H O S A Y S S A V I N G S A C C O U N T S S T O P P O V E R T Y ?

N O N P R O F I T S ' C A M P A I G N C A S H C O N U N D R U N
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EDITORIAL
SUPPORTING THE STORYTELLERS
FORGIVE YOUR EDITOR, Alyssa Katz. She let her
boss heist this column to say goodbye. It's a rare
opportunity for an executive director to say a
few parting words in print. I figured the best
thing I could do is explain what I thought this
magazine could be here in New York-and
how journalism, despite its tendency to make a
complicated world too simple, is still among
the very best weapons we have to help people.
Those who aim to change things should be sup-
porting this work, not shrinking away from it.
When I joined the staff of City Limits as a
young journalist 10 years ago, I simply wanted
to cover cities. I didn't have much of an under-
standing of what that meant. It turned out that
reporting on New York, of all cities, was like
covering a small nation. There was a strong
ruler, certainly, but to get anything done there
were fiefdoms, inside government and our, run
by leaders as determined as any warlord. Yet,
when we talked back then about fixing the
city's own slumlord housing, or forcing more
banks to open in poor neighborhoods, or deal-
ing with the dangerously chaotic child welfare
agency, we rarely assigned blame to individu-
als. Instead, we, the crusaders, were always
talking about "the system." I, of course, was
happily complicit. To this day, this magazine-
for better and worse--offers some of the very
best government systems analysis in the city.
Bur the fact is, it is individuals, and small net-
works of people, who are responsible for build-
ing our neighborhoods and tearing them down.
When I was promoted to executive director six
years ago, City Limits and our new think tank,
the Center for an Urban Future, were still tiny,
and our new mission huge: to take on this city
and change New York for the better.
We had one big thing going for us: journal-
ists. Reporters work cheap, research voracious-
ly and write tight. And in a city where many
people were eager to talk generically of better
neighborhood "outcomes," we asked: Who did
that? What happened exactly? Where does the
responsibility lie? Why do you think this is
going to work? We knew public policy wasn't a
science. It was a daily struggle between com-
peting individuals convinced their ideas and
actions would help make a difference.
Reporters understand that people are right
Cover photo by Angela Jimenez. Beauty contestants, town fair, Reading, Pennsylvania.
sometimes and sometimes wrong. Analyzing
why efforts worked, and when and how they
went wrong, was a service we could bring,
helping people see their own work differently.
Until the very end, I had to go all out to
convince some people that the occasionally
scathing efforts of City Limits reporters were
helping their cause. I understood why the mag-
azine made a few people uncomfortable-who
likes to be criticized in public? And certainly,
the magazine maintained an uncompromising
watch on poor neighborhoods at a time when
many civic leaders wanted to move on.
Bur whatever the reasons, the work my staff
and I have done here has proven, over and over
again, that journalism is one of the most power-
ful tools we have. I would leave those who seek
"social change" or "greater accountability" from
"the system" the following thought: Reform is
the work of people. People are inspired by sto-
ries. Support the work of storytellers.
~ L _____ --
.....
-Kim Nauer
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CONTENTS
u ~
15 MAKING RENT
While Washington attacks vouchers aiding poor
tenants, New York City is launching an ambitious-
and expensive-new housing subsidy of its own.
By Cassi Feldman
18 ADIOS, NUEVA YORK
In recent years, New York City has lost 1
in 10 of its Puerto Ricans. Where are they going?
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, just ask the
customers at the local C-lown.
By Debbie Nathan
24 THE MATCH GAME
Individual Development Accounts were the hot
antipoverty idea of the 1990s, and tens of thousands
of striving Americans now watch their money get
matched and grow. Does it matter that most of them
weren't poor to begin with?
By Mark Winston Griffith
5 FRO NTLI N ES: 203(K) TOGETHERNESS ... TENANTS NIX WASH HEIGHTS FIX ... CITY COUNCIL
DEMANDS GREEN GOVERNMENT ... DIARY OF THE KID WHO WASN'T LEFT BACK ... STEALING
ELECTIONS: NON PROFITS LOSE LOOT . SUBVERTING AUTHORITIES ON THE FAR WEST
SIDE . WILL GAY EMPLOYEES GET BENEFITS?
10 THE GREEN LADY
New York finally joins the ranks of states issuing tax breaks
for brownfield development It's also giving away more money than
any other-potentially hundreds of millions a year. First in
line: The New York Times.
By Elizabeth Cady Brown
IGENCE
29 THE BIG IDEA: JOBS 2004
No more excuses: Black male unemployment is here to stay, unless
New York mobilizes a crisis response. Here are some places to start.
By David Jason Fischer
31 CITY LIT
Predatory Bender: American in the Aughts: A Story of Subprime
Finance, by Matthew Lee. Reviewed by Matt Pacenza
2 EDITORIAL
37 JOB ADS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
41 PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
50 OFFICE OF THE CITY VISIONARY
3
LETTERS
MORE WAYS
TO ENCOURAGE HEALTHY EATING
Tracie McMillan's July/August article about the
food justice movement ["The Action Dier"] was
an excellent overview of programs that are
working to ensure that kids are developing life-
long habits for healthy eating. As the article
highlights, hunger and obesity often coexist in
these communities because both of these condi-
tions are largely the result of poverty, which lim-
its access to nutritious food on a regular basis.
As the city's primary provider of food to
soup kitchens and food pantries that feed those
in need, Food Bank For New York City is
working hard not only to make sure that the
city's most vulnerable residents receive whole-
some meals bur that they are equipped to make
wise decisions about their diets.
One way that we are doing this is through
Kids Cafes. In fact, the Door, a program men-
tioned in your article about "B* Healthy," is
one of our Kids Cafe programs. Programs like
these provide nutritious meals to nearly 1,000
children each month. Since last summer, we
have grown the program from three sites to 14.
The program is part of a nationwide nutrition
education nerwork supported by America's
Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger-
relief organization.
Many of the children served by Kids Cafes
don't have access to a variety of fresh produce
that most of us take for granted. In addition to
receiving wholesome foods at mealtime, the
children in Kids Cafes participate in fun and
interactive lessons about nutrition. In order to
positively reinforce the nutrition curriculum at
home and encourage children and their families
to increase fruits and vegetables in their diets,
the Food Bank has also established a "Kids
Cafe-To-Go" initiative, which provides partici-
pants with food pantry bags featuring a variety
of fresh produce free of charge every week.
Over the past couple of months we've initi-
ated partnerships with the Fulton Fish Market
and the produce and meat markets in Hunts
Point to bolster our ability to distribute more
fresh food to all community food programs.
Since February of this year, generous corporate
partners at the Fish Market have donated in
excess of 30,000 pounds of fish, providing
thousands of lean, protein-packed meals to
the community.
It is only through broad-based partnerships
such as these--combined with the support of
corporations, government and individuals-
that we will begin to positively transform the
eating habits of countless New Yorkers on lim-
ited budgets.
Margarette Purvis
Vice President of Agency Programs
and Services
Food Bank For New York City
SUPPORTING LIFE AFTER PRISON
As the director of Hour Children, a nonprofit
charity providing five residential programs for
incarcerated mothers and their children, the
article on Fortune Academy ["Return Address,"
June] was of particular interest to me. Its work
deserves great praise, and replication, but it is
not, as your headline says, one of a kind. Yes,
there are far too few state and city resources,
and these would be wisely channeled into pro-
viding additional programs. For women exiting
the criminal justice system, there are few choic-
es, and homelessness is inevitable without sup-
port services. Add children to the mix and the
choices are almost nonexistent.
Copies of the article should be sent to every
city and state politician. What appears so
"common sense" about breaking cycles of
incarceration seemingly escapes the fiscal deci-
sion-makers of the systems that bind us.
Keep up your important perspectives.
Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, CSJ
Executive Director, Hour Children
www.citylimits.org
4
CITY LIMITS
Volume XXIX Number 8
City Limits is published ten times per year, monthly except bi-
monthly issues in July/August and September/October, by City
Futures, Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to disseminating
information concerning neighborhood revitalization.
Associate Publisher: Susan Harris sharris@citylimits.org
Acting Publisher, Editor: Alyssa Katz alyssa@citylimits.org
Managing Editor: Tracie McMillan mcmillan@citylimits.org
Senior Editor: Cassi Feldman cassi@citylimits.org
Senior Editor: Debbie Nathan debbie@citylimits.org
Senior Editor: Xiaoqing Rong xrong@citylimits.org
Art Director: Carrie McLaren production@citylimits.org
Copy Editor: Ethan Hauser ethan@citylimits.org
Reporting Fellow: Elizabeth Cady Brown elizabeth@citylimits.org
Contributing Editors: Neil F. Carlson, Wendy Davis, Nora
McCarthy, Robert Neuwirth, Hilary Russ,
KaiWright
Design Direction: Hope Forstenzer
Photographers: Angela Jimenez, Margaret Keady
Contributing Photo Editor: Joshua Zuckerman
Contributing Illustration Editor: Noah Scalin/ALR Design
Interns: Abby Aguirre, James Connolly, Shreema Mehta,
Neela Sakaria
Proofreaders: Julie Bolcer, Kate Drennan, Hope Ewing, Jeff
Kaufman, Kathy Maloney, Joanna Sabatini
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Research Director: Jonathan Bowles jbowles@nycfuture.org
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Research Associate: Tara Colton tcolton@nycfuture.org
Intern: Suman Saran
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
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Ira Rubenstein, Vice Chair
Karen Trella, Secretary
David Lebenstein, Treasurer
Michael Connor
Ken Emerson
Mark Winston Griffith
Marc Jahr
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Peter Williams
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CITY LIMITS
FRONT LINES
I Domestic
Partnership
AS THE JUNE SUN shone on the white siding of
205 Macon Street, officials from the federal and
city housing agencies took an hour to celebrate
a precious event: a successful collaboration. The
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment is slashing the number of vouchers that
help poor families stay housed and is seeking to
auction off its foreclosed apartment buildings,
against the objections of New York housing offi-
cials. But the reclamation of homes lefr wrecked
through abuse of HUD's 203(k) loan program
has been a far friendlier parmership.
HUD regional director Marisel Morales and
city Housing Preservation and Development
commissioner Shaun Donovan took turns at the
podium to welcome Norleen Noble, an admin-
iStrator at Brookdale Hospital, to her new Bed-
ford-Stuyvesant home-one of the first 203(k)s
to be rebuilt and sold. "Most homes are either
overpriced or in bad condition," Noble said as a
gaggle of community development professionals
toured her new digs. 'This is perfect-wonder-
fuI. " Noble bought the three-family building for
$310,000 through the city's Neighborhood
Homes program. Anractive details like turned-
wood banisters are just the surface of what's spe-
cial-like an increasing amount of moderately
priced housing, 205 Macon is engineered to
minimize fuel consumption.
Prior owners of 205 Macon had a different
kind of green in mind. In 1999, a company
called All Bora Foreclosure Advisory purchased
what was then a vacant wreck for $25,000 from
an estate. That same day, a Long Island company,
MWBD, picked it up from All Boro for
$95,000. Just four days later, MWBD sold the
property to Word of Life, a Brooklyn church
authorized to borrow money from HUD to
rehabilitate decrepit buildings. The price: about
$205,000. Word of Life borrowed $311,800,
insured by the federal government. When Word
of Life failed to keep up on the mortgage, HUD
foreclosed. By then, the building had no roof,
and the back wall had crumbled.
The same story, with different players and
variations, was repeated hundreds of times in
Manhanan and Brooklyn. Under pressure from
local politicians, HUD agreed to pay $168 mil-
lion and work with the city and private devel-
opers to fix up the damage and create solid
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
City housing chief Shaun Donovan and HUD's Marisel Morales (with scissors)
share credit for the new home of Norleen Noble (front).
housing at reasonable prices. Noble's home is
the first of 10 that Pratt Area Community
Council will be fixing and selling in Bed-Stuy.
Everyone wants this to be a happy ending.
To prevent further fraud, says spokesperson
Adam Glantz, HUD has more than doubled the
size of the staff monitoring federally backed
home loans for the northeast, and it's limiting
nonprofit developers to 10 loans apiece. But fWo
years afrer the Manhanan DA and federal pros-
ecutors first brought charges, there's little to
deter determined crooks. Thirteen of the specu-
lators involved in the 203(k) fraud have pleaded
guilty, and some face federal sentences of up to
30 years. But so far, only fWO defendants have
received penalties from Manhanan DA Robert
Morgenthau. One is Samuel Stith, who helped
broker Harlem deals that netted tens of millions
of dollars. Stith recently got five years' probation
and a $5,000 fine. -Alyssa Katz
5
FRONTLINES
Running Against the Elections
In a record year
for fundraising,
nonprofits get
shortchanged.
By Xiaoqing Rong
HUGH HOGAN FEARED an election year might
make it tougher to do fundraising, but he never
thought it could get this bad. With more
money being sucked up by the Bush and Kerry
campaigns this year than ever before for a pres-
idential election, Hogan's North Star Fund, a
community foundation that supportS social
justice projects in New York City, has been feel-
ing the heat.
Some donors, including one longtime contrib-
utor to North Star, have said they can't help out
this year. "They basically told us they are focusing
their giving on the presidential election," says
Hogan. "We were left a little bit stupefied." North
Star has decided to delay its 25th anniversary cele-
bration until after the November election.
North Star is not alone in its concerns.
Funds that rely on contributions from living
donors worry that the huge bill for this year's
6
political campaigns-$410 million so far for
the presidential race alone-is sucking up the
dollars and time of many check-writers.
Of course, many factors drive charitable con-
tributions. The economy is paramount-wind-
fall years for business and investors helped drive
up American donations by 4.5 percent in 1996
and 6.6 percent in 2000. Adjusted for inflation,
Americans' charitable giving went up 0.6 percent
last year after consecutive drops in 2001 and
2002, according to the report Giving USA 2004.
The size of the recovery has been extremely mod-
est. "We couldn't afford to have [fundraisingl go
back again this year, which it will. do if a huge
amount of dollars goes to the elections," says
Trent Stamp, executive director of Charity Navi-
gator, which tracks philanthropic giving.
Campaign economists estimate the toral cost
of this year's presidential campaign could reach
more than $500 million, and that's not counting
congressional, state and city races, or the esti-
mated $104 million in private contributions to
the party conventions. It may sound like a drop
in the bucket compared to the $240 billion
Americans gave to charities last year, but non-
profit watchdogs argue that the impact is signif-
icant. "This is going to be by far the costliest
election we've ever seen, " says Stamp. "The
money has got to come from somewhere. Anec-
dotally, we see that's coming out of charity
groups."
"That is absolutely affecting the timing of
charitable contributions," says Susan Shapiro, a
fundraising consultant who works with commu-
nity redevelopment organizations. Charities
always get affected in an election year, she says,
and all the more so in a closely contested elec-
tion. "Many people are saying they cannot make
a major gift to a particular nonprofit until after
the election," says Shapiro, who was told by an
actress active on the charity circuit recently that
she did a fundraiser in Hollywood for Kerry.
"Here is someone who loves to raise money for
AIDS, human rights groups and other kinds of
nonprofit organizations. People like this are
directing their time and money toward the pres-
idential elections."
Some groups seem to be weathering the season
bener than others. Big institutions with sophisti-
cated fundraising operations, such as the United
Way, report that they are not being affected.
Rick Cohen, executive director of the
National Commirtee for Responsive Philan-
thropy, points out that charities founded by
politicians themselves also soak up funds. "In
an election year, the unspent campaign money
the politicians have is supposed to be donated
to a charity," explains Cohen. "Increasingly,
politicians discover that the easiest charities
they can donate to are their own charities."
There are more than 40 such politician-backed
funds, including Celebrations for Children,
which is associated with House Majority
Leader Tom DeLay. That group canceled a
planned fundraising gala during the Republi-
can National Convention after coming under
fire for using the charity to raise money for
political purposes.
Some nonprofit leaders are less worried
about losing a few donations this election sea-
son than they are about being overpowered
year after year by well-funded opposition. "Our
biggest concern about it is not that we are
going to get less money," says Joel Berg, execu-
tive director of New York City Coalition
Against Hunger, "but that the folks we repre-
sent are really locked out of the process because
they cannot contribute to the campaigns." Berg
points to the minimum-wage increase under
consideration in Congress. Business groups
opposing the bill have made major contribu-
tions to members of Congress in both parties.
"The officials would claim they don't create
policy in response to campaign contributions.
But few of them deny it creates access. At least
it gets them in the door," says Berg. "What
helps to get low-income people in the door?"
CITY LIMITS
Begging For Bennies
THE CITY COUNCIL made history in June when it overrode
a mayoral veto and passed the Equal Benefits Bill,
requiring any enterprise with a ciry contract of
$100,000 or more to provide health insurance for
domestic partners. But there's still a major snag: Though
the ciry can mandate that its contractors offer these ben-
efits, it can't require local insurance companies to pro-
vide them.
"For small organizations, if there is no exemption
when the insurance is not available, that is a big prob-
lem," says Jon Small, president of the Nonprofit Coordi-
nating Committee of New York, an umbrella organiza-
tion with 1,300 member groups.
Just ask the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Communiry Center. Established in 1983, the center
had been using Oxford Health Plans for many years.
But when it decided to offer domestic partner benefits
to its roughly 50 employees in 2000, Oxford refused,
saying it offered this rype of service only to groups with
more than 100 employees. An Oxford spokesperson
didn't respond by press time, though a customer repre-
sentative at the company says it has since lowered the
cap to 50 employees.
Srill, supporters of the law are encouraged by the suc-
cess of similar laws in other cities, particularly San Fran-
cisco. When that ciry's Equal Benefits Ordinance took
effect in June 1997, there were only 14 insurers in the
United States offering domestic partner coverage and
only three willing to write policies for small groups,
according to the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic
Studies. By 2001, however, there were 150 insurers pro-
viding the service, with more than one-fifth willing to
work with small groups.
"The dilemma here is no different than the dilemma
has ever been for small business," says Joe Tarver, a
spokesperson for Empire State Pride Agenda, a civil rights
organization that has been the most active supporter of
the Equal Benefits Bill in New York. "Once there is a
demand for it, the market complies."
But in California, insurance companies also had a
political push. In 2001, after a three-year struggle, the
state passed a bill that required them to extend spousal
coverage to domestic partners.
New York State Assemblymember Daniel O'Donnell
(D-Manhattan) got a similar bill passed in the Assembly
in June. At press time, he had yet to find a sponsor in the
Senate, bur O'Donnell hopes the bill will move quickly.
"My bill is narrower than the California one," he says.
"Bur for the employers who say [the insurers) won't do it,
this would solve the problem. "
-Xiaoqing Rong
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
FRONTLINES
FIRSTHAND
Left Out, Not Behind
MY FAMilY MOVED to Puerto Rico, but we were back in the Bronx a week later. Because I
came late to CIS 166, they put me in a messed-up class-the only one with space. The
teacher left after a few months for a better paying job in Maryland. We didn't have a teacher
for the next three weeks.
Nobody wanted to teach us 'cause the kids were bad. [My classmates) wanted to be all
thuggish and act cool. They'd put on headphones, they'd curse out the teacher, throw
things around. Finally we got a teacher, but one day some kids stole $52. She was ready to
quit. Our dean said if she quits and we have one more week without a teacher, we auto-
matically fail.
I was nice to the teacher. I would encourage her, saying, "Don't quit 'cause we want to
pass and I'm sure you need a job to keep your house." Some kids thought I was kissing up.
They called me teacher's pet. I'm like, "I'm being a teacher's pet so y'all could get a chance
to pass."
They all failed and had to go to summer school anyway. I was the only one who passed ....
I got 3s on the math and reading exams. [Four is the highest grade; 2s and Is are failing.)
The rest of my class got Is. When the teacher said I was the only passing student, the class
looked at me with red eyes, like they were going to tear me apart. When class ended, I
zoomed home. Three kids chased me, shouting vulgar things, yelling, "You think you smart.
You mad stupid."
My classmates were in a hot classroom this summer, I'm pretty sure cursing me out in
their heads. I've been working with the PAL [Police Athletic League] Maritime Adventure Pro-
gram, building boats, rowing, teaching 6- and 7-year-olds to tie sailing knots and about
water-dwelling animals. At the end of the summer we'll hike up to Albany and row back to
Manhattan, camping along the way.
I could have tried harder all year to make straight As, but I got caught up with trying to
be cool and stuff. I'm glad I didn't do much better-I'm sure the kids in my class would
have killed me. -Peter Millan, as told to Amy Zimmer
7
FRONTLINES
Doctoroff's End Run
This spring, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff pulled off a winning play in his quest to redevelop the far West Side of Manhattan and construct a new stadium for the
Jets there: The city switched from a financing scheme that requires outside approval to one that doesn't.
No longer is the Jets arena to be supported through tax increment financing, which must be approved by the state legislature. Under that plan, the West Side proj-
ect would have effectively borrowed against its own future revenues. Instead, the city now wants to charge property owners payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, to be
administered through semipublic authorities. The switcheroo has left the fate of acres of Manhattan in the hands of eight separate entities controlled by the mayor and
governor. Some are familiar names, such as the city Economic Development Corporation (EDC) i others, new additions to the alphabet soup of agencies that are not
open to scrutiny by the public that helps pay for them. -James Connolly
8
TBTA The Triborough Bridge
and Tunnel Authority was the
original funder of the Jacob K.
Javits Convention Center and
is reissuing bonds to pay the
state's $350 million share of
expansion costs.
ceoc The Convention Center
Development Corporation is
responsible for designing and
constructing the expansion of
the Javits Center. Assembly
Democrats blasted the
governor for sneaking the
stadium into his expansion
plan by proposing that the
CCDC design both the
Javits Center and "adjacent
facilities. "
MTA The Metropolitan Transit
Authority owns and is sell ing
development rights to the
rail yards. Private bids to
buy these rights have been
turned down in the past. Ex-
MTA chief Richard Ravitch
and other contend that the
city is forcing the MTA to sell ,
and shortchanging the transit
authority in the process.
x
x X X X
888
8
eeoc The Convention Center
Operating Corporation
will handle the day-to-day
activities of the Javits Center.
Doctoroff is determined to
give the authority the ability to
coordinate bookings between
Javits and the stadium-as-
plenary-hal l.
HYlC The Hudson Yards
Infrastructure Corporation is a
new authority, to be created by
the mayor solely for the purpose
of issuing nearly $3 billion in
bonds for the construction costs
of the No. 7 subway extension,
platforms over the railyards, and
new parks and streets.
~ -
8
BPCA The Battery Park City
Authority is diverting $300
million in funds from its own
PILOT collections that had been
earmarked for affordable housing
to help pay for the city's portion
of the Javits Center expansion.
TFA The state Transitional
Finance Authority was
pulled in late in the game
to guarantee roughly $3
billion in HYIC bonds and
make initial loan payments. If
development doesn't happen
-{)n schedule, this authority
could be in a major financial
hole, requiring the city to bail
it out with tax dollars.
ESDC The Empire State
Development Corporation
will lease air rights above
the rail yards and transfer
them to the city. It is also
seizing and condemning
properties needed for
construction and borrowing
at least a portion of the
$800 million that the Jets
are supposed to put up
for the stadium in order to
obtain tax-free loans on the
team's behalf.
Carrie Mclaren
CITY LIMITS
==E NY I R 0 N-M E
Government Goes Green?
SAN FRANCISCO has done it. Seattle has done it.
Even Dallas, Texas, has done it. Now some City
Council members want New York to join the
list of cities with green building codes for gov-
ernment facilities.
This spring, Councilrnember Jim Gennaro,
head of the Environmental Protection Com-
mittee, sponsored a bill requiring that all new
construction of public facilities, including sig-
nificant renovations, qualify for "silver" certifi-
cation from Leadership in Energy & Environ-
mental Design (LEED) , the rating system of
the U.S. Green Building Council.
Although the city's Department of Design
and Construction already has green guidelines,
this is the first local attempt to mandate envi-
ronmental standards. Under LEED, each build-
===H 0 N G==
TIL: It's Too Late
THREE YEARS AGO, the city Department of
Housing Preservation and Development sent
tenants in several buildings in Washington
Heights notices that their homes were entering
the Neighborhood Redevelopment Program.
NRP would bring in a community organiza-
tion to purchase, rehabilitate and manage the
buildings, which long ago had been taken over
by the city afrer landlords failed to pay taxes.
It should have been a welcome event for resi-
dents of 532 West 163rd Sneet, which was so
badly decayed that several apartments were unin-
habitable. But this summer, tenants launched a
revolt. They have barred the organization, the
Community League of West 159th Sneet, from
entering the building to start consnuction. And
they've hung bedsheets out windows declaring
"We Don't Want NRP! We Want Ownership!"
The tenants are up in arms because they were
never informed that residents of city-owned
buildings are supposed to have the opportunity
to form their own cooperatives, under a program
known as Tenant Interim Lease. The notices ten-
ants received back in 2001 stated simply that
they could contact the city housing agency to
find out more about "other HPD disposition
programs" for which the building may be eligi-
ble. It also encouraged tenants to learn more
about NRP at a meeting in the neighborhood.
Under HPD policy, they should have
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
ing's design would have to include enough green
features to meet a point quota. A project might
receive points for using recycled materials, clean
indoor air systems, or solar panels, or for recy-
cling wastewater. "It really allows for the public
sector to open the market to green consnuc-
tion," Gennaro says. It will, he adds, also save
the city money in the long tun. So far, Gennaro
has 19 council colleagues sponsoring the meas-
ure, including Speaker Gifford Miller.
Mayoral agencies are reviewing the council
proposal. "The fact that the city is addressing sus-
rainability issues is a positive thing," says Bob
Kulikowski of the citys Office of Environmental
Coordination, while noting that the Bloomberg
administration has its own green initiatives. "Per-
haps we can work together on this one."
Some professional greens, however, are skep-
tical the city will be willing to spend more on
bricks and mortar. "There's the question of
being able to support and go on supporting this
decision with an influx of upfront capital," says
learned about Tenant Interim Lease at that
meeting. But the four tenants present report
that the representative from the agency never
mentioned TIL. they were told was that
rent should go to this nonprofit, " says Rigo
Santana, president of the tenants' association.
"HPD wasn't clear. If they had mentioned the
word 'co-op' in the notice, I guarantee you
every single person would have been at that
meeting. " Tenants have 120 days to let the city
know they want to form a co-op, but the 163rd
Sneet residents only found out about it earlier
this year, from another community group.
FRONT LINES
Julia Lynch, director of the Healthy Homes Pro-
ject of the Urban Homesteading Assistance
Board, which supports affordable housing co-
ops. The LEED standards, she adds, may not
best address specific needs and opportunities in
New York's dense and tall built environment.
Regardless of the fate of Gennaro's bill, it
presents an opportunity for New York to find
out exactly how much money a greener govern-
ment could save through greater energy effi-
ciency. Right now, consuuction costs get count-
ed in the city's capital budget, while utilities are
paid out of the separate expense budget, making
it difficult for municipal agencies to justify
spending more on construction in order to real-
ize cost savings later. The city's Independent
Budget Office is crunching numbers to figure
out the potential savings. Says Merrill Pond, a
senior analyst at the lBO, "The innoduction of
this legislation provides a key opportunity for
an in-depth study of the costs and benefits asso-
ciated with green design." -Tess Tay/or
HPD says its notification process is adequate.
"There is a notice that goes out prior to the
future owner leasing and assuming management
responsibilities. And then there is a notice of sale
30 days prior to sale," says spokesperson Vir-
ginia Gliedman. "There are notices all along that
these people are getting. " Tenants, she adds, are
responsible for seeking out their options. "TIL is
an exuaordinarily popular program-it's our
biggest program, and it's certainly known in that
part of the world."
Community League director Yvonne Sten-
nett says tenants are raising their claim too late.
"During the two-and-a-half years that we've
been managing them, never did they come to
us and say they weren't interested" in NRP she
says. "Especially now as the market is going up
and gentrification is happening, tenants have
to take more responsibility for their homes. "
Santana and his neighbors are holding out
and lining up allies. City Councilmember
Miguel Martinez wants to ensure that tenants are
clearly notified of their options, and he promises
to hold a hearing. Andrew Lehrer, a Legal Aid
attorney who has worked with tenants in similar
circumstances, agrees that notice ought to be
clearer-and that developers ought to help get
the word out. "Tenants should be given more
specific information sooner rather than later, "
says Lehrer. "Where the tenants are well organ-
ized and willing to do what it rakes in terms of
getting naining in ownership and management,
one would hope that nonprofits would go along
with that and not hope to hold on to property."
-Abby Aguirre
9
INSIDE TRACK
The Green Lady
A landmark brownfields law mutates into a massive tax giveaway
to the Times and other big developers. By Elizabeth Cady Brown
cation was fued by the Related
Companies, for irs plan to turn the
34-acre Bronx Terminal Market
into a $300 million retail center.
It's no mystery what's attract-
ing titans of the building indus-
try to the new brownfield pro-
gram: tax credits. Big ones.
"There is no limit on the number
of projecrs, the amount of money
to be expended, and no cap on
the amount given to anyone
project, " enthuses Kelly Bennett,
associate executive director of the
Environmental Business Associa-
tion, a New York State trade
group for green industry. "These
are the most powerful tax credits
we have on the books right now. "
The site of the new Times headquarters could be eligible for a $170 million environmental tax break.
Of the 23 states that offer tax
abatements or credirs as part of a
brownfield cleanup program,
New York's are the most generous
to developers. In addition to giv-
ing a rax credit tied to the cost of
environmental cleanup, New
York also gives builders a rax break
IN WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn, Hasidic, Latino
and African-American residents are locked in a
ferocious battle for living space. Yet 12 acres on
the border between East Williamsburg and
Bushwick stand empry, save for barbed-wire
fences and tangled weeds. The flat, bare land
looks tantalizingly easy to build homes on, but
the problem is what lies beneath. The soil con-
tains a toxic mix of chemical pollutants that
seeped underground during the neighbor-
hood's manufacturing days.
There are an estimated 7,000 plors like this
across New York Ciry-contaminated by indus-
try and scattered mainly in economically
depressed parts of the boroughs. These brown-
fields can sit festering and vacant for decades
because the cost of assessing, cleaning and insur-
ing an environmentally degraded site simply over-
whelms the value of any potential development.
A long-awaited state law, the 2003 Brown-
10
field Cleanup Program, is supposed to change
all that. "Our focus was enhancing environ-
mental protections and public health," says the
legislations lead sponsor, State Assemblymem-
berTom DiNapoli. "Related to that purpose is
showing there is a way to have a rigorous envi-
ronmental program that succeeds from the eco-
nomic point of view. We want to create oppor-
tunities for putting nonproductive properties
back to productive use. "
But nine months since the program's launch,
New York City's applications are primarily being
ftled by big developers doing expensive projecrs
on sites that have been in continuous use, are
likely to have mild if any toxic contamination,
and indeed were already being developed before
the law was signed. One application came from
Forest Ciry Ratner and irs partner the New York
Tunes Company for irs $850 million headquar-
ters in Tunes Square. Another brownfield appli-
for a percentage of the cost of
redevelopment-as high as 22 percent. The
Times-Ratner project alone could get more
than $170 million. If the credit amounrs to
more than what the developer owes in state
income tax, New York State will pay the differ-
ence in a rebate check.
To get into the brownfield program, a
builder has to convince the Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) that
"redevelopment or reuse [of the site] may be
complicated by the presence or potential pres-
ence of a hazardous waste, petroleum, pollu-
tant or contaminant." Even if subsequent test-
ing shows no contamination, the project can
keep the entire tax break. It is up to the DEC
to decide eligibiliry on a case-by-case basis,
and so far the agency seems inclined to err on
the side of inclusion.
"It is a fairly broad definition," agrees lawyer
Michael Gerrard, who chairs the American Bar
CITY LIMITS
Association.s environment section and has writ-
ten several books on brownfield law. "But it was
written intentionally broad to encourage proper-
ty owners to enter the program and encourage
the redevelopment of brownfields."
While offering generous, easy-to-access tax
credits may be an effective way to get businesses
to participate, some environmentalists who
fought for the brownfield law are beginning to
worry that these financial incentives will not end
up serving the intended purpose of the program:
spurring developers to put polluted, deserted real
estate back into use. The tax credits are struc-
tured to give the maximum payout on pricey
projects in areas where the real estate market is
already strong, rather than steering developers to
deeply contaminated sites in environmentally
burdened neighborhoods.
"It was not my intention to include projects like
the Tunes-Ramer building," says Assemblymember
Vito Lopez, who cosponsored the Assembly's
brownfield bill and whose district includes the
Bushwick site. "It wasn't about projects that could
afford to underwrite the costs of remediation. My
intention was that this would get us out and able to
do projects that wouldn't have been done anyway."
Some observers are also concerned that the use
of the brownfield tax break as a subsidy for high-
end development could put the entire program in
jeopardy. The state budget office estimated that
these tax credits would cost $135 million in forgone
revenue this year. However, there is no ceiling on
how much the state can payout in tax credits. A tax
break costing indebted New York State hundreds of
millions of dollars each year-and benefiting deep-
pocketed real estate and business interests-may
prove politically unsustainable. "Long term, if too
many sites enter with a low cleanup value but high
tax credits, that's not good for the state," says Linda
Shaw, a Rochester environmental attorney who
worked on the brownfield law. "If you abuse a pro-
gram like this, it won't get renewed."
Mathy Stanislaus, who was also involved in
developing the legislation as a representative of the
New York City Environmental Justice Alliance,
shares Shaw's apprehension. "Although it would
be a huge mistake to eliminate a program simply
because the legislature didn't get it right the first
time, " says Stanislaus, "it's possible."
"I've tried to figure out how the tax credits got
crafted, " adds Stanislaus, "and no one has given
me a straight answer."
NEW YORK STATE'S first comprehensive brown-
field bill was unanimously passed by the Assem-
bly in 1996, but it took another seven years and
dozens of failed proposals to get a bill that
could pass the Senate and be signed by the gov-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
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12
ernor. Assembly Democrats and Senate Repub-
licans had been deeply divided over the essential
environmental and economic goals for a brown-
field program.
What's more, the environmental community
itself was locked in a bitter fight. Backed by influ-
ential organizations, including the Sierra Club,
Natural Resources Defense Council and
NYPIRG, assemblymembers on the environment
committee argued vociferously that cleanup stan-
dards had to be as stringent as possible to protect
soil, air, water supplies and public health.
Other New York-based organizations,
including Environmental Advocates, Environ-
mental Justice Alliance and Pratt Institute Cen-
ter for Community and Environmental Devel-
opment (PICCED), argued for more flexible
cleanup standards, depending on the end use of
the site. Their objective was to lower the costs of
remediation and draw more investment to poor-
er communities.
"It was a bloody, bloody battle among the
advocates," recalls Laura Haight, senior environ-
mental associate with NYPIRG. "The people
holding the line on cleanup standards were seen
as obstructionists because the priority of the
environmental justice groups was redevelop-
ment, but the people wanting to see blighted
areas revitalized seemed less interested in getting
toxic waste cleaned up." Ultimately, the Assem-
bly came to push for stricter environmental stan-
dards than most states, but to let the srandards
vary according to what any given site would ulti-
mately be used for.
On the Senate side, the main appeal of a
brownfield law was as a tool for economic devel-
opment, particularly in regions upstate that have
large contaminated sites and a need for new cor-
porate investment. "We are in a serious competi-
tion with other states for new commercial and
industrial facilities, " says Shaw. One way to get
new businesses to move here, she explains, is for
the srate to cover some costs of developing facil-
ities on brownfields.
The breakthrough finally came last year, with
the dramatic Albany budget showdown that
transformed the state Senate, usually an ally of
Governor Pataki's, into an aggressive opponent.
Last March, partly to spite the governor and part-
ly to draw development to his brownfield-littered
district in Rensselaer County, Senate Majority
Leader Joseph Bruno authorized the chair of his
environment committee to draft a compromise
bill. "When the Senate broke from the governor's
position for the first time and came up with their
own proposal, it created an opportunity," recalls
John Stouffer, legislative director for the Sierra
Club's Atlantic chapter.
Negotiations kicked into high gear. All the
CITY LIMITS
environmental interests, business lobbyists and
developers were sent out of the room, while the
Assembly, Senate and governor's staffs hun-
kered down ro hash out the details.
In Albany, legislation is frequently written at
the last minute, and in many pieces, so that rarely
can anyone review the entire package until it
comes up for a vote. In the case of brownfields,
the taX credit portion and the environmental sec-
tion were written in separate rooms, by distinct
groups. Much of it was still being haggled over
and drafred the night before it passed, and no
low-income areas can be encouraged under the
law. Assemblymember Lopez has high hopes
for the Brownfield Opportunities Area pro-
gram, which gives grants to community-based
organizations to study where remediation and
development is most needed in their commu-
nities and to identifY private developers. "I
don't have anyone in my area doing this yet,"
Lopez says. "I think the word is not out yet
among non profits. But I believe it could work
in the outer boroughs and places that need help
underwriting assessment. "
BROWNFiElD CLEANUP TAX CREDIT APPLICATIONS FILED FOR NYC
APPROVED
Clinton Green,
Tenth Avenue, Manhattan
To be used for commercial purposes.
Former Cineplex Odeon theater
and fitness center,
Fresh Meadows, Queens.
To be used for commercial purposes.
PENDING
New York Times Building,
Times Square, Manhattan
Occupied since 1899, the site has housed a school,
homes and commercial space.
Mini-storage,
Chelsea, Manhattan
To be developed into apartments.
Kips Bay Terminal,
Manhattan
Former power plant and fuel depot to be used for
housing and commercial space.
outside experts had the opportunity to vet the taX
plan. Says Stouffer, "The first time we saw the fUll
program was when it was done. "
EVEN AS MEGAPROJECT developers buzz around
the new tax break, the brownfield program is
unlikely to spark redevelopment badly needed
in New York Ciry's neighborhoods, say envi-
ronmental advocates and community-based
builders. "Most developers aren't going to go
through the risk and time to clean up a 5,000-
square-foot lot in Sunset Park," notes Joan
Byron, an architect at PICCED who advocated
alongside Stanislaus to target the program to
disinvested neighborhoods. "I don't think there
is anything in the law strong enough to stimu-
late investment in low-income communities."
Some proponents of the brownfield bill,
however, remain optimistic that projects in
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
Former gas plant
Far West Side, Manhattan.
To be used for apartments.
Washington Plaza II
163rd Street, Bronx
To be used for apartments and a supermarket.
Bronx Terminal Market
Related Companies is developing a $300
million retail center on this site, which has
housed a food market since the 1920s.
IKEA
Red Hook, Brooklyn
The site, on New York Harbor, is a former
dredging facility.
Bayside Fuel Oil
Gowanus, Brooklyn
Site slated for residential development.
Octagon Park
Roosevelt Island
Site slated for residential development.
Most business and industry supporters of
the bill assert full confidence in DEC's ability
to prevent the tax credits from being misused.
"The burden is on the agency to administer
according to the spirit of the law," says Bennett
from Environmental Business Associates.
"There is a commitment on the state level to
making sure the program evolves the way peo-
ple intended, and the intent is not to let in
huge tracts with a tiny bit of contamination."
The DEC has already approved two of the
applications from New York City developers
and given every indication that it will contin-
ue to admit big-ticket projects. The final regu-
lations governing the DEC are not yet in place,
but Dale Desnoyer, chief administrator of the
program, says, "If there is contamination or
likely to be contamination, [sites] will proba-
bly be eligible."
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CITY LIMITS
..
A
thony Labaschi wasn't going any-
where. Seven months behind in rent
and about to lose his Queens apart-
ent, the retired Army vet barricad-
ed himself inside and fired three shots through
the door at a city marshal who had come to
evict him. Eventually Labaschi was taken from
the house, and he's now awaiting trial. "He's a
good guy, JUSt down on his luck," neighbor
Tom Damato told reporters.
If Labaschi's case is extreme, his situation is
remarkably common. The city's housing courts
are clogged with tenants who, for one reason or
another, can't keep up with their rent.
Now City Hall wants to help. Over the past
year, the Bloomberg administration's welfare,
housing and homeless agencies, along with the
Office of Management and Budget, have been
meeting to plan New York City's own home-
grown rental assistance system for people in
imminent danger of losing their homes. If
fully realized, the initiative could distribute
tens of millions of dollars in aid each year.
This used to be the feds' job. In 1974, Con-
gress created Section 8, a program that caps a
household's rent at one-third of income and
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
eng Rent
City Hall wants to help poor New Yorkers pay their
The new vouchers are ' supposed to prevent
homelessness. They may also have a hidden cost.
-
-
pays its landlord the difference. But the pro-
gram, once a bipartisan favorite, has become a
thorn in the side of Republicans in Washing-
ton, who deem it too expensive. In February,
the administration proposed a jaw-dropping
$1.6 billion budget cut to Section 8, and at
press time city agencies stood to lose $49 mil-
lion under a recent change in how the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment (HUD) calculates payments.
New York State is also scaling back. It
recenrly challenged a court mandate stemming
from a 1987 lawsuit, Jiggetts v. Dowling, that
forces it to pay extra rent costs for families on
welfare facing eviction. In its latest appeal, it
argues that the current shelter allowance
already built into welfare grants-$400 for a
family of three-should be enough.
Both of these retreats hold major conse-
quences for New York City, where 18 percent of
farnilies live in poverry and 130,000 households
now rely on one of these rwo kinds of rental
assistance. Vic Bach, director of housing policy
and research for the Community Service Soci-
ety, says there is no way the city could get by
with less Section 8. "It's a lime like being
By Cassi Feldman
Illustrations by Jim Cooke
deprived of oxygen," he says.
City officials don't disagree, but they are hard
at work on their own lifesaving measure. The
Department of Homeless Services (DHS) plans
to divert money from its $600-million-a-year
emergency shelter system and use it, along with
additional state and federal dollars, to help keep
farnilies housed. The emphasis will be on neigh-
borhood-based prevention efforts, including
counseling, family mediation and legal
defense-and rent subsidies.
Filling the rental gap won't be easy. More
than 800,000 New York City households earn
so litrle that they qualif}r for Section 8. But the
waiting list-now at 129,551 families-has
been closed for nearly a decade. Meanwhile,
the history of rental assistance programs,
including Section 8, suggests a slew of poten-
tial pi tfalls.
Some tenants have trouble finding apart-
ments. Others get stuck in subsidized housing
and can't afford to move. As critics of Section 8
point out, tenants have a disincentive to earn
more, because any additional income will result
in a rent hike or even ineligibility. Landlords
are leaving the program in droves, citing slow
15
payments and strict rules.
On a broader scale, some studies have found
that rental assistance actually increases demand
for housing. Vouchers are critical, they argue.
But ensuring a sufficient supply of reasonably
priced places to live may hold a more lasting
benefit. Without a boost in affordable construc-
tion, the housing crisis is here to stay.
I
t's nearly noon at the Harlem Section 8
office, and everyone looks pissed. In the
seventh-floor application room, a digital
sign invites applicant #554 to the clerk's
desk. In an adjacent area, dozens of mostly
young, black and brown women with children
The Department of Homeless Services, under
for homeless families. Now they're finally eligi-
ble for Section 8. "I'm fortunate to be in shel-
ter," says Irving. "Whatever they want me to do,
I'll do."
This isn't how the system is supposed to
work. Rather than reward families that survive
the shelter system, the city's Department of
Homeless Services (DHS) wants to find ways to
keep them from ever ending up there. The
agency's sweeping new homelessness plan is all
about shifting emergency dollars toward pre-
vention. It will soon dole out $12 million to
have community-based organizations assist
squeezed-out New Yorkers like Irving and Andi-
no establish themselves in workable housing sit-
uations. Those groups will be in commu-
nities that send the most people to home-
less shelters: the South Bronx, East
Tremont, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick,
East Harlem and Jamaica.
One of their most valuable tools will
be rental assistance, but it's not yet clear
where the dollars for these subsidies
might come from. Jim Anderson,
spokesperson for DHS, acknowledges
that the city has been talking about
"streamlining" rental assistance but
declined to provide further details. The
other agencies involved in the discus-
sions-the Human Resources Adminis-
tration, Department of Housing Preser-
vation & Development, New York City
Housing Authority and Office of Man-
agement and Budget-also would not
comment on the effort.
Patrick Markee, senior poli0r analyst
Commissioner Linda Gibbs, may reroute tens of
millions of dollars from shelters into aid for renters.
at the Coalition for the Homeless, who
has long advocated for city-run rental
assistance, says a modest program could
be funded largely with dollars now being
spent on emergency housing for the
sit waiting for their eligibility interviews. Sudan
Irving and Shadonna Andino, who traveled
here together from a downtown shelter, are
among them.
At 24, Irving already has the quiet, steady
presence of someone who expects bad luck.
Her clothes are sporty and plain, except for her
large cubic zirconia earrings. Andino, 20, is
smaller and angrier. She's five months pregnant
and has the papers to prove it.
Other than that, the women are a lot alike:
Both are refugees from overcrowded apart-
ments, both have toddler daughters, and both
spent months in and out of the Emergency
Assistance Unit (AU), the city's intake center
16
homeless. DHS reports it costs an average
of $92 a night to house a family in shelter; the
average stay is just shy of one year. That $2,614
per month could help pay for an apartment
instead, and probably two. But wouldn't the
city be overwhelmed with applicants? Not nec-
essarily, says Markee. "You can say you don't
want to open the floodgates," he says, "but
there's already a flood."
A city-run subsidy program would also have
to meet the needs of its customers-something
previous, smaller attempts have failed to do. In
1998, at the urging of the Citizen's Committee
for Children, DHS created a rental assistance
program serving families and single adults. But
the initiative, which offered $400 a month in
aid for a maximum of two years, couldn't com-
pete with Section 8; many potential recipients
opted to wait for the federal voucher rather than
accept time-limited assistance. Others were
turned away because they couldn't show how
they would meet their rent once the aid ended.
Ultimately, DHS subcontractors made only
116 placements in five years.
Vince Castellano, a real estate broker who
specializes in Section 8, says it isn't easy to find
landlords willing to accept the voucher. In fact,
he's only able to find housing for roughly one
in every 10 clients he serves. Many landlords,
he explains, are reluctant to deal with the gov-
ernment paperwork or take a risk on a tenant
with a history of nonpayment. Castellano, a
Section 8 landlord himself, tries to reassure
them. "It's like Baskin-Robbins ice cream-31
flavors," he says. "Some you love, some you
hate, most flavors are in the middle. I tell own-
ers, 'Listen, if you can get more than Section 8
from the market, go get it.'"
One study found that federal housing
in dozens of American dties-and do
improve housing conditions for the
As city officials grapple with rental assistance,
they are asking hard questions: What is the city's
obligation when it comes to providing housing
subsidies? Who needs them most? And how will
they impact the neighborhoods where they are
used? These are the exact questions the fedetal
government was asking back in 1974.
W
hen Congress first authorized
Section 8, during Nixon's sec-
ond term, public housing
already had a bad name. Noto-
rious projects like Chicago's Cabrini Green and
Robert Taylor Homes became glaring examples
of government intervention gone awry. Amid
this dismal scene, rental assistance emerged as a
bright alternative, a way to give poor people a
choice about where to live and simultaneously
bolster the private rental market. To some
extent, that's what happened. One 1999 study
found that the presence of Section 8 households
actually improved surrounding property values.
CITY LIMITS
New York City has been especially good at
making use of its Section 8. Not only has it
assisted hundreds of thousands of renters over
the years, but through that helped finance the
redevelopment of abandoned apartment
buildings.
The New York City Housing Authority dis-
tributes the vast majority of Section 8 vouch-
ers-90,000 last year. "We're very aggressive in
getting landlords to participate in the pro-
gram," explains spokesperson Howard Marder.
NYCHA's program has grown by 15,000
vouchers over the past three years.
Another 15,000 are used by the Depart-
ment of Housing Preservation & Development
via dozens of different affordable housing and
homelessness-prevention programs. By pairing
the vouchers with other types of housing subsi-
dies, New York has lowered its average voucher
cost to $7,344 per year, compared to roughly
$10,000 nationwide.
During the Clinton presidency, HUD con-
vouchers inflated rents
not in themselves
poor.
sidered Section 8 a roaring success. "Section 8
has proven to be both effective and cost-effi-
cient," stated the agency's 2000 report on the
program. "HUD is confident that the Section
8 program is fundamentally sound. "
Under Bush, HUD's tone changed dramati-
cally. In a white paper issued this May, entitled
"The Flexible Voucher Program: Why a New
Approach to Housing Subsidy is Needed," the
agency cited grave concerns about the program's
cost, which had grown in step with housing
prices nationwide and now amounts to more
than half HUD's budget. It called for a new
model that would fund fixed block grants rather
than existing vouchers. According to HUD,
this would give housing authorities more flexi-
bility in finding ways to concrol costs. They
could, for example, elect to serve higher-income
tenants, demand more than one-third of
income in rent, or institute time limits--a cen-
tral goal of reformers. "It is likely that many
[public housing agencies] think it inappropriate
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
for families with no obvious impairments from
working to create a permanent claim on assis-
tance," the paper states, "causing longer waits
for needy families on the waiting lists. "
The proposal echoes the sentiments of
Howard Husock, a conservative pundit and
member of HUD's new Negotiated Rulemak-
ing Committee, an advisory body charged with
helping the agency make funding decisions.
Director of the Case Program at Harvard's
John F. Kennedy School of Government,
Husock contends that Section 8 is descroying
working class neighborhoods by importing
"problem-ridden, very poor single-parent fam-
ilies. " A better solution, he suggests in a 2000
City Journal article, would be to ware-
house these families in existing public
housing projects that would serve as
"institutional homes" where single moms
would "get instruction in parenting, along
with encouragement to marry the fathers
of their children. "
Husock hasn't backed off his message.
The Summer 2004 issue of City Journal
contains an essay on Section 8 in New
York, called simply "The Housing
Reform That Backfired."
H
usock isn't the only analyst
raising questions about rental
assistance. As a grad student at
NYU's Furman Center for
while, thousands of units of housing consuuct-
ed and operated with the help of Section 8 and
Mitchell-Lama subsidies will soon be eligible to
rent at market rates.
At the same time, the city's subsidized con-
suuction efforts have focused largely on middle-
income housing. In his New Marketplace plan,
Mayor Bloomberg promises 65,000 units of new
or rehabbed housing by 2008, with only 2,000 of
those units reserved for very-low-income families
(defined by HUD as $31,000 for a family of
four). While that number was recently enlarged
by the mayor's pledge to build an impressive
12,000 units of supportive housing by 2014, that
housing is geared toward families and individuals
Real Estate and Urban Policy in the late
1990s, Scott Susin studied how vouchers
affect the price of unsubsidized low-
income housing. Looking at rents in 90
mecropolitan areas over a period of two
decades, he found that Section 8 actually
increased rents by an average of 16 per-
New housing commissioner Shaun Donovan has
to figure out how to expand affordable housing
cent. The more Section 8 a city had, the even as federal subsidies shrink.
higher its lowest-rung rents, and the more
quickly they'd grown.
"Housing subsidy programs can only improve
the housing conditions of the poor if they
increase the supply of housing: inducing con-
struction, reducing demolition, or perhaps
increasing maintenance," wrote Susin, now head
of HUD's Analysis Staff. "Otherwise, the stock
of housing is simply rediscributed from one
group to another. " His findings were unpopular,
Susin recalls, but he stands by them.
Here in New York, the housing stock for the
very poor is small and getting smaller. In 2002,
the vacancy rate for apartments under $700
was less than 2 percent, a shortage that may be
influenced by the availability of subsidies
allowing rents up to $1,073 a month. Mean-
who need mental health and other services.
Mayor Koch's 10-year plan, by conuast, built or
rehabbed 150,000 units of housing, with more
than 60 percent geared toward low-income and
homeless households.
Shaun Donovan, the city's new housing com-
missioner, says it's important to remember that
the city needs a full range of affordable housing.
Since the feds only help low-income households,
he scresses, it's up to the city to make sure that
middle-income people have housing they, too,
can afford. "The mayor's plan is a complement to
other resources-not the whole picture," he says.
As the city's Independent Budget Office recently
continued on page 34
17
As New York gets unbearably pricey, tens of thousands
of Puerto Ricans are heading for the hinterlands
to find el suefio americano. But it's not so easy
to leave the old city behind.
------------------ -------------
S
quint and you could be in Bushwick, the South Bronx or East
Harlem. Unsquint and you're in a place once known-to old-
timers' delight and newcomers' disgust-as the "All-America" city.
It's a warm, stroll-the-sidewalks evening in spring, and people from
the disgusted group are lugging bags from a nearby C-Town that stocks
green-shelled coconuts, the full line of Goya products and sacks of rice
as big as pillows. Bachata and salsa music pour from boom boxes, and
men with wrenches tinker under the hoods of cars. Young women stand
around with big earrings and Marlboros. Boys in Yankees T-shirts, or no
shirts, speak Spanish and an English whose r-Iessness and pursed o's
sound straight out of hip-hop. A 20-year-old named Leo bares his chest
to show a brand-new tattoo still illegible under the swelling and Vaseline
(it's his newborn daughter's name, he explains) . On the ground-floor
apartment window behind him, someone has pasted a decal of the stars
and stripes and the World Trade Center.
But this isn't big bad New York. It's the corner of Second and Linden
Streets in Allentown, Pennsylvania, population barely more than a hundred
thousand. Here almost nothing is open on Sundays, the phone book is
packed with German surnames like Schultz and Stetz, and the local paper
gives prizes to contestants who send in grandma's recipe for shoofly pie.
The inheritors of those recipes are still adjusting to a deluge of recent
arrivals who know more about flan than pie-many from places like
Bushwick, the South Bronx, East Harlem. The newcomers say they've
made the journey because they can no longer bear New York: its rents,
its chaos and danger to their kids. Hoping to find better, they've left the
Big Apple for what many call el suefzo americano---the American dream.
Are they finding it? Allentown is 92 miles southwest of New York
City, or rwo and a half hours by Port Authority bus into rolling hills and
dishwater-blond whiteness. If the area seems geographically and cultur-
ally distant, other towns are as far or farther, yet they, too, are receiving
migrants from Gotham-most of them Puerto Ricans. The phenome-
non has accelerated during the past few years, and movers have mixed
opinions about the results of relocating. No matter how they feel,
though, they have profoundly affected a swath of economically depressed
cities in the boondocks.
Some migrants are basking in prosperity and optimism. Others are stuck
SEPTEMBER/ OCTOBER 2004
in new barrios, with the gamut of ills associated with ghettoization. Pover-
ty, crowded schools, crime, segregation: all are dilemmas now in places like
Allentown, just as in New York, where Puerto Ricans are the city's poorest,
least educated and most jobless longtime ethnic group. The fact that so
many are leaving suggests that New York is exporting Puerto Rican pover-
ty-only to resettle it into distant and not always friendly communities.
S
'elena Zapata, a quiet 28-year-old from Queens, is one of the recent
push-outs. "I miss the city that never sleeps," she said recently while
on break from her unpaid job at an Allentown homeless shelter.
"But the rent in New York is outrageous! I had to get away. "
A single mother who spent most of her life in Far Rockaway and Hill-
side, Zapata is glad she moved to Allentown even though she hasn't found
work there and is on public assistance. She got the idea to leave New York
from relatives. Her mother bought a house in Allentown a few years ago,
and her stepfather, an apartment-building super in Manhattan, com-
mutes on weekends. A cousin Zapata's age from Far Rockaway had also
moved to Allentown. Zapata has no high school diploma or GED, but
she'd worked as a bus attendant on Long Island and was tired of living
with her sister in Hillside. Each woman has three small children, and
given what apartments cost in New York City-"You have to make
$60,000 a year to pay rent, and I'd been on a public-housing waiting list
for six years"-Zapata despaired of ever having her own place. The cousin
suggested the move and offered to put Zapata and the children up for a
few weeks while they got settled. Zapata accepted the invitation.
This all happened a year ago, making Zapata's departure from New
York one of the most recent in a wave that stretches back over years. A
2002 report by the Brookings Institution's Center on Urban and Metro-
politan Policy notes that the New York City metro area in the 1990s lost
2.7 million people, or 3 percent of its population, to "domestic migration. "
All kinds of people lefr, but figures were particularly high for those
with less than a high school education, people on public assistance, and
for blacks and Latinos. The metro area lost 383,000 blacks to domestic
migration berween 1985 and 2000, with most relocating to Southern
states such as Georgia. During the same period, New York City hemor-
rhaged 10 percent of its Puerto Ricans: some 195,000 people.
19
As a result of this exodus and the simultaneous influx of Spanish
speakers from elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere, Puerto Ricans, who
in 1960 comprised over 80 percent of New York City's Latino popula-
tion, are now down to only a third of the total.
During the 1990s, lots ofNuyoricans returned to the island (includ-
ing many born here in the states). Others headed for central Florida, near
Orlando. But a striking number have also flooded into several little cities
in the Northeast's rust belt. Reading, Hartford, Provincetown, Allen-
town-these and other destinations for ex-New Yorkers are still suffer-
ing from the national economic restructuring of a generation ago, and
from the movement of industry to cheap-labor countries like Mexico.
Allentown's biggest claim to fame derives from Billy Joel's 1982 song,
with its lines: "Well we're living here in Allentown/And they're closing all
the factories down." They closed the factories in Lawrence, Massachu-
setts, too; in Providence, Rhode Island; and a host of other mill and steel
towns from metro Boston through Connecticut to Pennsylvania.
Capital and industrial flight led to population exit as well, creating
swaths of empty homes that could be bought or rented for a song. Mean-
while, housing costs in greater New York City went up and up, cruelly
outstripping wages.
New Yorkers-including Mrican Americans but mostly Latinos-
started moving to the rustvilles in the 1970s, when municipal economic
crisis and massive disinvestment turned working-class areas like the South
Bronx into crime-ridden slums that felt impossible to live in. By the late
1980s, the New York economy was recovering, but housing costs were
starting to go through the roof. That's when out-migration started to
snowball. In 1990, for instance, the census found about 2,000 people in
Dutchess County, where ramshackle Poughkeepsie is located, who indi-
cated they'd moved there during the past five years from the Bronx. A
decade later, over 3,000 more migrants fit the same description. Mean-
while, the number of New Yorkers moving to Lawrence, Massachusetts--
a depressed old mill town 234 miles from New York City-more than
doubled, to over 4,000, and almost all were Latino. Figures are just as dra-
matic for down-and-out burgs like Providence, Hartford and Bridgeport.
Allentown's numbers are even more startling. From 1990 to 2000,
migration there from the Bronx tripled as Latinos followed friends and
family who'd come earlier. According to a book about Allentown's Lati-
nos by Muhlenberg College professor Anna Adams, these early arrivals
were drawn to a pioneer enclave dating to just afrer World War II. That's
when Pennsylvania farmers conducted drives in Puerto Rico to recruit
Movin Out _ ~ ~ iil_
_ - ~ _ _ _l" ,... I
20
F
rom 1990 to 2000--the last years the government counted-New York City lost almost 108,000 Puerto Ricans. And between 1985 and
2000, some 383,000 black New Yorkers left the city. The U.S. Census documents migrations such as these every decade, by asking people
what counties they've lived in during the past five years, then crunching the answers to see who has moved away from where.
The findings: Many blacks are heading south. Puerto Ricans, meanwhile, are going to Puerto Rico, central Florida and to several small rust-belt
cities in the Northeast. Data below illustrate the 1990s' farewell. D N
Migration .rom New York City
ORANGE COUNTY, FL
Main destination city: Orlando, pop. 896,344
New York City residents who moved to the county: 14,102
Ratio of Hispanics in city, 1990: 9%
Ratio of Hispanics in city, 2000: 17%
Most NYC transplants to Orlando came from Queens and Brookryn.
Orlando is gaining Puerto Ricans ffJSter than any other mainland us. city.
ESSEX COUNTY, MA
Main destination city: Lawrence, pop. 72,000
New York City residents who moved to the county: 4,001
Ratio of Hispanics in city, 1990: 31 %
Ratio of Hispanics in city, 2000: 60%
Most New York-to-Lawrence migrants came from the Bronx. Lawrence
hfJS a higher ratio of Latinos to non-Latinos than any us. city outside
the Southwest. It is also the countrys most segregated city when it comes
to Latinos and non-Hispanic whites living apart from each other.
SOURCES:
2000 U.S. Cmsus; "Puerto lUeans Stawide 2000. Puerto lUcan Legal Difmse and
Education Fund; 'The New Grt!at Migration. Brookings Institution.
LEHIGH COUNTY, PA
Main destination city: Allentown, pop. 106,000
New York City residents who reported moving to county: 3,255
Ratio of Hispanics in 1990: 12%
Ratio of Hispanics in 2000: 24%
NYC migration is primariry from the Bronx. Allentown hfJS the main-
land us. s second ffJStest-growing Puerto Rican population.
BERKS COUNTY, PA
Main destination city: Reading, pop. 81,000
New York City residents who reported moving to county: 2,250
Ratio of Hispanics in 1990: 14%
Ratio of Hispanics in 2000: 37%
Besides Puerto Ricans, Reading hfJS a large Mexican population. Man-
hattan had the highest number of movers.
PROVIDENCE COUNTY, RI
Main destination city: Providence, pop. 174,000
New York City residents who reported moving to county: 6, 157
Ratio of Hispanics in 1990: 7%
Ratio of Hispanics in 2000: 14%
Puerto Ricans continue to move to Providence, but increfJSing numbers of
Dominicans are also comingfrom New York. Primary origin: the Bronx.
CITY LIMITS
agricultural laborers. Hundreds came, and by the early 1970s, some
1,200 Puerto Ricans were living in Allentown.
It was so orderly and prosperous back then that a good-government
group called the National Municipal League twice recognized the com-
munity with something called the ''All-America City" award. Drivers
into town passed a sign touting the prize. At the time, Puerto Ricans
made up barely 1 percent of Allentown's population.
Then the demography changed so fast that by 2000, the census
counted some 26,000 Latinos-almost a quarter of Allentown's resi-
dents. Most newcomers are still Puerto Rican; indeed, Allentown's Puer-
to Rican community is the second fastest-growing such enclave on the
U.S. mainland, after the one in Orlando. Most Allentown Puerto Ricans
come from the New York area, according to data analyzed by SUNY-
Binghamton geographer Mark Reisinger, who has spent the last two
years studying the Latino push into Allentown.
As Nuyoricans have arrived in the city's aging central area, longtime white
residents have moved to new houses and big lawns a few miles away or have
picked up entirely for distant areas. They've left behind Hamilton Street, a
downtown thoroughfare once so elegant that people would don Sunday
clothes just to go shopping. Today Hamilton is desolate, with boarded-up
businesses and others, still open, that sell 99-cent dresses and bent tubes of
toothpaste labeled in non-Western alphabets. Nearby residential streets are
so Latino that store signs are in Spanish, and English is rarely heard.
W
hen S' elena Zapata arrived in Allentown last August, at first she
was charmed. The city is 80 times smaller than New York, and the
difference is palpable even in the crowded barrio. Birds chirp
there, the air smells ftesh and summer is good for children. A giant water
park sits on the fancy edge of town, just a quick drive away. "And there's
Chuck E. Cheese," adds Zapata-a cheap kiddie wonderland that comes
with pizza for parents and is virtually unknown in New York.
Even better, she found a two-bedroom apartment for only $470 a
month-less than half the $1,000 or more she'd have paid back in
Queens. Perhaps in a few years she would be able to buy one of the old
row homes that march down blocks and blocks of Allentown like mili-
tary parades, with their columned porches all joined and their price rags
often less than $60,000. With the future on her mind, Zapata unpacked,
enrolled the children in school and started job hunting.
But she came up short. That's no surprise, given the Allentown area's
high unemployment rate among Latinos-14 percent, almost three
times the figure for the general population. Zapata had hit town hoping
to work with buses like she used to on Long Island. Once in subway- and
trainless Allentown, though, she learned she'd need a car to commute to
the bus barns, and she lacked enough savings to buy one. The money she
did have was soon gone. She went on welfare.
Her best bet now is to fmd work as a hospital housekeeper, hotel
maid, clerk or factory operative in el pollo--Spanish slang for the chick-
en and turkey deli-meat plants that ring Allentown. These jobs are the
most commonly available for newcomer women. Men also work in el
polio, or at temporary agencies that send them out to warehouses. Such
jobs pay between minimum wage and $10 an hour.
Often it's not enough to keep a family out of poverty. In fact, accord-
ing to the Brookings report, the poverty rate in Allentown's central district,
where Zapata and most other Latinos live, registered about 19 percent dur-
ing the last census. That's more than triple the rate in nearby suburban
neighborhoods and hardly less than New York City's overall 21 percent.
Perhaps more distressing than the economic hardship numbers are
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
data showing that as time goes by, Allentown's new and old residents are
living farther and farther apatt from each other. Zapata's neighborhood
exemplifies the trend toward segregation. Her apartment is on North 7th
Street, which until a few years ago still had many residents with German
and Italian last names. Now, "it's a lot of Hispanics and blacks," Zapata
Re'cel'ltly, Dominican settlers, including these men outside a
barbershop, have joined the wave moving to Allentown.
T
he following are the U.S. metro areas with the highest rates of
segregation between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white resi-
dents-where the concentration of Hispanics within certain cen-
sus tracts is far higher than their representation in the general
population of the metro area. (Ranked in order of severity.)
1. Lawrence, MA *
2. Reading, PA*
3. Providence, RI/Fall River, MA *
4. Bridgeport, CT
5. New York, NY*
6. Newark, NJ
7. Hartford, CT
8. Los Angeles/Long Beach, CA*
9. Springfield, MA
10. Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, PA*
&gregation incrrased from 1990 to 2000
SOURCE: "Examining Residential Segregation Pa=. Uwis Center for Regional
Policy Studic. University of California Los Angtks"; &wis Mumford Cmtn at
SUNY-Albany.
notes, and she estimates that whites comprise only 10 percent of the peo-
ple on the block. Even fewer are left on nearby streets.
Meanwhile, out in neighborhoods near the water park, there's hardly
a Latino to be found. Allentown is right up there with New York as one
of the country's 10 most segregated cities when it comes to Hispanics and
21
non-Hispanic whites living apart from each other, according to a 2001
study by Shannon McConville and colleagues for the Lewis Center for
Regional Policy Studies at University of California Los Angeles.
Ironically, a desire to live among non-Hispanic whites-"Americans,"
Latinos call them-is a reason many migrants make the move in the fIrst
place. "New York symbolizes ghettos and chaos," says Arlene Davila, a
Puerto Rican-born anthropologist at New York University who studies
Latinos and suburbanization. "By going to places like Allentown," she
says, "you are symbolically entering a white space. In your own mind
that means you're not in a ghetto, so you're not so tainted, so racialized."
Or so goes the thinking, and it has seduced other observers of the
migration. In 1994, the New York Times Magazine published an article
about Latino relocation to the hin-
terlands that focused on Noel and
Alicia Torres, a couple from Bay
Ridge who had just moved that
year with their four children to
Allentown. As a tractor-trailer dri-
ver, Noel didn't have to worry
about fInding new work, and he
and his wife-who like many Puer-
to Ricans are Pentecostals-saw the
move as a way to rescue their kids
from the New York City school sys-
tem's teachings that "it's OK to
have sex anytime." The Torreses
bought a row house "on a tidy, all-
white block" filled with "Pennsyl-
vania Dutch exactitude," according
to writer Laurence Stains.
Stains noted the city's widespread
racism: An aging, Italian-American
city councilwoman blamed Latinos
for ruining the community, lam-
basted them for putting sofas on
their porches and lobbied successful-
ly for a local English-only law. The
article quoted Latinos complaining
of having to shop with their hands
clasped behind their backs so store
owners wouldn't falsely accuse them
of shoplifting. Still, Stains praised
the Torreses' newly adopted city as
"the Great White Way, " and he predicted Latinos would soon intermar-
ry in Allentown and "disappear into irs homogeneity." For backup, he
quoted James Shenton, a Columbia University ethnic specialist, who
opined that "you can't maintain a barrio out there."
That was Professor Shenton's final public take on the matter, and he
died last year. But the consensus today is that the barrio has been main-
tained and then some. Allentown's high (and rising) segregation rate
attests to that, as does the general agreement among locals that dating is
increasingly common among young Latinos and non-Latinos, but inter-
marriage remains rare.
As for the Torres family, their block is now utterly nonwhite. "We're not
so happy here," said Alicia in Spanish during a recent interview. "There are
too many Latinos now." Latinos per se aren't the problem, says Juanita
Galarza, who moved with her husband and three kids from Cypress Hills,
22
Brooklyn, in the late 1990s and now lives a few blocks from the Torreses.
"It's people coming lately from New York, " she says. "They move here and
don't change their lives. They play their loud music; they sell you-know-
what on the corner. I see them coming and I cross the street."
One newcomer is Haydee (not her real name), a Puerto Rican
woman in her fifties whose body and face are plumped smooth with
the edema of heart disease. Haydee has a gravelly voice and a penchant
for minor scams such as bartering pirated cable TV service in exchange
for contraband cardiac medication. She's from Brooklyn but lives part
time with a partner in public housing in Allentown, which is illegal
because she's not on the rolls. She engages in this subterfuge to main-
tain an address in New York so she can keep getting her Supplemental
Security Income payments from
there, where allotments are high-
er than in Pennsylvania.
Like Haydee, Leo Garcia-the
young man with the baby-name
tattoo--still goes back and forth.
When he's in Allentown, he does
temporary warehouse work. But
he's from Bushwick and hangs out
a lot there and in Harlem. He
seems well acquainted with the
problem of "drama" -his word for
crime. Ie's worse in Allentown than
New York, Garcia says, pardy
because of drugs. In the 1990s
Allentown became an entrepot for
heroin and cocaine shipped from
New York to points west, and
today the crime-blotter pages of
the local paper, the Morning Call,
regularly report arrests of people
with Brooklyn and Bronx address-
es busted for drug dealing in Allen-
town. Gangs are a related problem.
"In New York the police are strict
about them," says Garcia. "But
here, the Bloods, Latin Kings and
Netas are shooting and shit, over
little things. That's why we call
Allentown 'The Nest of Hell.'"
Garcia's perceptions are half
right. According to FBI statistics, Allentown's per capita murder rate last
year surpassed New York City's, its overall violent crime rate was only
slightly lower, and it had a far worse record for property crime, includ-
ing burglaries and vehicle thefts. But when New York City is broken
down into neighborhoods, crime rates in several poorer ones where
many Latinos live surpass Allentown's.
T
hankfully, disorder seems nonexistent in the local public education
system. Compared to New York, this is Leave It to Beaver. No pha-
lanxes of security guards or metal detectors mar the city's two high
schools, and visitors can walk in right off the street without signing in.
"I like the schools here," says S'elena Zapata. "They don't seem like
they've given up on kids. The teachers and principals are strict. "
But others point to serious flaws, including the fact that until this
CITY LIMITS
..
year, so many srudents were doing poorly on standard achievement tests
that the Allentown School District was put on a Pennsylvania-wide
"distressed list" and ordered to take extraordinary measures to raise
scores. Underachievement may be related to rapid in-migration, which
has created overcrowding and other problems. Allentown's biggest high
school, for instance, is supposed to hold 2,200 students but in past
years has swollen to 3,500. Many schools are "having classes in hallways
and closets," says Miriam Lavandier, a Dominican-American who
moved from the Bronx in the late 1990s with her two teenaged children
("I was sick of the hustle-bustle and graffiti and smelly people") and
now directs the health services component of a community empower-
ment nonprofit in Allentown.
Another education dilemma: "Schools here don't have the resources
New York schools do to help children with special needs," says Maria
Torrales. She's social services coordinator of Casa Guadalupe, a center-
city organization that helps Latinos and international immigrants who
are new in town. "Kids with disabilities like dyslexia have a harder time
getting services here. And there are not many teachers and counselors
who speak Spanish."
Indeed, while almost half the citywide student body is Latino (and
about 15 percent are black), less than 8 percent of the professional pub-
lic school staff-teachers, counselors, principals and the like-are non-
white, according to the Allentown School District human resources
department. Latino community leaders complain that little is being
done to fix the problem; the district says one reason it can't recruit more
minorities is that few have the required Pennsylvania certification.
Efforts to get over the diversity hump have been "glacial," says Nicholas
Butterfield, human relations officer for the city.
Lavandier thinks the dearth of minority educators hurts kids like hers
and reflects racism that's more subtle than back in the 1990s but still
around. The English-only city councilwoman who hated porch sofas is
deceased now (and two councilrnembers are Latinos). Most people inter-
viewed for this article said it's been a few years since they last heard racist
comments directed against them in public. And the "All-America City" sign
on the highway-which Latinos including Lavandier angrily interpret as
meaning "All-white City"-has disappeared. Still, there's a sense of muted
bur lingering animus. "When we moved here in 1997, my daughter's grades
went way down because she was traumatized," says Lavandier. "She said the
teachers were mean, particularly a middle-school teacher who discriminat-
ed against minorities. She almost quit school because of this."
At William Allen High School, ESL instructor Abdullah Karahoca-
who is half Puerto Rican and originally from Brooklyn-winces while
noting that few Latino students participate in clubs and sports. "It's very
difficult to get them to connect with the school as their own," he says.
He and Lavandier worry about the fact that almost two-thirds of high
school dropouts in Allentown are Latinos.
It's hard, though, to imagine any child of Lavandier's quitting
school. Besides being active with Casa Guadalupe, the Hispanic Lead-
ership Council and other Latino civic groups, she has a master's degree
and used to work for the dean of academic affairs at Hostos Commu-
nity College in the Bronx. She'd know how to keep her daughter from
dropping out, by seeking alternative classes, lining up counseling, mak-
ing waves with school honchos. That's the difference between migrants
to Allentown like Lavandier and those like Zapata. One group is poor
and undereducated. The other, middle-class and professional. Which is
to say, full of moxie.
continued on page 35
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
A
ngel Figueroa (above) is a politico, which is one reason he says his
first name the way you hear the word on American 1V at Christmas.
Of course, he speaks Spanish when pressing flesh in places where Lati-
nos predominate. One such place is Robetto Clemente Park, a hillocky
spot near downtown Reading, Pennsylvania. Clemente lies in the heart
of the barrio, and Figueroa, who's only 29, represents the area on Read-
ing's City Council. He won the seat four years ago with 343 votes to his
Italian-American opponent's 340, becoming the first Latino councilper-
son in the town's history.
When Figueroa ran, Reading-population 81,000-was already
37 percent Latino, and today is estimated to be more so. Like Allen-
town, 40 miles to the east, Reading is an ailing industrial city that has
been settled by Puerto Ricans from the New York City area.
Figueroa is one of them. "I was brought up in Jersey City," he
reminisced recently while puttering around the gut-rehabbed living
room of a Reading row house ("It was a crack house!") that he and
his wife bought five years ago for $15,000. "I carne from a typical
poor Hispanic household. My dad worked in the garment industry in
New York. He's still there, on 34th and Seventh."
Figueroa remembers "running the streets of the Lower East Side
and Harlem as a teenager. Our of the four guys I ran with, two are
dead now. In 1992 my mom gave me an ultimatum. She sent me to
my uncle in Kutztown," a rural Pennsylvania burg where Pennsylva-
nia Dutch predominated. The uncle lived in a trailer park, and to
Figueroa that was heaven. "A tree in my front window, fresh air-it
was the best! My life changed completely."
He did a stint in the Army and some college, then ended up work-
ing for a bank in Reading. He did so well that in 2000, a local activist
group, the Hispanic Center, asked him to run for City Council. Today
he's still there. In addition, he runs I-LEAD, a leadership-skills school
connected with the U.S. Justice Department's Weed and Seed program.
Reading needs the help. Forty-three percent of Reading Latinos
were living below the poverty level in 2000, the unemployment rate
was almost 10 percent, and the murder rate in 2002 was four times
the national average. For Latinos, Reading is also the second most
segregated city in the country [see "Worlds Apart," page 21J.
Figueroa is optimistic that he and others will be able to turn things
around. "Pennsylvania is the place where I was reborn," he says. "And
this city-five years from now it's going to be the place to live. We
Latinos are the future of Reading." 0 N
23
The
Match
Game
Individual Development Accounts are a popular way to help people
without assets invest in their futures. But what started as a boost
for the poor has become a subsidy for success stories. Here's how
it happened-and what we can do to invest in equ ity.
By Mark Wi nston Griffith
Illustrations by Christopher Silas Neal
ALMOST A DECADE after credit unions,
community development groups, banks and
other organizations started opening Individual
Development Accounts to give struggling
Americans a boost, the results from this nation-
al experiment in promoting savings and finan-
cial planning have begun to emerge.
Take Tiffany B., a young woman who makes
a compelling case for the magic of asset build-
ing and IDAs. Just a couple of years out of high
school, pregnant and fleeing an abusive rela-
tionship that left her credit in tatters, Tiffany
was forced to move back into her parents' home
and soon found herself coping with a debilitat-
ing disease. Like a godsend, Alternatives Feder-
al Credit Union, one of the most respected
community development institutions in the
24
country, came to Tiffany's rescue--with a dose
of self-empowerment. Through her member-
ship in Alternatives, based upstate in Ithaca,
Tiffany used a portion of her $400 in savings to
secure an additional $1,200 in matching grant
dollars from the Alternatives' IDA program.
The Alternatives IDA was transformative for
Tiffany. She leveraged Alternatives' matching
money, financial education classes, and other
resources to help her move forward with her
life-to rent an apartment, finance her educa-
tion, pay for health care and consolidate her debt.
Tiffany speaks of an emotional and physical sta-
bility that she had never before experienced in
her young adult life. "When I became pregnant,
I had the future in mind, but I really had no idea
what the future could possibly look like. I didn't
know what I had to do, much less how to do it,"
says Tiffany. The IDA program, she adds, "was a
decisive factor in my being able to find and fix
things I perceived as problems in my life."
Enterprising and inspirational, Tiffany is
undoubtedly an IDA success story. She is also
an unwitting representative of a much larger
phenomenon. Qualified to participate in the
IDA program because of her $27,000-a-year
job and support from her family, Tiffany is an
example of how asset-building strategies like
IDAs, which were originally touted as path-
ways our of poverty, are increasingly focused on
helping those who are employed and within
reach of the middle class.
Forty years after Lyndon Johnson declared a
war on poverty and almost 10 years into the end
CITY LIMITS
of welfare as we knew it, IDAs stand as a land-
mark in America's dramatically shifting conver-
sation about how to help poor Americans real-
ize the American dream. IDAs have been large-
ly successful in helping ordinary citizens turn a
corner in their lives and build wealth. But the
struggles of organizations trying to make IDAs
work in the real world have muted some of the
most ambitious claims of asset builders. So did
the success of conservatives in limiting who
could participate. After the first wave of IDAs,
we still don't know what government, founda-
tions and financial institutions ought to be
doing to lift: up the underclass.
The Good Word
I FIRST HEARD the gospel of Individual
Development Accounts during a speaking
engagement at the Yale School of Management
in the mid-1990s, when I was board chair of the
Central Brooklyn Federal Credit Union. Dur-
ing my discussion of financial service provision
in low-income neighborhoods, a couple of stu-
dents began to describe the wonders of a new
social welfare vision. What was more disarming
than the approach they described--encourag-
ing the poor to save by offering them a sizable
cash reward-was the comportment of the
shiny, happy grad students who presented it.
They spoke as if they had witnessed a revela-
tion, one that promised to help turn the tide in
the struggle against persistent poverty. Upon
closer inspection, IDAs seemed like a pretty
crude way to give the poor a leg up: Save a dol-
lar, receive two or three more, plus interest.
IDA account holders must save a minimum
amount on a fairly regular basis, within a cer-
tain time frame, and ultimately use their sav-
ings for specific asset-building purposes, such
as the purchase of a home, the building of a
small business or the acquisition of an adult
education. The maximum that can be matched
is usually less than $2,000, and match rates
range anywhere from one to three times the
amount saved, depending on the program.
During the 1990s IDAs were regarded as the
next "new thing" in antipoverty thinking. Today,
more than 30 states authorize IDA programs
and have integrated them i.nto their welfare pro-
grams. Households with IDAs now number in
the tens of thousands, and an estimated 400 to
500 ptograms are up and running throughout
the country. What's more, IDAs captured the
imaginations of the nation's largest foundations
and stimulated more than a quarter of a billion
dollars in public and private investment. The
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
asset-building paradigm helped reshape the
social welfare debate as we know it.
Since then, proponents have tried to prove
that IDAs can be converted into enduring
national policy. Over the years, IDA legislation
has received support from Republicans and
Democrats alike and recently made an appear-
ance on President Bush's domestic policy agen-
da. Today, Congress is considering legislation
that would create 300,000 IDA accounts
nationwide and grant tax credits to investors in
IDAs to the tune of millions of dollars.
Despite this stunning success, IDAs have
had a consistent chorus of critics, who are skep-
tical of their focus on individual enterprise and
the neoliberal-some would say Trojan-horse
IDA advocates rode in on in the era of welfare
reform. "The danger here," wrote Alvin Schorr,
a veteran social welfare scholar, "is that IDAs
would be exploited quite as IRAs and other tax
policies have been exploited, at great cost to the
he concluded, "is not related to being a saver,
and has only small effects on the amount of
savings." It had been conventional wisdom
among economists that the more people
earned, the more they saved, particularly if they
came into sudden windfalls of cash. Not true,
concluded Sherraden: "Neither greater recur-
rent income nor greater interminent income is
significantly related to being a saver. "
However, in what seems to be emblematic
of the wider IDA experience, it wasn't just the
underclass that was able to take advantage of
the project. The mean monthly income of par-
ticipants was $1,496, and adjusted for family
size was 116 percent of the poverty line. And
many families were far better off. In deciding
who was eligible to enroll in their IDA pro-
grams, organizations typically sought clients
who earned between 150 percent and 200 per-
cent of the poverty level.
Sherraden's evaluation, perhaps unwittingly,
Fewer than half of those who had
Individual Development Accounts lived
below the poverty line. One in eight had
income twice that or higher.
government and largely to the benefit of those
who are already the wealthiest." At a time when
the American antipoverty brain trust is bereft of
new, big ideas, there's a legitimate fear that the
rush toward IDAs is helping to usher in a new
generation of privatized social welfare alterna-
tives ultimately designed to benefit everyone
but the poor themselves.
Recent research has further primed such con-
cerns. In 2002, Michael Sherraden, the founder
and director of the Center for Social Develop-
ment (CSD) at Washington University and the
intellectual progenitor of IDAs, conducted an
evaluation of the American Dream Demonstra-
tion (ADD)-the first national, foundation-
funded wave of IDA programs. With his evalu-
ation, Sherraden set our to prove his own centra!
thesis: that low-income people were just as capa-
ble of saving money as anyone else.
Indeed, that's what he found. In the Ameri-
can Dream Demonstration, participants saved
an average of about $700 per year. "Income,"
revealed that only 48 percent of the more than
2,300 participants in the American Dream lived
below the poverty line. Twelve percent actually
had incomes that were twice to almost seven
times the poverty guidelines. Seventy-eight per-
cent of the participants had either full-time or
part-time employment. Two-thirds owned a car,
and 60 percent had anended college. Fifty-two
percent had health insurance and 79 percent
had bank accounts prior to joining the IDA pro-
gram. Sherraden admits in his evaluation that
"compared to the U.S. low-income population"
participants in the demonstration program "are
better educated, more likely to be employed and
more likely to have a bank account."
Sherraden's study strongly suggested that
the lower tier of low-income people, employed
or otherwise, were not the prime targets of a
multimillion dollar, foundation-supported
program established to fight poverty.
There has been no comprehensive study of
the IDA programs that function outside the
25
American Dream Demonstration project. But
among the 20 or so programs I researched
across the country, I found the lion's share of
IDA work was being done among employed,
highly motivated working-class individuals
who had been treading water economically and
were searching for a catalyst to help them
achieve a long-coveted goal in their lives. Some
participants were even solidly middle class.
Most IDA programs have limited enrollment;
for participants to even find their way to the
program suggests that they are self-selected and
even uncommonly entrepreneurial.
The Best Intentions
This is not how it was supposed to be. All evi-
dence indicates that IDA programs were origi-
nally created to provide an incentive and struc-
ture for poor people to accumulate assets and
build wealth, by offering to match consistent,
get by, while penalizing them for acqwnng
assets, it was designed to keep the poor, in Sher-
raden's view, running in place.
Sherraden's most compelling observation
was one that community development and
economic-rights activists had been making for
years: It is the gap in assets-not income-that
truly separates the poor from the wealthy and it
is this disparity that helps to sustain much of
America's economic injustice. Ray Boshara, the
director of Asset Building at the New America
Foundation, supports this point with dramatic
statistics-such as the fact that the least pros-
perous 40 percent of Americans own less than
1 percent of the nation's wealth.
While never discounting the need for finan-
cial safety nets, Sherraden maintained that "pol-
icy should seek to empower as well as protect."
And, he wrote, it ought to reinforce desirable
economic behavior. "With assets people begin
to think in the long term and pursue long-term
IDA programs are housed by social
service organizations in cooperation
with financial institutions, which
handle deposits much as they would
a child's custodial account.
targeted savings. Offered as a reform-era alter-
native to welfare, IDA programs were original-
ly proposed as a structured incentive for people
receiving public assistance to escape depen-
dence on the government and become greater
stakeholders in public life.
Back in 1991, Sherraden's book, Assets and
the Poor: A New American Welfare Policy, the
manifesto for the IDA movement, dropped like
a bomb on the antipoverty scene and turned the
heads of policy makers, foundation presidents
and community development practitioners
seeking a new way to attack poverty. In one
stroke, Sherraden dismissed the way American
policy makers traditionally viewed the mechan-
ics of social mobility among low-income peo-
ple. As he sees it, social-welfare thinking has
been overly fixated on income maintenance and
the notion that Americans can spend and con-
sume their way out of poverty. Because welfare
provided just enough money for recipients to
26
goals. In other words, while income feeds peo-
ple's stomachs, assets change their heads."
Like the traditional welfare policies he
sought to replace, Sherraden's IDA vision was
overtly paternalistic, with a middle-class indoc-
trination twist. IDAs were originally conceived
not simply as savings opportunities but as inter-
ventions into the lives and economic cultures of
those who did not maintain functional relation-
ships with financial institutions. Nowhere is
this more evident than in the financial educa-
tion and case management that are prerequisites
to receiving IDA matching money. Account
holders are required to participate in a sort of re-
orientation process designed to prepare them
for a life of responsible, fully enfranchised
financial citizenry. IDA programs are housed by
social service organizations in cooperation with
financial institutions, which in some instances
categorize the deposits the same way they would
a child's custodial account.
Conservative Politics
SHERRADEN SOUGHT to offer a new "asset-
based policy . .. [which] would seek to combine
welfare assistance with economic develop-
ment. " But by the time policy groups and foun-
dations launched the first generation of IDA
programs, they'd moved beyond the prescrip-
tions in his book and were no longer being fash-
ioned just for welfare recipients and the poor.
In 1997 the Corporation for Enterprise
Development (CFED), a Washington think
tank, launched the Downpayment on the
American Dream Demonstration Project-and
the target population was now qualified as the
"working poor. " Designed in large part by
asset-building pioneer Bob Friedman, the
demonstration project proclaimed itself the
"first test of the efficacy ofIDAs."
Funding for administration, and the
matching dollars, came from a five-year, mul-
timillion dollar commitment from 12 of the
biggest names in American antipoverty philan-
thropy, including Ford, Rockefeller, Mott and
Fannie Mae. They planted 13 IDA programs
in competitively selected organizations that
included community development corpora-
tions, community development credit unions,
social service agencies and regional collabora-
tives. The Clinton administration followed
with a larger, public demonstration project of
its own, Assets for Independence, adminis-
tered through the Department of Health and
Human Services. To date, Congress has appro-
priated $95 million.
Federally funded IDAs were neatly woven
into the fabric of a new welfare system that
emphasized employment above all else. Unlike
the privately funded Downpayment on the
American Dream project, participants in Assets
for Independence program must either be eligi-
ble for Temporary Assistance for Needy Fami-
lies or qualifY for the Earned Income Tax Cred-
it (EITC). But most important, any savings
matched have to come from verifiable earned
income-that is, from a job in the formal
economy. The federal program also leaves wide
discretion to the nonprofits overseeing the
accounts to cherry-pick participants; regula-
tions stipulate that "from among those eligible,
the nonprofits will choose the ' best suited' can-
didates for the demonstration. "
IDAs stand as a signature of the Bill Clin-
ton who rode into Washington as a moderate
vowing to end welfare as we know it. Inherent
in this conviction was the stereotype of a wel-
fare roll full of non-value-adding deadbeats
CITY LIMITS
who were sucking the Treasury dry. The urban
poor, who until then had loomed largely in the
popular imagination as a monolithic block,
became a more nuanced group that included
those who were trying contribute to the Amer-
ican dream-people working in lo'w wage
jobs-and enemies of that dream, who
allegedly refused to get off their lazy asses
and work.
Today, Sherraden recounts that in this
environment it was unthinkable to launch
IDA programs without gearing them toward
working people. "These were political deci-
sions," he wrote me in an email. "If you have
had any experience trying to get legislation
through state legislatures or the U.S. Con-
gress, you will understand how this can hap-
pen, and indeed it was usually the only way
we could pass IDA legislation. "
Bob Friedman had a similar recollection of
what he calls a "Clinton-era consensus." As he
and his colleagues fought to enact an IDA that
was inclusive of everyone, not just those with
earned income, Friedman remem,bered that the
"mantra on the Hill was, 'This is not something
for nothing; people have to pay an equity
stake.'" In addition to the strong Republican
and Clintonian neoliberal influences, Friedman
says there was a less ideological faction of peo-
ple shaping IDA legislation who nonetheless
felt that "people who were married, employed
and had stability could most relate to and ben-
efit from IDAs. Friedman conceded that what
he originally envisioned as a universally avail-
able asset-building tool became narrowed into a
vehicle for society's more "stable" citizens. It
"was not our preference," says Friedman. It was
the product of the legislative process, he says-
"one of the compromises you make. "
Deregulation and
Evolution
IN TH E LAST FEW YEARS, the IDA field has
become increasingly diverse, and many pro-
grams now function largely outside of the
American Dream Demonstration and AFI's
strict guidelines. As more observers have a
chance ro reflect on IDAs, even the model's
most passionate advocates concede that they
are not always practical for people on the low-
est rungs of poverty or the organizations that
serve them.
Cathie Mahon, who has pulled together sta-
tiStiCS on the 50 community development
credit unions with IDA programs for the
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
National Federation of Community Develop-
ment Credit Unions, notes that "IDA pro-
grams tend to be a lot of work to starr and
maintain. " The prototypical IDA model
includes intensive case management and finan-
cial education, complicated partnerships
between fmancial institutions and social service
agencies, and the ability to raise countless oper-
ating dollars and matching funds. As funding
tightens, not-for-profit organizations who find
IDAs useful are also under more pressure than
ever to blend the savings accounts with existing
programs while delivering dramatic results.
This has prompted countless innovations in
community development banking. But the
poorest and most disadvantaged-the disabled,
the chronically homeless, the underem-
ployed-are often perceived, unfairly or not, to
represent a level of intervention that struggling
organizations simply cannot afford.
Yes, as Sherraden has proven, the poor can
save. But are IDAs and other asset-building
strategies the best way to help them build
wealth? Joy Cousminer, CEO of Bethex Federal
Credit Union in the Bronx, says she abandoned
her anempts to enter the American Dream
Demonstration program and open IDAs for her
credit union members, most of whom receive
public assistance: "It wasn't a logical fit for us.
They didn't provide enough money and the pro-
grams didn't fit our population. " Sarah Ludwig,
executive director of the Neighborhood Eco-
nomic Development Advocacy Project, is criti-
cal of the aggressive promotion of objectives that
may not make sense for many struggling people.
There is, she says, a "rheroric and a strategic
focus on [homelownership and starting a new
business that is simply unrealistic and unman-
ageable." Most organizations with successful
IDA programs, she contends, are working with
a "self-selected pool where barriers of time,
mobility and child care are not as significant."
Ben Mangan, the founder of Earned Assets
Resource Network, a Bay Area IDA program,
27
Individual Development Account
programs in New York City
FIFTH AVENUE COMMITTEE
www.fifthave.org
Objective: To obtain training and licensing
for higher-paid employment.
Participants to date: 38
Matching funds: Each $1 saved matched by
$3 for depositors up to 1 00 percent federal
poverty level; each $1 matched by $2 for up
to 200 percent poverty level.
Total deposited: $35,877
Amount saved: Up to $4,800.
Sponsorship: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (Assets for Indepen-
dence Demonstration Program), Indepen-
dence Community Foundation
MOUNT HOPE HOUSING COMPANY
www.mounthopehousing.org
Objective: To help Bronx residents buy a home,
start a business or obtain higher education.
Participants to date: 132
Matching funds: Each $1 saved is matched
by $2.
Amount saved: Up to $4,500 per depositor.
Total deposited: $343,755
Sponsorship: U.s. Department of Health and
Human Services, Citibank, Fleet Bank, NYC
Community Foundation, HSBC, Con-Ed,
Deutsche Bank, M& T Bank
NEW YORK ASSOCIATION
FOR NEW AMERICANS
www.nyana.org
Objective: For refugees seeking to start a
business, purchase a home, pay tuition,
enroll in job training courses or purchase
technology.
Participants to date: 77 6
Matching funds: Each $1 saved is matched
by $2.
Average amount saved: Up to $3,000 for
individuals and $6,000 for families.
Total deposited: $1 .9 million
Sponsorship: Dept of Health and Human
Services Office of Refugee Resettlement
LOWER EAST SIDE PEOPLE'S FEDERAL
CREDIT UNION
www.lespfcu.org
Objective: For credit union members, savings
for tuition or smal l busi ness start-ups.
Participants to date: 30
Matching funds: Each $1 saved is matched
by $1.
Amount saved: Up to $2,000.
Total deposited: $60,000
Sponsorship: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, AFIA demonstration project
28
saw what happened when his staff talked to
poor San Franciscans about saving for home-
ownership. "People are looking at us like we are
crazy. [They) need money for rent, and we were
talking about a down payment for a house," he
recalls. Mangan has come to view IDAs as an
"ideal tool for people who don't come from a
middle-class network but have never been on
welfare and are connected in some way to the
labor market."
The Mount Hope Housing Company, in
the Bronx, primarily targets low-income peo-
ple, but its IDA program caters to hardwork-
ing strivers, some of whom have already
climbed their way into the middle class. One
IDA saver, a schoolteacher and mother of a
teenager and two adult children, holds a mas-
ter's degree and a $52,000-a-year public-
school teaching job. "I was looking to become
a homeowner for a long time," she recounts,
and "was even about to close on a house before
the deal collapsed after a three-year delay."
Then she found Mount Hope and entered its
IDA program, which featured a course in
financial management. "I used that education
and $3,000 in matching dollars from Mount
Hope to pay closing costs on a $260,000, twO-
family home that was marketed through
another one of Mount Hope's programs. "
Some local programs have been innovative
in finding savings goals within closer reach
than homeownership. The Fifth Avenue Com-
mittee uses IDAs to help clients pay for valu-
able commercial trucking licenses. Says Aman-
da Verdes, who runs the Fifth Avenue IDA pro-
ject. "We see people who are earning between
minimum wage and a living wage hit a plateau.
They see where they want to go, but don't have
the resources to get there."
Sherraden dismisses doubts about the via-
bility of IDAs among the very poor, calling that
view empirically unproven. He thinks the crit-
icisms reflect the elitist conviction that the
poor are too undisciplined and are pathologi-
cally incapable of saving. And yet t ucked
inside even the most patronizing and wrong-
headed criticisms of IDAs are some simple,
valid precepts-like the idea that you need
money and resources in order to save and build
on them in the first place.
Perhaps no one is more acutely aware of
how badly the IDA model needs to be updated
than those who originally shaped it. In my
conversations with IDA pioneers like Friedman
and Boshara, they seemed to regard the original
IDA demonstration programs as land probes
that successfully fed back information on what
is practically and politically required to build
more effective and widely available asset-build-
ing tools. Toward that end, IDA leaders are
convening an IDA Learning Conference in
New Orleans this September-an acknowl-
edgement that IDAs are at an important cross-
roads and that it's time to reconvene the gener-
als and restrategize the war.
Birth Certificates
BOSHARA, ONE OF the country's most
important asset-building strategists, is clear that
he has always had a bigger vision in mind. "I am
trying to systematically articulate a policy agen-
da that goes beyond account-based approaches, "
he says. "It's a heart and minds campaign to
build awareness among members of Congress to
affect public policy." Accordingly, he recently
unveiled a website, assetbuilding.org, designed
to be a "clearinghouse on asset building, a one-
stop shopping place for information."
Clearly there is a much broader conversation
about asset b ~ i l d i n g in America that needs to
happen, one that goes beyond IDAs. As the
Corporation for Enterprise Development noted
in a stinging report issued earlier this year, fed-
eral asset-building policy overall overwhelming-
ly favors upper-class Americans, through such
tools as the home-mortgage tax deduction.
There are several overlapping attempts to
shape an American policy dialogue around a
future for asset building for those who aren't
already wealthy. The Growing Wealth Work-
ing Group (GWGW) , which Boshara
describes as "a nonpartisan and informal group
of experts in tax, social and assets policy" orga-
nized by the Corporation for Enterprise
Development and the Center for Social Devel-
opment, has developed an asset-building poli-
cy platform that attempts to be broad in vision
and overcome the limitations of the current
IDA model. According to Boshara, who is a
principal in the group, GWGW calls for a
national asset-building policy that is open to
everyone, easy to understand, focuses on
greater wealth distribution to the poor, is sus-
tainable, and gives participants individual
voice and choice in the policy design and
application. Ultimately, GWGW envisions a
unified, national system of individual asset
accounts that include IRAs, Medical Savings
Accounts, 401ks, 529s (individual college sav-
ings accounts) as well as IDAs-a1l delivered
through the tax system.
Another prominent asset-building thinker is
continued on page 36
CITY LIMITS
THE BIG IDE A
JOBS 2004
How to Keep New York Working
Getting Back to Work
Black male unemployment
is here to stay-unless we
reconstruct jobs policy for
the real economy.
By David Jason Fischer
IT'S NOT NEWS that the economic damage of
the recent recession and subsequent "jobless
recovery" was unevenly spread. While employ-
ment has ticked upward in 2004, many of the
groups hit hardest in the downturn have
endured the added injury of a lag in bouncing
back. Arguably the most prominent has been
Mrican-Arnerican men, who are experiencing
a severe and ongoing crisis in employment.
Earlier this year, the Community Service
Society of New York (CSSNY) released a pow-
erful and disturbing study on this phenome-
non. The data suggest that this is a crisis we are
entirely unequipped to address through any
systems currencly in place-and that politics
or policy as usual simply won't cut it if we're
serious about addressing this problem.
The CSSNY report paints a deeply unset-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
cling picture. Senior Policy Analyst Mark Lev-
itan found that almost half the city's black
male population did not work in 2003. Only
51.8 percent of Mrican-Arnerican men held
jobs, compared to 75.7 percent of white men
and 65.7 percent of Hispanic males. (Official
government statistics, which offer a less bleak
view, fail to include individuals not actively
looking for work when measuring unemploy-
ment.) Worse still, Levitan found that the per-
centage of black men working had dropped by
12.2 percent since 2000. Considering the
meager growth in black male employment
during the sustained economic expansion of
the 1990s, black men are substantially worse
off in terms of employment now than they
were at this point in the last business cycle.
Experts who caution against overreaction
to findings such as these generally characterize
the cyclical economy as a force of nature, resis-
tant to human intervention. But there's reason
to believe that the labor market changes of the
last several years are qualitatively different
from those of previous downturns. As Federal
Reserve Bank economists Erica Groshen and
Simon Potter wrote last year, the jobless recov-
ery is largely explained by structural changes in
the workforce, both locally and nationally.
Groshen and Potter point to "the predomi-
nance of permanent job losses over temporary
layoffs and the relocation of jobs from one
industry to another. The data suggest that
most of the jobs added during the recovery
have been new positions in different firms and
industries, not rehires."
In other words, there's reason to suspect
that recent patterns of job creation and job
destruction have strongly militated against
black male New Yorkers. If the positions
erased in recent years, including many semi-
skilled jobs in fields like manufacturing and
construction, were disproportionately filled by
black men-who for a variety of reasons did
not migrate into newly created positions in
different firms and industries-that indicates a
much more serious need for action by the pub-
lic sector than if we can simply chalk up job
losses to the vagaries of the business cycle.
Blatant, Bull Connor-style racism isn't the
main problem here, but the legacy of past dis-
crimination is part of the equation-most
notably, persistent patterns of segregation in
housing and the physical dislocation of
minoriry communities from those in which
job growth is taking place. Low levels of edu-
cation and inadequate job skills also help
explain these distressing employment num-
bers, as does a relative absence of peer net-
29
THE BIG IDEA
NEW REPORTS
Though single women flooded the workforce in
droves after welfare reform, they've also been
some of the first to leave, notes this brief.
Employment among single moms grew by 11.2
percent between 1995 and 2000, but that level
dropped 3.2 points from 2000 to 2003-wiping
out more than a Quarter of the earlier gains.
Black single mothers were hit hardest: Despite
a gain in employment of 14 percent between
1995 and 2000, their rate fell 4 points from
2000 to 2003.
Employment Rates For Single
Mothers Fell Substantially
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
www.cbpp.orgor 202.408.1080
New York felons may have a tough row to hoe,
but it's still the softest in the country, according
to this assessment of state policies affecting
people with criminal records. Gauging the "road-
blocks" ex-offenders face upon their release
from prison, researchers compared policies
ranging from voting rights to access to student
loans, food stamps and housing. New York erects
far fewer legal barriers for people with criminal
records than, say, Colorado. Former felons there
lose their driver's licenses. Public housing can be
denied for arrests that never led to convictions.
And private employers in Colorado can refuse to
hire anyone with a criminal record.
After Prison: Roadblocks to ReentJy
Legal Action Center
www.lac.orgor 212.243.1313
Now that the welfare masses have moved into
jobs, the big Question is how to ensure they
make ends meet. As an overview of previous
research and an assessment of new data, this
policy brief argues that workers' social mobil-
ity may well depend on their ability to move on
to better jobs. Of those who advanced from the
low-wage category, roughly 75 percent did so
by changing employers, rather than rising
within a company.
30
Encouraging Job Advancement Among
Low Wage Workers: A New Approach
The Brookings Institution
www.brookings.eduor202.797.6105
works connected to work-informal connec-
tions that help job seekers find out about and
pursue openings.
So what's to be done? We can make
progress toward solving this problem by
improving educational opportunities in poor
communities and by forging greater connec-
tions between employers and those communi-
ties. Postsecondary education has a huge role
to play here; earlier this year, the Center for an
Urban Future released a report detailing how
the City University of New York has taken on
a larger role in workforce development, offer-
ing a range of programs in adult and continu-
ing education and publicly provided welfare-
to-work training. Both offer hope of progress.
But the problem of lagging employment in
minority and low-income communities is too
Professionals, we detailed a crying need for
coordination in workforce policy. Support
comes from 29 distinct funding streams, and
authority is shared among a plethora of federal,
state and city agencies-but they generally fail
to coordinate resources, or even share informa-
tion. Extrapolate these failures of resource- and
information-sharing across several different
policy fields, and you start to get a sense of the
magnitude of this challenge.
But progress is possible, with political lead-
ership and sustained administrative focus to
impose coordination and harness disparate
resources toward shared policy goals. Changes
to the New York City workforce system under
the leadership of Commissioner Rob Walsh
and the Department of Small Business Ser-
vices (DSBS) offer some encouragement.
The problem of lagging
employment in
minority and low-income communities
is too large to be solved
by a handful of public or private sector
initiatives, working in isolation.
large to be solved by a handful of public or pri-
vate sector initiatives, working in isolation. It's
encouraging, for instance, that City Council
recently allocated $10 million for emergency
re-employment and other worthy causes, but
considering the scope of the problem, the ges-
ture amounts to little more than symbolism.
This issue embraces workforce policy, eco-
nomic development, education and commu-
nity development, and to address it effectively
will require government and community lead-
ers in all those fields to transcend turf issues
and collaborate in new ways.
This is easy to theorize about, but fiendishly
difficult to put into practice. In a report the
Center for an Urban Future produced last year
in partnership with the Albany-based New
York Association of Training and Employment
Despite limited resources in the wake of fed-
eral and state budget cuts, and the challenges
of developing and implementing a workforce
policy virtually on the fly, DSBS has shown a
willingness to make needed changes and create
new linkages-for example, the planned colo-
cation of small business and workforce centers
throughout the city.
While deploying our resources to attack the
deep roots of this problem, the city and state
can and should take several short-term steps:
Push for the renewal of federal Tempo-
rary Extended Unemployment Compensa-
tion, an issue the 108th Congress has left
unaddressed. An economic multiplier effect, as
CSSNY cites in its report, will both contribute
to our local economy and somewhat amelio-
rate conditions for the unemployed.
CITY LIMITS
~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - T H E
BIG IDEA
Explore transitional employment
through wage subsidies, possibly along the
lines of the effort led by the Consortium for
Worker Education and Seedco following Sep-
tember 11. This successful initiative used fed-
eral funding to subsidize wages, saving jobs at
small businesses in Lower Manhattan and
other affected communities. Agencies can also
launch efforts to assess the skills of workers,
using the opportunity of temporary work to
attach them to the city workforce system on a
more permanent basis. The welfare client
assessment program conducted by a number
of CUNY campuses, which won praise from
both city and university officials before budget
cuts forced its early cancellation last year,
could serve as a model for this effort.
Launch a pilot program targeted toward
structural underemployment, through the
governor's discretionary funds under the fed-
eral Workforce Investment Act. The Pataki
administration has mostly used these funds to
serve workers who have lost their jobs through
dislocations, such as plant closings. Taking on
the fundamental labor market changes
Milano
arguably at the root of the black male unem-
ployment crisis would represent a logical
extension of this philosophy.
Collaborate with labor to affirmatively
hire for infrasuucture projects. This approach,
favored by CSSNY President David R. Jones
among others, could utilize mechanisms
already in place. Such programs include the
Construction Skills 2000 collaboration
between the Building Trades Council and
Building Trades Employers Association.
The CSSNY study points toward a fore-
boding trend in New York's economy: the
bifurcation of the labor market into high-pay-
ing jobs for those with skills and credentials
employers demand, and a scuffle at the low
end of the service economy for most every-
body else. Changing this pattern will require
sustained leadership and bold thinking on the
part of public officials and an equally strong
response among educators, employers, labor
leaders and nonprofit service providers .
David Jason Fischer is the workforce project
director for the Center for an Urban Future.
On-Line
Day and Evening
Saturday
Site-line (liz on-line and liz in-class)
Degree and Non-Degree
City Limits' sister organization, the C,nter for an Urban
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ty with their latest book, The IliClclea: "Step-by-Step
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www.newschool.edu/milano
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
31
CITY L I T - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~
Roman a Klepto
A gadfly's predatory-lending potboiler.
By Matt Pacenza
Predatory Bender: America in the Aughts:
A Story of Subprime Finance
By Matthew Lee
Inner City Press, 456 pages, $19.95
BRANDING MATTERS, even on the Left. Think
of the "Battle for Seattle" demo. Was it the
most important political protest of the past
20 years? Probably not, but it was certainly
the best named. And whoever came up with
"pro-choice" is a marketing genius, up there
with the Pfizer flack who riffed on those
potent honeymoon waterfalls and generated
"Viagra." Yes, Virginia, words do matter.
That's why we ought to praise whoever
coined "predatory lending. " The phrase slices
through thickets of mind-numbing legalese
("yield-spread premiums," anyone?) to create
an image of rapacious bankers targeting bor-
rowers like helpless prey to be pounced on.
Arguably, that portrayal helped rescue a major
problem from obscurity and transformed it
into a matter of mainstream concern.
But not for long. Back in the day, a critical
mass of press and politicians expressed out-
rage that little old black ladies were losing
their homes because slimy con artists were
lying to them, and sneaking needless fees and
bizarre rules into their mortgage agreements.
During the peak of public interest, Fox Prob-
lem Solvers generated clucks of disapproval,
and in a few places litigators, regulators and
statehouses banned the most egregious
excesses of predatory lending.
That was nice, but in itself it was also too
easy, because the hard part about predatory
lending is understanding it profoundly
enough to resist the practice. It is more than
the sum of its parts. Way more, that is to say,
than hidden fees, "credit insurance" and pre-
paymenr penalties.
It is, as Matthew Lee cleverly illustrates in
his wacky new novel, Predatory Bender: Amer-
ica in the Aughts: A Story of Sub prime Finance,
a stunningly successful business plan-one
that has driven profits for big, respectable
32
banks and finance companies around the
world. Predatory lending, Lee argues, isn't
the seamy side of finance. It is finance.
And in the sprawling and hyperkinetic
.. . er, let's just call it Bender, getting to that
understanding is half the fun. Lee's novel is
not the pedantic primer you might expect
from the Bronx's omnipresent and tireless
banking activist. Instead it's a dizzying
blend of satire, rant and legal thriller.
The plot is driven by scores of charac-
ters, including EmpiFinancial's Bronx branch
manager Jack Bender, who turns whistle-
blower after losing his job; Bertha Watkins,
the single mom Empi tricked into paying
$200 a month in credit insurance for a
$2,500 bedroom set; Micah Levine, a store-
front , ambulance-chasing attorney who goes
after Empi in part because he lusts for Bertha;
Sandy Vyle, EmpiGroup's heartless head hon-
cho; Robert Rudehart, former Treasury secre-
tary who's now Empi's public face; and Tom
Bain, a coke-snorting horndog who analyzes
Empi's stock.
The character most likely to draw grins
from City Limits readers-and a few winces
too-is the one who's at least loosely based on
Lee himsel( Kurt Wheelock is a mildly hys-
terical activist with the hots for Latinas, who
once worked for a leftist, East Village cult,
then started his own one-man show by pro-
ducing a website, WatchCorp, to investigate
and critique corporations.
Thankfully, Lee doesn't spare his doppel-
ganger Wheelock, who is obsessive and once
even abusive, slapping a woman in the face.
Here are his ruminations as he rants to his
bored girlfriend about capitalism over a Viet-
namese meal:
Kurt put the spring roll down and then
thought the better of it, popped it into his
mouth. The pastry was crisp; there was mint
or something in it. Amazing, Kurt thought,
how America had napalmed the Vietnamese
but expropriated their cuisine, which itself
was a product of French colonialism. Maybe
WatchCorp should run restaurant reviews, a
set of anti-imperialistic recipes, a hundred
and one ways for tofo and ginger to fock on
your plate.
Indeed, though the satire in Bender is most
hotly directed at Empi and its cronies, one of
the book's strengths is its tendency to trash
everyone-activists, attorneys, politicians and
bankers-as self-absorbed and unaware of it.
Plays on real names are everywhere, so
transparent that the lack of subtlety itself is a
hoot. Empi and Vyle are clearly Citi and Wei!,
for example. And there's a particular delight
in reading the brutal portrayal of New York
State's ambitious attorney general, Ernest
Swanker, "the patrician defender of the down-
trodden" with "corporate hides on his walls. A
new Teddy Roosevelt. Not as hearty, perhaps,
and with no taste for hunting. But he knew a
photo op when he saw one. "
Surprisingly, Bender's classic thriller
approach is what keeps you turning the
pages. You get the point pretty quickly that
CITY LIMITS
Empi is slimy to its core and that the insti-
tutions that could step in and defend victim
Watkins-her attorney, the whistle-blower,
the crusading activist, a Bronx court, a Wall
Street Journal reporter, the attorney gen-
eral-are at minimum deeply flawed, and,
more often than not, patently corrupt. So
once that's out of the way, what matters is
pace and clever plot. Will Empi actually
whack someone? Will Bender get his
revenge? Will Watkins keep her couch?
Which Latina will Wheelock bed?
One criticism of the novel: Lee switches
characters too fast, from Bender to Levine to
Swanker all in a half page, for example. The
speed makes for a breathless pace, but it's also
herky-jerky and
and burned the land, creating the need, it is
something else. "
Beyond the obvious cost of predatory
lending to society, especially to poor neigh-
borhoods, there's another huge reason why
the issues that Lee dissects matter so much
right now: We are a nation in serious-ass
debt. Take historically low interest rates, add
an increasingly aggressive lending industry,
and you've got millions of Americans with
huge credit card debt, piles of student loans
and worst of all, houses that are leveraged and
borrowed against nearly to the max.
Debt for everyone: singles, families, young
and old. A recent New York Times
story noted that homeowners 65 or older had
$44,000 in mort-
gage debt in 2001,
more than three
sometimes confus-
ing. Further, the
book could have used
someone with a sharp
red pencil. Consider-
Lee's first novel
times the $12,000
their households
carried in 1989.
mg that Bender
appears to be entirely
self-edited, however,
mistakes are actually
few and excess ver-
biage minimal.
Take a deep
breath after you fin-
ish the novel. You're
not done yet. Turn
the book over.
There's another one!
Here's the nonfiction
primer you'd expect
Lee to write (and,
if you're a reader of
is not the pedantic
primer you might
expect from the
Bronx's omnipresent
and tireless
banking activist.
So we borrow a
lot. Who cares,
right? Without credit
the most recent
recession would have
been a lot worse than
it was.
But someday,
maybe soon, as
in terest rates begin
to slowly creep up,
things could get
scary. The wave of
debt foreclosure that
www.innercity-
press.org, one he's been writing for the last
several years). It's Predatory Lending: Toxic
Credit in the Global Inner City, 90 pages of
what really happens with lending finance and
how activists like Lee's own Inner City Press
try to Stop it.
Lee situates the history of predatory lending
in the longer, sadder story of banking in poor
neighborhoods. First, there was abandonment,
also called redlining, as bank after bank
responded to urban unrest by deciding that it
was too risky to loan to low-income people.
That was a shortsighted move. "The
postmodern twist is for the same banks
which left to return with loan shark affili-
ates, " Lee writes. "It's one thing to sell cups
of water for one hundred dollars in a desert.
But when the seller is the one who slashed
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
we're already seeing
could get bigger.
Banks and fmance
companies might begin to call in their chits,
repossessing our couches, our cars and, scariest
of all, seizing and auctioning our homes. Then
we'd all be prey for the predators.
People with good credit who pay on time
don't make much money for EmpiGroup and
its real-life cousins; after all, the game of
fmance needs tardiness and default. So when
the one million Bertha Watkinses out there
now become 50 million people, we'll all need
Matthew Lee. We'll need him to investigate
the lenders, read the fine print, explain their
tactics, haul their asses into court-and write
the occasional novel to keep us laughing .
Former City Limits editor and writer Matt
Pacenza is currently a staff reporter at the
Albany Times Union.
CITY LIT
NOW READ THIS
Barrio Dreams: Puerto Ricans,
and the Neoliberal City
Arlene Davila
University of California Press, $19.95
Spanish Harlem, East Harlem: Both are monikers
for a stretch of Upper Manhattan now hot turf for
gentrification. Davila looks at how Latinos, who
once couldn't wait to leave for the suburbs, are
now seeing a small but significant reverse migra-
tion of artists and intellectuals to the area. Many
are helping organize movements to preserve its
Latino, working-class character. Meanwhile, some
efforts are not so oriented toward preservation as
to making the barrio hip and trendy-thus ever
more vulnerable to gentrification.
Check it While I Wreck It:
Black Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture,
and the Public Sphere
Gwendolyn D. Pough
Northeastern University Press, $20
Find yourself drawn to the spunk and politics of
hip-hop, but repelled by the misogyny of many rap
lyrics? If so, black, feminist hip-hop lover Pough
can help. She looks at how rappers like Queen Lat-
ifah and Lil' Kim build on a legacy of black women
orators, including Sojourner Truth, to disrupt and
enter the public sphere, recount their lives and
challenge negative images of black womanhood.
Part of the modern effort involves borrowing male
rappers' rhetoric. That's where things get compli-
cated but damned interesting.
Class and Schools: Using Social, Eco-
nomic and Educational Reform to Close
the Black-White Achievement Gap
Richard Rothstein
Columbia University Teachers College and
Economic Policy Institute, $17.95
Heroic teachers and model schools won't cure low
achievement among poor students, argues Roth-
stein, a former New York Times education writer. He
marshals impressive data suggesting that the
problem will be solved o n ~ if the nation spends
$156 billion more annually---on housing, h e a ~ h
care, Head Start-style programs and decently paid
jobs for parents.
33
34
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ONE
-------,
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Making
Rent
continued from page 17
noted, targeting the middle class also helps the
city housing agencies stretch dollars further, since
each apartment requires relatively little subsidy.
Besides, Donovan adds, it's hard to build
low-income housing without enough rental
assistance. As it is, developers are skittish
about investing in affordable housing without
the assurance that tenants will have the means
to move in. "You can't just have capital subsi-
dies, " he says. "You need operating subsidies
as well. Even if you spend all the money in the
world on capital, you'd still need to subsidize
those costs."
A phalanx of housing advocates is pushing
the city to dig a little deeper. This year, an
unusual coalition of interests led by the New
York ACORN Housing Company-includ-
ing the nonprofit Association of Neighbor-
hood and Housing Developers, and the New
York State Association for Affordable Hous-
ing, a member group of for-profit builders-
started working with the housing department
on a program that would help target afford-
able housing to lower-income households.
While this year's funding is a paltry $12.5 mil-
lion, Ismene Speliotis, ACORN's director, is
encouraged by the range of players involved.
"These are not the folks that usually talk to
each other, " she says.
There are also options under discussion that
wouldn't necessarily require the city to shell out
big piles of subsidy money. ACORN helped the
City Council draft a measure that would require
affordable housing development on vacant city-
owned lots. Donovan has said that his agency
might acquire foreclosed HUD properties and
support inclusionary wning that could spur
developers to build affordable apartments
(though many advocates think mandates would
be viable and more effective) . The city's housing
and housing finance agencies have also gotten
involved in efforts to ensure that HUD-subsi-
dized projects and Mitchell-Lamas remain
affordable over the long haul.
Even if they succeed, the city's rents and
incomes will likely continue to diverge. But
with a healthy rental assistance program and
more affordable housing, the city could help
narrow that gap. Landlords would have an
incentive to stay in the program. The Section
8 waiting list might start to shrink. And
renters like Irving and Andino wouldn't have
to spend four months in a shelter in order to
find a home .
Tomorrovv starts today
leading to results 1M
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CITY LIMITS

Adios.
Nueva York
continued from page 23
So far, newcomer Latino professionals seem
to be a much smaller group than the poor: "I'd
say 25 versus 75 percent," reckons Lavandier.
According to statistics kept by the state public
assistance office in Allentown, increasing num-
bers of low-income people are receiving bene-
fits in the area who list New York as their last
address. In August 2001, the month before
9/11, the office received 76 applications for
public assistance. During the same month last
year there were 132 such applications.
But many residents think it's the middle
class and the educated who are really pouring
into town, especially since the September
2001 terrorist attacks on New York City.
"Pretty much everyone I talk to who are pro-
fessionals-professors, people who work for
nonprofits--have come in the last two or
three years," says Nestor Velasquez. He is vice
president of Allentown's Spanish radio station,
WHOL, and works in an advertising agency
owned by his wife, Wanda. "People say they
don't want to stay in New York, " says
Lavandier. Adds Junior Aponte, an area land-
lord and property manager, "A lot are afraid to
go through the tunnels. " In addition to New
Yorkers, Latinos with income and education
are coming to Allentown directly from places
like Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic
and elsewhere in Latin America.
Nonprofessionals with entrepreneurial
dreams and grubstakes are also arriving. Some
are from Mexico, as well as Central and South
America. Even more are Caribbean: ''All of a
sudden about two or three years ago, the
Dominicans started helping each other and
opening lircle businesses like barber shops and
bakeries and bodegas," says Velasquez.
Elvis Diaz came with bigger plans. This
January, he and two cousins--all from the
Dominican Republic by way of New York-
opened a C-Town that's now Allentown's
biggest Latino-oriented grocery store. Diaz,
who previously owned a C-Town in Brook-
lyn, recalled in Spanish how he was
spices to stores in Pennsylvania last year and
"noticed the huge Hispanic market in Allen-
town." Today, he says, "People from New York
come here and go, 'Wow! A C-Town!'" All of
the merchandise, he notes, gets trucked in
from the Hunts Point market in the Bronx. As
for Diaz, he JUSt sold his house in Corona,
Queens, and moved to Allentown. "I keep
going, 'Wow! The quiet!'"
Planning for Communities, Cities
and the Environment at Pratt.
Pratt's planning programs prepare students with the theory and skills necessary to respond to the diverse needs of
communities and foster comprehensive social, physical, economic and environmental development. Through courses,
studios and fieldwork, students leam both the principles and the practice of participatory, equity-focused urban planning.
The faculty, which includes practitioners from every arenil of planning, introduces students to the real-life challenges
of urban development by engaging them in projects in New York City.
The Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment offers:
Master of Science degree in City and Regional Planning
Master of Science degree in Environmental Planning
Joint degrees combining planning with law or undergraduate architecture
Concentrations include:
Community development with a focus on diversity issues, participatory planning, housing, economic development
Environmental planning with a focus on environmental justice, environmental policy, monitoring, regulatory controls
Pralt
Draw it. Build it. Make it.
Preservation planning with a focus on integrating historic preservation with
community development
Physical planning, land use and urban design
Courses are offered in the evenings at Brooklyn and Manhattan campuses to
accommodate working professionals.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
CITY LIMITS
wants you.
Be an intern.
Gain news experience.
Build character.
Contact intern@cityli mits.org or
vi sit www.ci tylimits.org
for more information.
Pratt Institute
Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
200 Willoughby Ave., NY 11205
(718) 399-4314 ext. 100 email: gradplan@pratt.edu
35
The Match
Game
continued from page 28
Lisa Mensah, executive director of the Initiative
on Financial Security at the Aspen Institute and
a former fimder of IDA programs at the Ford
Foundation. Mensah spends her days mulling
over how the private sector can help all Ameri-
cans build assets from "birth through retire-
ment." She believes the future lies in profit-mak-
ing financial products, in the same way financial
institutions offer IRAs and 401 (k)s. The govern-
ment would play a subsidizing role by issuing
vouchers to newborns on a sliding income scale.
"If there were 4 million babies born each year
and say we opened up 4 million vouchers, these
would have to be held by the financial services
industry in a regulated way," explains Mensah.
"You'd have to design it in such a way so that it
makes sense for the consumer and is profitable
for the financial services industry." The first step
toward that, she says, "is a political statement
saying that this is a good goal for the country
and something good to invest in."
Right now, asset builders are focused on
achieving in the United States what they've
inspired Prime Minister Tony Blair to do in
England: create a nationalized "baby bond," a
universal, matchable trust fimd that every
child in America would receive courtesy of the
U.S. government. Boshara is promoting this
idea in the form of the American Stakeholder
Accounts (ASA), while Sherraden and Fried-
man's organizations have launched a variation
on this theme with a demonstration project
called SEED, or Savings for Education, Entre-
preneurship and Downpayment.
In July, Democratic Senator Jon Corzine and
Republican Rick Santorum proposed a modest
hybrid in the form of KIDS Accounts. Every
child in the U.S. would receive $500 at birth,
with an extra $500 for children in households
under the national median income. Those poor-
er kids would then be eligible for another $500
a year in IDA-style matching fimds, based on
their families' saving up to $1,000 annually.
Baby bonds, by creating "stakeholders" at
birth, are designed to promote a level eco-
nomic playing field. Unlike an IDA, they
would not require equity from people who
have been without land, education and other
assets for generations. It underlines what the
champions of race-based reparations have
been arguing for years: By some estimates,
almost 80 percent of American wealth is
inherited; the idea that Americans get ahead
simply through hard work and grit is a
destructive myth.
Benita Melton, a program officer at the Mon
Foundation, is convinced that IDAs represent a
"march toward progress." She remains a staunch
supporter, despite signs that the ground in the
IDA industry may be shifting beneath her. Yet
in explaining Mon's long-term commitment to
fimding asset building, she raises the bar on any
social welfare policy or tool that claims to
address the root causes of poverty. "Mott will
have to answer the question, five, 10 years,
maybe even further down the line: Are their
homes still there, have their homes appreciated,
are people bener off, have they adopted new
savings and checking behavior? We may even
have to look at the effects on their children."
IDAs are not about to lead poor people to
the promised land. And any newfangled asset-
building tools like baby bonds will have to
answer to critics leery of privatized, indivdual-
ized responses to America's structural and
social failures. But IDAs and their supporters
may have already helped to fundamentally
move the antipoverty debate from a static,
income-based analysis to a consideration of
how people are able to project a change in
their social status across generations. Hopeful-
ly, the next "new thing" in the antipoverty
struggle will have to answer to a higher
authority-the future.
Admiral Communications
I
-G-
Printing. Mailing. And Much More.
47 West Street New York. New York 10006
t. 212 ,422.6848 f. 212 ,514.9565
www.admiral47 .com
sales @admiralcommunications ,com
COlnpetitive Pricing
Consistent Quality
Reliability & Fast Service
36
( )Ih' '1"1' ,h"I'I'IIIe:: 1'1"'1'1"''',1'1'11](111:'':, ,(llllf,klc' l'llhlllle:, IlIllillllh'lll ,llhl ,iJ'lrtl'llti(\11 ,Irc' ,tllcl"II"
,)11 t'rl.'llll';.." ,It \,lllr ,L'\\I)(\l\\ll l,ll.lllll!l
Specializing in non-prolit projects including:
1)](\1111 111,1111] \'\ \l.llkl'tlll;': \\'I]\..'i ill" '..,\\,L-[Ili' \'\ 1\111),11, .Ii, j)lhlkkt'l'\ [)1\\\ illlk'
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till IlllI,kl\ \cT\ I, c', I \Tk, I 11111,1 c\ ",Idclk \llkll \1.111111:": 11"lhc' Iltitilllll\'lll \\ \\,lrc'll<ltl\lll:,,:
Fn'l' on site cost saying & till1l' saYing consultations
Our non-profit clIstOlllers include:
City Limits ".,III,,",tI \\Itllq,k \,lcT"'I\ \", Ic'l\
\111lTk.lll IZ,'ll ('II\'-" '\.,'\\ YIlrk 'Hkll'l\ ()t-,\""lhl.ll1l111 I \.l'llltl\'l...,
I h,' ,\111.111, c' 1,,1' 1),,\\ Ill"\\ II ".Y \l'l'll" l l!' 1\ .1,'1...'
L Illtl...,l ,\""d lll.lt 11)11 ".\\( I'
1 hc' ".,111,,11.11 l'I,lllc'\ I "tlll,!.ll""1 l I I Ilc', I \\,1\
C.II/AI'I/IIII' B.m)// .11 exl. 7(J5 01' ,-m.,i/lIs./j,1' eSlill"lIes 10.1.,)'
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 mag-
azine and on the City Limits
web site. Rates are $1.46 per
word, minimum 40 words.
Special event and professional
directory advertising rates are
also available. For more infor-
mation, check out the Jobs
section of www.citylimits.org
or call Associate Publisher
Susan Harris at
212-479-3345.
RENTAl SPACE
SPACE AVAILABLE - 19th street, Manhattan
loft space on 2nd floor to sublease. 3700 use-
able square feet. Modern, fully furnished, cen-
tral air and electricity provided and all wired
for voice and data. large, modern bathrooms
directly across the hall. Two passenger eleva-
tors in front, freight elevator in back.
SPACE AVAILABLE - 6,650 sq ft Perfect for
large Non Profit Organization. Brand New
Building. Convenient to Brooklyn's Atlantic
Hub: 2,3,4,5,N,R,W,B,D,Q & lIRR Park Slope,
Brooklyn. Elevator. Spectacular views of
Williamsburg Bank Nerrazano Bridge. AVAIl.
ASAP. For more info contact 347-534-6181 or
asananman@fifthave.org
SPACE AVAILABLE - 600 square feet with full
bath and kitchen, two rooms, southern expo-
sure in a brownstone on Montague St. Shared
Conference Room. Near All Trains. Share
offices with progressive international human
rights group. $2000 per month. Email for more
details: szaidi@cesr.org
SPACE AVAILABLE - Available immediately:
3200 sq ft office space, 1029 E 163rd St,
Bronx, NY (corner Southern Blvd, major com-
mercial strip) Elevator build/totally
rehabbed/handicap access. Subway #6 Buses
#19,6,5 at Corner, Subway #5,2 Buses
#27,35,4 within 2 blocks. Other tenants: Social
Security Admin, Comm Board #2. Asking
$221sq ft. Call Feldco Realty 718-589-0925.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
SPACE AVAILABLE - Brand new fully renovat-
ed vacant four family brownstone in Central
Harlem (l32nd and lenox) for lease. Friendly,
clean block - three blocks from Harlem Hospi-
tal. Brownstone contains (1) studio, (1) one
bedroom, (1) two bedroom and (1) three bed-
room (2 full baths). Reasonable rate. Please
call for showing and more information. Call
Bert 718-482-3552 anytime.
SPACE AVAILABLE - Citizens for New Yorl<
City has one-, two-, and three-person offices
and one-person cubicles. Partially furnished,
security, telephone, copier and networl<ing
facilities available. Month-to-month rental
acceptable. Cubicles range from $235 to $283
per month; office range from $495 - $790 per
month; one very large office is available for
$1750 per month. Call Shamik Bernard at
212-989-0909, extension 583 or e-mail
sbernard@citizensnyc.org
SPACE AVAILABLE - Community Development
Organization in Harlem has two modern worl<-
stations plus lobby area available to share.
Worl<stations include computer, intemetlDSl,
copier, fax and telephone w/ voicemail
($900/$500 for one). Call 212 222-0328 ext 209.
SPACE AVAILABLE - Five rooms suitable for
residence or office. Duplex space located on
East 74 Street, west of First Avenue, Manhat-
tan. Previously pastor's residence. Downstairs
has large eat-in kitchen, full bathroom, and
one large room; upstairs has large main room
with 2 smaller rooms, approx. 1,200 overall
square footage plus comfortable patio area.
Four flight walk-up from street level with steep
internal staircase between floors. Asking
$2,500/mo.; long-term contract available.
Please call: Jim Irwin, Building Manager, Jan
Hus Presbyterian Church, 212-288-6743
SPACE AVAILABLE - literacy, Inc., Seventh
Ave. and 28th Street. Seeking Subtenant(s),
three offices totaling 350 square feet of use-
able space, bright, attractive offices, good
building, convenient to subways; Furnished,
includes utilities, reception area, conference
room and pantry; copier and Internet connec-
tion easily arranged. Available ASAP, $650-
750/office. Call 212-620-5462
SPACE AVAILABLE - located on 42nd Street
across from Grand Central Station. Office
space includes 2 private offices and an open
reception area. Building has lobby security as
well as security access for each tenant. For
more information: Contact Kendra Tamez,
kendra@anchor-nyc.org or 212-286-7388.
SPACE AVAILABLE - NYS Tenants & Neigh-
bors has sublet space available at 105 Wash-
ington Street, downtown Manhattan (West
Side, off Rector St.). Easy access to most
trains. 1,700 sq ft at reasonable rate. Contact
Tom Waters at 212 608-4320, ext. 311.
SPACE AVAILABLE
OFFICElMEDICAUSCHOOl-BKlYNlBRONX -
BRONX HUB 80K Ft, BKlYN-CROWN HEIGHTS
20k Ft. Can be subdivided/expanded. Perfect
for Medical/Office/School. Parking Areas. Pub-
lic Transportation on corner OWNER 718-624-
0391
SPACE AVAILABLE - One office and up to 8
worl<stations available West 29th Streetl7th
Ave. Rent includes phone, voicemail , shared
pantry, copier, fax, scheduled use of conf
rooms. $3000 per month, (negotiable) Avail
July 1st. Contact Victoria_Yang@nycares.org,
212-228-5000 x112
SPACE AVAILABLE - ONE OR TWO SUB-
TENANTS for TWO to THREE OFFICES - CORO NY
lEADERSHIP CENTER Financial Dist.llower
Manhattan. 700 square feet. Share large con-
ference room, photocopier, etc., if needed. Rent
low-20s (negotiable) plus utilities. Available
ASAP Contact Maria 212-248-2935 x232.
SPACE AVAILABLE - Prime Medical Office
Space for rent in ever- growing and flourishing
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. located on Grand
Street, 2,300 sq. ft, 1ST floor and 1,000 sq. ft.
basement, newly constructed, luxury condo
building. Walking distance to the 1st or 2nd
stop on the l train. Will build to suit, high traf-
fic area, close to major transportation, reason-
able rent - $30 per sq. ft (negotiable). Will
also consider other non-profit organizations.
long lease available. Call today! Randy
Ossowski at 718-302-2224 or cell 347-723-
4977 or via email
northsiderealestate@juno.com
SPACE AVAILABLE - Seeking subtenant(s) for
up to 1,200 square feet (up to seven offices).
BroadwaylExchange Place. lower Manhattan.
Share large conference room, photocopier, etc.,
if needed. Close to subways. Rent low-20s
(negotiable) plus utilities. Available immediate-
ly. Contact Maria Petulla 212-248-2935 x232
JOB ADS
ACCOUNTING ANALYST/ASSET MANAGER -
The Enterprise Social Investment Corporation
(ESIC) is currently seeking an Asset Manager
for our New York, NY office to oversee a portfo-
lio of tax credit projects through site visits,
financial review and problem resolution as
needed. This position requires a thorough
knowledge of real estate and basic finance.
BSIBA degree and 5+ years housing and real
estate experience required. Master's degree
with 3+ years experience preferred. Property
management and financial or accounting
experience will be helpful. Send resume with
salary requirements to: The Enterprise Social
Investment Corporation, Attn: HR, 10227 Win-
copin Circle, Ste. 800, Columbia, MD 21044.
Fax: 410-772-2676; e-mail: jobopp@esic.org.
EOE
ACTIVITY SPECIALIST - FEGS is one of the
largest not-for- profit health and human ser-
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOBADS
vice organizations in the country with an oper-
ating budget in excess of $170 million, 3,500+
staff, 12 subsidiary corporations and a diverse
service delivery network including operations
in over 250 locations throughout the metropol-
itan New Yorl< area. The FEGS Education and
Youth Services Division seeks an Activity Spe-
cialist for our Beacon community center, which
hosts after-school youth programs, summer
camp, and education, cultural, and recreation-
al programs for participants of all ages. Our
program requires caring individuals with
strong skills in working with school-aged chil-
dren. Individuals must be able to plan and
implement engaging workshops and activities,
deliver effective classroom management,
maintain safety on field trips, assist in recre-
ational programs, and complete administra-
tive duties. A successful candidate will have
the ability to enhance the academic achieve-
ment, artistic expression, and positive social
development of our program participants. We
offer a competitive salary and benefits pack-
age. If you are interested, please send resume
and cover letter with salary requirements to
our HR Consultants: HR Dynamics, Inc. (Dept.
ECs/sS) 315 Hudson Street, 6th Floor, New
York, New Yorl< 10013 or fax 212-366-8555 or
email sgsmalls@hr-dynamics.com. EOE,
M/F/DN.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - The Assistant
helps to administer and monitor the Depart-
ment's various programs and projects. Pro-
vides administrative and clerical support to a
department staff of twelve in a fast-paced set-
ting involving multiple-tasks, projects, part-
ners and staff. Requires excellent organiza-
tional and business skills as well as strong
interpersonal, writing and communication
skills and experience in systems development.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Work with staff to develop
and implement systems to monitor status of
various programs and projects; this includes
tracking reports to (e.g. construction monitor-
ing) utilizing computer software for word pro-
cessing (Word) and spreadsheets (Excel).
Assist staff with preparing reports, loan
requests, investment proposals, including
gathering/relaying information as needed,
scanning photographs and maps, conducting
internet searches, processing
loan/equity/reserve draws/payments and com-
piling documentation and tracking disburse-
ments/payments. Edit, update and maintain
housing data, create, edit and print reports.
Create and maintain department files and
records for complex residential and real estate
transactions. Prepare correspondence
(including fax broadcast and mail merges),
reports and related materials. Manage logis-
tics, billing and reporting to funders on train-
ing workshops. Schedule meeting, teleconfer-
ences and appointments; coordinate travel
arrangements for staff; and maintain sched-
ule of staff members as requested. File, fax
and photocopy documents as requested. Per-
form other duties as requested. QUAliFICA-
TIONS: Business or appropriate vocational
school training or post-secondary education
preferred. Two to four years of relevant experi-
37
JOBADS
ence providing string business, organizational
and clerical skills and the ability to work with
limited supervision. Knowledge of housing or
a financial background preferred. Minimum
accurate typing speed of 55wpm; proficiency
in computer software including Word and
Excel; familiarity with Internet searches.
Demonstrated excellence in interpersonal and
public relations communications skills.
Demonstrated ability to work as part of a
team, coordinate complex activities, prioritize
conflicting demands and meet deadlines.
Please fax 410-772-2702, email
hr@enterprisefoundation.org - include job
code AA-HFP/NYC in subject line or mail
resume with cover letter and salary require-
ments to: The Enterprise Foundation, Attn:
HR/AA-HFP/NYC, 10227 Wincopin Cr., Ste 500,
Columbia, MD 21044. The Enterprise Founda-
tion is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTISECRETARY -
Upper West Side senior center needs self-
starter to perform administrative secretarial
tasks. Seeking fast learner/multi- tasker with
strong attention to detail. Enjoy working with
older adults. Computer literate with knowledge
of AccesslExcel. Fax 212-799-7283 Email
rsrmcsc@yahoo.com
ADMINISTRATOR - The New Jersey Institute
for Social Justice, a Newark-based research
and advocacy organization, is looking for an
individual to manage its administrative oper-
ations; development activities; and the Insti-
tute's continued growth and organizational
development. A successful candidate will be a
self-starter, work independently and handle
multiple tasks; enjoy working in a small office
with a diverse staff committed to a broad
agenda; provide hands-on attention to detail
and the highest quality standards. Qualifica-
tions include a BA; minimum of 5 years expe-
rience in office management, personnel
administration, fund raising or related activi-
ties; and a demonstrated capacity to work well
under pressure. A sense of humor is much
appreciated and enjoyed. The Salary will be
commensurate with work experience. Applica-
tions are being accepted for immediate con-
sideration. Please send resume with cover let-
ter to:New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, 60
Park Place, Suite 511, Newark, NJ 07102. Attn:
Administrator. For more information about the
Institute and the job description, please visit
our website at www.njisj.org.
ADULT HOME COMMUNITY ORGANIZER -
Non-profit advocacy organization of adult
home/nursing home residents seeks commu-
nity organizer to strengthen resident councils;
conduct training programs; handle com-
plaints; and assist in policy activities. Strong
organizing, public speaking, and writing skills
and ability to work independently/colla bora-
tively. Experience with people with psychiatric
disabilities helpful. Send cover letter, resume
by mail/e-mail to CIAO, 425 East 25th Street,
New York, NY 10010, ciadny@aol.com
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM DIRECTOR
38
Oversee broad range of programming includ-
ing arts, recreation, academic enrichment,
sports, career readiness & life skills. Plan,
develop & supervise programs, budgets &
staff, recruitment and summer programming.
Qual: BA, 3+ yrs expo in after school/youth, 2+
yrs supervision, computer literate, organized,
Bilingual Spanish. Sal: DOE. Email resume:
loisaidaincjobs@aol.com
AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM DIRECTORS (Fro
- Progressive, growing non-profit agency
currently seeks dedicated, talented individual
to fill the position of After-School Program
Director. Manage the day-to-day operations of
afternoon, evening, weekend and summer pro-
grams located in public school settings
throughout Brooklyn. Knowledge of research-
based youth development principles essential.
Master's Degree in an Educational or Human
Service-related area plus four years' related
experience required. Salary to 50K per year
DOE. Competitive benefit package. Interested
parties should submit their resume, cover let-
ter and salary requirements ASAP to: After-
School Search Committee, 593 Vanderbilt
Avenue, PMB #123, Brooklyn, NY 11238-3512.
Attention: Mr. Alan Scott. EOE.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - The Doe Fund, Inc., a
not for profit agency serving homeless individ-
uals is seeking an Assistant Director for its
supportive housing program in East Harlem.
Resp. include oversight of the program,
intake/case management and regulatory com-
pliance. BA Human Services req. w/3 yrs.
sup.exp.in residential setting with homeless &
substance abuse pop. Sal to mid 30's. Send
cover letter/ resume to fax 212-996-9895.
ASSISTANT EDITOR - The Professional Staff
Congress, AFT Local 2334, a progressive,
activist union representing 20,000 faculty and
staff at the City University of New York, is hir-
ing for four professional, unionized positions.
The PSC is an equal opportunity employer;
women and people of color strongly encour-
aged to apply. Position requires a B.A. and 2-3
years writing and related experience for a peri-
odical. For salary and full list of requirements
see www.psc-cuny.org/hiring.htm Assistant
Editor responsibilities include reporting and
writing newspaper articles; copy-editing, fact
checking and proofreading for union publica-
tions; communication with writers and pho-
tographers. Must be deadline and detail-ori-
ented, with demonstrated writing and editing
skills (send clips with resume) & ability to
exercise independent judgment. Photo skills a
plus. Application deadline: ASAP. Send cover
letter and resume to: Rose Pignataro, Profes-
sional Staff Congress, 25 W. 43rd Street, 5th
floor, NY, NY 10036 or fax to 212-302-7815.
ASSISTANT OCCUPANCY SPECIALIST - Large
multi-service agency has the following posi-
tion available in our Senior Housing Dept.
Assistant Occupancy Specialist FIT. Responsi-
bilities include assisting in managing of rent-
up process for new buildings, including con-
ducting marketing and outreach. Assists in
managing of the waiting lists for all SR. HUD
202 buildings. Some clerical duties. Requires
HS diploma, BSIBA degree preferred. Comput-
er literate, excellent communication skills.
Bilingual Spanish 3+. Benefits. Fax resume to:
718-722-6134, Attn. C. Ferrari. EDElAA.
ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR -
Of national grantmaking organization.
Includes administrative support for executive
director/program officer as well as adminis-
trative and program support for sister organi-
zation. Responsibilities include : handling
mail and calls, drafting correspondence, coor-
dination of Board materials, monitoring and
evaluating proposals and reports, special pro-
jects, web site maintenance. Desired qualities:
strong organizational and interpersonal skills;
proactive work ethic; good humor. Submit
cover letterlresume to info@mertzgilmore.org
or via fax 212-777-5226.
ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT - The Profes-
sional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334, a pro-
gressive, activist union representing 20,000
faculty and staff at the City University of New
York, is hiring for four professional , unionized
positions. The PSC is an equal opportunity
employer; women and people of color strongly
encouraged to apply. Position requires a B.A.
and at least 2 years experience in higher edu-
cation, labor organizing or non-profit adminis-
tration. For salary and full list of requirements
see www.psc-cuny.orglhiring.htm. Assistant
to the President responsibilities include
assisting president in responding to members,
following up on inquiries and meetings, man-
aging correspondence and files; preparing
summaries and reports; managing president's
schedule, assisting on special projects. Must
have excellent writing, interpersonal and orga-
nizational skills, demonstrated ability to exer-
cise judgment in handling confidential mater-
ial. Application deadline: ASAP. Send cover let-
ter and resume to: Rose Pignataro, Profession-
al Staff Congress, 25 W. 43rd Street, 5th floor,
NY, NY 10036 or fax to 212-302-7815.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - Community-based,
progressive, violence-prevention organization
seeks strong fundraiser and fiscal manager.
3-5 years development; excellent
writing/speaking skills; fiscal management;
commitment to social justice. Send cover let-
terlresume ASAP to: Judith Long, CAE, 421
Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215; fax 718-
499-2284; jlong@cae-bklyn.org. No calls.
ATTORNEY - LSNY's new Staten Island office
seeks attorney to assist low-income clients in
a variety of ways: client screening and intake;
provide legal representation and advice to eli-
gible individuals and community groups; par-
ticipate in borough-wide outreach; community
education and training programs. For full
description go to Employment Opportunities at
www.lsny.org for a full description.
BILINGUAL CASE MANAGER - Project
R.E.A.D.Y. (Resources for Employment and
Academic Development for Youth) is a Bronx-
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
based, educational enrichment and vocational
training initiative, targeted for youth ages 6-
22. The Case Manager position entails: provid-
ing individual and group counseling services,
planning and implementation of life skills
training curriculum, crisis intervention, refer-
ral to entitlement programs, housing, child
care, medical and other resources. Lead and
train parent groups. Candidate must have pro-
ficient clinical skills for individual and group
modalities, team coordination and decision-
making, program implementation. Proven
track record with grade school age youth, ado-
lescents and families are essential. Require-
ments: Minimum BA in Psychology/Human
Services (Masters degree preferred). Bi-lingual
(English/Spanish) is essential. Strong verbal
and written skills communication skills. Com-
petent computer skills. 3-5 years proven expe-
rience working with youth. Salary commensu-
rate with experience and credentials. Compre-
hensive benefits package. Send resume and
cover letter to: Estel Fonseca, Vice President of
Youth Services, The Mount Hope Housing Com-
pany, 2003-05 Walton Ave., Bronx, NY 10453.
Fax: 718-466-4788. No telephone calls.
BILINGUAL CONSTITUENT SERVICES COORDI-
NATOR - Senator Eric Schneiderman is look-
ing for a Bilingual Constituent Services Coor-
dinator who would be responsible for manag-
ing constituent cases. This involves assisting
the district's residents with resolving complex
issues from tenant evictions to accessing pub-
lic benefits. This person would represent the
Senator at meetings and write letters/public
testimony. Good writing and communication
skills (in Spanish and English) are a must.
Salary in the mid 30s. Please fax resume to
212-928-0396.
BOROUGH ASSISTANTS - The City Wide Task
Force on Housing Court, Inc., is a non-profit
organization that provides legal information
on Housing Court in New York City to unrepre-
sented litigants in Housing Court and advo-
cates for reforms in Housing Court. City Wide
is currently seeking two PART-TIME BOROUGH
HOUSING ASSISTANTs. Responsibilities: Dis-
tribute information to unrepresented litigants
in borough housing courts. Provide general
assistance at the Task Force information table
and with the telephone hotline. Assist Borough
Coordinators in obtaining documentation of
problems from unrepresented litigants, and
monitoring the courtrooms and hallways of
housing court to determine problems experi-
enced by unrepresented litigants. Hours are
generally 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday to Friday,
and one afternoon per week. Qualifications:
Minimum of one-year experience with land-
lord/tenant issues or other relevant communi-
ty service. Bilingual preferred. Send Resume
and cover letter to the City-Wide Task Force on
Housing Court, 29 John Street, Suite 1004, New
York, NY 10038, Attn: Stephanie Townsend-
Bakare, Executive Director. Resumes may also
be sent via fax: 212-962-4799 and via email
to stephaniet@cwtfhc.org. Salary: Pursuant to
Collective Bargaining Agreement, $14 per
hour, with excellent benefits. Location: Queens
CITY LIMITS
Housing Court, located at 89-17 Sutphin
Boulevard, and Bronx Housing Court, located
at 1118 Grand Concourse. Please, no calls.
BOSTON AREA ORGANIZER - Help build the
Mass. Tenant Movement ! The Massachusetts
Alliance of HUD Tenants, the nation's first and
most accomplished HUD-tenant organizing
project, seeks a Boston Area Organizer. Can-
didate is an experienced organizer, commit-
ted to tenant empowerment, who will support
building- level campaigns to save at-risk
housing and participate in regional and
national preservation efforts. Organizer will
help support the National Alliance of HUD
Tenants, the nation's first national
tenant union, which shares an office
with MAHT. Quali fications: commitment
to social change; 2-4 years organizing
experience; strong oral and written
communication skills. Send resume and
cover letter to Michael Kane, MAHT, 42 Seav-
erns Ave. Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Email:
michaelkane@saveourhomes.org
BUSHWICK ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH PRO-
JECT MANAGER - Part-time project manager
needed in our Environmental and Housing Jus-
tice Project to develop survey on local environ-
mental health hazards and processes for
addressing hazards. Will work closely with
organizers/leaders; coordinate plan; work with
researcher and develop proposals and work-
shop curricula. English/Spanish a must. Cover
letter and resume to Karen at Make the Road
by Walking, 301 Grove Street, Brooklyn, NY
11237, karen@maketheroad.orgorfaxto 718-
418-9635. No calls please.
BUSINESS SPECIALIST - Local Development
Corp seeks Business Specialist organized self
starter, strong writing, knowledge of small biz
lending in NYC, must have BA of BS + 3yrs in
small biz development, fluent Spanish a must
to develop business plans, package loans,
assist with marketing the program, product
development and promotion, technical assis-
tance delivery; create and lead financial edu-
cation workshops and seminars, counsel
and/or refer small business clients, foster
strong relationships with community residents
and local merchants, prepare monthly reports
in all program goals and activities. Fax resume
and cover letter to 212-544-0248
CASAC CASE MANAGER - Substance Abuse
Counselor, CASAC, Crossroads: work in alter-
native to incarceration women's substance
abuse day treatment program. Collaborate
with treatment team to develop individual
treatment plans, provide assistance with enti-
tlements, child care, custody and housing.
Provide one to one support and facilitate treat-
ment and education groups. Refer to commu-
nity agencies and coordinate services. Prepare
client charts, progress reports and other
required paperwork. CASAC or CRC required.
Bachelors Degree in Counseling, Social Work or
related field. Qualified Health Professional
(QHP) with acupuncture certification a plus.
Send cover letter indicating position applying
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
for to: Center for Community Alternatives,
39 West 19th St., NY, NY 10011 or fax to:
212-675-0825 OR email to:
jobs@communityalternatives.org
CASE COORDINATOR - Brooklyn based home
care provider seeks case coordinator to man-
age services for the elderly. Responsibilities
include assignment, evaluation and disci pl ine
of workers, investigation of complaints and
incidents and customer relations. Excellent
entry into fields of home care or human
resources. Successful applicant must have BA
in human services or 4 years relevant work
experience and must demonstrate good orga-
nizational and communication skills. Ability to
speak Russian, Spanish or Creole a plus. Send
resume and salary history to: Director CABS
Home Attendants Service Inc 545 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11206 or Fax to 718-388-1428
CASE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT - 2 FIT
Positions. Resp: Provide info and tech asst.
about case mgmt options and application
process to advocates and persons w/ mental
illness. Develop resources, advocacy and train
staff from agencies in NYC. ReQs: Well versed
and expo in mental health systems; CM I-reqs.
Bachelors + 4 yrs expo or Masters; CM II-reqs.
Masters + 5 yrs exp (including 2 yrs. post mas-
ters). Send Resume and cvr Itr, specifying
pOSition, to: Insha Hilliard-Jones, CUCSlHRC,
120 Wall St., 25th FI , NY, NY 10005; fax 212-
809-1759.
CASE MANAGER - Bronx Supported Housing
Residence seeks case manager experienced in
working with special needs populations.
Member of support services team with respon-
sibilities of caseload, group work, and service
planning in collaboration with clients. Must
have Masters degree in social work, psycholo-
gy, counseling or public health. Track record in
substance abuse and HIV preferred, excellent
listening and communication skills, patience,
energy, computer proficiency. Salary 40K
commensurate with experience. EOE. Fax cover
letter and resume 718-508-3013.
CASE MANAGER - MSWIBSW with Human
Services and experience with seniors preferred.
Assess/plan and coordinate services to home-
bound elderly in community-based agency.
Challenging, rewarding work. Salary
$30,000+. Resume to: Betsy Tuft, Director,
Project Life, 312 East 109th Street, NY, NY
10029.
CASE MANAGER - Northern Manhattan
Improvement Corporation, a community-based
organization serving residents of Washington
Heights!1nwood, is seeking a Case Manager to
join the agency's Social Services Department.
The Case Manager will work with families that
are Housi ng Preservation Department (HPD)
Section 8 voucher holders to ensure that they
maintain their vouchers and adequate hous-
ing, achieve economic self-sufficiency and are
fully integrated into the community. Responsi -
bilities include: Conduct home visits to fami-
lies in the borough of Manhattan and Brooklyn;
Help families assess their needs and develop a
service plan; Provide case management ser-
vices including advocacy, accompaniment to
hearings, and referrals; Act as liaison with
HPD to help resolve issues; Prepare reports;
and other duties as assigned. Requirements:
Bachelor'S degree; Bilingual (EnglishiSpan-
ish); Background working in social services.
Please send your resume to Maria Lizardo,
Director of Social Services @
marializardo@nmic.org or fax 212-740-9646
CASE MANAGER - The Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB) is a large, multi-service non-
profit organization serving the Bronx for more
than 31 years. The agency provides a broad
range of individual and family services,
including walk-in assistance and counseling,
services to special-needs populations, such as
immigrants, children, adolescents, seniors,
homeless families and singles, individuals
and families affected by HIVIAIDS. CAB pro-
vides excellent benefits and offers opportuni-
ties for advancement. Resumes and cover let-
ters indicating position of interest may be
mailed to 2054 Morris Ave. Bronx, NY 10453, or
faxed as directed. The Living Room seeks a
Case Manager. The position requires a BAIBS
degree and experience with substance abuse
and mental illness. Bilingual EnglishlSpanish
is a plus. Fax credentials to A. Quiros at 718-
893-3680 or email to aQuiros@cabny.org CAB
is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer.
CASE MANAGER - The Doe Fund is a non-
profit organization that empowers people to
break the cycles of homeless ness, welfare
dependency and incarceration through innova-
tive work and housing programs. We seek a
Case Manager who has a strong connection to
The Doe Fund's mission. The Ideal candidate
would possess a college degree and at least 2-
3 years human service/case management
experience in servicing a community of home-
less men, preferably in a residential environ-
ment. Strong interpersonal and written/verbal
communication skills. Responsibilities include
maintaining consistent client interaction and
coordinating all social services for addressing
client needs. Excellent recordkeeping/reporting
abilities are essential. Salary is upper 20's
with a comprehensive benefits package.
Please forward resume and cover letter to
Human Resources, The Doe Fund, Inc., 341
East 79th Street, NY, NY 10021; fax to (212)
570-6706 or e-mail to hr@doe.org. EOE. Dead-
line for submitting resume ASAP.
CASE PLANNER - Innovative residential
treatment program for children seeks experi-
enced case manager with knowledge of child
welfare system. Responsible for providing case
management, advocacy, and referral services
in our Aftercare office in Manhattan. BSW or
BA in related field & excellent organizational ,
written, & verbal skills required. Send resume
with cover letter to Human Resources Dept. @
Green Chimneys, 400 Doansburg Road, Brew-
ster, NY 10509 or fax to 845-279-6726. EOE.
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOBADS
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER - Abyssinian
Development Corporation (ADC) one of the
nation's preeminent Harlem-based community
development organizations currently has an
exceptional opportunity on our Executive Man-
agement Team for an individual to assume
senior executive responsibility for Overseeing
the fiscal functions of the organization as well
as its relationship with lending institutions,
funding organizations, and the financial com-
munity. The Qualified candidate will have an
advanced degree in AccountinglFinance, CPA,
and a minimum of six years related experience
in an executive, managerial or supervisory
capacity. Experience with Federal , State and
City agencies and in working with a for-profit
and not-for-profit organizations preferred. We
are offering an attractive compensation and
benefits package for this position. For consid-
eration, please send your resume with a cover
letter to ADC, 131 W. 138 St. NY, NY 10030
Attention: HR Dept.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER - Interfaith
Council for Action, lnc. (lFCA) is a not-for-prof-
it community development company, which
provides and promotes affordable housing and
integrated services in Ossining, New York
(Westchester County). The company's commu-
nity development initiatives are part of an
overall strategy to preserve and produce
affordable housing in a neighborhood that is
experiencing private investment which is
demonstrably changing the economic charac-
ter of the area. IFCA is seeking a Chief Operat-
ing Officer to assist in the operational , finan-
cial , and programmatic and personnel admin-
istration of day-to-day and long-range activi-
ties. Expertise/Qualifications: Bachelor's
degree preferred, Accredited Residential Man-
ager Certification preferred Certification of
Professional Recognition in Homebuyer Educa-
tion or Housing Counseling preferred. Mini -
mum of ten years of progressively recognizable
experience in housing and community develop-
ment, including project management, program
development, fundraising, communication
and real estate development. Specific knowl-
edge in housing development and organiza-
tional development. Experience in financial
and homebuyer education and counseling,
home maintenance and financial manage-
ment for new homeowners. Proven ability in
operational and financial oversight in property
management, including systems for routine
and preventive maintenance, inspections, tax-
credit and/or subsidy compliance. Proven
ability to lead and manage staff members
through effective planning/organizing, deci -
sion making, motivating, supervising, and
evaluating; history of efficient use of financial
resources. Familiarity with federal , state, and
local community development programs, and
private resources available for community
development. Ability to work in multi-cultural
environment and provide leadership with pub-
lic officials, lenders, and community leaders in
a team like approach. Ability to identify key
issues and to gain support for collaborative
solutions. Core Responsibil ities: The COO will
implement the organization's Strategic Plan,
39
JOB ADS
and recommend policies and programs which
will further the goals and objectives of the
organization, including, coordination of initia-
tives to develop locally based comprehensive,
feasible plans that focus on the physical,
social and economic life of all residents. The
COO will assist in the production of high-qual-
ity, affordable homeownership and rental units
at scale, for low-income households and fam-
ilies through new construction or rehabilitation
in ways that build individual wealth and inte-
grated economics; manage and efficiently
maintain IFCA's housing portfolio, and super-
vise the delivery of integrated supportive ser-
vices. Candidates for this major leadership
position must have project and management
skills, strategic thinking, public speaking,
computer proficient, and proven fund develop-
ment skills. Strong judgment, independent
work and interaction with all levels of internal
and external contacts are required. Job Bene-
fits: Competitive salary. Comprehensive bene-
fits. Employer contact information: Chief Oper-
ating Officer Search, Interfaith Council for
Action, Inc. 138 Spring Street PO Box 790,
Ossining, NY 10562, Fax: 914-941-7392
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER - The Chief
Operating Officer is responsible for managing
housing production, real estate development
and all internal affairs. The COO will set and
insure organizational attainment of Habitat-
NYC's annual housing, volunteer and family
partner goals. The COO reports to the Executive
Director. Please send a resume to: Roland
Lewis, Habitat-NYC, 334 Furman St., Brooklyn,
NY 11201. Fax: 718-246-2787.
CHILO DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST - NMPP
seeks a Child Development Specialist for its
Baby Steps program. The candidate will review
infanVchild developmental screenings & refer
to EI, develop parenVchild activities for pro-
gram, conduct staff training, and support
overall program performance related to
infanVchiid health & development. B.A/B.S in
psychology or related field. Must be bilingual
(Spanish or French) Part-time 20hrs $20,000.
Fax to Jennifer Tuck, 212-690-2296 or E-mail
to HFAbabysteps@netscape.net.
CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKERS - BROOKLYN
MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC - FEGS is one of the
largest not-for-profit health and human ser-
vice organizations in the country with an oper-
ating budget in excess of $170 million, 3,000
plus employees and operations in over 250
locations throughout the metropolitan New
York area. We seek experienced Clinical Social
Workers to work at our Brooklyn Mental Health
Clinic. Applicants must have a CSW with psy-
chotherapy experience and can work 10 hours
a week (flexible but preference to Friday 8:30
am - 4:30 pm or evening hours Monday or
Tuesday until 8:30 pm). We offer a competitive
salary. If you are interested, please send
resume and cover letter with salary require-
ments to our HR Consultants: HR Dynamics,
Inc. (Dept. BHlSS) 315 Hudson street, 6th
Floor, New York, New York 10013 or fax 212-
40
366-8555 Attn: BH/SS or email
sgsmalls@hr-dynamics.com. EOE, M/FIDN.
COMMUNICATIONS STAFF - New York's lead-
ing progressive third party seeks a hard-work-
ing and self-motivated individual to join the
party's communications staff. Responsibilities
include: media relations, campaign literature,
materials for issue campaigns, newsletters
and fax updates, websites, mailings, and other
internal and campaign communications work.
Requires a demonstrated commitment to eco-
nomic and social justice; good, fast writing
skills; willingness to work long hours and some
weekends; and at least one year of experience
in union, community, or political organizing.
Web and print design skills a strong plus. Fax
resume and cover letter to 718-246-3718,
attn: J. W. Mason, or email to
jmason@workingfamiliesparty.org. Women
and people of color strongly encouraged to
apply.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS SPECIALIST- Mon-
tefiore Hospital Center, one of the largest
health-care systems in the nation, is seeking
an individual who will be responsible for com-
munity outreach, facilitation of social and pri-
mary care internal medicine resident projects,
community participation, and coordination
and development of community medicine cur-
riculum. Requires an advanced degree, prefer-
ably a MPII in health education with experience
in bridging academic and community environ-
ments. Must be able to work flexible hours.
Bilingual English/Spanish preferred. We offer a
competitive salary and comprehensive bene-
fits package. Please send your resume with
current salary to: Montefiore Medical Center,
Career Services, 111 East 210th Street, Job
Code TRCRS 04021, Bronx, NY 10467. Fax 718-
882-7173. Email : trivera@montefiore.org.
EOE. www.montefiore.org
COMPLIANCE ASSISTANT - Estab, Harlem-
based RE mgmt co seeks indivs who will be
responsible for rentals, certifications & yearly
recertifications of tenants. Duties incl record-
ing, reviewing & logging applications, inter-
viewing prospective tenants, generating
monthly rental progress reports, move-in/out
reports. Monthly vouchering, knowledge of
lR.A.C.S systems. Must be familiar wlHUD
guidelines & computer literate. COS certifica-
tion req'd. FAX res to: S. Moss, 212-862-0923.
CONTROLLER - Non-profit organization seeks
Controller with Acctg degree and 8 yrs financial
management incuding gov't contracts. CPA
highly desirable. Good computer skills
essential. Excellent benefits. Salary commen-
surate with experience. Email resume to:
ca99@henrystreet.org. No phone calls please.
EOE.
COORDI NATOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND
SPECIAL PROJECTS - The Coordinator of
Communications and Special Projects will be
an integral part of a small nonprofit and work
primarily with the CEO and Director of Devel-
opment to further Civic's mission of providing
affordable, high-quality facilities for NYC's
charter schools. This position is a unique
opportunity to learn a tremendous amount
about charter schools and public/private part-
nerships, and gain experience in marketing,
nonprofit management, and real estate devel-
opment. The Coordinator of Communications
and Special Projects will tackle a broad portfo-
lio of projects including: Cultivating and main-
taining relationships with press, writing and
issuing press releases, and staying current on
all press coverage of Civic, NYC charter
schools, and related issues; Managing the
development of Civic promotional materials,
including a new website, leave behinds, and
company materials; Coordinating Civic special
events such as ground breaking and ribbon
cutting ceremonies; Researching education
and real estate issues relevant to Civic's
developments; Maintaining a database of NYC
charter facilities needs; Coordinating all office
supply, technology, and human resource
needs; Working with the CEO to draft key doc-
uments for the NYC Department of Education
and other city agencies; General administra-
tive duties, including scheduling appoint-
ments, taking messages, drafting and editing
correspondence, etc. as needed. Qualifica-
tions: The ideal candidate for this position will
be versatile, a fast- learner, a multi-tasker,
and have exceptional written and verbal com-
munication skills. The ability to organize and
prioritize is essential. Willingness to make a
mistake, ability to laugh at yourself, and a
drive to always do it better the next time are all
good things. Undergraduate degree plus 2-3
years professional experience required. Please
email your resume, with "Special Projects" in
the subject line, to hr@civicbuilders.org.
COORDINATOR, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EDUCA-
TION AND PREVENTION PROGRAM - Leading
Westchester domestic violence agency seeks
Coordinator of school-based program provid-
ing educational , individual, and group support
services related to violence in families and
intimate relationships. Provide outreach and
presentations to schools, supervise
stafflinterns, provide individual/group coun-
seling. Exp. working with children, knowledge
of victimization, supervisory experience. MSW
preferred; bilingual SpanlEng a plus. Salary
min.$35K dep. on experience. Resume/cover
letter to: asiniscalchi@mysistersplaceny.orgor
fax 914-683-1599. No calls please.
COORDINATOR, QUALITY ASSURANCE - FEGS
is one of the largest not-for-profit health and
human service organizations in the country
with an operating budget in excess of $170
million, 3500+ staff, 12 subsidiary corpora-
tions and a diverse service delivery network
including operations in over 250 locations
throughout the metropolitan New York area.
Our Developmental Disabilities division is
seeking experienced candidates to fill our
Quality Assurance Coordinator position located
in Manhattan. We seek bright, ambitious, and
flexible applicants with knowledge of OMRDD.
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
Duties: Conduct internal audits, maintain
compliance with governmenVstate regula-
tions, visit programs/sites to review records,
make observations/recommendations, write
extensive survey reports, train and interact
with staff/management and ensure the provi -
sion of quality services throughout the divi-
sion. Excellent verbal and writing skills neces-
sary. BA required, Masters' preferred. Two to
three years of prior supervisory experience
required and experience in developmental dis-
abilities and quality assurance work preferred.
We offer a competitive salary and benefits
package (4 weeks vacation). If you are inter-
ested, please send resume and cover letter
and salary requirements to our HR
Consultants: HR Dynamics, Inc. (Dept. DDISS)
315 Hudson Street, 6th Floor, New York 10013
or fax to 212-366-8555 or email
sgsmalls@hr-dynamics.com.
CORPS MEMBER - Position responsibilities
for City Year Corps members are to: Co-devel-
op and facilitate on-going curriculum for chil-
dren and youth. Design innovative service pro-
jects, based on community assets and need.
Recruit community volunteers. Research, eval -
uate and document service project results.
Participate in and lead City Year events and
special initiatives, meetings and presenta-
tions. Engage corporate sponsors, community
members and other citizens with an enthusi -
asm for community service. Position require-
ments: City Year corps members are distin-
guished by their belief that national communi -
ty service can build a more inclusive, equitable
and humane country; they strive to understand
others' perspectives and experiences demon-
strate integrity; believe in the power of youth
leadership; and exhibit a motivation to learn
and teach. Additional requirements include:
Being between the ages of 17 and 24 years old.
Being a U.S. ci tizen, national or lawful perma-
nent resident of the U.S. Committing to ten
months of full time community service. Pas-
sion for working on a diverse team of young
adults. Experience or skill working with chil-
dren and youth. Position benefits: Stipend of
$250 per week (taxable); Upon completion of
service, 4,725 for college costs,job training
costs or loan repayment (taxable); Federal
educational loan deferment; Basic health cov-
erage; High quality Timberland uniforms
($1500 value); New York Public Transportation
(Metro Card) Pass ($70 a month value); Com-
prehensive leadership and professional devel-
opment; Meetings with community, business
and national leaders; Local, regional and
national trainings and conferences. Send
cover letter and resume to fax 212-647-9744.
COUNCIL MEMBER AIDE - Looking for full-
time constituent caseworker for a Brooklyn City
Council Member's office. Applicant should be
compassionate, organized, responsible, per-
sistent, and have some familiarity with ci ty
government. Responsibilities will also include
reception duties, casework intake, clerical
tasks and general office work. To apply, please
send your resume via fax to 718-853-3858 or
CITY LIMITS
email toPleaseSubmitResume@yahoo.com.
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE - DUTIES: Devel-
op proposals, reports, and correspondence
related to fund raising from foundations, cor-
porations and other sources. Develop propos-
als, reports, and correspondence related to
fundraising for a capital campaign. Assist
with the development of public relations mate-
rials. Research potential funding sources.
Interface with agency's professional staff
regarding the development of programs and
related proposals. Develop and maintain data-
base records and provide reports as needed.
Additional duties as assigned. REQUIRE-
MENTS: B.A. with three years minimum of
grant writing experience and proven track
record in fundraising. Experience conducting a
capital campaign. Excellent, clear, precise and
persuasive writing ability. Excellent communi-
cation and organizational skills. Experience in
not-for-profit organizations. Computer skills
required (Microsoft Word and Excel). Experi-
ence in tracking, and managing foundation
proposals (or similar) and related information.
Experience writing about social service pro-
grams a plus. Goal and detail oriented, and
motivated self-starter. CONTACT: Please send
cover letter and resume to Ignacio Lopez, E-
mail: lIopez@bbcs.org, Fax: 718-855-1517
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - 2-4 years expe-
rience in development, excellent organization-
al , planning, writing and communication skills
and strong commitment to youth issues
required to develop and implement a diverse
funding plan for grassroots organization. Send
cover letter and resume to Rachel Lloyd at
rachel@gemsgirls.com
DEVELOPMENT DI RECTOR - Fifth Avenue
Committee, a South Brooklyn CDC committed
to social and economic justice, seeks full-time
Development Director. The Director supervises
four staff raising $3 million annually from
diverse sources. Oversee grants, individual
donor work, publications, website, events.
Requires supervisory experience, 4+ years in
development field (preferably fund raising for
community development/organizing). Commit-
ment to mission, excellent communication
skills a must. Salary DOE. Full posting at
www.fifthave.org. Resume, letter w/salary his-
tory, writing sample, to:
devsearch@fifthave.org, 718-857-4322 (fax)
or FAC, 141 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217;
Attn: Michelle de la Uz. Phone inquiries: 718-
857-2990 x43. EOE. People of color strongly
encouraged to apply.
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - Large, well-
known NYC child and family agency seeks
experienced, savvy, very successful and com-
mitted fundraiser to lead new Development
Department. Competitive salary, excellent ben-
efits, EOE. Resumes to Sandy Malkin, VP,
Human Resources, JCCA, 120 Wall Street, NYC
10005; email: luyandor@jccany.org
OIRECTOR - Help launch CUNY's new educa-
tional center in the Rockaways. Guide a con-
sortium of four CUNY colleges in Queens and
NYC Dept of Education; coordinate start-up
activities; assess community needs; develop
outreach plans; coordinate program develop-
ment for credit and non-credit courses; over-
see personnel , student services, and fiscal
matters. Report to VP of Adult Ed at laGuardia
CC. Qualifications: Bachelor's required + 8 yrs
full-time experience in higher ed or related
exper. MA in education desirable. Prefer experi-
ence in educational program development,
supervision and fiscal management. Strong
orallwritten communication, interpersonal and
leadership skills. Salary: $77,500 - $84,000.
Send resume and cover letter ASAP to: Edna
Best, Rm C- 236, LaGuardia Community Col-
lege/CUNY, 31-10 Thomson Ave., Long Island
City, NY 11101 FAX: 718-609-2036.
DIRECTOR - Mentoring USA, NYC's largest
site-based, one-to-one mentoring program
and founded by its Chairperson, the Former
First Lady of New York State, Matilda Raffa-
Cuomo, seeks a Director to run its program.
The successful candidate is responsible for
implementing Mentoring USA's plan for recruit-
ment and retention of volunteer mentors. Can-
didate will also supervise the MUSA staff,
manage the program's budget as well as
negotiate relationships with other agencies.
Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in a related
field. Candidate must have strong public
speaking skills and the ability to work well with
individuals of diverse backgrounds. Must be
highly organized & have previous supervisory
experience. Salary ranges between $50-60K
per year. Send resume to: HELP USA Homeless
Services, 5 Hanover Square, 17th Floor, NY, NY
10004, Attn: Human Resources or fax: 212-
400-7088. EOE. A Drug Free Workplace.
OIRECTOR OF AFTERCARE - The Doe Fund's
Ready, Willing & Able program seeks a Director
of Aftercare to increase the long-term job
retention, sobriety and independent housing
status of formerly homeless program gradu-
ates. Innovative, creative self-starter with
JOB ADS
proven ability to design and implement out-
come oriented strategies and best practices.
Must have established relationships with com-
munity based organizations that can enhance
services provided to the program's formerly
homeless men. Ability to forge new contacts.
Ability to generate comprehensive program
compliance and outcome reports and super-
vise maintenance of database. Must interface
cooperatively with Program Directors, Case
Managers, Substance Abuse Counselors and
program participants. Ideal candidate must
have 3 plus years experience in a Director
capacity. MA in Social Work required. Salary,
$50k plus based on qualifications. Compre-
hensive benefits package. Please forward
resume and cover letter to Human Resources,
The Doe Fund, Inc., 341 East 79th Street, NY,
NY 10021; fax to 212-570-6706 or e-mail to
hr@doe.org. EOE. Deadline for submitting
resume is ASAP.
DI RECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - National
non-profit based in the Bronx, NY seeks Direc-
tor of Development to run fundraising depart-
ment. Master's degree, minimum 4 years expe-
rience and proven track-record raising public
and private dollars required. Salary range $60
- $65K. Fax resume and cover letter to 646-
792-1020.
DIRECTOR OF OEVELOPMENT
Organize/implement fundraising operation
w/agency Co-Directors to maintain/expand
foundation grants, initiate Brooklyn corporate
campaign, expand individual donor base,
coordinate special events, maintain database
tracking system and oversee stewardship
reporting. Exciting opportunity for highly orga-
PROFESSIONAl DIRECTORY
SPECIALIZING IN REAL ESTATE
J-51 Tax Abatement/Exemption 421A and 421B
Applications 501 (c) (3) FederaJ Tax Exemptions All forms
of government-assisted housing, including LISC/Enterprise,
Section 202, State Turnkey and NYC Partnership Homes
KOURAKOS & KOURAKOS
Attorneys at Law
Eastchester, N.Y.
Phone: 1914) 395-0871
Advertise in this
spacel
2 J 2-479-3345
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
Social Policy Research Design and Evaluation
Valnlont Consulting LLC
Mary Eustace Valmont, Ph.D.
Phone: 7187888435 Fax: 7187880135
Email: valmont-consulting@earthlink.net
212.721.9764
.JREICH 2@EARTHLINK. NET
WWW.CREATIVEHDTLIST.COM/.J REICH
ADB. ANNUAL REPORTS, BOOK DESIGN, BROCHURES, CATALOGS,
COLLATERAL, CORPORATE IDENTITY, MEDIA KITS, & MORE
41
JOBADS
nized, creative, energetic and "hands-on"
Master's level professional with 3-5 years
fund raising experience and a demonstrated
record of accomplishment. Excellent
written/verbal communication skills, and
strong interpersonal skills. Ability to work with
a team in a collaborative, process-oriented
atmosphere. Proficiency in database, spread-
sheet and word processing programs. Fax or e-
mail 718-788-2275 or jjfrancois@cflsp.org.
DIRECTOR OF OEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICA-
TIONS - NYIRN seeks Director of Develop-
ment & Communications. Responsible for
developing and implementing a comprehen-
sive fundraising strategy, managing NYIRN's
media relationships, and designing and
implementing marketing efforts. Work is
50/50. Development: cultivating new funders,
individual donors; relationship management;
grant/report writing; database management;
Board relations. Communications: designing &
implementing marketing strategies; market-
ing materials; press relations; public presen-
tations; organizing tours for electeds & media.
Requires traveling around NYC & some
evenings/early mornings. Ideal candidate is
very well organized, creative, good sense of
humor, great oral & written communicator.
Required: development or
com munications/marketing experience,
BAlBS, minimum 5 years related experience,
strong computer skills. Background in urban
affairs/planning, or economic/community
development a plus. Small friendly office,
decision-making is collaborative, multiple pro-
jects are juggled, priorities change quickly.
Illustrator, Photoshop a plus. FT salary is mid-
$40k's plus benefits. Resumes with Formal
Cover Letters mailed or faxed to: Anne Seifried,
Director of Operations, NYIRN, 175 Remsen St,
Suite 350, Brooklyn, NY 11201, Fax: 718-624-
8618. NO E-MAIL or CALLS. Only interview can-
didates will be contacted. Visit www.nyirn.org
for more information.
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION - Oversees train-
ing and education programs for young people
living with HIVIAIDS, family members, and ser-
vice providers. Masters in health or social
services plus 1 - 3 years' relevant experience
or Bachelors and 3+ years' relevant
experience. Fax or e-mail cover letter, writing
sample and resume to: Education Director
Search Committee, FAX 212-233-5132;
Scott@childrenshope.org. No phone calls
please. CHF is an equal opportunity employer.
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS-
The East Harlem School , a nationally recog-
nized independent middle school for disadvan-
taged children from East Harlem, is seeking an
organized and self-motivated individual to
manage all aspects of -pay-to-day business
operations. The Director of Finance and Opera-
tions will report directly to the Head of School
and will manage a staff of three. Responsibil-
ities: (1) Provide Head of School , Development
Oirector, Board of Trustees with Mission Criti-
cal Financial Information. (2) Ensure smooth
42
running of EHS facility. (3) Ensure smooth run-
ning of EHS business office. Required Qualifi-
cations: A desire to serve the children of Upper
Manhattan and to become part of the School
community. Bachelors Degree; economics,
finance or business specialty. 1-2 years expe-
rience with financial reporting or financial
management in a non-profit or educational
setting. Strong computer skills. Detail oriented
and strong organizational skills. Excellent
written and oral communication. Familiarity
with accounting and bookkeeping. Interest in
or experience with facilities/physical plant
management. The position offers a competi-
tive compensation and benefits package,
including health insurance and 403(b). Inter-
ested candidates should email a resume and
cover letter to Ivan Hageman, Head of School,
at jobs@eastharlemschool.org
DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION AND CORPORATE
GIFTS - Graham Windham, one of the
nation's oldest nonsectarian child care agen-
cies, seeks an experienced fund raiser as Direc-
tor of Foundation and Corporate Gifts. The
Director will identify funding sources, work
closely with program staff to develop and
monitor programs, arrange site visits for fun-
ders, and determine funding needs. Act as pri-
mary liaison between program staff and
Development Office. BAlBS, a minimum of four
years fund raising experience, with a focus in
social services, and a proven track record of
funded grant proposals is required. Must be a
team layer, able to work independently and
possess a positive outlook. knowledge of Rais-
er's Edge a plus. Graham Windham is commit-
ted to rewarding performance excellence with
highly competitive compensation, generous
benefits, and a merit-based reward system.
Graham Windham encourages a diverse work-
force. AAlEOE. Send resume and salary
requirements to: Graham Windham, 33 Irving
Place, 7th Floor,New York, NY 10003. Attn:
Pablo Molgora Fax: 212-358-1724 or email
hr-general@graham-windham.org.
DIRECTOR OF GIFT PLANNING - Reporting to
Director of Development; responsible for man-
aging gift planning program; oversee staff of
four; create strategies to solicit prospects;
develop business plan; maintain fundraising
schedules; direct donor stewardship efforts;
and ensure proper administration of donor
funds. Bachelor's degree, 8 years experience,
excellent communication skills and ability to
manage staff required. Resume and cover let-
ter to Donna McKay, ACLU, 125 Broad Street-
18TH FI., New York, NY 10004.
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS - Growing Bronx
community org. seeks experienced self-starter
to oversee and implement multigenerational
programs. Substantial experience managing
professional staff, fundraising, grants man-
agement and program development necessary.
Background in education, community develop-
ment or social services. Excellent communica-
tion, problem solving and critical thinking
skills required. Competitive salary. Only candi-
dates meeting these qualifications will be con-
sidered. Please e-mail cover letter and resume
to programdirectorsearch@yahoo.com.
DIRECTOR OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT -
Non-profit community based organization
seeks Director of Property Management to
oversee 1,000 unit Property Management Divi -
sion. Supervise direct mail management,
maintenance and resident services staff.
Qualifications: BS-MS with 5 years assisted
housing and minimum of 3 years supervisory
experience, RAM or equivalent certification.
Email resume and cover letter to
zrolan@stnicksnpc.com.
DIRECTOR OF QA & QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
- Housing Works, the nation's largest AIDS
service org, is seeking an indiv to be responsi-
ble for developing a comprehensive work plan
and strategic initiatives for the Prevention and
Supportive Services dept. Will assess and
monitor the delivery of case management ser-
vices; identify problems in the delivery of those
services; assist dept heads in developing cor-
rective action plans; and facilitate staff train-
ing/development. To qualify you must possess
a Master's degree (CSW, MSW, or MS) and at
least 5 yrs post graduate school expo Supervi-
sory exp also nec. We offer a competitive com-
pensation pkge commensurate with expo
Please email your resume with salary reqs to:
resumes@housingworks.org. EOE.
DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM
(FIT) - Progressive, growing non-profit
agency currently seeks dedicated, talented
individual to fill the position of Director, Com-
munity Service Program. Implement and coor-
dinate the daily operations of an innovative,
service-learning program for suspended stu-
dents with the public school system. Familiar-
ity with funded programs such as Learn and
Serve America or alternative-to- suspension
initiatives essential. Knowledge of research-
based youth development principles essential.
Master's Degree in Counseling, Psychology or
other Human Service-related area plus six
years' related experience required. Salary to
55K DOE. Competitive benefit package. Inter-
ested parties should submit their resume,
cover letter and salary requirements ASAP to:
After-School Search Committee, 593 Vander-
bilt Avenue, PMB #123, Brooklyn, NY 11238-
3512. Attention: Mr. Alan Scott. EOE.
EDUCATION AND YOUTH SERVICES DIVISION -
CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION SPECIALIST -
FEGS is one of the largest not-for-profit health
and human service organizations in the coun-
try with an operating budget in excess of $170
million, 3,500+ staff, 12 subsidiary corpora-
tions and a diverse service delivery network
including operations in over 250 locations
throughout the metropolitan New York area.
The FEGS Education and Youth Services Divi-
sion is seeking a Curriculum and Instruction
Specialist to oversee curriculum design and
professional development for educational pro-
gram serving out-of-school youth, with an
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB PoSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLlMITS.oRG
emphasis on research-based instructional
strategies and effective student assessment;
model successful teaching practices through
daily literacy and math instruction; lead inte-
gration of curricula and instruction across all
program areas; manage program staff. Suc-
cessful candidates will demonstrate their abil-
ity to perform the following functions: Design
curricula aimed at providing out-of-school
youth with the literacy and mathematical skills
required to meet the goals established in their
Individual Service Strategies (ISS), such as
earning a General Equivalency Diploma and
earning acceptance into post-secondary
schools. Manage all student assessment data
through the use of database technologies, stu-
dent portfolios, and other methods approved
by program administration. Model successful
teaching practices in daily literacy and math
classes, which assist program participants in
meeting the goals established in their ISS.
Develop and oversee the College Clinic, a
resource center which provides one-on-one
tutoring and instruction to assist program par-
ticipants in developing the skills and strate-
gies to successfully pass the G.E.D. and SAT.
examinations, as well as to successfully
research and apply for post-secondary educa-
tional opportunities. FEGS offer a competitive
salary and benefits package. Send resume to
our HR Consultants: HR Dynamics, Inc., Dept.
ECSISS. 315 Hudson Street, 6th Floor, New
York, New York 10013 or fax 212-366-8555
Attn: ECs/sS or e-mail sgsmalls@hr-dynam-
ics.com. EOE, MlFIDN.
EDUCATION ORGANIZER - Cypress Hills
Local Development Corporation is hiring a full-
time Education Organizer to support a grass-
roots group dedicated to improving the quality
of public education in the neighborhood.
Responsibilities include: developing cam-
paigns, implementing actions, outreach plan-
ning and execution, leadership development,
coalition work & more. Bilingual SpanishlEng-
lish. MSW & community org. expo preferred.
32K + benefits. Resu me to:
caitline@cypresshills.org or fax 718-647-
2104.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICEILAND USE COMMU-
NITY LAWYER - West Harlem Environmental
Action (WE ACT), a 15-year old environmental
justice organization, is seeking applications
for a staff attorney to work on issues of envi-
ronmental justice, land use and zoning, eco-
nomic justice and community development.
The attorney will work closely with, and recei ve
legal back up from, faculty and students at
Fordham Law School. WE ACT is committed to
utilizing a community lawyering approach,
with law as a tool to build community power to
participate proactively in decision making and
to ensure government /corporate accountabili -
ty. The staff attorney will identify and work with
outside legal counsel , direct efforts to place
litigation activity within larger community-
based strategies, and communicate legal
strategies to larger community. At least three
years' relevant experience in environmental ,
land use, community development or civil
CITY LIMITS
rights law and solid negotiation skills are
required. Send complete applications to
Berlinda Durant, Attn. Staff Attorney, WE ACT,
271 West 125th Street # 308, NY, NY 10027 or
to berlinda@weact.org. Complete applications
include cover letter, resume, three references,
daytime contact information. People of color
and Northern Manhattan residents are encour-
aged to apply.
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT - CIVIL RIGHTS -
Small civil rights not-for-profit seeks articu-
late, organized, and motivated individual to be
assistant to its ED; develop/maintain all office
systems and administrative procedures; assist
with special projects as needed. Must be self-
starter and team player, strongly committed to
civil rights, able to thrive in fast-paced envi-
ronment, and comfortable in interacting with
the public. Previous relevant experience
(including expertise with Word and Excel)
essential; fluency in Spanish and knowledge of
Mac OS X highly preferred. Starting salary up
to mid-30s, depending on experience; good
vacation and health insurance benefits. Start
date: September 7th. If interested, email a let-
ter of interest, resume, and writing sample of
any length to adminsearch@antibiaslaw.com
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT - For NFP housing orga-
nization to provide administrative and pro-
gram support to Executive Director in fast
paced office. Strong organizational, writing
and computer skills required. BA preferred.
$26K - 30K +benefits. Resume to:
L. DeKind, fax 212-967-1649, email
Ldekind@clintonhousing.org.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Community-based,
progressive, violence-prevention organization.
Required: minimum 5 years senior nonprofit
management, strong fundraising, fiscal/bud-
geting, and understanding of violence as a
social/political issue. Salary commensurate
with experience; excellent benefits. Send cover
letter/resume ASAP. Judith Long, CAE, 421 Fifth
Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215; fax 718-499-
2284; jlong@cae-bklyn.org. No calls.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Help build a better
Brooklyn with this 28 year-old community
development organization. This is a challeng-
ing opportunity to manage and guide pro-
grams that carry out the mission of the Flat-
bush Development Corporation in five pro-
grams areas: economic development, housing
preservation, youth development, immigration
assistance, and overall community improve-
ment. At least 5 years of senior management
experience in a non-profit organization
required. Knowledge of NYC community devel-
opment issues helpful. Fax resume and cover
letter to 718-859-4632 or e-mail to:
guide@fdconline.org . EOE.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Room to Grow, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting
the first three years of life of babies born into
povertY, seeks an Executive Director to oversee
day-to-day operations and development.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
Requires strong fundraising record and senior
nonprofit management experience. www.room-
togrow.org. Cover letter with salary history and
resume to Egmont Associates,
segmont@egmontassociates.com fax 857-
449-0011.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - The Maura Clarke -
Ita Ford Center, named after two Maryknoll
nuns killed in EI Salvador, is a women's edu-
cation, job training and small business center
in Bushwick, Brooklyn. MCIF seeks an ener-
getic, innovative Director who understands
and supports the mission of the Center. Candi -
dates should have a minimum of five years rel-
evant experience. Salary mid-50's. For more
information e-mail MCIFSearch@verizon.net.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Women
services/advocacy, organization, seeks entre-
preneur to lead affordable corporation.
Responsible for asset management, donor and
grant cultivation, development of new afford-
able housing, community relations, board
management, and staff leadership. Ideal can-
didate will have entrepreneurial drive, persua-
sive oral & written communication skills,
knowledge & passion for affordable housing
and community development, administrative
and organizational skills, in-depth propertY
development & community planning knowl -
edge, ability to manage & develop others and
desire to work in participative and team-ori-
ented environment. Requirement: Knowledge
and experience in affordable housing, commu-
nity development and community planning;
college degree, with MA in a related field pre-
ferred; experience managing multiple projects;
experience writing grants; experience manag-
ing others; computer literacy. Competitive
salary and benefits. EOE. Women and women
or color encouraged to apply. Send or fax cover
letter and resume to: WomenRising, INC. Attn:
FHCIRED, 270 Fairmount Avenue, Jersey City
NJ 07306 Fax: 201-333-9305
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (3 OPENINGS) - 3
new Land Trusts in the Bronx, Brooklyn-
Queens, and Manhattan each seek dynamic
ED committed to preserving public open
spaces, esp. gardens. Work with board, staff &
community gardeners. PropertY management
and improvement, fundraising, financial man-
agement and community relations. BA + min 4
yrs experience in supervision; budgeting & fis-
cal systems; fund raising; strong writing &
speaking skills. $40K + good benefits. EOE.
Apply to only one land trust (specify borough).
Send cover letter & resume ASAP to TPL-LT
Search, 666 Broadway, 9th FI , NY, NY 10012.
No phone inquiries please. For more info, see
www.tpl.org/nyc.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PREVENTION -
Housing Works' Inc., the largest minority con-
trolled AIDS organization in America with an
annual budget of over $30 million, is seeking
a dynamic professional to join our executive
team. Reporting to the Senior Vice President
for Prevention and Services, you will be respon-
sible for all operations and services provided
in the Supportive Services Department-the
Harm Reduction, Needle Exchange, Pact, CDC
and NCRO Programs. As Director of Prevention,
you will act as staff supervisor, program devel-
oper, contract manager, and coordinator of
Prevention Services with other Housing Works'
programs. Among your specific functions will
be the clinical and administrative supervision
of Supportive Services staff, trainees and vol-
unteers, and coordination among Supportive
Services programs. You will also be responsi-
ble for program development and implementa-
tion including compliance with policies and
procedures; designing new services; monitor-
ing/reporting on existing supportive services;
and modifying programs. You will also manage
grants, facilitating the fulfillment of their
requirements and compliance with budgets. To
qualify, you will need five years of supervisory
or management experience in human services
pertaining to both program development and
clinical practice. You must also be able to
interact with an interdisciplinary team that
includes medical , social services, psychiatric
and nursing professionals. Ability to interact
with people with HIVIAIDS, mental illness or
substance use, and understanding their debil-
itating issues. Knowledge of human service
grants, contract management and reporting
as well as mediation and contract resolution
also necessary. You are also required to have
an advanced degree in the human services
field and be computer literate in Macintosh or
IBM software including word processing, data-
bases and spreadsheets. Housing Works offers
a competitive salary commensurate with expe-
rience and a comprehensive benefits plan.
Please email your resume in strict confidence
stating position and salary requirements to:
bodero@housingworks.org or fax: 212-918-
2850. EOE
FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVE COORDINATOR -
Bronx Independent Living Services (BILS) as a
community-based nonprofit organization that
offers education, counseling and advocacy for
people with all types of disabilities. BILS works
to increase the opportunities for people with
disabilities in mainstream society. We are cur-
rently recruiting for a Fair Housing Initiative
Coordinator. This position reports directly to
the Managing Director. The Fair Housing Coor-
dinator will be responsible for managing the
timely completion of program activities speci-
fied in the Statement of Work for Housing
Urban Development (HUD). Minimum Qualifi-
cations: Education: BA or 2 years experience in
working in non-profits in a supervisory capac-
ity. Preferred Master's Degree and one-year
experience working in nonprofits. Excellent
writing skills and oral communication skills.
Organized, detail oriented and must be able to
meet deadlines. Personable and must be able
to work with all people. Committed to Indepen-
dent Living philosophy (self-empowerment) .
Computer literate. Life experience with disabil-
ities a plus. Please send resume to: Jesus
Sosa, BILS, 3525 Decatur Avenue, Bronx, NY
10467, FAX 718-515-2844, Email :
jesus@bils.org
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOBADS
FAMILY ASSESSMENT WORKER - NMPP a
maternal and child health agency located in
Central Harlem seeks a Family Assessment
Worker for its home visiting program. The FAW
should be bilingual (French or Spanish) with a
2-year degree in human services or related
field. Must be go getter/quick learner with 2
years outreach experience, be available week-
ends/evenings as needed, and possess very
good writing/marketing skills. $26,500 Fax to
BABY STEPS, Jennifer Tuck, 212-690-2296 or
E-mail toHFAbabysteps@netscape.net.
FISCAL OFFICER - Nonprofit. Multi-funding
sources,$2Mil+ annual budget. Supervision of
fiscal staff. Exp. w/non-profit financial opera-
tions/gov't contract Reporting req'ts. Salary
based on exp., mid-ta-hi $40s. Excellent bene-
fits pkge. Fax resume w/e-mail address to
212-228-7840. No phone calls.
FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT - ROC-NY sup-
ports restaurant workers, particularly WTC sur-
vivors. ROC-NY seeks fund raising consultant
to cultivate individual donors through "Pre-
view PartY" at new worker-owned restaurant.
Requirements: 2 years fund raising experience,
excellent communications skills. Immigrants,
people of color, and women encouraged to
apply. Send resume/letter to
sarulove@yahoo.com or via fax 212-343-
7217.
FUNDRAISING DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR -
The NYCLU is a statewide organization dedi-
cated to the protection and enhancement of
civil liberties and civil rights for all New York-
ers. Manage donor database and related func-
tions. Coordinate online giving. Perform data
entry and produce acknowledgment letters.
Assist in the administration of the direct mar-
keting and major gifts programs. Handle donor
file maintenance. 2-3 years experience in
database management using Raiser's Edge.
Advanced technical knowledge of Raiser's
Edge required. Strong administrative and
organizational skills. Submit letter of interest,
current resume and salary history to: NYCLU,
Box DVPT, 125 Broad Street, 17th Floor, NY, NY
10004. By fax: 212-344-3318 or e-mail:
jobs@nyclu.org. Include "DVPT" in subject
line. Review of applications will begin immedi-
ately. The NYCLU is an affirmative
action/equal opportunity employer.
GRANT WRITERIFUNDRAISER - NYC non-
profit environmental group is looking for an
experienced grant writer/fund raiser to work on
a commission basis. Times-Up works on a
wide range of issues from supporting commu-
nity gardens to non-polluting transportation -
see www.times-up.org. Primary tasks will be
the production/submission of grant proposals
and research of fund raising opportunities.
Email: timesup@panix.com Phone: 212-505-
3611
HOUSING ADVOCACY DIRECTOR - ANHD -
The Association for Neighborhood & Housing
Development seeks a capable, highly produc-
43
JOBADS
tive person to oversee advocacy campaigns for
progressive housing policies and programs
serving NYC neighborhoods. ANHD is a mem-
ber organization of 97 NYC community-based
housing organizations. Director works with
member committees to craft and promote
housing advocacy initiatives on community
and citywide level. Successful candidate will
have several years' direct experience. Some
background in affordable housing develop-
ment a must; knowledge of neighborhood
preservation programs highly desirable. Must
be knowledgeable about NYC budget and leg-
islative processes and NYC housing programs.
Knowledge of NYC neighborhoods and neigh-
borhood groups helpful. Extremely strong
interpersonal skills, written and verbal com-
munication skills, willing to work evenings and
weekends. Salary up to $60,000, great bene-
fits. Women and persons of color encouraged
to apply. Fax resume, cover letter, writing sam-
ple to Irene Baldwin 212-747-11l4 or
Irene. b@anhd.org.
HOUSING ADVOCACY TEAM LEADER - Hous-
ing Advocacy Team Leader @ Brooklyn CBO.
Lead eviction prevention cases & tenant rights
workshops; respond to community needs (dis-
placement, apartment-finding, immigrant
rights, etc.); manage intake & outreach; build
on referral network; write case studies, col-
lect/analyze data. Supervise organizer & junior
advocate. Requires 3+ years related experi-
ence; fluent Spanish & English; superior writ-
ten & oral communication & computer skills.
Degree in social work or law a big +. Mid-
$30's, excellent benefits, equal opportunity.
Email resume to
dpcandidatesearch@lycos.com.
HOUSING ASSISTANT! LIFE SKILLS COUN-
SELOR - (Scatter Site) The Floating Hospital, a
non-profit healthcare org is seeking an indiv to
work at our Bronx, NY loc. Will assist people liv-
ing with HIVIAIDS and develop the skills nec to
maintain independent apartment living. Assist
in evaluation of the needs, desires and goals
of residents; work closely with client and other
program staff to develop appropriate service
plans; evaluate the independent living skills of
clients and determine, with resident, where
assistance and support is needed. In addition,
you will assist resident in obtaining furniture
and supplies; help resident move into the
apartment and create/maintain a healthy and
pleasant environment; facilitate educational
groups on independent living skills; & provide
individualized training. Reqs: HS diploma or
GED reqd. Bachelor's deg prefd. Relevant
social service exp reqd. Please send/fax
resume with cover letter stating position (A
MUSn to: The Floating Hospital, HR Dept, 90
William St., Ste 1402, NYC 10038; fax: 212-
482-8911. EOE
HOUSING CONSULTANT I or II - Provides info
and tech asst about housing apt. to individu-
als w/mental illness and their advocates. Pro-
vides staff training to agencies in NYC. Reqs:
Knowledge and expo In mental health service
44
system; supportive housing expo Pref; comput-
er literacy. HC I reqs. BA + 4 years exp or Mas-
ters. HC II reqs. Masters +5 years expo (incl.
2 years post masters). Competitive salary and
comprehensive benefits. Send resume and
cover letter ASAP to Daniel Stern, CUC/HRC,
120 Wall Street, 25th floor, NY, NY 10005; Fax:
212-635-2191. Email hrchire@cucs.org.
CUCS is committed to workforce diversity. EEO.
CUCS - Opening Doors to Opportunity.
HOUSING COORDINATOR - Local Develop-
ment Corp seeks Housing Coordinator to sur-
vey and evaluate area bldgs for anti abandon-
ment svcs + submit HPD surveys and reports,
prepare and execute bldg repair agreements,
establish database, advise owners and ten-
ants, prepare and disseminate informational
materials and organize workshops and semi-
nars. Must have BA +3 yrs in housing, urban
planning or related field or HS diploma +5yrs
comparable experience. Must be bilingual. Fax
resume and cover letter to 212-544-0248.
HOUSING COORDINATOR - United Jewish
Organizations of Williamsburg is seeking a
housing program coordinator to manage com-
munity housing and rezoning projects.
Responsibilities will include: helping tenants
and property owners to resolve housing related
problems, UJO liaison for community housing
projects, participation in Community Board
meetings, and assisting with the development
of new and affordable housing. Excellent writ-
ing skills required and mapping skills pre-
ferred. Master degree in Urban Planning or
similar degree preferred or a BA with at least
two years of prior experience. Send cover letter
and resume to ujocareer@hotmail.com.
HOUSING DIRECTOR Administer
housing/property management functions of
supportive housing programs by supervising
staff, consulting/negotiating with vendors,
developing policies and procedures, imple-
menting systems and controls. Ensure build-
ing wide compliance with all applicable build-
ing codes. Oversee landlord and management
company compliance in meeting the estab-
lished housing laws, building codes and leas-
es agreements. Ensure uniformity of housing
management systems across components.
Monitor, evaluate, revise housing management
systems. Maintain effective working relation-
ships with grantors, vendors and related ser-
vice organizations. Maximize public funding
and client fees. Support the mission and core
values of the agency. BA in management or
experience in property management/real
estate administration. Minimum five years
progressive experience managing residential
property. Knowledge of supervision, account-
ability for the accomplishment of program-
matic, fiscal , personnel and agency goals.
Excellent communication (verbal/written),
computer and management skills. Send
resume/cover letter to hr@baileyhouse.org or
via fax 212-414-1431.
HOUSING MANAGER - Bailey House, Inc.
requires an experienced individual to be
responsible for facility operations for our resi-
dence. Assist with housing related programs.
Ensures that residents are housed in safe and
secure environmnet. Ability to develop effec-
tive policies, procedures, communicate with
all departments, programs, vendors, contrac-
tors. BA plus five years experience in not for
profit housing setting, property management,
full understanding of safety and security
issues. Excellent negotiating skills. Basic
knowledge of building systems and structure.
Computer literate, ability to create spread-
sheets. If you are interested in applying for this
position please send your resume and cover
letter to hr@baileyhouse.org, by mail to Bailey
House, Inc. 275 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY
10001 Attention: Human Resources, or Fax:
212-414-1431.
HOUSING ORGANIZER - Salary: $28,000 -
$31,000. The Cooper Square Committee, a ten-
ants rights organization on the Lower East
Side of Manhattan, seeks a full time Housing
Organizer to conduct building inspections,
counsel and organize tenants to prevent evic-
tions, improve housing conditions and fight
illegal deregulation of housing. College degree
preferred; community organizing experience a
plus, but will train the right candidate. Must
have good interpersonal skills, take initiative,
handle multiple tasks; bilingual
(English/Spanish helpful but not required)
Mail or fax resume to: Executive Director, The
Cooper Square Committee Fax 212-473-2837,
Email : Stevenmherrick@aol.com
HOUSING SPECIALIST - Non-profit seeks
organized person to assess building condi-
tions, help residents with the city revitaliza-
tion, loan programs, to assist in housing reha-
bilitation and developmental projects. College
and/or relevant work experience please. Span-
ish speaking a plus. Please fax resume with
cover letter and salary history. 718-981-3441.
INTAKE COORDINATOR/EMPLOYMENT SPE-
CIALIST - Responsible for assisting with
assessment and placement; working with
training providers; conducting workshops;
preparing training vouchers; maintaining
client database. Qualifications: AA degree and
one year's experience with low-income individ-
uals or some college and two years experience
with low-income individuals. Proficiency in MS
Word, Excel and Access. Fluency in Spanish
desirable. Salary $26K - $32K. Excellent bene-
fit package. Fax 718-552-1190 or e-mail
choffman@citytech.cuny.edu resume to Chuck
Hoffman, Director, Workforce Development
Center, NYC College of Technology.
INTENSIVE CASE MANAGERS - Care for the
Homeless seeks three (3) Intensive Case Man-
agers to work on interdisciplinary team serving
homeless individuals and families at sites in
the Bronx and Manhattan. Heavy fieldwork.
Strong MHIAODIHIV experience and under-
standing of harm reduction principles needed.
Spanish a plus. Excellent benefits. ICM: three
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
years case management experience and BAIBS
or MSW. Senior ICM: MSW and cl ient and
supervisory experience. EOElMinorities encour-
aged to apply. Send resumes, cover letter and
salary history/requirements to: Denise Torres,
Care for the Homeless, 12 West 21st Street,
New York, NY 10010-6902 or email :
recruit@cfhnyc.org.
INVESTIGATOR - Seeking an investigator to
work in criminal defense in the Bronx. Primary
duty is to interview people accusing our clients
of crimes in order to aide the defense. Spanish
speaking desirable. Please contact Ashley
Kaper at ashleyk@bronxdefenders.org for
more information.
JOB DEVELOPER - A Brookyn-based non-
profit organization seeks a seasoned Job
Developer to work with low-income adults.
Responsibilities: build business linkages and
develop jobs; track job retention and write
reports; assist program participants with
career goals; write and produce resumes;
facilitate weekly job readiness workshops.
Qualifications: a motivated, flexible individual
with excellent communization (oral and writ-
ten) and organizational skills. Three years
experience. Strong computer skills a must
(Word, Excel and Internet). Bachelor's degree or
relevant experience. Please FAX resume and
cover letter (with salary requirements) to: 718-
389-8068.
JOB DEVELOPER - Bronx Works seeks (2) Job
Developers. Responsibilities include present-
ing employment services to business clients,
identifying job opportunities that match the
skills and qualifications of program partici-
pants, interviewing and screening program
participants for proper employment, and
maintaining weekly job listings for partici-
pants. The positions require an Associate's
degree and 5 years of relevant experience or a
Bachelor's degree, and excellent presentation
and communication skills. Bilingual Eng-
lish/Spanish, sales experience, and experience
working with the special needs population a
plus. Fax Credentials to S. Farimani at 718-
993- 8089.
JOB DEVELOPER - Full-lime/Base Salary Up
To $40,000 Per YearlPlus BonuslExcelient Ben-
efits Package/Convenient Lower Manhattan &
Bronx, NY Locations. Wildcat Service Corpora-
tion, established as a private, not-for-profit
social services agency in 1972, is a multi-mil -
lion dollar workforce development organization
serving over 8,500 individuals annually. Wild-
cat provides job training and job placement
services to populations such as dislocated
workers, welfare recipients, ex-offenders and
prisoners serving in work release programs,
former substance abusers, non-custodial par-
ents, youth dropouts and delinquents, and
Latino and Asian populations with limited
English proficiency. Wildcat currently seeks Job
Developers to place the agency's clients in jobs
in a variety of industries. Requires job place-
ment experience and an active job bank (i.e.,
CITY LIMITS
active accounts). Wildcat Service Corporation
is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Send
resume by mail, fax or e-mail to: India Baulk-
man, Personnel Department,Wildcat Service
Corporation, 2 Washington Street, 3rd Floor,
New York, NY 10004. Fax: 212-635-3872 or E-
mail: ibaulkman@wildcatatwork.org. Learn
more about Wildcat Service Corporation at
www.wildcatatwork.org.Click "Employment
Opportunities" to see all available Wildcat Ser-
vice Corporation positions.
JOB DEVELOPER - The Doe Fund, Inc., an
innovative social service organization provid-
ing job training and transitional housing to
homeless individuals, seeks an experienced
job developerlrecruiter to cultivate and main-
tain employer relationships. Ability to teach life
skills and job preparation classes and experi-
ence working with homeless population a plus.
Ability to provide full range of job placement
services - resumes, interview training and
tracking clients' job search efforts. This posi-
tion requires a bachelor's degree, strong oral
and written communications skills, great
interpersonal skills and at least 3 years expe-
rience as a job developer or recruiter. Salary in
high 30's with a comprehensive benefits pack-
age. Send resume to HR, The Doe Fund, Inc.,
341 East 79th Street, NY, NY 10021; fax to
212-570-6706 or e-mail to hr@doe.org. Please
respond no later than ASAP.
JR. ACCOUNTANT - for non-profit in southern
Westchester. Responsibilities include prepara-
tion of semi-monthly payroll , Medicaid billing,
monthly bank reconciliation, journal entries,
other duties as necessary. Requirements:
Bachelors Degree in AcctgJFinance and 1-2
years experience in a related position. Submit
cover letter/ resume to fax 914-963-4566 or
email: tonivolchok@hotmail.com
JUNIOR ACCOUNTANT - Help C.EO. manage
financial elements of programs within organi -
zation, record and report financial transac-
tions to satisfy its internal information and
external reporting needs, and assure its finan-
cial health and smooth operations. EDUCA-
TION: Bachelors Degree in AccountinglBusi-
ness, or Associates Degree with 3 more years
experience. SKILLS: Proficiency with computer-
ized fund accounting software, preferably
FundWare; Proficiency at advanced level with
spreadsheet applications, preferably MS Excel.
Send cover letter/resume via fax to 973-482-
1883.
LEAD TEACHER (EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER)
- We are seeking an energetic, creative,
empathetic Educator with excellent command
of the pre-school curriculum. The Lead Teacher,
who will supervise all Assistant Teachers and
Aides, must lead a strong team, which creates
a safe, nurturing and stimulating environ-
ment. MS in Early Childhood is preferred. BA in
Early Childhood Education with NYS certifica-
tion. For full description or to apply email:
Itsearch@bbccenter.org
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
MANAGER OF FACILITES - Experienced can-
didate required to handle all aspects of Facili-
ties Management for multi-site NYC-based
organization. Hands-on position with diverse
responsibilities including purchasing, equip-
ment service and supply, mailroom & recep-
tion. Must be computer literate (Microsoft
Office), and able to multitask, serving multiple
internal clients. Supervise staff of 2. Salary
commensurate with experience. Comprehen-
sive benefits package. BA and 5 years related
experience required. Please respond with
salary history to: Box300@freshjobs.com.
EOE
MANAGING DIRECTOR - Bronx Independent
Living Services (BILS) is a community based
non-profit organization that offers education,
counseling and advocacy for people with all
types of disabilities. BILS works to increase the
opportunities for people with disabilities in
mainstream society. The Managing Director
will be responsible for monitoring the process
and fulfilling the annual goals of the Indepen-
dent Living Center, which includes but is not
limited to proposal writing, social marketing,
fund development and assisting the Executive
Director in implementing policies and proce-
dures, supervise all program staff. This posi-
tion reports directly to the Executive Director.
QUALIFICATIONS: BA or five years experience in
working in non-profits in a supervisory capac-
ity. Preferred Master's Degree and one-year
experience working for non- profits. Excellent
writing and oral communication skills. Orga-
nized, detail oriented and must be able to meet
deadlines. Personable and must be able to
work with all people. Committed to Indepen-
dent Living philosophy (self empowerment).
Computer literate. Life experience with disabil-
ities a plus. SALARY: $40K-$45 FT. Please send
resume to: Jesus Sosa, BILS, 3525 Decatur
Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467, fax: 718-515-2844,
email: jesus@bils.org.
OFFICE MANAGER - Growing Bronx commu-
nity organization seeks experienced self-
starter to provide high- level administrative
support and oversee daily operation of office.
Responsibilities include coordinating the pro-
duction of reports and solicitations to funding
agencies and others; coordinating public rela-
tions initiatives meetings and events; main-
taining website content, files, mailing lists,
and other data; inventory and order supplies
and oversee equipment upkeep. Experience in
office management and administration with
superior communication skills, significant
computer proficiency and the ability to orga-
nize, coordinate, and prioritize workload in a
fast-paced office environment. Excellent
opportunity for advancement, highly competi-
tive salary, e-mail cover letter and resume to
managercandidatesearch@yahoo.com
ON-SITE PROPERTY MANAGER - NFP seeks a
live-in Residential Property Manager. Must be
organized, energetic and muttitask oriented.
Knowledge in subsidized housing. Duties
include staff supervision, See8 qual., income
certification, DHCR regs. , MDR, ECB violations,
knowledge of tax credit compliance and DHS
regs. A plus. Good written and verbal skills,
computer experience, 3 - 5 years property
management experience a must,
ability to work independently. Salary
$25,000 annual and I-bedroom
apartment with phone, utilities included. Fax
resumes to 212-967-1649. Email to
buildingmanagerapplyclintonhousing.org
ORGANIZING COORDINATOR - The Profes-
sional Staff Congress, AFT Local 2334, a pro-
gressive, activist union representing 20,000
faculty and staff at the City University of New
York, is hiring for four professional, unionized
positions. The PSC is an equal opportunity
employer; women and people of color strongly
encouraged to apply. Position requires a B.A.
and 5+ years related experience. For salary
and full list of requirements see www.psc-
cuny.orglhiring.htm. Organizing Coordinator
coordinates work of organizers on campaigns
to organize private-sector white collar contract
workers located at CUNY; coordinates negotia-
tions of first contracts; designs & distributes
campaign and bargaining materials; builds
coalitions in support of organizing and con-
tract negotiations. Union experience must
include unit mapping, leadership assessment,
membership mobilization, developing and
negotiating contract demands. Must have
strong, detail-oriented organizational skills;
supervisory experience a plus. Temporary posi-
tion (up to 2 years). Application deadline: ASAP.
Send cover letter and resume to: Rose Pig-
nataro, Professional Staff Congress, 25 W.
43rd Street, 5th floor, NY, NY 10036 or fax to
212-302-7815.
OUTREACH SPECIALIST - The Food Stamp
Access Project seeks an Outreach Specialist.
The position requires a minimum of two years
of direct social service experience particularly
in low-income communities, good oral commu-
nication, good computer skills, and a basic
knowledge of government benefit programs.
Responsibilities include reviewing individuals'
and families eligibility for the federal Food
Stamp Program and other benefits, traveling
to various agencies and sites to prescreen
clients for eligibility, assisting with projects'
hotline, responding to telephone requests for
information, and following up with callers
regarding their requests for information. Fax
credentials to J. Tibbets at 718-590-5866.
PARALEGAL - Housing Works is a communi-
ty-based, minority- controlled organization
that provides housing, advocacy, and services
to low-income individuals and families living
with HIV and AIDS. Housing Works seeks a
ParalegallCasehandler to work in a fast-paced
environment under the supervision of 3 attor-
neys in its Client Legal Svcs division. The Para-
legal will handle his/her own individual cases.
The candidate must be a strong and effective
advocate, with a commitment to serving poor
people living with HIV/AiDS. The ability to com-
municate effectively with the client population,
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOBADS
as well as government agencies & representa-
tives from other community organizations, is
also very important. Solid computer skills,
organizational skills, strong writing skills, and
attention to detail are imperative. College
degree or considerable paralegal exp with pub-
lic assistance benefits required; fluency in
Spanish, experience with HASA, and with fair
hearings are major pluses. We offer competi-
tive legal services salary. For immediate con-
sideration, please mail resume and cover letter
to: Arrnen H. Merjian, Esq., Housing Works, Inc.,
330 W. 38th Street, Ste. 106, NY, NY 10018.
Housing Works is an equal opportunity employ-
er. Persons with a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS,
women, people of color, disabled individuals,
gay, lesbian, bisexual , and transgender candi-
dates are encouraged to apply.
PARALEGAL - One-year public interest expe-
rience advocating for people with HIVIAIDS.
Strong organizational , writing, public speaking
and computer skills. Spanish language pre-
ferred. Duties: Conduct intakes, assist attor-
neys with clients' legal issues and conduct
legal technical advisory clinics. Human
Resources BAS, Inc 540 E. Fordham Road
Bronx, NY 10458 FAX: (718) 733-3429 Email:
employment@basnyc.org
PARK STEWARD/CURATORIEDUCATOR - for
innovative, multi-service non-profit in down-
town Jamaica. Full-time experienced profes-
sional needed for Landmark Park. Good man-
agement, horticulture, communication, media-
tion and conflict resolution skills required. Flu-
ent in Spanish and English. Fax resume to
718-297-0841
PAYROLL COORDINATOR - Manage CUCS
payroll processing system, incl. Reconciling
payroll and electronically transmit to ADP. Resp
for expense analysis and data entry of bud-
gets. Reqs. BA in Acct or Finance + 1 year expo
Knowledge of payroll regs and automated acct
systems. Competitive salary and comp bene-
fits. Send resume and cover letter ASAP to Acct
Dept, CUCs/Admin., 120 Wall Street, 25th
Floor, New York, NY 10005; fax 212-635-2191;
email: admnhire@cucs.org. CUCS is commit-
ted to workforce diversity. EEO. CUCS - Open-
ing Doors to Opportunity.
PRESS SECRETARY - Responsibilities
include answering media inquiries, organizing
press conferences, media interviews and pub-
lic events; writing daily press releases, media
advisories, and updating website content.
Experience and media contacts with Black and
Caribbean press required. Please submit a
resume, cover letter, and four diverse writing
samples to Eldin Villafane via fax to 718-590-
3537 or email to evillafane@bronxbp.nyc.gov.
EOE.
PROGRAM ASSOCIATE - Educators for Social
Responsibility Metropolitan Area seeks quali-
fied candidates for full-time, salaried Program
Associate to help coordinate and implement
our school-based conflict resolution and diver-
45
JOBADS
sity programs. This will involve meeting with
school officials to plan our work in a school or
region; providing training and coaching to
teachers in schools; supporting and coordinat-
ing other ESR Metro staff in providing this pro-
fessional development to teachers: and moni-
toring and keeping records of the work to
ensure that it is satisfactorily completed. The
Program Associate will also be part of a three-
person team coordinating ESR Metro's partici-
pation in a major scientific study of our 4Rs
Program (Reading, Writing, Respect and Reso-
lution). Qualifications: Please see our job
posting at www.esrmetro.org. Please mail, e-
mail or fax your resume to lillian Castro, Direc-
tor of Administration, ESR Metro, 475 Riverside
Drive, #554, New York, NY 10115; email
address: Icastro@esrmetro.org; fax: 212-870-
2464. No calls please.
PROGRAM ASSOCIATE - PublicIPrivate Ven-
tures (PIPV) , a national leader in designing
and evaluating strategies to improve the lives
of disadvantaged adults and youth, is hiring a
Program Associate for its Working Ventures ini-
tiative that seeks to improve the performance
of the workforce development field. We offer
workshops, publish reports and guides on
effective practice, and provide small research
and development grants. The successful can-
didate will drive Working Ventures' marketing
and dissemination strategies, including public
relations, marketing and evaluation, contract
negotiation and event coordination. Require-
ments: Communications background, includ-
ing marketing and public relations experience.
Knowledge of the nonprofit world. Knowledge
of workforce development practice and policy
is a plus. Willingness to travel extensively.
Masters in related field. Please visit
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/jobs/jobs.asp for
more details about the position. Position based
out of PIPV's New York office. Minority appli-
cants are strongly encouraged to apply. Excel-
lent benefits. Salary: $50,000 plus. Please
send cover letter and resume ASAP to
dwallace@ppv.org or Dee Wallace, P/PV, 122
East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10168.
PROGRAM ASSDCIATE - The Federation of
Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), a leading
membership organization, comprised of over
240 non-sectarian, community-based organi-
zations and churches, is currently seeking a
Program Associate for its Community Capacity
Project. The Program Associate will provide
and coordinate technical assistance to com-
munity-based organizations addressing HIV
and AIDS issues in minority communities in the
Bronx and Queens. Specific duties include
recruiting agency participation in the project,
conducting organizational assessments and
providing on-site consultation, helping agen-
cies meet performance standards and achieve
regulatory compliance, and keeping cognizant
of funding opportunities and policy implica-
tions in the AIDS and HIV service delivery net-
work. The Program Associate will also super-
vise graduate student interns and will super-
vise and monitor consultants engaged in pro-
jects requiring specialized expertise. Qualifica-
46
tions: an advanced degree in social work,
behavioral sciences, nonprofit management,
or a related human services field. Prior experi-
ence in management and/or administration
within community based human service orga-
nizations is needed, as well as experience in
providing quantifiable outcome based techni-
cal and management assistance to nonprofit
and public agencies. Knowledge of the NYC
human services system, and the AIDS and HIV
advocacy and service delivery network is pre-
ferred. Salary commensurate with experience
and excellent benefits package. FPWA is an
Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates
should submit their resume and salary history
to Emma Guzman, Personnel , 281 Park Avenue
South, New York, NY 10010 or via E-mail to
eguzman@fpwa.org.
PROGRAM COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST - New
York Quadel is seeking three FIT Program Com-
pliance Specialisfs for our NYC Office. Respon-
sibilities include: conducting annual manage-
ment reviews of assigned properties (reviews
of tenant file documents, rent calculations,
FHEO, and follow-up inspections of Section 8
project-based units) and providing follow-up
monitoring of properties to ensure compliance
with HUD requirements. Previous Section 8
housing expo preferred, but not mandatory.
B.AJB.S. preferred, additional work expo may
be considered in lieu of degree. Evidence of
training in Section 8 and/or housing related
certifications (CPM, AHM, etc.) preferred. Com-
puter and time management skills required.
Some travel is required. Excellent salary &
benefits package. Qualified applicants send
resume & salary requirements to: NY
Quadel Consulting Corp., H.R. Admin, 217
Montgomery St. Suite 400, Syracuse, NY
13202, fax 315-428-0088 or e-mail
TAPoushter@NYQuadel.com EOE
PROGRAM COORDINATOR - FEGS is one of
the largest not-for-profit health and human
service organizations in the country with an
operating budget in excess of $170 million,
3,500+ staff, 12 subsidiary corporations and a
diverse service delivery network including
operations in over 250 locations throughout
the metropolitan New York area. The FEGS Edu-
cation and Youth Services Division seeks a Pro-
gram Coordinator to provide leadership and
management for a Beacon community center,
which includes after-school youth programs,
summer camp, and education, cultural , and
recreational programs for participants of all
ages. The Program Coordinator will oversee the
Beacon center in Far Rockaway Queens, with
oversight over program design, implementa-
tion, operations, and staff. The Coordinator will
collaborate with key New York City Department
of Education administrators, community lead-
ers, government and private-sector partners,
and Agency executive staff. Successful candi-
dates will demonstrate their ability to perform
the following functions: Execute all aspects of
administrative, programmatic, and fiscal
operations; Develop creative and high-quality,
outcome-based programming for children of
all ages, young adult, and adult populations;
Supervise all program staff; Manage data
relating to program performance; Develop
partnerships with community-based organiza-
tions, government agencies, and private-sec-
tor businesses; and manage a Program Advi-
sory Board, which involves community resi-
dents in the operation of the Beacon program.
FEGS offer a competitive salary and benefits
package. Send resume to our HR Consultants:
HR Dynamics, Inc., Dept. ECs/sS. 161 William,
Street, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10038 or
fax 212-366-8555 Attn: ECSISS or e-mail
sgsmalls@hr-dynamics.com. EOE, MlFIDN.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR - For non-profit
LDC. Manage existing programs/grants, coor-
dinate merchant outreach, write funding pro-
posals, track retail space. Ideal candidate is
resourceful , enthusiastic, excellent
writer/communicator. Required: Bachelor's,
two years relevant experience, Master's a plus.
40k+, benefits. Send resume, cover letter, writ-
ing sample: myrtleavenue@earthlink.net
PROGRAM DIRECTOR - Chemical Dependen-
cy Services st. Vincent's Services, an estab-
lished & innovative social services organiza-
tion, is seeking a Program Director for Chemi-
cal Dependency Services. Have full manageri-
al authority over all aspects of rapidly expand-
ing OASAS licensed program w/multiple sites
in Brooklyn, Queens & S.I. Oversee program
operation. Set & implement standards for
treatment provided to clients w/AlcohollSub
Abuse issues, &monitor quality. Maintain
treatment policies in accordance w/OASAS
mandates while maintaining cost-effective-
ness. Select, supervise & evaluate profession-
al staff. Maintain linkage w/local orgs. &
arrange outreach programming. Req: CSW and
CASAC + 10 yrs. post-MSW exp, incl. min. 6 yrs
mgt exp in mUlti-site prgm of similar type &
size. Valid NYS driver's lic. req'd & fluency in
Spanish pref'd. Salary commensurate w/exp.
Very extensive benefits pkg. Mail/fax resume to
Personnel Director, ST. VINCENT'S SERVICES,
66 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY 1120. Fax: 718-
422-2312. EOE MIF/DN.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR - NEW YORK - The Pro-
gram Director represents Enterprise with all
sectors in the development of programs and
projects in NYC. The primary responsibility is
providing project management services and
technical assistance to developers building
affordable housing. This position requires
demonstrated strong relationship manage-
ment and organizational skills, a background
in housing development and finance, strong
writing and communication skills and the abil-
ity to perform tasks with limited supervision.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Assist and collaborate in
developing decent and affordable housing and
housing-related programs with the City of New
York and other various government agencies,
financial institutions, community developers,
Enterprise Housing and Financial Services
(EHFS) and Enterprise Social Investment Cor-
poration (ESIC). Manage citywide housing pro-
grams from the Request for Proposal through
the development construction, relocation and
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
occupancy to ensure compliance with all
financing, tax credit and regulatory require-
ments. Assist community entrepreneurs and
organizations in managing all the pre-devel-
opment and development steps of housing
rehabilitation and new construction projects in
today's challenging environment of new real
estate marketplace. Underwrite affordable
housing loans for acquisition, predevelopment
and/or construction financed with LlHTC
and/or other public and private sources of
financing. Guide loans through underwriting,
loan committee review and coordinate com-
mitments, closing of loans, disbursements
and monitoring through repayment. Prepare
Project Investment Proposals for all projects
and loan requests, as necessary. Make presen-
tations to Enterprise committees and investors
describing projects, as requested. Work with
all funding source agencies and community-
based developers to finalize project proposals.
Work with funding agencies, Enterprise affili-
ates and staff and community developers to
coordinate closing checklist compliance for
project loan and syndication closings, and
funding of projects through to construction
completion and marketing and rent up, as
necessary, while working with team members
to oversee projects stay on time and on budget.
Identify opportunities to coordinate and inte-
grate housing development with community
services and other related activities; collabo-
rate with Enterprise staff and staff of affiliates
to ensure needs are met. Recommend and pro-
vide technical assistance other informational
sessions for community-based organizations;
prepare and present as needed. Provide com-
munity based developers with information to
enhance community development activities.
Document and apply lessons learned from
other programs in order to enhance the suc-
cess of future programs. Coordinate and pro-
vide tours and visits to Enterprise assisted
projects as necessary. QUALIFICATIONS: Under-
graduate degree; advanced degree preferred.
At least six (6) years experience with commu-
nity-based housing or real estate development
and finance; graduate degree may substitute
for up to three (3) years of experience. Demon-
strated skill in collaboration and problem solv-
ing; excellent oral and written communication
skills, with history of positive work relation-
ships with nonprofit community-based organi-
zations, neighborhood residents and commu-
nity leaders. Demonstrated ability to prioritized
and manage multiple projects and assign-
ments, meet tight deadlines, coordinate and
communicate effectively among diverse part-
ners, and cultivate new partnerships. Ability to
balance programmatic needs of Enterprise
and community partners with sound under-
writing judgment and risk mitigation. Training
and technical assistance skills preferred.
Excellent word processing and spreadsheet
skills in a Windows environment, preferably
with Microsoft Word and Excel. Demonstrated
strong organizational skills and the ability to
perform tasks with limited supervision and
leadership initiative. Please fax 410-772-
2702, email: hr@enterprisefoundation.org -
include job code NYC- PO in subject line of
CITY LIMITS
email or mail resume with cover letter and
salary requirements to: The Enterprise Founda-
tion, Attn: HRINYC-PD, 10227 Wincopin Cr.,
Ste 500, Columbia, MD 21044. The Enterprise
Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
PROGRAM MANAGER - Responsible for
implementing all aspects of a program that
creates new playgrounds/parks on publicly
owned land in Newark, New Jersey. To-date, the
Newark Parks for People Program has created
seven new community playgrounds and design
is currently underway to redevelop a 3.2-acre
city owned park site. The position involves
managing a community development process
with particular focus on involving young peo-
ple in site design. Responsibilities include:
Site Selection Oversight, Governmental Rela-
tions, Community Relations, Design and Con-
struction Management, Stewardship,
Fundraising, Budgeting, Marketing. BA with a
minimum of five years experience in communi-
ty development required. MA in Urban Plan-
ning is a plus. Experience in the following:
Design/construction management, oversight
of design and construction professionals, bud-
get, schedule, and overall process; Orchestrat-
ing a collaborative design process involving
community members, public agency represen-
tatives and other stakeholders, including chil-
dren; Working with young people/children;
Parks development/management;
Procuring/administering public grants. Please
send letter, resume and salary requirements
to: The Trust for Public Land, Attn: Lisa Chao,
666 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10012.
Fax 212-353-2052. WE ARE ACTIVELY
RECRUITING A DIVERSE WORK FORCE.
PROGRAM OPERATIONS COORDINATOR (Scat-
ter Site) - The Floating Hospital, a non-prof-
it healthcare org is seeking an indiv to work at
our Bronx, NY loc to coordinate all non-clinical
and operation tasks associated with the hous-
ing site of the Scatter Site 2 program. You will
maintain and distribute daily and weekly cal-
endar; oversee scheduling and planning of all
non- clinical program activities. Reqs: Exp
working with people living with HIV/AIDS
and/or homeless people. Min of 2 yrs supervi-
sory expo BA reqd. Master's in Human Svcs are
preferred. Please send/fax resume with cover
letter stating position (A MUSn to: The Float-
ing Hospital , HR Dept, 90 William St, Ste 1402,
NYC, 10038; fax:212-482-8911. EOE
PROJECT MANAGER - For community-based
not-for-profit housing organization to coordi-
nate development and construction of afford-
able housing. Experience working and negoti-
ating with architects, contractors and govern-
ment agencies. 3 years experience and BA
required. $35K - 40K plus benefits. Please
send resume and cover letter to: R. Vis-
nauskas, CHDC, 403 West 40th Street, NY, NY
10018 of fax: 212-967-1649.
PROJECT MANAGER - New Destiny Housing
Corporation seeks Project Manager to partici-
pate in all aspects of developing affordable
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
and supportive housing for low-income
domestic violence survivors and others at risk
of homelessness. Slhe will prepare develop-
ment and operating budgets, assist in prepa-
ration of funding proposals, prepare marketing
plans and implement project rent-up, and
work closely with development team & not-for-
profit clients. Project Manager reports to
Senior Project Manager. Qualifications: BA; 2
years experience in real estate development or
finance; strong Excel and computer skills and
experience with financial spreadsheets; good
written/oral communication and organization-
al skills. Salary: Mid-30's with benefits. Fax
resume & cover letter to Sr. Project Manager
646-472-0266.
PROJECT MANAGER, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
- Leading Brooklyn CDC seeks motivated
individual to manage development projects.
Responsibilities: Plan new projects; apply for
funding; perform predevelopment tasks; coor-
dinate loan closings; oversee construction
process; handle on-going compliance and req-
uisitions; manage 1-2 employees. Require-
ments: Three years experience in housing
development; strong knowledge of finance and
construction; excellent communication and
computer skills; ability to learn quickly,
demonstrate good judgment and work in a
team; commitment to affordable housing;
Spanish a plus. Salary: $40-45K with excellent
benefits. To Apply: Resume and cover letter
ASAP to Susan Friedland, Fifth Avenue Com-
mittee, 141 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
or to sfriedland@fifthave.org. AAlEOE. Prefer-
ence for community residents.
PROJECT SPECIALIST - Labor Union
Resource Center seeks part-time Project Spe-
cialist for its NYC location to coordinate spe-
cial projects such as conferences, research,
internal organizing and training; conduct writ-
ing and research on issues pertinent to Union
members; do grantwriting and fundraising.
Applicants should have union experience,
especially member education, occupational
safety and health, internal organizing; excel-
lent writing and communication skills neces-
sary. Salary negotiable. To apply, email resume
and cover letter to: jamesalp@aol.com.
PROPERTY MANAGER - A Bronx nonprofit
landlord is seeking a Property Manager for all
aspects of building management. Responsi-
bilities include: Maintain full occupancy, com-
plete regular recertification and supervise
maintenance staff. Ensure full compliance
and ongoing reporting, for all regulatory agen-
cies and projects including Low-Income Hous-
ing Tax Credits, HPD, DHCR and Section 8.
Minimum 3-5 years experience. BA and RAM
certification preferred. Excellent organization,
oral and written skills a must. Bi-lingual
Spanish a plus. Fax cover letter and resume w/
salary requirements to: 718-299-5623, Attn:
Z.DeJesus.
PROPERTY MANAGER - Bronx non-profit
agency seeks experienced Property Manager.
Responsibilities: Oversee property manage-
ment, supervise maintenance workers, monitor
repairs, supervise contractors and vendors,
prepare reports, leasing compliance, rent up
and collection. Qualifications: BA with 2+
years experience in housing management with
supervisory experience or HS diploma plus five
years experience in the field required. Experi-
ence in leasing guidelines (SIP, NOW/HOME)
preferred. Excellent verbal , written and com-
puter skills, knowledge of building systems;
bi -lingual Spanish a+. Salary: Mid 30's. Send
resume /cover letter to: Executive Director,
Bronx Heights NCC, 99 Featherbed Lane,
Bronx, NY 10452. Fax 718-294-1019.
REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATE - Real Estate
Developer headquartered in Staten Island
seeking Associate to research and acquire site
throughout metropolitan area. Must be self-
starter with good research and computer
skills. Send resume with salary requirements.
Fax 718-983-7078.
REAL ESTATE PROPERTY MANAGER - JASA,
NY's largest community-based, non-profit
agency serving the elderly, seeks a seasoned
professional to manage its 1200+ unit,
multi-building housing complex located in
Far Rockaway. Responsibilities include man-
agement of operations and maintenance,
development and control of budgets, tenant
relations, Union/Labor Relations and supervi-
sion of staff. Will act as liaison with govern-
ment and funding agencies insuring HUD and
DHCR compliance. 5+ yrs of related exp
required. BBA or related degree preferred.
Successful candidate must have or be willing
to obtain a NYS Real Estate Brokers License.
We offer a competitive salary and a compre-
hensive benefits program. Qualified candi-
dates may forward resumes and salary histo-
ry to: mbullied@jasa.org or by FAX to: 212
695-9070. EOE
RECREATION SITE SUPERVISOR - St.
Nicholas NPC is looking for active, physically
fit, energetic people to serve as recreational
site supervisors to supervise 20, 14-21 year
olds in a community recreation program in
Brooklyn parks. Applicant must enjoy paper-
work, young adults, physical activities and
interacting with the community. If interested
email a resume and cover letter as a Word
attachment to heloew8@yahoo.com. NO
CALLS PLEASE.
RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR - Under the
direction and guidance of the Program Direc-
tor, the recruitment coordinator has lead
responsibility to develop and implement an
overall recruitment strategy that ensures qual-
ity candidates for the TANF-funded, enhanced
home health aide certification program.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Coordinates
recruitment process, including developing
overall recruitment and outreach plan and
schedule; Seeks out, builds and regularly
maintains relationships with community-
based human resource and public agencies as
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOBADS
referral sources for program participants and
as social service resource. QUALIFICATIONS: A
Minimum 2 year's college in sociallhuman ser-
vice field along with 2-3 years employment
training outreach and recruitment experience.
Excellent writing, analytical, communication
and computer skills and local travel A MUST!
Salary: $33-35,000.00 plus benefits - depend-
ing on experience. Send letter of interest and
resume to Carlos A. Permell , Project Director,
Care At Home, 269 37th Street, Brooklyn, NY
11232 or cpermell@cahny.com. NO CALLS.
REHABILITATION SPECIALIST - (24-35
hrs/wk; flexible work sched)Temp. POS. -6 mos.
w/possibility of perm. Resp: Outreach, assess-
ment & case mgmt on a community-based
mental health team in the N.E. Bronx. Req.:
BSW + 1 yr exp (excld. Field work) , BA + 2 yrs
exp or HS Diploma + 6 yrs exp (every 30 coil.
credits can sub. For 1 yr exp.); drivers lic.,
bilingual preferred. Send resume & cvr Itr,
indicating position, to: Kristin Yavorsky,
CUCS/ACT, 665 Pelham Pkwy North,Ste 402,
Bronx, NY 10467; fax (718) 881-8714; Email:
acthire@cucs.org. CUCS is committed to
workforce diversity. EEO
REHABILITATION SPECIALIST - Resp: Out-
reach, assessment, and case mgml; Coord w/
clinical staff to deliver field-based services.
Req: BSW + lyr exp (excld. fieldwork), BA + 2
yrs exp or H.S. diploma + 6 yrs exp (every 30
college credits can sub for 1 yr exp.), Driver's
Lic. and bilingual preferred. Expertise in voca-
tional , family ed, illness self-mgmt or sub-
stance abuse pref. Send resume and cvr Itrs,
specifying position, to: Kristin Yavorsky,
CUCS/ACT, 665 Pelham Pkwy North, Ste 402,
Bronx, NY 10467; fax 718-881-8714.
RESEARCH AND POLICY ASSOCIATE - Com-
munity Development Project of the Urban Jus-
tice Center seeks a Research and Policy Asso-
ciate to design and implement research initia-
tives to strengthen organizing and advocacy
efforts of community partners. Qualifications
include: excellent writing and analytic skills;
experience in partici patory research; knowl-
edge of community organizing; and a commit-
ment to social justice. Cover letter and resume
should be sent ASAP to: Research and Policy
Associate, CDP/UJC, 666 Broadway, 10th Floor,
NYC, York 10012.
SENIOR PROGRAM ASSISTANT - With AARP,
you can contribute to diverse initiatives
affecting change within your state and com-
munity. Our commitment and collective
strength enables us to serve a broad and
diverse membership as well as embrace our
own workplace diversity. AARP offers a chal-
lenging career in a simulating environment
where employees can grow, learn and
embrace our ideas and cultures. If your ready,
here's your chance to take action and make an
impact in New York. Working closely with state
and community operations, communications
or advocacy. Conducts searches in support of
legislative issues and assists with grassroots
47
JOB ADS
organizing. Coordinates projects and creates
project-related materials resources. Provides
technical direction for staff and volunteers,
makes presentations, keeps records, prepares
reports, and drafts technical correspondence,
handles media inquiries, and demonstrates
WORLD CLASS cultural attributes and behav-
iors in all interactions. Requires AA degree
(BAIBS preferred); 4 - 6 years of relevant expe-
rience including excellent communications,
events management, and interpersonal skills.
Experience working in non-profit and volun-
teer management a plus. Bilingual
English/Spanish required. Qualified candi-
dates are invited to apply online at
www.aarpjobs.com referencing job code
EC2004140 (see State and National Initia-
tives). We are an Equal Opportunity Employer
that values workplace diversity.
SENIDR STAFF ATIDRNEY - ECDNDMIC
DEVELDPMENT - Leading provider of pro
bono business law services to non profits
seeks a corporate and/or real estate attorney
with 6+ years legal experience in corporate,
real estate, and/or finance law to lead its eco-
nomic development practice. Please visit the
News section of www.lanY.orgfordetaiis. Send
resume to: EMG, Lawyers Alliance for New
York, 330 7th Ave, 19th FI., NYC 10001. Fax
212-941-7458.
SITE MANAGER - Dynamic Westside nonprof-
it seeks experienced site manager for HUD Sec.
236 & Mitchell Lama buildings. Must possess
knowledge of TRACS, Sec 236 & annual inc.
certification process. Needs strong organiza-
tional & people skills, ability to work indepen-
dently & enjoy working with seniors of diverse
backgrounds. Spanish a plus. Sal. up to mid-
30's, excellent benefits. EOE. Send resume &
cover letter to Project FIND 160 W. 71st St. #2F,
NYC 10023
SITE MDNITDR - St. Nicholas NPC is looking
for energetic, qualified applicants to work in
the field to monitor worksites for the Summer
Youth Employment Program. Applicants must
enjoy a balance of counseling, mediating,
paperwork and traveling. This is a temporary,
seasonal position. 35 hours/week at $10Ihour.
Email a resume and cover letter as Word
attachments to heloew8@yahoo.com. No
Calls Please.
SMAU BUSINESS DEVELDPMENT MANAGER
- St. Nicholas NPC, a local non-profit dedi-
cated to creating and preserving affordable
housing and economic development initia-
tives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, seeks an
energetic, experienced, self-starter to fill the
position of Small Business Development
Manager. The Small Business Development
Manager will be responsible for providing
technical assistance to small businesses and
entrepreneurs, including minority and
women-owned businesses in North Brooklyn.
Specific responsibilities include: conduct St.
Nick's Entrepreneurship Assistance Program
training and/or supervise consultants and
48
guest speakers; provide small business coun-
seling in such areas as marketing and pro-
motion, management, financing, accounting,
etc.; Assist clients in preparing business
plans and securing financing; Provide credit
analysis and prepare loan packages; And
manage St. Nick's Individual Development
Account. Requirements: college degree, good
writing skills, ability to understand and
review financial statements, experience
reviewing business plans and working with
small businesses or entrepreneurs, loan
packaging or lending experience a plus,
knowledge of business development pro-
grams, great customer service skills, great
communication skills and ability to conduct
and host classroom training for approximate-
ly 20 students. Salary: mid 30s depending on
experience. Please email resume and cover
letter to joseleon@ewvidco.com or via fax at
718.963.1905. Visit www.stnicksnpc.org to
learn more about the position.
SDCIAL WDRK SUPERVISDR - Supervise a
unit of caseworkers providing permanency
planning services to children in foster care and
their families. Provide crisis intervention, coun-
seling, advocacy, and referrals for collateral
services. Represent agency in Family Court.
This position is located in the Bronx. Additional
Qualifications: MSW or MAIMS in related field
and minimum one year of supervisory experi-
ence. Knowledge of ACS regulations and prior
foster care experience preferred. Spanish-
speaking a plus. How to Apply: Send resume
and cover letter with salary requirements to:
Via E-Mail: hr-general@graham-windham.org
Via Fax: 212-358-1724 Via Mail: Graham Wind-
ham Human Resources Department, 33 Irving
Place, 7th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10003.
SDCIAL WDRKER - Bilingual Family Work-
er/Counselor in Substance Abuse Program
(Lawrence, L.I.), must have MSW, be responsi-
ble for individual, group, & family counseling
services. Skilled in community outreach. Expe-
rienced in substance abuse. Salary-mid 30's.
Fax resume to 516-239-9246, Att: Wil John.
SDCIAL WDRKER - Seek creative/committed
individual to join services team in permanent
supportive housing. Responsibilities: case
management, counseling, group work, referrals.
Must have: MSW or grad degree in counseling
and experience with special needs (homeless,
substance use, HIV/AIDS, mental illness);
patience and energy; excellent interpersonal,
computer and case recording skills; bi-lingual
3+. Bklyn $40K+ and benefits. Fax letter of
interest and resume to: 718-602-9107. EOE
SDCIAL WDRKER (MSW) - The HIV Law Pro-
ject seeks MSW 0-3 years experience) to join
its legal team in providing comprehensive ser-
vices to low-income people living with
HIYlAIDS. Bilingual 3+. Salary DOE; excellent
benefits. Full job description available upon
request. E-mail, fax or mail cover letter and
resume: Tracy L.Welsh, ED 15 Maiden
Lane,18th Floor New York, NY 10038 Fax: 212-
577-3192 E-mail: search@hivlawproject.org.
SDCIAL WDRKER, MSW - Heritage Health
and Housing, Inc. is a non-profit service and
development agency helping individuals with
special needs, particularly those with mental
illnesses and substance abuse issues, take
control of their lives and become self-suffi-
cient and contributing members of the com-
munity. The agency is looking for a Social
Worker to work in a new project in the Bronx.
The Social Worker will provide social
work/case management sevices to formerly
homeless and mentally illlMlCA single adults
residing in this supportive housing SRO pro-
gram. MSW required. Should have experience
with homeless, mentally ill, and MICA popula-
tions. Must know Microsoft Office. Must pos-
sess excellent communication and writing
skills. Some evening hours and weekends
required. Driver's license essential.
SpanishlEnlish is a plus. Send resume with
cover letter to Sarah Anderson, CSW, Heritage
Health and Housing, Inc. 416 West 127th St.
New York, NY 10027. Fax: 212-864-5044. No
phone calls, please.
SDCIAL WDRKERlCDDRDlNATDR DF WDMEN'S
GRDUP - Individual and group work with
mothers of children, birth to three, within cen-
ter-based program. Responsible for planning
and implementing program with focus on pro-
moting positive parenting and overall health
and well being of family. Fax resume to 718-
993-8963.
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TD THE DlRECTDR DF
AFFILIATE SUPPDRT - Provides administra-
tive support to Director; writing and proofread-
ing documents; tracking budgets and expense
reports; organizing needs for committee meet-
ings and workshops; maintaining departmen-
tallistservs and databases; coordinating affil-
iate mailings; scheduling meetings. Minimum
three years administrative experience; strong
organizational skills; ability to represent the
organization and interface with all levels of
staff while maintaining confidentiality; highly
proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and Internet
usage. Letter of interest and resume ASAP to
Human Resources Department-SA, ACLU, 125
Broad Street - 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004.
SUMMER CAMP CDUNSELDRS (Fro - Pro-
gressive, growing non-profit agency currently
seeks dedicated, talented individuals to fill the
position of Summer Camp Counselors. Sea-
sonal position. Facilitate a broad range of
recreational activities for elementary and mid-
dle school aged students, including group
trips, arts & crafts activities and athletic
events. Ideal applicants will be current college
students with at least 30 undergraduate cred-
its in Early Childhood Education or a related
field. Candidates should provide proof of
active matriculation (i.e., college transcripts)
including current grade point average, in addi-
tion to personal or professional references.
Salary to $15 per hour DOE. Interested parties
should submit their resume, cover letter and
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB PoSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.oRG
salary requirements ASAP to: After-School
Search Committee, 593 Vanderbilt Avenue,
PMB #123, Brooklyn, NY 11238-3512. Atten-
tion: Mr. Alan Scott. EOE.
SUMMER INTERN - The National Urban
League seeks an intern to do research in the
Economic Development and Housing Depart-
ment. This position is open to graduate stu-
dents and/or undergraduate seniors with an
interest or background in Housing and/or Eco-
nomic Development Policy Analysis, Urban
Planning, Nonprofit Management, Training
and Technical Assistance, Program Design and
Evaluation. The Community Summer Intern
Program is an eight-week paid program (June
15th - August 15th). Requirements: Familiari-
ty with community development. land use,
environmental impact and zoning issues, and
the social and political factors that influence
how community development projects are
undertaken. Understanding of how communi-
ty development projects are financed and
knowledgeable about contemporary approach-
es to revitalizing distressed urban areas.
Strong research, written and oral communica-
tion skills. Submit resume, copy of transcript,
letter of interest and two academic letters of
recommendation to Human Resources, Nation-
al Urban League Internship Program, 120 Wall
Street, New York, NY 10005.
SUPERINTENDENT - 110-unit SRO in East
Harlem seeks a live-in, Supt. W/ min 5 years
mechanical expo Must have excellent plumbing,
electrical , carpentry, painting skills. Must
supervise small staff and do weekly reporting.
Small 1 bedroom apt. included. Fax resume to
Mr. Hannah 212-426-6315 No phone calls
please.
SUPERINTENDENT - Non-Profit agency seeks
3 full-time superintendent positions for build-
ings in Brooklyn & Queens. Ability to work with
senior citizens and special-needs tenants is
critical. Must have knowledge of all building
systems including boiler, sprinkler and fire
alarm. Salary low 20's with full benefits and 2
Bedroom apartment. Previous superintendent
experience required. Fax cover letter and
resume attention Superintendent Position to
718-722-6045. EOElAA
SUPERVISDR - The Doe Fund is a non-profit
organization that empowers people to break
the cycles of homeless ness, welfare depen-
dency and incarceration through innovative
work and housing programs. Our Work and
Training Department seeks a Site Supervisor
to conduct work site supervision of program
participants while teaching basic employ-
ment skills. Responsibilities also include
transporting trainees, overseeing work site
operations safety management and generat-
ing evaluations and progress reports. Candi-
date must have a clean NY State Driver's
License and experience in building mainte-
nance and carpentry; strong interpersonal
and communication skills a must. Salary is
mid 20's with a comprehensive benefits pack-
CITY LIMITS
age. Please forward resume and cover letter to
Human Resources, The Doe Fund, Inc., 341
East 79th Street, NY, NY 10021; fax to 212-
570-6706 or e-mail to hr@doe.org. EOE.
Deadline for submitting resume is ASAP.
TEMPORARY CAMPAIGN ORGANIZERS
Community Voices Heard is seeking energetic
and highly motivated Temporary Voter Cam-
paign Organizers. The job will run 12 weeks
(mid-June mid-September) with possibility of
extension). 50-60 hours per week is expected,
including nights and weekend hours. Cam-
paign Organizers will be responsible for build-
ing community networks of Economic Justice
Voters. Tasks include door-to-door canvassing
and voter registration, fund raising, member-
ship recruitment, political education and
mobilization. Community Organizing Training
will be provided as part of the position. Pre-
ferred candidates will have some experience
with survey projects and/or organizing. Appli-
cants should be comfortable with doing drop-
by home-visits throughout the City and door
knocking. Knowledge of and interest in wel-
fare, job creation, economic justices, as well
as electoral issues will be beneficial. Profi-
ciency in the Spanish language is a plus.
Interested applicants should send a resume
and cover letter ASAP to Ralph Castro, Director
of Administration via mail: Community Voices
Heard, 170 East 116th Street, #lE, New York,
New York 10029, fax: 212-996-9481, or email:
cvhaction@cvhaction.org.
TENANT LIAISON - Conducts tenants meet-
ings, counsels, prepares reports, monitors
public shelter allowance, Section8 rent subsi-
dies, maintains tenants' case records, attends
administrative meetings, and maintains com-
munication with management. Bachelor's
Degree, 1-yr related expo Effective communica-
tion skills, knowledge of MSWord and MSExcel.
Salary negotiable, excellent benefits, EOE.
Send resume to Personnel, St. John's Place
Family Center, 1630 St. John's Place, Brooklyn,
NY 11233 or fax 718-771-3980.
THERAPIST - Innovative family-based drug
treatment program for juveniles in detention
now hiring MSW/MS Therapists. Knowledge of
substance abuse, diverse population, juvenile
experience a plus. Bilingual SpanishlEnglish
preferred. Resume to APT, Vera Institute, 80
Broad St, Suite 1700, NYC 10004. Email:
APT@vera.org. Fax: 212-634-4333 EEO
TRAINERITECHNICAL ASSISTANT - CUCS -
Opening Doors to Opportunity. Responsibili-
ties: Provide training and tech asst to service
agencies servicing homeless & low-income
individuals. Requirements: MSW, excellent
communication skills; Exp. as a mental health
supervisor & training experience preferred.
Cover letter & resume to: Peggy Shorr, CUCS,
120 Wall St., 25th fl., NY, NY, 10005; Fax 212-
801-3360; email: Pshorr@cucs.org.
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS -
The Municipal Art Society of New York, one of
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004
the city's leading civic organizations, seeks a
Vice President of Communications who will
have oversight of all MAS outreach activities
aimed at the media, general public, and MAS
members and supporters. Reporting directly
to the President and supported by a small
communications staff, this individual will
have two areas of responsibility: to work with
the President and Public Policy staff to devel-
op and execute strategies aimed at getting
MAS issues into the news media; and to
develop communications materials and pub-
lic programs that interpret and communicate
the MAS's work to members, donors and other
constituents. The VP of Communications will
oversee public programs and exhibitions,
held primarily at the Society's Urban Center,
that seek to educate the public about current
New York City issues; and will also ensure
consistency in disseminating core messages
through all forms of communications, includ-
ing brochures, invitations, publications, web-
site copy and verbal presentations. This
senior level position requires a full under-
standing of all media and public relations
activities. Candidates must have demon-
strated experience in public relations or in
managing political campaigns; be fully con-
versant in navigating the NYC press and
establishing relationships with key figures;
have excellent management and organiza-
tional skills, the ability to assess and respond
quickly to a wide variety of communications
issues, and excellent writing and speaking
skills. Send cover letter and resume to Search
Committee-VP Communications, The
Municipal Art Society of New York, 457 Madi-
son Ave. , New York, NY 10022. No faxes,
phone calls or emails. Applications will be
accepted until the position is filled.
VICE PRESIDENT, PREVENTION SERVICES -
Housing Works, the largest minority controlled
AIDS org in the country is seeking a dynamic
professional to join our management team in
NYC. The successful hands-on candidate will be
responsible for operations & services provided
in the following Supportive Services: Harm
Reduction, Needle Exchange & CDC programs.
Will provide clinical & administrative staff
supervision; program development including
the creation/compliance of policies and proce-
dures, and contract management. In addition,
you will also coordinate services with other
organization programs. You will need an
advanced degree in human services field & 5
years supervisory exp in a social service envi-
ronment. A background in program develop-
ment & clinical practice necessary. PC literacy
w/Mac or IBM software including work process-
ing, databases & spreadsheets required. Exp
with human service grants, contract manage-
ment & reporting are important. We offer a
salary commensurate with exp & excellent ben-
efits. Please email cover letter & resume, stat-
ing position & salary requirements to
bodero@housingworks.org. EOE.
VP, CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES - Hous-
ing Works, the nation's largest AIDS service
org providing care to the homeless seeks a
proven professional to join our management
team in NYC. Responsibilities include the
strategic planning/overall administration of
the COBRA programs; staff recruitment & the
coordination of client services. Will oversee
implementation of program policies/proce-
dures & the work plan to assure adherence to
contractual agreements. Serve as liaison to
the necessary contractors; facilitate case
conferences & oversee COBRA billing & pro-
gram enrollment. You must possess min 4-6
yrs exp in program management & admin,
Master's degree in human services or related
field & ability to supervise a large staff.
Strong leadership/verbal/written communi-
cation skills, PC proficiency & ability to man-
age contracts/budgets necessary. Knowledge
of HIVIAIDS, homelessness, substance use &
mental illness are important. Comp salary
commensurate w/exp. Excellent benefits.
Email cover letter & resume, stating position
& salary to: bodero@housingworks.org. EOE.
Women & minority candidates are encour-
aged to apply.
WEB PROJECT MANAGER - Maintains ACLU's
Websites and listservs. Addresses technical
issues; implements security; advises on web-
site design, development, and technologies.
BS or MS, management and communications
skills, and 3-5 years experience in developing
requirements for Web technologies and man-
aging systems; familiarity with web adminis-
tration, web security, and web production
packages. Send letter of interest and resume
to ACLU HR-ITIWPM, 125 Broad Street,18th
Floor,New York, NY 10004.
YOUTH ORGANIZER - Build power and youth
leadership in the fight for social justice! Be a
youth organizer at Youth on the Move - the
new South Bronx youth organizing project at
Mothers on the Move. Contact james@mother-
sonthemove.org for the job description. Send
resume and cover letter to MOM, 928 Intervale
Ave. , Bronx, NY 10459.
YOUTH WORKER I OR 11 - The Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB) is a large, multi-service non-
profit organization serving the Bronx for more
than 31 years. The agency provides a broad
range of individual and family services, includ-
ing walk-in assistance and counseling, ser-
vices to special-needs populations, such as
immigrants, children, adolescents, seniors,
homeless families and singles, individuals and
families affected by HIVIAIDS. CAB provides
excellent benefits and offers opportunities for
advancement. Resumes and cover letters indi-
cating position of interest may be mailed to
2054 Morris Ave. Bronx, NY 10453, or faxed as
directed. The Nelson Avenue Family Residence
is seeking a Youth Worker I or II in the after
school and summer cam recreation program.
The position requires a high school diploma, a
valid NYS driver's license and experience work-
ing with children and recreational environ-
ment. Bilingual EnglishlSpanish is a plus. Fax
credentials to C. Hazel 718-299- 1682 or email
her at chazel@cabny.org CAB is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action employer.
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOBADS
CITY
LIMITS
wants you.
Gain news
experience.
Build
character.
Intern
for
City
Limits
Don't just run the
photocopier.
Work as a
journalist.
Internships
Available in:
Reporting
Photo
Production
Session Deadline
Jan-May Dec. 1
June-Sept May 1
Oct-Dec Aug. 1
Contact
intern@citylimits.org or visit
www.citylimits.org
for more information.
49
JOB ADS
50
I LLUSTRATED MEMOS
OFFICE OFTIIE CITY VISIONARY:
.
It would be a shame, under the
Mayor's new anti-noise pollution
regulations, for a generation of
kids to grow up without ever
hearing the Mister Softee jingle.
City streets are quieter now
that boomboxes have been
replaced by portable mp3 players
as youth status symbols. Why
not bridge the digital divide and
create a link to the past by equip-
ping every child in New York with
an iPod and every Mister Softee
truck with a wireless transmitter?
GOT AN IMPRACTICAL SOLUTION
TO AN INTRACTABLE PROBLEM?
SEND IN VOJJrR?
OFFICE OF THE CITY VISIONARY
CITY LlMITS MAGAZlNE
120 WALL ST., 20
TH
FLOOR. NY NY 10005
ootcv@citylirnitS.or.g
CITY LIMITS
m m
Bradley R. Bailyn
Legal Clinic
- ~ ~ -
- ~ . . . . L ~ -
WE MAKE THE LAW SIMPLE
All the legal services
you need under one roof.
Divorce Bankruptcy Name Change Incorporation
Real Estate Wills Financial Planning Correspondence
Legal Forms LandlordlTenant Draft Pleadings
Immigration Rights Counseling Accidentsllnjury
Copyright Trademark
If you work with people who need affordable legal services,
please call us to discuss how we can help you to help others.
BRADLEY R. BAIL YN LEGAL CLINIC
2 Penn Plaza, Suite 1500
New York, NY 10121
(646) 326-9971
Email: info@legal-clinic.com Web: www.legal-clinic.com
;
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