necessary reform. This year. Not next year.
New York Is Our Home!
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Assembly Member O'Donnell hosts ......

2009-05-05T12:50:00.001-04:00
an opportunity to address questions and concerns about quality-of-life issues directly with responsible agencies.

**WEDNESDAY, MAY 6TH / 6:30 PM 8:00 PM**
(Doors open at 6:00 PM)

Jewish Home Lifecare Auditorium 120 W. 106th Street

Spanish translation services will be provided.

INVITED AGENCIES INCLUDE:
NYPD; NYCHA; Dept. of Sanitation; Dept. of Environmental Protection; Dept. of Buildings; Dept. of Housing Preservation & Development; MTA; Dept. of Transportation; Dept. of Homeless Services; Dept. of Parks & Recreation

Please call 212-866-3970 for more information.

William A. Price, Journalist Who Defied Senate Panel, Dies at 94 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

2009-05-04T15:17:00.001-04:00

William A. Price, Journalist Who Defied Senate Panel, Dies at 94 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

Bill Price was an advocate for low-income housing on the West Side. He worked with Strycker's Bay and others to get New York City to commit to building and preserving affordable housing as part of the West Side Urban Renewal Area. He made a major contribution to the housing moving on the West Side and The City.

Editor's Note: Although I was at odds with Bill Price for many years toward the end of urban renewal, Bill was a mentor and teacher and I learned so much from him. -- Kelley Williams
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Doris Rosenblum Street Naming Ceremony

2009-05-04T12:04:00.002-04:00

Click here for part 2

Meet Our Counselors!!

2009-04-03T13:57:00.001-04:00

Shauna-Kay Grant
Originally uploaded by Strycker's Bay.
This week we are happy to introduce Senior Counselor- Shauna-Kay Grant! Shauna has been an employee of Strycker's Bay for the past three years. She has matured, grown and shown great potential to excel. Shauna works well with her peers and has an uncanny ability to motivate her group. Also, Shauna is an excellent art instructor and our beautiful murals around PS 84 are proof of this.

Here's to you Shauna!

Tenants facing rent de-regulation win reprieve - Crain's New York Business

2009-03-24T16:43:00.001-04:00
Tenants facing rent de-regulation win reprieve - Crain's New York Business

Some tenants who were about to lose their rent-regulated apartments because of their salaries have been granted a reprieve.
The agreement to suspend what are known as high-income deregulations comes in the aftermath of a decision earlier this month by the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court, which ruled that apartments in buildings that receive certain tax benefits must remain rent regulated. That decision stemmed from a 2007 case brought by residents of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, who alleged that Tishman Speyer and previous landlord Metropolitan Life, illegally deregulated apartments and wrongfully raised rents while receiving J-51 tax benefits, which are awarded for building improvements. However, Tishman Speyer was following standard industry practice.
In the wake of that ruling, tenants’ lawyerJack Lester filed a lawsuit demanding renewed leases at rent-stabilized rates for two clients whose apartments were about to lose their rent-regulated status. Mr. Lester claimed it was inappropriate to deregulate such apartments when the court ruling essentially said they should remain stabilized. However, Tishman Speyer is hoping to have the ruling overturned on appeal. The big landlord has filed a request for an appeal but the court has not decided whether to grant it.
Mr. Lester and lawyers for Tishman Speyer and the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal agreed to halt high-income deregulations while the court case continues. DHCR is in charge of deregulating apartments. Under state law, apartments can be deregulated when the monthly rent hits $2,000 a month and the tenant has earned $175,000 annually for two years.
Mr. Lester believes the agreement he reached should cover all tenants in rent stabilized buildings with J-51 tax benefits. A spokesman for DCHR didn’t have an immediate comment.
Tishman Speyer Properties purchased Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village in 2006 for $5.4 billion with the intention of quickly deregulating apartments to pay off debt. However, it hasn’t been able to change the status of many of the apartments and is losing money on the massive deal.

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HPD BOSS LEAVES; CITY POLICY AT CROSSROADS

2008-12-16T11:24:00.001-05:00

From
City Limits WEEKLY #668
December 15, 2008

HPD BOSS LEAVES; CITY POLICY AT CROSSROADS

Commissioner Shaun Donovan's departure to Washington comes as the city's affordable housing plan faces steep challenges.

> By Jarrett Murphy

When city Department of Housing Preservation and
Development (HPD) Commissioner Shaun Donovan leaves for a new post in
the Obama administration in coming weeks, both of New York City's top
housing policy jobs will be open at a critical juncture for affordable
housing in the city.
The announcement on Saturday that Donovan is
nominated to serve as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban
Development came just three weeks after Tino Hernandez stepped down as
chairman of the New York City Housing Authority – and as both
HPD's plan to increase the stock of affordable housing and NYCHA's duty
to maintain the nation's largest portfolio of public housing suffer
enormous strains.

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Broadway (West 99th Street - West 100th Street) - 1933

2008-11-19T11:19:00.001-05:00

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NYCHA Propels New Development Process- City Limits: News for NYC's Nonprofit, Policy and Activist World

2008-11-19T10:40:00.001-05:00
NYCHA PROPELS NEW DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
When one of the city's biggest landowners starts selling land to raise money, the public review process for new development matters.

New Development Process- City Limits: News for NYC's Nonprofit, Policy and Activist World
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Assemlyman O'Donnel and Strycker's Bay -- Info Session for Seniors and Caregivers

2008-11-19T09:54:00.000-05:00

Click to download flyer

Housing Authority to Switch 8,400 Apartments to U.S. Voucher Program - NYTimes.com

2008-10-29T10:25:00.001-04:00

Thousands of apartments at nearly two dozen public housing complexes will be rented out to tenants with federal Section 8 vouchers under a new plan by the New York City Housing Authority that has drawn criticism for reducing the city’s already dwindling supply of privately owned subsidized housing.
Housing Authority to Switch 8,400 Apartments to U.S. Voucher Program - NYTimes.com
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Resources for Consumers FROM NEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY PROJECT

2008-10-09T12:32:00.001-04:00

NEDAP has compiled a series of documents answering frequently asked questions about consumer rights and how to resolve common problems. NEDAP currently has information available on the following topics: * Community Banking & Finance * Credit Reports & Credit Scores * Debt Collection * Defending Creditor Lawsuits * Identity Theft * Predatory Lending/Foreclosure Prevention New!This page is frequently updated -- please check back often!
NEDAP - Resources for Consumers
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ONE NEW YORK: FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS

2008-10-09T10:39:00.001-04:00

ONE NEW YORK: FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS

Citywide Budget Coalition

PRESS CONFERENCE: STEPS OF CITY HALL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10th AT 12 NOON SHARP

(ARRIVE EARLY)

Spread the Word!

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Columbus Avenue - West 82nd Street Endicott Pharmacy

2008-10-09T10:37:00.001-04:00

Columbus Avenue - West 82nd Street Endicott Pharmacy
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NYCHA Job Fair

2008-10-09T10:32:00.001-04:00

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Section 8 Voucher Holders Can Now Rent a NYCHA Apartment

2008-10-09T10:29:00.001-04:00

FROM NYCHA Website:

Section 8 Voucher Holders Can Now Rent a NYCHA Apartment For the first time, holders of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)-issued Section 8 vouchers, have an opportunity to rent an apartment in one of NYCHA's 21 City-and-State-built developments. This helps thousands of voucher holders find affordable housing in New York City.Interested Section 8 voucher holders must register their interest in an apartment here on the NYCHA website.
New York City Housing Authority
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From Sate Senator Liz Krueger's Community Bulletin

2008-09-24T10:32:00.001-04:00

New Law Requires Landlords to Notify Tenants of Airborne Contaminants:
Earlier this month, Governor Paterson signed a law recently passed by the legislature which requires landlords to inform tenants of airborne hazards. While there were requirements to inform property owners of certain environmental threats, there was no system in place to offer the same protection to renters. The new law, which goes into effect in 90 days, requires property owners who have indoor air contamination results indicating levels above state Department of Health guidelines to give tenants a DOH fact sheet that identifies the compound or contaminant of concern, along with the guidelines for indoor air quality and health risks associated with exposure. Tenants can then request specific test results from landlords. Similar legislation had previously passed in 206 and 2007, but had been vetoed by Governors Pataki and Spitzer. I will be following the development of regulations implementing this important new law and share information through future bulletins.

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City Reaches Deal on Shelter for Homeless - NYTimes.com

2008-09-18T13:21:00.001-04:00

City Reaches Deal on Shelter for Homeless
By LESLIE KAUFMAN and DAVID W. CHEN
Published: September 17, 2008

New York City agreed on Wednesday to codify standards for how homeless families seeking shelter should be treated in exchange for freedom from long-running judicial oversight that has led to millions of dollars in fines and has dictated much of the daily functioning of the city’s shelters.
City Reaches Deal on Shelter for Homeless - NYTimes.com
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Rent Guidelines Board Faces Lawsuit Over Rent Hikes - September 17, 2008 - The New York Sun

2008-09-17T15:40:00.001-04:00

Rent Guidelines Board Faces Lawsuit Over Rent Hikes
By BENJAMIN SARLIN, Special to the Sun | September 17, 2008

Rent increases approved by the Rent Guidelines Board violate state law by overcharging renters, tenant groups say.The Legal Aid Society and Legal Services of New York filed a lawsuit yesterday in response to a vote by the Rent Guidelines Board in June to add a supplemental rent hike for tenants who have lived in a rent-stabilized apartment for more than six years and who pay $1,000 or less a month in rent. The suit alleges that the supplemental monthly increases of $45 for one-year renewals and $85 for two-year renewals allow landlords to raise rents on some tenants above the 4.5% and 8.5% maximum monthly increases the board authorized for this year.At a press conference at City Hall yesterday to announce the lawsuit, the speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, said that this year's rent guidelines were overly burdensome on tenants."Rent-stabilized tenants are under attack from all sides, and this unprecedented increase on longtime, low-income residents could very well drive some residents out of their homes," Ms. Quinn said in a statement. "This rent hike proves once and for all that the RGB is completely out of touch and needs to be reformed."A spokesman for the Rent Stabilization Association, which represents landlords, Frank Ricci, said the tenant groups were entitled to take legal action and that his organization was reviewing the lawsuit.Mr. Ricci called elected officials and tenant groups "hypocritical," however, for protesting pending lawsuits by landlords filed last month against the Tenant Protection Act, which increases protections for tenants who are harassed by their landlords.
Rent Guidelines Board Faces Lawsuit Over Rent Hikes - September 17, 2008 - The New York Sun

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Concerned Renters -- December 4th Affordable Housing Meeting

2008-09-15T15:42:00.001-04:00

Concernt Tenants -- December 4th 2008 Meeting - Get more documents
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An Introduction to NYPIRG Fuel Buyers Group - Monday Sept. 22

2008-09-15T12:20:00.002-04:00

Heating season is almost here -- are you
concerned about fuel prices? Join Enterprise on Monday, September 22 at
3:00 PM to learn how you can save on fuel prices by joining the New
York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) Fuel Buyers Group (www.nypirg.org/fbg/).
NYPIRG’s Fuel Buyers Group uses group buying power to bring you big
savings on your energy costs. With more than 11,000 members and over 20
years of experience, NYPIRG negotiates with full-service companies for
heating oil and natural gas prices averaging 10-35 cents per gallon
below retail for oil and 10% savings on gas. Please RSVP to nyctrainings@enterprisecommunity.org or 212-262-9575.

Introduction to NYPIRG Fuel Buyers Group

WHEN: Monday, September 22, 3:00 PM

WHERE: Enterprise New York office, One Whitehall Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10004

RSVP: nyctrainings@enterprisecommunity.org or 212-262-9575

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Dehostos NYCHA -- 201 West 93rd Street -- Under Contruction

2008-09-12T12:15:00.001-04:00

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We're Back!

2008-09-11T15:17:00.000-04:00
Hi All,

We are back after a long break. A web 2.0 technology glitch and limited resources put a temporary halt to our weekly "e-newsletter".

We cull interesting tidbits and articles that may be of interest to our donors, partners and neighbors. Our own organizational announcements are also included.

We are glad to be back and will begin weekly publication on Monday, September 15th. We have lots to share with you on neighborhood events, program and activities along with some interesting projects our staff, board and volunteers are working on -- including an art auction that will showcase the work of many urban artists and illustrators from the US and abroad. We already have more that 122 artists working on one of a kind art pieces -- all are on 18x18 canvas. It is quite an undertaking and should be fantastic event. If anyone can suggest a venue for our exhibit and auction, please contact Kelley Williams, our Executive Director at 212-874-7272 or kwilliams@stryckersbay.org.

Stay tuned!

Historic Districts Council Newsstand

2008-09-11T15:12:00.001-04:00

Monday • October 20 • 6:30 PM

Neighborhood activists and preservationists claim that changes in zoning regulations and new construction are destroying the character of New York. Public officials and pro-development forces maintain that in order to compete with other global cities, New York must continue on its current course of development and that there are ways to do this sustainably. Hope Cohen, deputy director of the Center for Rethinking Development in New York City, will moderate a panel discussion with Tom Angotti, director of Hunter College’s Center for Community Planning & Development and author of New York for Sale: Community Planning Confronts Global Real Estate (MIT Press, November 2008); Carlton A. Brown, founding partner and chief operating officer of Full Spectrum; Steven Spinola, president, The Real Estate Board of New York; and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Reservations required. $5 for Museum members, seniors, and students; $9 for non-members.For reservations and program information, call (212) 534-1672, ext. 3395.Museum of the City of New York1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street(212) 534-1672
Historic Districts Council Newsstand
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Want to Reduce Poverty? Expand Education Access. | DMI Blog

2008-09-11T14:28:00.001-04:00

Maureen LaneWant to Reduce Poverty? Expand Education Access.Tuesday’s Census release on 2007 data about New York’s poverty rate was reported as good news. After all, poverty has declined slightly in New York City and State. But this success is dwarfed by a larger policy failure: more than 1.5 million New Yorkers still struggle to get by below the official poverty line. One important reason is the inconsistency of our policy impacts. Last week a student walked into Welfare Rights Initiative (WRI) at Hunter College. She had just turned 18 years old at the end of July, graduated from high school and enrolled at Hunter. A dream realized for any family, unless the family is receiving public assistance. The student and her two younger siblings are receiving public assistance due to their mother’s disability. Our student was called to attend an HRA (Human Resources Administration) center appointment and told she must do 35 hours of workfare or her family’s budget will be cut.
Want to Reduce Poverty? Expand Education Access. | DMI Blog
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MDRC - Fast Fact: How Much Is a College Degree Worth?

2008-09-11T13:41:00.001-04:00

Fast FactHow Much Is a College Degree Worth?How much is a bachelor’s degree worth? More than $25,000 a year, according to a March 2007 report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Adults aged 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $54,689 in 2005, while high school graduates earned $29,448. A two-year associate’s degree brings an average annual premium of $8,500 over a high school diploma.
MDRC - Fast Fact: How Much Is a College Degree Worth?
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NYers take second jobs to make ends meet: poll - Crain's New York Business

2008-09-11T13:28:00.001-04:00

Poll -- More than a third of the city's residents have taken a second job or added overtime to compensate for the economy, while more than half believe standards of living will decline for the next generation. Print Email Add a comment Elisabeth Butler CordovaNew Yorkers are trying to take their economic fate into their own hands by seeking overtime and getting second jobs, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Siena Research Institute.In the last six months, 34% of the state’s residents have started a second job or added overtime to their schedules to make ends meet. Of the respondents, 13% of retirees said they’ve taken on extra work, as did 43% of lower-income residents.Researchers said that residents are partly trying to save up for their winter energy bills.“Gas and food prices have most people’s attention, and many are driving less, juggling spending or rewriting the family shopping list to include more store brands and fewer cookies, but everyone is bracing for the heating bills this winter,” said Don Levy, founder of the Siena Research Institute, in a statement. “Upstate, downstate; all incomes, nearly 80% of New Yorkers are concerned about the bite energy will take when the weather turns.”The poll, which queried 513 households and comes with a margin of error of +/- 4.3 percentage points, showed that many residents are simply accepting today’s economic turmoil as a new way of life. About 52% of respondents said they believe the country’s best economic days are behind us and that the next generation will have to accept a lower standard of living. Nearly 75% of voters said food prices are seriously affecting their financial condition, and 67% continue to feel the pinch of gasoline prices.In May, fiscal analysts for Gov. David Paterson said a recession was beginning in New York and should continue into early 2009.Still, some optimism remains, Siena researchers said.“Even though more New Yorkers expect the economy to decline than to improve over the next twelve months, by a margin of 49% to 32%, residents think their personal situation will improve,” Mr. Levy said.Residents who take a second job or work more overtime are trying to make that happen for themselves. “It’s a natural reaction to economic insecurity,” said Jim Brown, an economist at the state Department of Labor.
NYers take second jobs to make ends meet: poll - Crain's New York Business
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Strycker's Bay Will Be Closed For a Week In August

2008-08-13T14:28:00.000-04:00

PAYING TODAY'S RENT LEAVES LITTLE TO SPARE

2008-06-23T22:26:00.001-04:00

The burden of rent is bringing the status of the 'near-poor' closer to that of the poor.

By Nicholas Jahr

Springtime was full of grim news for New York City renters. In April, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner released an analysis showing that more than 500,000 New Yorkers are spending half or more of their income on housing. In May, the Community Service Society expanded on that observation with a report showing the trend that a growing number of lower-income residents are dedicating an ever-greater fraction of their income to rent. And last week—as if to prove the point—the Rent Guidelines Board approved the highest rent increase for rent-stabilized apartments in years, allowing a 4.5 percent increase on one-year leases, an 8.5 percent increase on two-year leases, plus an unusual supplemental increase for longer-term residents. That's on top of the higher food and energy costs city residents already are grappling with.
City Limits: News for NYC's Nonprofit, Policy and Activist World
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From The International Graphics on Gentrification and Homelessness Website

2008-06-22T17:17:00.002-04:00

We Shall Not Be Moved
International Graphics on Gentrification and Homelessness
Why Are Apartments Expensive?

The West Side's own Operation Move In Poster is also cataloged here
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Hearing on Public Housing - June 18th!

2008-06-17T10:27:00.001-04:00

Thanks to GOLES for sharing this....

PUBLIC HOUSING
SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING
JUNE 18^TH!

CURRENTLY NYCHA FACES A DEFICT OF $195 MILLION...

A THIRD OF THIS DEFICIT ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENTS TO THE CITY

The Subcommittee on Public Housing
on
June 18, 2008, at 10:00 AM
in the

14th Floor Hearing Room, 250 Broadway
will conduct a hearing entitled,

“Oversight: NYCHA’s Payments to the City.”

IT IS A PUBLIC MEETING AND ANYONE CAN TESTIFY!

NYCHA PAYMENTS TO THE CITY

NYCHA Cannot Continue to Fund the City
—Waive/Renegotiate NYCHA

Payments!

$70 million annually to the NYC Police Department

$30 million annually to the NYC Department for the Aging

$23 million annually for PILOT payments in lieu of property taxes

Every city resident is entitled to police and aging services.

Why should NYCHA pay?

Budget $30 million annually to cover annual operating deficit in

City developments.

The city zero-out its payments to the city in 2003!

WHAT HAPPENS WITH DISINVESTMENT?

NYCHA staff are being laid off and positions not being filled.

Services will be cut, conditions may deteriorate.

Community Centers are closing for our SENIORS AND YOUTH!

Various fees are being raised including fees for repairs, utility cost

and EVEN RENTS!

Community Centers are closing

Section 8 voucher funds are to be used to cover the gap. (8,400)

Section 8 voucher waits longer, housing opportunities lost.

We've Lost A West Side Pioneer

2008-06-17T03:26:00.001-04:00

Karen Jorgensen with husband Ted Thomas at a 2006 Strycker's Bay Fundraisier

Ted Thomas, husband of Strycker's Bay President Karen Jorgensen, passed away Monday, June 16, 2008.

Ted was a "West Side pioneer" said Karen of her husband. Ted helped with a parent take over of PS 84 to fight for better education for children and was part of the long struggle to save, not only his building then owned by the City of New York, but to insure that low and moderate income housing was part of the overall development plan for the West Side Community.

Ted left his mark on the West Side. We will miss him.

Schomberg Tenants Association Honored

2008-06-16T15:10:00.001-04:00

Thnx 2007 087
Originally uploaded by Strycker's Bay.
On Thursday, May 15, 2008, Strycker's Bay Honored The Schomberg Tenants Association for their work in the area of saving affordable housing through the Mitchell-Lama program. In addition to a plaque the association was awarded a $300 grant from the proceeds of the annual Strycker's Bay Street Fair to support their tenant organizing efforts.

Free Financial Literacy Workshops

2008-06-13T05:02:00.001-04:00

Hope Community and Chase Bank Invite You to Attend Free Financial Literacy Workshops at Ortiz Wittenberg Residence Community Room, 171 East 109th Street (Bet. 3rd & Lex. Aves.)

Monday, June 23rd, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
All About Basic Banking
This Overview provides a basic introduction to the fundamentals of banking, including a discussion of checks, ATM’s and debit cards.

Monday, June 30th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Personal Financial Management
This presentation provides basic information on building assets and personal wealth through disciplined budgeting, saving, and investing.

Monday, July 7th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Women and investing
Information on key investment issues facing women, including longer life expectancies and a traditionally more conservative investment outlook.

Monday, July 14th, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Preventing and Combating Identity Theft
This overview provides information on preventing identity theft – and what to do if you fall victim to it.

Workshops are Free. Please RSVP with Brodie Enoch at Hope Community Inc. at 212-860-8821 ext. 143 or Benoch@hopeci.org.

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Former Manhattanville Holdout Sells to Columbia | Columbia Spectator

2008-06-13T04:25:00.001-04:00

Former Manhattanville Holdout Sells to Columbia
By Betsy Morais PUBLISHED JUNE 11, 2008

Hudson Moving & Storage, a company at 3229 Broadway owned by Anne Whitman, came to an agreement with University officials to hand over her property within the Manhattanville expansion footprint, Columbia announced Wednesday.The announcement comes after more than two years of arduous negotiations and numerous vocal cries of opposition from Whitman. Whitman agreed to give up her location between 129th and 130th Streets in exchange for a property to be newly constructed on Audubon Avenue in Washington Heights, near the Columbia University Medical Center.In a statement, the University explained that it would pay for the cost of building the new structure, and would move the old facade on Whitman’s existing storage facility to the face of the building at Audubon Ave.“We look at this as a win-win deal for both her and the University,” Columbia spokesperson Victoria Benitez said.No design plans for the new storage facility have been finalized, and until Hudson’s new home construction is complete, the company will be temporarily housed in a building on the east side of Broadway between 131st and 132nd Streets. Benitez said there is no date set yet for the move into this temporary location, and the University is still negotiating details of timing and cost with Whitman.As one of the final three holdouts keeping Columbia from complete control of its future Manhattanville campus site, Whitman had been loud and clear about her opposition to the University’s approach to expansion. During the city’s review process of Columbia’s plan, she spoke out on numerous occasions to demonstrate her frustration with the University and her determination to maintain a strong grasp on her property—which had been passed down through generations of her family.At one early rally against Columbia’s plan, she said, “It's so ugly to see raw, naked greed,” and added later, “It's not good faith negotiation, it's bullying.”Up until the agreement, she consistently stood alongside Tuck-It-Away Storage owner Nick Sprayregen—who has not yet struck a property agreement with Columbia—in railing against the University’s negotiation tactics. Sprayregen said he spoke with Whitman over the past few months about the negotiations process, and said that she “expressed extreme distress and extreme pressure” during these conversations.“I give credit to Anne for holding out as long as she has,” said Sprayregen, who owns the desired properties at 3261 Broadway, 614 W. 131st St., and 655 W. 125th St. But he added that, “Everyone has their breaking points, and this obviously was hers.”Still, according to Benitez, the property deal was struck with mutual contentment. Columbia’s statement explained that, as part of its Manhattanville campus, the University will “commemorate the building with plaques honoring the history of the building and Ms.Whitman's parents, Sheila Anne and Joseph Albert Zuhusky.”Anne Whitman could not be reached to discuss the agreement. Columbia spokespeople in the past have declined to go into detailed discussions about negotiations and have encouraged businesses to do the same.As Whitman stays silent, Columbia continues to move forward with expansion. Though two Manhattanville property owners—Sprayregen and the Singh family that runs the gas station on 129th Street—have yet to see eye to eye with the University, Columbia has vowed to pursue its vision as set forth in the plans approved by the city in December.The expansion’s architecture is being designed to fill out the 17 acres comprised mainly of four blocks from 129th to 133rd streets between Broadway and 12th Avenue, along with property on the north side of 125th Street and east of Broadway from 131st to 134th streets.Daniel Amzallag contributed to this article.
Former Manhattanville Holdout Sells to Columbia | Columbia Spectator
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We're Back !

2008-06-12T14:12:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the break in our blog posts. We're small and have no one in particular assigned to our pubic blog except our Executive Director Kelley who has been busy with our fund raiser, which by the way was wonderful, and other administrative and program planning duties.

But we are back and have lots From The Frontline to share. So please check in regularly, or sign up to receive notifications when we put up a new post.

Thanks for hanging in there!

Strycker's Bay

Grading NYC Public Schools

2008-04-21T13:31:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
6:30 to 8:30 pm

Please note that the street address was wrong in an earlier email invitation.
The correct address is: Hunter College of Social Work, CUNY
129 East 79th Street at Lexington Avenue

Pedro Noguera, NYU School of Education and
Co-Chair of the City Council’s Middle School Task Force
Diane Ravitch, Research Professor of Education at
NYU and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education
Esmeralda Simmons, Executive Director, Center for
Law and Social Justice, Medgar Evers College,
former member of the NYC Board of Education
Philip Vaccaro, Progress Report Project Manager,
New York City Department of Education
Moderated by Jennifer Medina,
Education Reporter, The New York Times

Open to the Public

Please RSVP to 212.227.0342 x43 or info@citizensunionfoundation.org
Civic Conversations foster public dialogue about important issues
facing the citizens of New York.

THE CENTER FOR NEW YORK CITY NEIGHBORHOODS ANNOUNCES SELECTION OF MICHAEL HICKEY AS FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

2008-04-06T06:10:00.001-04:00

The board of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods (CNYCN), in conjunction with the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the New York City Council, today announced the selection of Michael Hickey as the Center’s first Executive Director. Hickey’s appointment was approved by the CNYCN board on Wednesday. Since 1998, Hickey has served as Vice President of Community Development for Deutsche Bank, one of the top three investment banks in the world. The CNYCN is an independent, not-for profit entity that was founded by the City of New York, the New York City Council and non-profit partners to fund a major expansion and coordination of counseling and referral services, legal assistance, loan remediation, preventive outreach and education, training, research and advocacy around sub-prime lending and mortgage foreclosures. The initiative has a projected budget of $5.3 million in the first year and will seek to assist up to 18,000 New Yorkers annually. The number of foreclosure auctions in New York City in February 2008 accounted for the highest monthly count of foreclosure auctions in the past five years, with 371 foreclosure auctions citywide, demonstrating the need for the CNYCN’s work.
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Urban Policy Through Urban Fiction

2008-04-06T06:05:00.001-04:00

Fiction has its advantages over reality. Fiction, writes Mark Bowden in the Atlantic Monthly, "...frees you from the infuriating unfinishedness of the real world. For this reason, the very clarity of well-wrought fiction can sometimes make it feel more real than reality." David Simon, the producer and creator of the HBO series The Wire, has created this kind of larger-than-life fiction in this television show about the urban realities of the city of Baltimore. By delving into the gritty details of the city's characters, institutions, government, and culture, Simon paints what several have called a Dickensian portrait of the urban narratives of the city. Simon, by creating his own fictional urban vision, has illuminated many of the problems facing reality.

Throughout its five seasons, The Wire has explored a variety of urban issues, many through the lenses of the newsroom and the Baltimore police department. As Lawrence Lanahan writes in the Columbia Journalism Review, Simon has built a city, season by season, detail by detail. The first season focused on an investigation of a drug gang, and the second season added the criminal justice system and the Baltimore port. The third season included churches, the public health sector, and city hall, and by the fourth season Simon added nonprofits, the school system, and inner-city family life. The fifth season focuses on the tensions and conflicts within the Baltimore Sun. Although the show is set in Baltimore, Simon said that it's allegorical, meant to represent all of urban America and the journalism industry of the country.

With the construction of Simon's fictional-yet-real city came constructions of theories about journalism, and the role of journalism within the city. For Simon, the role of the journalist is to create a narrative of the complexity of the city, and not just effect change on a small sector of society. Lanahan writes, "It [results-driven investigative journalism] certainly improves the lives of some people, but reforms are often short-lived, the underlying patterns unyielding." Simon has criticized the newspaper industry for writing "results-driven" journalism that follows a simplistic archetypal plot -- good guys, bad guys, a problem, and a possible reform. The real world, he says, is more complex because of the various sociological and historical factors that have created the problems of the cities that we live in today.

One example, writes Lanahan, was a 1994 story in the Baltimore Sun -- Simon's former employer -- about an alcoholic who got Social Security checks for "chronic alcoholism."

"The article noted that Social Security was doling out over $1 billion a year to 200,000 addicts and alcoholics, and it was published during the push for reform that eventually spurred President Clinton to 'end welfare as we know it' in 1996 with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act... 'A lot of people were getting SSI [Supplemental Security Income] checks and maybe weren’t truly disabled,' he said. 'That’s a nice, tasty little thing you can bite off and win a prize with.'”

The prize that Simon mentions is the Pulitzer, which he views as an incentive for reporters to practice narrow-minded, reform-oriented journalism while ignoring the larger, often urban, realities of public policy and history. Lanahan continues,

"Social Security eventually proposed a $300 million plan to purge the Supplemental Security Income rolls of those using their checks, as the Sun put it in a follow-up article, to “drink and drug themselves to death at taxpayers’ expense.” That article did note the irony that the plan’s funding could have bought a year of residential treatment for 15,000 addicts. But Simon still felt it lacked enough context of mid-1990s welfare reform. He pointed out that as state social workers watched traditional welfare being pared down in those days, they began deliberately pushing welfare recipients onto the disability rolls out of concern for their…well, their welfare. Simon said that without an SSI check, many people would have been starving, disability or not. He wanted to see the Sun address the wider context of welfare reform, to capture how it was “landing in the street,” to show who was falling between the cracks as the safety net was redesigned. The Sun, Simon believed, had written a simplistic story: “Nobody’s minding the store at SSI.”'

Simon said, according to Lanahan, “One story is small, self-contained, and has good guys and bad guys...The other one is about where we are and where we’re going as an urban society and who’s being left behind, and it’s harder to report.” In a lecture at the Columbia School of Journalism, Simon discussed how the "who, what, when, where and how" are easy and said that the "why" question was what was "epic." Throughout The Wire, Simon grapples with this "why" question.

Although much of The Wire is a critique of journalism, Simon's criticism certainly applies to public policy as well. In public policy, "why" is also the epic question, the question that allows public officials and policy experts to, like Simon, tell the story that encompasses not only a slice of a problem, but the larger reality. And largely, these large-scale problems of cities have been ignored on a national scale. On MayorTV, a project of DMI and The Nation that interviewed mayors across the country, many of the mayors interviewed lamented the fact that cities, and the overarching issues of the urban agenda, have been largely ignored by the presidential candidates this election season. Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was one of these mayors. “Poverty, work and opportunity, bolstering the middle class and working families, the investments that need to be made with respect to housing, infrastructure," he said in this video interview. "It is absolutely criminal that the federal government has failed to address these issues.”

Like Simon, DMI believes that in an approach to public policy that examines the problem at large, and doesn't just work for individual patchwork fixes.This May 20, at the 2008 Annual Benefit, DMI will be awarding Simon its annual Drum Major for Justice Award "for deftly exploring the realities of America's neglected cities." The Benefit will be held at Cipriani 23rd Street in New York City. Click here for more information on the Benefit or to purchase tickets.

* For more on why the 1996 welfare reform was destructive to poor people working their way out of poverty check out the following pieces:

"The Squeeze is On" from the Village Voice

"Poor Students, Fast Learners," from the Village Voice

DMI Fellow's Maureen Lane's work on welfare
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Dr. King's Fair Housing Dream Deferred

2008-04-06T05:59:00.001-04:00

While the housing market works through this difficult period, my Administration remains steadfast in its commitment to help responsible homeowners, to end discrimination, and to work to ensure that all citizens have access to housing. During National Fair Housing Month, we acknowledge our responsibility to ensure that all Americans enjoy the opportunities that this great land of liberty offers.
-President George W. Bush April 1, 2008

On January 26, 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King and his wife Coretta Scott King rented a decrepit apartment in the West Side of Chicago to spotlight the city’s deplorable segregated housing conditions. By calling for a commitment to “End the Slums” King keenly understood that education, jobs and other important services were contingent upon equal opportunity in the housing market.

But despite extracting modest commitments in August of that year from the Chicago Real Estate Board of more open housing laws in exchange for an end to the demonstrations, he fell well short of ending housing discrimination in the windy city. He did, however, outline in his agreement with the city a housing plan that spoke to racial integration and economic empowerment.

According to news reports at the time, Dr. King wanted to have 11 Chicago slum buildings converted into “poor people’s condominiums,” which would be partially financed by public aid and locally managed by tenant unions. Dr. King hoped, if the program was widely embraced, poverty-stricken families nationwide could have a shot at achieving the dream of homeownership and all the promise associated with it. With one in seven people living in poverty in 1967, King sought to make economic justice a core civil rights issue.

Some of those ideas were later incorporated into the Poor People’s Campaign, Dr. King’s effort to construct a racially diverse coalition of the nation’s poor. But his efforts were short-lived.

Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee April 4, 1968.

After his death Congress moved swiftly to pass Fair Housing Act of 1968, which banned housing discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, color, religion, sex, and national origin. At the time it must have seem as if the King’s vision for fair housing and economic justice had new energy, but progress has been mixed ever since.

While its is true that homeownership has increased since across the board since 1968, stark disparities still do exist. In 2005, for example, the rate for homeownership for whites was 72 percent compared to 49 and 48 percent for Latinos and African Americans. Racial disparities in home values also exist. According to 2000 census data, the median home value for whites was $123,400, whereas it was $105,600 and $80,000 for Latinos and African Americans.

With homeownership being the cornerstone of household wealth, these gaps will surely become more pronounced with the continuation of undeterred housing discrimination. Consider the foreclosure crisis spurred by sub prime lending.

Recent federal data shows “54 percent of African-Americans and 47 percent of Hispanics received high cost mortgages in 2006 [while] only 18 percent of non-Hispanic whites received high cost mortgages,” despite the fact that many people color had the same credit profile as whites.

Subprime mortgages are higher coast loans that are supposed to be available to those with sub par credit histories. But a study of more than $2.5 trillion in subprime mortgage loans since 2000 found that by the end of 2006, 61 percent of the borrowers had scores high enough to qualify for loan products with far more favorable terms.

This past week, the U.S. Senate had a chance to offer a lifeline to many of these same borrowers. But instead it passed a watered down bipartisan bill that scrapped a key provision that would have allowed bankruptcy judges to reduce mortgage rates and the principal for homeowners overwhelmed by high interest rates.

Meanwhile, the same governmental body charged with holding unscrupulous mortgage lenders accountable, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, has also woefully under performed in meeting the housing needs of internally displaced persons in the wake Hurricane Katrina.

Former HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson will undoubtedly come under heightened public scrutiny for his involvement in unfairly awarding government contracts, and deservedly so. But Jackson made other questionable decisions that merit close examination such as approving the diversion of $600 million dollars in housing funds to a port improvement project in Mississippi instead of providing affordable housing for those displaced by the storm. Since the storm the homeless population in New Orleans has doubled to 12,000 even as rent prices climb to $1,100 or more.

Under his leadership, Jackson also approved the spending of $762 million in demolition funds for public housing apartments costing in New Orleans, some of which was still intact, despite rebuilding only a third of the homes in its place.

All of which amounts to a far cry from not simply HUD’s mission of providing affordable housing and promoting economic development, but Dr. King’s too.

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MoveSmart.org — Technology for an Integrated Chicagoland

2008-04-02T21:31:00.003-04:00

About MoveSmart.org

Until now, information on neighborhoods has been buried in the back of academic reports, pinned to community center bulletin boards, and locked in data sets only available to planners, inaccessible to those who would benefit from it the most: housing seekers looking for a better neighborhood. MoveSmart.org will leverage the power of this information by combining these and other data sources into a single mapping engine built into a full-featured site that includes guides, tools, calculators, forums, and social networks, all designed to foster racial and economic integration.

Previous integration initiatives have proven costly and focused on families receiving public aid. Housing seekers with unlimited funds have always had the luxury of living where they choose. But for millions of families who have limited resources, finding the right neighborhood is difficult. MoveSmart.org will educate housing seekers about the benefits of integrative moves while at the same time providing suggestions on where to move, guides on how to move, and information on how to get involved in their new neighborhoods, inspiring pride in a new community and putting them on a path to true integration.

MoveSmart.org — Technology for an Integrated Chicagoland

Editors Note: Interesting initiative to promote racial and economic integration of communities -- I am interested to see if the data provided on communities will encourage integration or help people stay clear of it? I plan to monitor its progress.
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Ask Your Lawmaker | You Ask. We Report.

2008-04-02T21:19:00.003-04:00

Ask Your Lawmaker | You Ask. We Report.
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Top US Housing Official Resigns

2008-03-31T22:31:00.001-04:00

Reporting for The New York Times, Rachel L. Swarns says, "Housing Secretary Alphonso R. Jackson resigned on Monday, saying that he needed to devote more time to his family. The announcement came as federal authorities were investigating whether he had given lucrative housing contracts in the Virgin Islands and New Orleans to friends."
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Yes...Strycker's Bay Is a Real Place on the West Side

2008-03-31T08:46:00.002-04:00
Well at least is was....here are the maps to prove it....

By the way we have been researching the history of Strycker's Bay in preparation of our 50th Anniversary next year and have gathered some information...if anyone has any additional information on the settlers of the Strycker's Bay area...won't you please share?

Thanks

Homelessness Increases

2008-03-31T08:14:00.001-04:00

Reports -- Gotham Gazette
Increase in Homelessness03/31/08More than 9,000 homeless families went to shelters each night in 2007, making it the worst year for family homelessness in recent history, according to the 2007 State of the Homeless Report by the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group. The report also found that 102,187 different New Yorkers slept in homeless shelters at some point during fiscal years 2007, a 5.8 increase from the previous year and a 23.4 percent increase since FY 2002. The group blamed rising housing costs, the worsening economy and some city policies for the increase.
"

Columbia Sued from the Columbia Spectator

2008-03-27T07:18:00.002-04:00

CU, City Sued Over M'ville "Bathtub" Plan
By Betsy Morais PUBLISHED MARCH 27, 2008

Nick Sprayregen, the largest private property owner in Columbia’s Manhattanville campus footprint, is picking another battle with the University—he filed a lawsuit today against Columbia and the city over the University’s planned underground construction.The “bathtub,” as it is commonly called, is designed to be a contiguous space, running from 125th Street to 133rd Street and from Broadway to 12th Avenue, that extends seven stories below ground level. If built, it will house a swimming and diving center, business school programs, scientific research laboratories, storage facilities, and a below-grade MTA bus depot.
CU, City Sued Over M'ville "Bathtub" Plan | Columbia Spectator
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Bloomberg Signs Tenant Protection Act

2008-03-25T20:26:00.005-04:00

View Original Article From the Columbia Spectator
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Manhattanville History: From Dairy Factories to University Expansion Zone

2008-03-25T20:26:00.001-04:00

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IRS Announces Economic Stimulus Payment Schedules, Provides Online Payment Calculator

2008-03-25T20:11:00.001-04:00

Stimulus payments will start May 2, 2008. The initial round of weekly payments will be completed by early July. ...
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The Sheltering Storm: Uncertainty On Section 8

2008-03-25T19:41:00.002-04:00

Elected officials and activists are working to address the potential for displacement caused by missing billions from HUD.
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Upper West Side -- Amsterdam Avenue Circa 1960

2008-03-16T20:56:00.001-04:00

103 amst 154 west
Originally uploaded by Strycker's Bay.
Photo of Amsterdam Avenue near 103rd Street where New York City Housing Authority Public Housing (Fredrick Douglass Houses) now sits.

An Eviction -- Circa 1920

2008-03-16T20:45:00.003-04:00

In Housing News 03/17/2008

2008-03-16T20:41:00.002-04:00

Rome Apartment Complex Residents Spared Eviction - NewsChannel 9 WSYR
Tenants Gain Right to Sue Landlords for Harassment - City Room - Metro - New York Times Blog
Paterson Could Derail Development - March 14, 2008 - The New York Sun
Second bidder emerges for Starrett City - Crain's New York Business
cbs3.com - I-Team: Philadelphia Housing Authority
Living in Woodside, Queens - Housing - Cheap, Convenient and Teeming - New York Times

The Doris Rosenblum Leadership Awards -- May 15, 2008

2008-03-16T19:55:00.004-04:00

Named after Doris Rosenblum, a long time Upper West Side community activist and Board Member of Strycker’s Bay Neighborhood Council, each year The Youth Leadership Awards will honor young people that have demonstrated commitment and leadership in the areas of youth development and education.

Doris was a mentor to many. As an advocate for public education and leader of many school and parent associations, Doris help lead a movement for smaller schools and greater community control of public education. Among her many accomplishes, Doris worked to establish the first alternative high school on the Upper West Side -- West Side High School. Several Strycker’s Bay staff, including the Executive Director and Youth Program Director, are alumni of the school. Her impact on the lives of young people has been great and helped develop some of today’s West Side leaders.
Yvette, Alyssia and Jason.
This Year's Recipients of the Doris Rosenblum Leadership Award

The awards will be presented by Lucy Friedman, executive director of The After School Corporation (TASC) at Strycker's Bay's annual fundraising event on Thursday, May 15, 2008, at Pudding Stones West Restaurant and Wine Bar on West 91^st Street and Amsterdam Avenue.

For more information, please contact the Strycker’s Bay office @ 212-874-7272 or infor@stryckersbay.org

Harlem Unites!

2008-03-11T05:00:00.002-04:00

HARLEM TENANTS COUNCIL

TOWNHALL MEETING

Gentrification Tasmanian Hits Harlem With a Bang:

Get on the Unity Boat to Save Harlem!

Saturday, March 15, 2008 (1 PM to 4 PM)

Harriet Tubman School (Auditorium)

250 West 127^th Street

(Between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass Blvds)

Opening Session: A Demand for Action from Elected Officials
Invited: New York City Council Members Inez Dickens, Robert Jackson and Melissa Mark Viverto; State Assemblyman Keith Wright, State Senator Bill Perkins, Congressman Charles Rangel and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
Tenant Education & Empowerment: Review of Legislation & Public Policies
:
Presenter: Joe Lamport, Citywide Task Force on Housing Court

Campaign for Civil Right to Counsel in New York State: the right of counsel in civil legal matters related to human rights including the right of counsel in Housing Court.

New York City Council proposed legislation to provide counsel for low income senior citizens in Housing Court.

Ethics of Housing Court Judges: Learn how you can report the details of your housing court experience that can have an impact on the reappointment of Housing Court judges in 2008.

Reports to the Community:

Racketeering Lawsuit Against Pinnacle (Attorney Kim Powell, BRUSH (Buyers and Renters United to Save Harlem)

Abyssinian Development Corp: One of Harlem's Worst Landlords?

Organizing Against Vantage Properties

Legal Action to Oppose Rezoning of 125^th Street

Unity Statement
: Toward Building a United Tenant Coalition of Greater Harlem & Washington Heights.
For additional information contact the Harlem Tenants Council at 212-234-5005 or 646-812-5188. Email:Harlemtenants@gmail.com .

In Housing News 02/29/2008

2008-02-28T19:41:00.002-05:00

Court Rules Tenants Can't Waive Their Protections (Gotham Gazette, February 2008)

The Indypendent » Victory for Tenants as Harassment Bill Passes

Columbia and the Affordable Housing Crisis | Columbia Spectator

Habitat for Humanity Pairs Up With Hedge Funds - February 21, 2008 - The New York Sun

Luxury Units Set To Rise Where Horses Once Trotted - February 28, 2008 - The New York Sun

Manhattan Borough President Joins Eastside Congregations for Housing Justice -- March 12

2008-02-28T09:54:00.003-05:00

Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing
March 12, 2008

Lenox Hill Neighborhood House (Auditorium)

331 East 70th Street

Between 1st and 2nd Avenue

6:30 - 8:00pm
Borough President Stringer will be addressing the issues of affordable housing in New York and the work that he has done with Picture the Homeless in surveying vacant properties and buildings in Manhattan. An excellent article from the Gotham Gazette that analyzes the vacancy issue: follow link. This is a good article to read in preparation for the Borough President’s presentation.

See you on March 12th at 6:30 p.m.!

In Housing News 02/28/2008

2008-02-27T19:42:00.002-05:00

109th Street Buildings Go On Market | Columbia Spectator

Job Seekers » Department of Civil Service

2008-02-26T13:01:00.002-05:00

Employment Opporunities

with

The State of New York

...and that's how street names are born...

2008-02-26T05:46:00.005-05:00
The 1910 naming of Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.

In Housing News 02/25/2008

2008-02-24T19:41:00.004-05:00

Willets Point II: City Commits to Some Affordable Housing; Monserrate Wants More | The New York Observer
Hip-hop may save Bronx homes - Los Angeles Times
Connecticut - Confronting a Wave of Foreclosures - New Haven County - New York Times

Action to Preserve Affordable Housing

2008-02-24T10:01:00.001-05:00
There are some positive developments on the preservation of affordable housing in the city:

1. City Comptroller Bill Thompson and the PIE Campaign* will hold a press conference

====> SAVE THE DATE! THURSDAY, FEB. 28 at NOON (place to be announced) <=====

on no longer investing the city's pension fund in predatory deals. We expect he will announce that when major private equity groups (in which the pension funds are invested) choose to buy affordable buildings at prices that cannot be supported by the tenants' actual rents, the City will exercise its privilege of opting out of those deals.

This is a terrific step. It means that city workers' pensions will not be used to oust city workers (and others) from their homes.

2. The City Council's Housing & Buildings committee, chaired by Erik Martin Dilan is meeting this coming
=> Wednesday, February 27, 10:00 AM
=> Committee Room - City Hall

to talk about Proposed Int 627-A - A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the City of New York in relation to the duty of an owner to refrain from harassment of tenants and remedies for the breach of such duty.

Thanks to Sue Susman for sharing this

In Housing News 02/24/2008

2008-02-23T19:41:00.002-05:00

The Indypendent » Redeveloping 125th Street is Not a New Idea… — A Timeline

Fighting for Harlem -- From The Indypendent

2008-02-23T04:53:00.003-05:00

The Indypendent » Issue

In Housing News 02/23/2008

2008-02-22T19:42:00.002-05:00

I.P.N. tenants work to file 1,300 documents in rent suit

In Housing News 02/21/2008

2008-02-20T19:41:00.004-05:00

EarnMore Career Advancement Program
Bloomberg Threatens To Foreclose on Properties - February 20, 2008 - The New York Sun
Community Based Planning

Community Board #7 Full Board Vote on Street Naming

2008-02-20T05:36:00.002-05:00

SAVE THE DATE!

CB 7 FULL BOARD MEETING

March 4th, 2008

7 PM

Congregation Rodeph Sholom

7 West 83^rd Street (CPW)

FULL BOARD VOTE

On

SECONDARY STREET RENAMINGS FOR

JIM GARST

DORIS ROSENBLUM

BOB WOOLIS

The Mitchell-Lama Residents Coalition and Council member Gale A. Brewer have requested that three streets in Community Board 7 be renamed in honor of Jim Garst, Doris Rosenblum, and Bob Woolis, longtime residents of CB 7 and activists for the preservation of Mitchell-Lama housing in rentals and cooperatives and social justice.

We are asking that as many admirers of Bob, Jim and Doris’ work come and speak in favor of the secondary street renamings at the FULL BOARD MEETING

· the southwest side of West 94^th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues James Garst Way

· the southeast side of West 94^th Street between Columbus and Central Park West Doris Rosenblum Way

· the northeast side of West 95^th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West Robert Woolis Way

Stop Columbia University expansion plan into West Harlem - Commentary

2008-02-20T05:26:00.000-05:00
Stop Columbia University expansion plan into West Harlem - Commentary

History of Housing In Manhattan

2008-02-20T04:57:00.002-05:00

Housing Manhattan
History and Current Affairs

At The
NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Moderated By City Council Member Gale Brewer

Explore the history of housing in Manhattan along with a discussion of the leading issues of the day including affordable housing and the rent stabilization law. How did slum housing become profitable? When and why would judges relieve a tenant from paying rent? Why was the prime characteristic of the 19th-century housing market mobility and turnover, in contrast to the market today? How did New Yorkers come to regard tenants as having rights and landlords as having obligations? What is the future of housing in New York City?

Speakers include: Elizabeth Blackmar is author of Manhattan for Rent, 1785-1850 and a Professor of History at Columbia University. Adriene Holder is Attorney-in-Charge, Civil Practice, The Legal-Aid Society. Laurie Lau is a Housing Court Judge with the Civil Court of the City of New York. Jack Freund is Director of Research for the Rent Stabilization Association. Scott M. Stringer is Manhattan Borough President.

Buy Tickets Event Details Time & Location Date: 02/26/2008 06:30 PM Pricing Full Price Ticket (Non-Members): $15.00 Member Cost: $8.00 Student/Senior/Educator Cost: $10.00

For more information on programs: Please call the N-YHS Public Programs Department at 212-485-9205 or goto the New York Historical Society website.

Euclid Hall 86th Street and Broadway

2008-02-20T04:49:00.000-05:00

Housing News

2008-02-17T06:12:00.002-05:00

Housing Links and Resources

2008-02-15T05:44:00.002-05:00

Generation Change - Internships, Fellowships and Training

2008-02-14T11:39:00.002-05:00

From The Columbia Spectator

2008-02-14T05:11:00.002-05:00

According to the article "Divisions Over Expansion Intensify Among Manhattanville Groups" By Daniel Amzallag, Harlem groups are still divided over the Columbia University expansion despite plan inevitability.

Free Tax Assistance Available

2008-02-13T14:15:00.004-05:00

Community Tax Aid is offering free tax preparation to individuals with incomes up to $25,000 and families with incomes up to $40,000 who have income from interest, dividends and capital gains of less that $2,900. Tax assistance is provided by volunteers trained in tax preparation, including CPAs and attorneys. Locations in Manhattan include:

Union Settlement House, 237 East 104th Street
Saturdays from 10AM-4PM from February 16th to April 12th

Housing Conservation Coordinators, 777 Tenth Avenue @ E. 53rd Street
Wednesdays from 6:00-8:30PM from February 13th to April 9th except March 12th

Hudson Guild 119 Ninth Avenue @ W. 18th Street
Thursdays from 6:00 to 8:00PM from February 14th to April 10th except March 13th

Goddard-Riverside Community Center, 647 Columbus Ave @ W. 91st Street
Tuesdays 6:00 8:30PM from February 12th to April 15th except March 11th

By Appointment only – call 212-799-9400 for an appointment
For more information call 212-613-3101 or visit http://communities.msn.com/ctanyc

From the Frontline

Internship Opportunity At Stryckers Bay

Vote for Strycker's Bay for the Tech Soup Awards

Strycker's Wins Grassroots Community Planning Award

NYC Current of Housing Lotteries

Eviction Prevention Hotline Launched

We wish to welcome Gerry Peralta and Natalie Roman to Strycker's Bay.They are two housing interns from Hunter College that start with ustoday! They will assist with launching our Eviction Prevention Hotlineand Affordable Housing Counseling Call-In Center! Call 212-874-7272 From 10-5 M-F

Stryckers Bay Executive Director Nominated For Award

The Municipal Art Society of New York's Yolanda Garcia Community Planning Award has nominated Stryckers Bay's Kelley Williams for it's prestigious honor.

Support Affordable Housing at Art Show

Judge Orders Arrest Of Bronx Landlord

Internship Positions Available At Stryckers'

Strycker's Bay helping to spread the word about Pinnacle Tenants Class Action Suit Forum

Current Apartment Rental Lottery Opportunities

NYC Job Fair on May 18th

Future of Manhattan Valley: Follow-Up Presentation

East Harlem Employment Opportunities.

The Underground Arts Collective Show Date Set

Pratt Institute Graduate Students Present: A VIEW OF MANHATTAN VALLEY

Strycker's Bay saves woman from homelessness

At risk of being evicted?

Gale Brewer Honors Strycker's Bay

Rebuilding Together rehabilitates the Strycker's Bay offices

Vote for Strycker's Bay!!!

Heat and Hot Water

$200 Grants Being Given To New Yorkers Getting Food Stamps » Frum Jewish News

Working Families » The Rental Hell Video Contest

The Unveiling of Doris Rosenblum Way

New York Is Our Home!

Assembly Member O'Donnell hosts ......

William A. Price, Journalist Who Defied Senate Panel, Dies at 94 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

Doris Rosenblum Street Naming Ceremony

Meet Our Counselors!!

Tenants facing rent de-regulation win reprieve - Crain's New York Business

HPD BOSS LEAVES; CITY POLICY AT CROSSROADS

Broadway (West 99th Street - West 100th Street) - 1933

NYCHA Propels New Development Process- City Limits: News for NYC's Nonprofit, Policy and Activist World

Assemlyman O'Donnel and Strycker's Bay -- Info Session for Seniors and Caregivers

Housing Authority to Switch 8,400 Apartments to U.S. Voucher Program - NYTimes.com

Resources for Consumers FROM NEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVOCACY PROJECT

ONE NEW YORK: FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS

Columbus Avenue - West 82nd Street Endicott Pharmacy

NYCHA Job Fair

Section 8 Voucher Holders Can Now Rent a NYCHA Apartment

From Sate Senator Liz Krueger's Community Bulletin

City Reaches Deal on Shelter for Homeless - NYTimes.com

Rent Guidelines Board Faces Lawsuit Over Rent Hikes - September 17, 2008 - The New York Sun

Concerned Renters -- December 4th Affordable Housing Meeting

An Introduction to NYPIRG Fuel Buyers Group - Monday Sept. 22

Dehostos NYCHA -- 201 West 93rd Street -- Under Contruction

We're Back!

Historic Districts Council Newsstand

Want to Reduce Poverty? Expand Education Access. | DMI Blog

MDRC - Fast Fact: How Much Is a College Degree Worth?

NYers take second jobs to make ends meet: poll - Crain's New York Business

Strycker's Bay Will Be Closed For a Week In August

PAYING TODAY'S RENT LEAVES LITTLE TO SPARE

From The International Graphics on Gentrification and Homelessness Website

Hearing on Public Housing - June 18th!

We've Lost A West Side Pioneer

Schomberg Tenants Association Honored

Free Financial Literacy Workshops

Former Manhattanville Holdout Sells to Columbia | Columbia Spectator

We're Back !

Grading NYC Public Schools

THE CENTER FOR NEW YORK CITY NEIGHBORHOODS ANNOUNCES SELECTION OF MICHAEL HICKEY AS FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Urban Policy Through Urban Fiction

Dr. King's Fair Housing Dream Deferred

MoveSmart.org — Technology for an Integrated Chicagoland

About MoveSmart.org

Ask Your Lawmaker | You Ask. We Report.

Top US Housing Official Resigns

Yes...Strycker's Bay Is a Real Place on the West Side

Homelessness Increases

Columbia Sued from the Columbia Spectator

Bloomberg Signs Tenant Protection Act

Manhattanville History: From Dairy Factories to University Expansion Zone

IRS Announces Economic Stimulus Payment Schedules, Provides Online Payment Calculator

The Sheltering Storm: Uncertainty On Section 8

Upper West Side -- Amsterdam Avenue Circa 1960

We wish to welcome Gerry Peralta and Natalie Roman to Strycker's Bay.
They are two housing interns from Hunter College that start with us
today! They will assist with launching our Eviction Prevention Hotline
and Affordable Housing Counseling Call-In Center! Call 212-874-7272 From 10-5 M-F