EDITORIAL

MARRIAGE, UNITED WAY STYLE

UNITED WAY OF NEW YORK CITY'S new restruc-
turing plan is doubly ambitious, aiming to save
its own skin while helping New York's poor
more effectively than it has before. To accom-
plish that, the venerable charitable organization
is promoting a newly intimate relationship
between charity, nonprofits and government.
From now on, United Way's success will largely
depend on making that eclectic marriage work.
Struggling with declining donations, Unit-
ed Way's leadership had to prove their worth.
After gathering a task force from all reaches of
the human services and compiling exhaustive
research on poor communities' needs, they
decided to stop spreading resources thin-on
everything from cancer cures to soup
kitchens-and start targeting five crucial areas:
housing, education, health care, workforce
development and the nonprofit sector. Senior
Vice-president Lilliam Barrios-Paoli says the
idea is to fund organizations and parmerships
that already work in these fields, on projects
that attack the roots of social problems and fill
in structural gaps left unaddressed by existing
public and private programs.
A ptototype for the new wave of funding is a
food stamp outreach program-a "partnership
with the Human Resources Administration."
That's sure to be the Mt of many such alliances.
Welfare, children's services and youth commis-
sioners were all on the task force, and Barrios-
Paoli, a former housing and welfare commission-
er, is breathless when she discusses possible col-
laborations between non profits and government.
Thankfully, the hostility between govern-
ment and human services agencies under
Mayor Giuliani is mostly a memory. The city's
best service organizations were so tempered by
the heat of those years that they hardened into
gems for Bloomberg. Now he's taking full
advantage. His housing advisory panel, for
instance, has brought in the city's most suc-
cessful community developers as advisers.
United Way is now encouraging similar
parmerships in human services. Anti-hunger
groups agree that promoting food stamp
enrollment will do more to alleviate hunger
than dribbling pennies to soup kitchens. With
HRA on board, they can ensure that new
clients will get on the rolls.
Such cooperation is vital. Yet it's also highly
dependent on commitment from City Hall,
which is filled with fickle creatures called
politicians. Even in the liberal and largely inde-
pendent Bloomberg administration, we cannot
trust that politics are out of the picture.
HRA itself has resisted adopting some rea-
sonable initiatives enhancing services to the
poor, including education programs for welfare
recipients and food stamps for the long-term
unemployed. With the Republican convention
coming to town, we can expect the Bloomberg
administration to keep steering clear of public
assistance policies that could make New York
City look like a welfare state.
The United Way is doing enormous good
by opening safe space for non profits and gov-
ernment to experiment and innovate. But at a
time when City Hall is aggressively raising pri-
vate funds to supplement the city budget, let's
not forget that charity must also seek to do
what government can't or won't.
-Alyssa Katz
Editor
Cover photo by Joshua Zuckerman. David LewisFontanez, 15 months, has low levels of lead in his blood-enough, new research suggests, to cause him harm.
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CONTENTS
16 THE POLITICS OF PAINT
Just weeks away from voting on a new law on lead poisoning, the
city has yet to acknowledge what some scientists have known for
years: Blood levels once considered safe may be causing
irreparable harm to New York's children.
By Cassi Feldman and Debbie Nathan
22 HELP WANTED
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was given $2.7 billion in
federal funds to help New York recover from 9111. Two years later, irs
failing to relieve the city's second disaster: unrelenting unemployment.
By Alyssa Katz
26 RENT STABILIZATION
Rent subsidies helped revive lower Manhattan's flagging
housing market after SIll-and helped lUXUry landlords far
more than downtown's poor.
By Mark Wallace
27 A HOME FOR WORK
Battling long hours, lousy pay and angry neighbors, day laborers in
Queens say a permanent ''workers' center" could help them turn
things around.
By Matthew Schuerman
5 FRONTLINES: A BRONX BROGUE AMERICORPS' MONEY MESS ... HOMELESS
SOCCER TAKES OFF MEDICAID'S (MIS)MANAGED CARE .. NEW LIFE FOR CONEY ISLAND
CREEK .. TENANTS BALK AT MITCHELL-LAMA BILL
1*81
36 CITY LIT
How East New York Became a Ghetto, by Walter Thabitj A Way Out:
11 THE GROWTH DIVIDEND
The Bloomberg administration wants to spruce up Brooklyn's
waterfront and create affordable housing. But will
developers build it if they don't have to?
By Alex Ulam
The Future of Public Life
33 THE BIG IDEA
The Bush administration's new public health priorities push HIV
prevention back into the closet.
By Kai Wright
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
America's Ghettos and the Legacy of Racism, edited by Joshua
Cohen, Jefferson Decker and Joel Rogers.
Reviewed by Hakim Hasan
38 NYC INC.
New York's awning regulations may seem petty, but sleek signage
actually helps small businesses thrive.
By Jennifer Gerend
2 EDITORIAL
42 JOB ADS
47 PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
51 OFFICE OF THE CITY VISIONARY
3
LETTERS
EVALUATION WANTED
The article by Rachel Blustain regarding
dual-track child welfare services Guly/August],
while giving much detail, unfortunately did
not once mention the word "evaluation." The
new legislation does not include a requirement
for a scientifically sound impact evaluation, nor
any funding for such an evaluation. Without
such an evaluation-which has to begin up
front (and not simply be based on administra-
tive summary data)-nothing but political hot
air will surround any talk about the effects of
whatever demonstrations are mounted.
Although the article mentions preliminary
results ftom Minnesota, it omits fmal results
from Diane English et al.'s published evalua-
tion, and her cautionary comments, on Wash-
ington State's dual track program.
Prot Trudy Festinger
Shirley M Ehrenkranz School of Social Work
PREVENTION PLAN IS KIDS'
BEST HOPE
For many months last year, this is what a sin-
gle mother in the Bronx named Rose Mary
Grant had to do every week, just to see her 11-
year-old son, Issa, as described in a keenly
observed story in the Westchester County Jour-
nal-News: "Starting from her brick apartment
tower, Rose walks a block to Gun Hill Road,
takes the 28 bus to the subway station, catches
the 5 train to Harlem, makes her way down
125th Street, boards the Metro-North train to
Dobbs Ferry, and rides a shurtle. At each step,
she places rwo metal crutches ahead of her and
swings forward on rwo prosthetic legs."
The journey would have been worth it, were
there something worthwhile at the end of the
line. But there wasn't. Issa was warehoused at a
"residential treatment center."
Issa is not paranoid, he's not schiwphrenic,
he's not delusional. The only label pinned on
him is Artention Deficit Hyperactivity Disor-
der. Sometimes, at home, he was seriously out
of control. But his handicapped, impoverished
single mother couldn't do what middle-class
and wealthy families do: find a good psychia-
trist and hire home health aides.
That's because there is no open-ended fed-
eral entitlement program to help the City of
New York help Ms. Grant cover those costs.
But the feds gladly pony up half the $85,000+
per year it costs to trap such children in "resi-
dential treatment."
That is the precious "right to foster care"
that City Limits and writer Paul Fain are so des-
perate to defend ("The Prevention Preten-
sion," July/August].
4
Fain's commentary declares that "it would
be a mistake to artempt to shoot down the
Bush administration's trial balloon"-a plan to
allow foster care funds to be used for preven-
tion "before its details come into focus." Then
he devotes much of his commentary to trying
to do just that. He is wrong on several counts:
First, this is not a block grant, at least not as
the term is generally understood. Under a
block grant, several different categorical pro-
grams are lumped together, and then some
money is lopped off the top. That's what the
state did to localities concerning child welfare
in the mid-1990s. But this plan involves only
one "funding stream," the huge open-ended
entitlement for foster care. And crucially, while
the plan lets foster-care money be used for pre-
vention, it does not allow money now reserved
for prevention to be diverted to foster care.
And no money at all is cut. Therefore the plan
does not "jeopardize federal funding." On the
contrary, under the flexibility plan, states may get
more money. The plan guarantees states a fixed
amount for each of the next five years, with no
cuts. If a state doesn't think this flat amount of
money is enough, it can simply turn down the
entire deal and stick with the status quo.
Fain offers no evidence that "it's a safe bet" the
plan won't help New York's vulnerable children,
citing only the facr that the city could be stuck
with the tab if"a glut" of children suddenly need-
ed foster care. But the flexibility plan includes an
emergency fund to deal with such a glut. No one
knows yet if that fund is good enough. But until
we know that and more, the only "safe bet" is
that nothing about this plan is a safe bet, and one
ought to genuinely withhold judgment. And
again, once states see the details, any state that
doesn't like it doesn't have to opt in. What part of
"voluntary" don't my fellow liberals understand?
Worse, Fain seems to be suggesting that
more foster care is an acceptable response to
Mayor Bloomberg's cuts in prevention funding.
On the contrary, the reason prevention is ofren
the first thing to go is because there is no feder-
al entitlement to support it, whereas there is
such an entitlement for foster care. One of the
benefits of the Bush plan is that it reduces the
incentive to treat prevention as a luxury item
that's always first on the chopping block. Most
"gluts" of foster children have nothing to do
with actual increases in child maltreatment.
More ofren they are political responses to high-
ly publicized tragedies--or they are responses to
financial incentives. Change the financial incen-
tives and you dramatically reduce the chances of
such an explosion in needless foster care.
Fain apparently confined his efforts to con-
firm ACS Commissioner William Bell's artack
on the Bush plan-and his distortion of its pro-
visions-to one call to the ACS press office.
continued on page 40
CITY LIMITS
Volume XXVIII Number 8
City Limits is published ten times per year, monthly except bi
monthly issues in July/August and September/October, by City lim
its Community Information Service, Inc., a nonprofit organization
devoted to disseminating information concerning neighborhood
revitalization.
Publisher: Kim Nauer nauer@citylimits. org
Associate Publisher: Susan Harris
Editor: Alyssa Katz
Managing Editor: Tracie McMillan
Senior Editor: Jill Grossman
Senior Editor: Debbie Nathan
Senior Editor: Kai Wright
sharris@citylimits.org
alyssa@citylimits.org
mcmillan@citylimits.org
jgrossman@citylimits.org
debbie@citylimits.org
kai@citylimits.org
Associate Editor: Cassi Feldman cassi@cityl imits.org
Contributing Editors: Neil F. Carlson, Wendy Davis,
Geoffrey Gray, Kemba Johnson, Nora
McCarthy, Robert Neuwirth, Hilary Russ
Design Direction: Hope Forstenzer
Illustrator: Mathew Vincent
Photographers: Lindsay France, Margaret Keady, Carey Kirkella
Contributing Photo Editor: Joshua Zuckerman
Contributing Illustration Editor: Noah Scalin
Interns: Megan Kenny, John Toui , Clem Wood
Proofreaders: Allison Alpert, Robin Busch, Mary Anne LoVerme,
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General EMail Address: citylimits@citylimits.org
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Project Director: David J. Fischer
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Research Associate: Tara Colton
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tcolton@nycfuture.org
Editor, NYC Inc: Andrea Coller McAuliff
Interns: Stephanie Jenkins, Juan Rivero
BOARD OF DIRECTORS'
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CITY LIMITS
FRONT LINES
Stories from Irish Survival Guides
TONY CASEY IS TALKING ABOUT HIS GRANDFATHER, who raised him in Ire-
land. Perpetually grumpy from 14-hour shifts in the barbershop, he had
few tender words for his kin in that little house in Listowel.
Eventually it was time for Casey, then 23, to depart for New York.
"Grandpa was lying in his bed with his legs roning away from cancer,
fmgering his rosary beads. All he said was, ' Mind yourself, boy.' But his
eyes were full of tears."
Casey tells stories like this one as part of Anam Cara (Gaelic for "soul
ftiend"), a performance by Irish immigrants living in Yonkers and the
north Bronx.
Since the late 1980s, an immigration boomlet has brought many
young Irish to the neighborhood.
Mclean Avenue, which meanders from the Bronx border through
Yonkers, is lined with Irish gift shops, pubs, and small, sharnrock-
adorned businesses that offer newcomers the comforts of a "little Irish
village, " says Linda McCormack of the Aisling Irish Center. Men come
for construction jobs, young women to babysit and wait tables. Siobhan
Dennehy of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Woodlawn esti-
mates the neighborhood is three-quarters Irish. They stay for the craie,
the uniquely Irish fun that storytelling, singing and joking add to a
warm pint.
Their brogue-laced stories got to Holly Villaire, a theater director and
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
drama instructor at Mercy College. After overhearing young neighbors
swapping arrival tales, she invited some to perform with her stage com-
pany, Hamm and Clov.
They were shy. She planted herself at their kitchen tables with a tape
recorder and helped work through stage fright. And she recruited Dermot
Henry, a well-known singer and pub entertainer, to up the blarney quotient.
The result was Anam Cara, a pastiche of memories and song overlaid
on a traditional Irish instrumental backdrop. The telling and singing of
stories, says Henry, are pillars of Irish culture on both sides of the
Atlantic.
Casey's story is bittersweet. He eventually found a construction job,
but then injured his back. Out of work, he turned to telling stories, par-
ticularly about the revolving door between Ireland and the Bronx.
Future storytellers, however, may tell of returning home for good.
Since 9/11 , "there's no work in the building trades," says Casey, adding
that plenry of people are heading back to Ireland.
Still, he notes, a new generation is ready to replace the returnees since
the Irish economy, suffering from the collapse of the 1990's tech boom,
isn't doing great, either.
Whatever the situation, Irish people will keep on swapping tales in
New York, Henry says. The craie will not dry up soon. "For us, story-
telling is genetic. " -Marion Jacobson and Tom Hilliard
5
FRONT LINES
Too Many Volunteers?
Why AmeriCorps
is melting down.
By Paul Fain
RASULllEWIS has been with AmeriCorps since its
inception a decade ago. So this March, when
word filtered down that funding might not be
available for the 85-member AmeriCorps project
that he runs at the Harlem Children's Zone, he
knew not to sweat it Funding problems are "not
a new experience for AmeriCorps," Lewis jokes.
But Lewis was floored when he heard in June
that his program would receive no money for
the next fiscal year, which begins in September.
This meant he would not be able to bring back
any of his AmeriCorps volunteers-and he
would lose his job. "We made promises to the
that we had ro fulfill, " he
says. It s very awkward for us.
Congress authorizes AmeriCorps to enroll
50,000 members a year, who each work with
nonprofit groups on projects ranging from
tutoring to building new homes. About 6,000
of those members serve in New York, coordi-
nated by a state commission that acts as liaison
6
between Washington and the local nonprofits.
Everyone involved in the program knew it faced
some financial challenges in the coming fiscal
year, due to what seemed to be relatively nig-
gling accounting problems. But this spring,
AmeriCorps' parent agency, the Corporation
for National and Community Service, stunned
both the state commissions and the nonprofits
by announcing it would have to cut more than
20,000 volunteers.
This means that, of the approximately 3,000
AmeriCorps members who serve in New York via
locally based groups, only 150 will be able to
return to work next year. Barry Ford, vice presi-
dent of external relations at The After-School
Corporation, confirmed that all of those posi-
tions are expected to go to his organization's New
York program. Another 3,000 New York-based
AmeriCorps members serve through national
organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity or
the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. The
announcement means that at least half these
members will lose their funding as well.
Congress was debating $100 million in emer-
gency funding for AmeriCorps at press time. But
even if legislators were to approve the new
money-which appeared unlikely-local non-
profits doubt it will be enough to save many of
their programs. And observers, from the U.S.
General Accounting Office (GAO) to longtime
staffers at the program's Washington-based head-
quarters, warn that the immediate crisis stems
from deeply entrenched problems at the agency.
The full-time members working at the
Harlem Children's Zone and at other Ameri-
Corps sites receive health insurance and a
$4,725 education grant, money that they have
seven years to claim. AmeriCorps' financial
troubles stem from the Corporation's failure to
keep track of these modest educational awards,
according to the GAO.
Last November, with congressional fighting
over the fiscal year 2003 budget delaying new
funds for all federal programs, the Corporation
got nervous about its money. In fiscal year
2002, it had enlisted 67,000 members-even
though Congress authorizes it to enroll only
50,000 a year. With no new money on the way,
it decided to abruptly freeze enrollment.
This drew the artention of the Corporation's
congressional overseers, who promptly ordered
a GAO investigation. In April, the GAO
released its initial findings: The trust fund that
pays for members' education awards was in
utter disarray.
The Corporation, the GAO said, poorly
monitors its local grantees, allowing them to
enroll more participants than are budgeted for.
There is "little to no" communication between
the executives who handle the AmeriCorps
program itself and those who run the educa-
tion trust. And owing to these factors, as well
as to general accounting practices that the
GAO found questionable, the agency has
enrolled about 25,000 more members than its
trust has money to fund scholarships for-
though no one, from the GAO to the Corpo-
ration, can say exactly by how much Ameri-
Corps is over-obligated.
The Corporation is now forced to cut next
year's new enrollment by 22,000 members, so
that it can flow the money it would have used
on general program expenses for those slots
into its education grant trust fund.
The GAO emphasized the disconnect
between the trust and program managers. Cor-
poration execs told the GAO they had believed
the trust's fmances were robust. In the program's
early years, it had actually enrolled fewer mem-
bers than the trust was funded to support, and
those members have largely collected their edu-
cation grants at a slower pace than predicted. As
CITY LIMITS
a result, the Corporation's reports to Congress painted
such a rosy picture that Congress took back $111 million
it had budgeted for the trust during fiscal years 2000 and
2001. This is the money the program's legislative support-
ers are now trying to put back..
Several New York City-based AmeriCorps grantees
vigorously contest the GAO claim that local grantees
drove the over-enrollment. Ford says that the After-
School Corporation keeps a close accounting of all of its
members. "We have worked very, very closely with the
state commission," Ford says. "They know who is partic-
ipating." Both the state commission and the Corporation
failed to respond to requests for comment.
Much of the blame, local groups and Corporation staff
say, lies with a new mechanism through which each pro-
gram reports its membership. In 2000, all AmeriCorps
programs began using a web-based reporting system.
According to one former national program officer, who
spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Corporation
badly botched the introduction of the computer system,
offering minimal testing, training or tech support. Harlem
Children's Zone's Lewis says the system is simply unreliable
as a result. He claims that one of his former AmeriCorps
members, whom he logged into the system as having com-
pleted her required hours two years ago, is still receiving
calls from the national office, where officials are charging
that she has not yet met her terms of service. Lewis says he
relies on paper copies of all of his records. "You just have
to save everything," he says.
The details of the disaster mean little to Samara Kauf-
man, a Brooklyn site manager for the education non-
profit Jumpstart. Kaufman says that losing her Ameri-
Corps funding will cut her project by half, including her
salary. "As sad as it would be, I would have to leave,
because I would not be able to sustain myself," she says.
Even if more money comes in the future, she says her
program might have to completely shut down and restart
later-a process Kaufman calls unworkable.
"In terms of business, it makes no sense," she says. "I
don't believe that a disagreement over what's been called
an accounting glitch is causing preschool students to be
underserved by amazing college students."
At the Grosvenor Neighborhood House on West
105th Street, 40 part-time AmeriCorps members work as
mentors and tutors for over 120 elementary school chil-
dren, primarily from Harlem and the Bronx. According
to Robert Kee, the director of Grosvenor's AmeriCorps
program, his members, who range from middle-class
women to college students, are a "saving grace" for the
Grosvenor House.
But Kee can do nothing with the 50 resumes that have
landed on his desk for next year's AmeriCorps positions.
And, as it stands now, his last day on the job is August 29.
"If the money doesn't come through, our program will
shut down," Kee says. "Unfortunately, it's always the kids
who lose out. "
Paul Fain is a Washington, D. C. -based freelance writer.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
FRONTLINES
URBANLEGEND
A Year-Round Coach
UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE of the television cameras, Ron Grunberg was having a tough day.
The editor of two city street papers, BigNews and Upwards, Grunberg was trying to hustle his
soccer team out the door and to the airport for the first-ever Homeless Soccer World Cup in Graz,
Austria. One of his best players was nowhere to be found, and three others couldn't get passports-
one owes $5,000 in child support. Though he was frazzled, uncertainty and nonstop action are noth-
ing new for this editor, writing teacher, fund raiser, job skills counselor and soccer fan.
Just two weeks later, he was back in his office searching for funding to send the July issue of
BigNews-already weeks late-to the printer. Not typical concerns for a professionally trained
journalist who has worked for the Boston Globe, CBS Radio and New York Press. After years of
covering Watergate and other political stories, Grunberg "wanted more than just racing to the
airport to stick a microphone in the face of news makers." So he returned to his hometown of New
York and drove a cab until his brother, Jeffrey, executive director of the Grand Central Neighbor-
hood Social Services Corporation, asked him to start a magazine for his clients.
Five years later, BigNews is the most widely distributed street paper in New York City, with a
monthly circulation of 25,000. Sold exclusively by the homeless, Grunberg tries to prevent it from
being a "charity buy" by filling it with arts and culture articles, some written by established writ-
ers; a recent issue included a tribute to Marilyn Monroe and political cartoons. The money ven-
dors make off the sales-80 cents per issue-goes right into their pockets.
Upwards, written by and for the homeless, includes information for "the poorest New Yorkers"
such as how to obtain an ID, free health care and subsidized housing.
Grunberg sees the publications, the soccer team and his weekly writing group as gateways
to the social services, meals and employment counseling that Grand Central Neighborhood
offers. "They are tricks of a sort to get homeless people indoors and into a better plan," he says.
"And these things work. You can't just go up to people and say, 'Hey, you. lime to go indoors.'"
It worked for James Burch. Once living on the subways, he now spends his days soliciting ads,
writing articles and making press kits for BigNews. He is pursuing a Bachelors degree in psy-
chology and credits Grunberg and the paper for "providing opportunities to meet people and bet-
ter understand them."
As for the soccertoumament, Grunberg is pleased with his team's 9th-place finish out of 18 teams.
Yes, organizing the team was harrowing enough to push him to take up smoking again. But, he says,
"Seeing them all out on the field was the most beautiful sight in the world." -[lana Berkowitz
7
FRONT LINES
Despite Medicaid
revamp, families
fail to reenroll.
By Emily Biuso
CHILD HEALTH PLUS has been a savior for Bon-
nie Ray since she signed up her 4-year-old son
for state-run health insurance. Without it, she
says, he would not be able to go to the doctor
or take medication when he gets sick.
But in March, she received unexpected bad
news: The city Human Resources Administration
had cut her son off the plan. The agency claimed
Ray had failed to send in the required renewal
forms-but she knew she had spent hours filling
them out and dropped them in the mailbox
before the deadline months earlier.
"I was very frustrated, " she says.
Ray is one of thousands oflow-income New
Yorkers who have lost Medicaid or Child Health
Plus insurance for months at a time because of
foul-ups with the city's renewal process.
In theory, the problem was taken care of last
year. In January 2002, the state legislature passed
a bill allowing Medicaid recipients to reregister
8
Careless Cutoffs
by mail rather than requiring that they come in
for an in-person meeting. The new law also
scaled back the documents needed to renew,
eliminating Social Security cards and certain
financial statements.
The reason for the change: According to
HRA, 50 percent of the 24,000 New Yorkers
on Medicaid each month were falling off the
rolls when the renewal period came around.
Under state law, Medicaid recipients must
reapply for benefits every year.
But more than six months after the city inau-
gurated the new system, the reenrollment rate has
barely budged. In March, city officials announced
that only half the city's Medicaid recipients had
reenrolled-no bener than in prior years. By July,
the response rate had inched up to 55 percent.
"It's still not what it should be," says Beth
Ostheimer of the Children's Defense Fund.
"There's still an awful lot of documentation
that doesn't need to be there."
To help more than 100 of her clients who've
lost coverage, Legal Aid Society anorney Elisa-
beth Benjamin has been taking their cases to
HRA. While she says the agency has success-
fully resolved most of these cases-including
Ray's-she adds, "We're very concerned that
this doesn't address the needs of the thousands
of people who are just being cut off and don't
happen to get into Legal Aid. "
So she has asked the city to extend the grace
period for processing renewal packets from five
days to 10, to allow for delays in mail delivery.
And she hopes the renewal process can be
strearnlined further to require even fewer docu-
ments and to shorten the 14-page application.
HRA's response so far: It plans to work with
a professional mailing house and to develop a
voice-response system that will call consumers
to remind them to recertifY. Benjamin is wait-
ing to see how that pans out. If the retention
rates stay low for another six months, she warns,
Legal Aid may file a lawsuit.
The city and state may also soon have to
contend with managed-care companies. "Plans
are extremely frustrated, and ptobably for the
last three years their number-one priority ... has
been to address the problem of enrollment-
churning, " says Deborah Bachrach, an attorney
representing the New York State Coalition of
Prepaid Health Services Plans.
HMOs invest heavily in enrolling new
members. But the stakes are not just financial,
says Kathryn Haslanger, director of policy
analysis for United Hospital Fund. "Churning
challenges the whole model of managed care,
which is to invest in prevention to get benefits
down the line," says Haslanger.
For the last few months, Health Plus, an
HMO, has been calling its clients to let them
know their renewal dates are approaching. "The
non-recertilication rate had been extremely
high," says CEO Tom Early. "We thought it
would be in everyone's best interest to reach
out." Since then, he says, the company's recerti-
fication rate for Child Health Plus A has
reached about 70 percent.
Other companies have hired new staff to
handle similar outreach efforts. Meanwhile, the
HMOs are planning to lobby the state to come
up with a way to make sure eligible Medicaid
recipients can reenroll.
"Our hope would be by the fall we have
enough data to demonstrate that there's a contin-
uing problem with enrollment-churning, which
would put us in the position to go back to the leg-
islature when they reconvene in January," says
Bachrach. "We would hope to be able to resolve it
short of litigation."
Ray hopes something will prevent a health
care cut-off in the future. "The mail-in program
is a good idea if it's going to work, but they need
to get a better system to support that idea."
Emily Biuso is a Brooklyn-based fteelance writer.
CITY LIMITS
Coney Island
Creeks Along
THE SHElLFISH and the fishermen are about
to get a second chance at life in Coney
Island Creek.
For 60 years, the gas manufacturing opera-
tions of the Brooklyn Borough Gas Works
contaminated the creek and its shores with
dozens of hazardous wastes. The company
closed in 1966, but chemicals continued to
seep into the soil and the waterway while the
property's owner, KeySpan, argued with the
state over how clean-up work should be done.
In the mid-1990s, the state deemed the area
a brownfield. Considered carcinogenic and
closed to the public, the creek became perhaps
best known for its stench, and for its use as a
dumping ground for boclies, most famously by
mass murderer Joel Rifkin.
But in late June, KeySpan officials finally
penned a deal with the state Department of
Environmental Conservation, and plan to
begin testing and decontaminating the area in
September. For local fishermen, this will mean
a new, safer source of fresh fish. For Coney
Island residents, it will mean less pollution both
in the water and farther inland.
Nearly 20 years ago, local Community Board
13 voted to build a new garage for the city's
garbage trucks on the shores of Coney Island
Creek. The indoor lot, which currendy houses
Department of Sanitation vehicles, sits in a resi-
dential section of Neptune Avenue. Because it is
too small for all the trucks, many spill into an
outdoor lot, adding to the stench from the creek.
When the relocation was approved, the
community board was promised it would hap-
pen within a few years. In fact, the Astella
Development Corporation built an affordable
housing complex as part of then-Mayor Ed
Koch's housing initiative in the mid-1980s
with the understancling that the garage would
soon be gone. "I moved in during July of
1983, and I was told the garage would be gone
in absolutely no more than three years," says
tenant Louis Rodriguez. But negotiations over
the cleanup stalled the project for decades.
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
FRONT LINES
"Everyone wants the land cleaned and the
garage built," says Charles Reichenthal, clistrict
manager of Community Board 13. Still, amid
the celebrations, some local environmentalists
are expressing concerns about whether
KeySpan's cleanup plans go far enough. "The
work being done now is good, but it still leaves
the land somewhat contaminated," says Ida
Sanoff, a member of Community Board 13 and
vice president of the Natural Resources Protec-
tive Association, a citywide conservation coali-
tion that has been following the cleanup cliscus-
sions. "If we have another Hurricane Floyd, I
don't know if the work done will be enough to
stop the contaminants from spreading again. "
A spokesperson for the state Department of
Environmental Conservation, responsible for
overseeing the clean-up, assures that the neces-
sary work will be done and the site will be mon-
itored for years.
At least one local fisherman can't wait. The
way things are now, he says, "I would never fish
in there. "Many of us use the area as a dock, but
we always drive our boats out of the creek
before we do any fishing."
-Daniel Hopard
Pratt Institute
Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
200 Willoughby Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11205
(718) 399-4314 ext. 100 e-mail: gradplan@pratt.edu
9
FRONT LINES
Mitchell-Lama Drama
NEW LEGISLATION to protect residents of city-
run Mitchell-Lama apartment buildings was
announced with much fanfare on the steps of
City Hall on July 22-but not everyone is
cheering. Some longtime tenant activists say
the law, which applies to only 13,446 of the
nearly 120,000 Mitchell-Lama housing units
in New York City, threatens to divide the
broader movement.
A statewide program started in 1955,
Mitchell-Lama offered tax breaks and low-
interest loans to developers in exchange for
keeping buildings affordable for 20 years. Now
these contracts have begun to expire, giving
owners the right to opt out of the program-
and, in some cases, dramatically raise rents.
The new bill, sponsored by Councilmem-
bers Gale Brewer, Alan Gerson, Christine
Quinn and Speaker Gifford Miller, would
Commitment is
require owners of city-supervised, post-1973
Mitchell-Lamas to give tenants 18 months'
notice before leaving the program, and to pay
the city $1,000 per unit in administrative fees.
Meanwhile, the city's department of Housing
Preservation and Development would make
sure owners had fully complied with the terms
of their contracts, and would conduct a "com-
munity impact study" for each building on
how the conversion would affect residents. The
owner would have to mitigate any negative
consequences by working with the tenants or
with HPD.
At face value, the bill looks great, and sev-
eral tenant associations and community
groups have already signed on. But some
members of the Mitchell-Lama Task Force,
created by Manhattan Borough President C.
Virginia Fields in 1999, worry that the bill is
too narrowly focused to help most tenants,
and could divert attention from more expan-
sive bills pending in Albany, where the fates of
most Mitchell-Lamas are controlled. One bill,
sponsored by Assemblymember Vito Lopez,
would offer landlords another period of tax
breaks if they stay in the program. It has
already passed both houses and only awaits
Gov. George Pataki's signature.
"This is directed at city-owned Mitchell-
Lamas, not state-owned ones, and it's geared
mostly toward rentals and not co-ops. I think
there is a danger in pitting tenants [against
each other]''' says Louise Sanchez, co-chair of
the Mitchell-Lama Residents Coalition.
Others have expressed concerns that the leg-
islation might not stand up to a constitutional
challenge. "My prediction is it's going to be
beaten down by the courts," says Bob Woolis,
also a coalition co-chair.
Councilmember Brewer, who has 21
Mitchell-Lamas in her district, hopes Woolis is
wrong. The legislation, scheduled for hearings
in September, isn't a cure-all, she says, but it
brings new energy and publiciry to a battle
she's been fighting for years. ' ~ b a n y can really
fix the problem and they either will or they
won't," she says, "But I don't think this legisla-
tion will come in the way." -Cass; feldman
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10
CITY LIMITS
INSIDETRACK
The Growth Dividend
The city opens Williamsburg and Greenpoint to redevelopment-
and won't promise affordable housing. By Alex Ulam
Rezoning aims to put lUxury towers where
trucks now park. Nearby residents want
guarantees those buildings will include
low-cost apartments.
NOT SINCE THE DAYS of urban renewal have New
York City neighborhoods faced such sweeping
transformations. The City Planning Depart-
ment is proposing to rewne about a fifth of the
land in Greenpoint and Williamsburg-prop-
erty now mainly devoted to manufacturing-
in order to open it to residential development.
The area is ground zero for two of the
Bloomberg Administration's top priorities: cre-
ating affordable housing and opening up the
city's waterfront. But with community unrest
growing over the city's proposal, the adminis-
tration faces a potential political showdown.
In late June, the Department of City Plan-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
ning released its long-awaited proposal for rede-
velopment of a nearly two-mile-long stretch of
city waterfront and 170 blocks of warehouses
and old factory buildings. In place of the rub-
ble- and trash-strewn waterfront, the proposal
calls for a 1.6-rnile-long esplanade with 49 acres
of open space and residential towers ranging
from 15 to 35 stories. Inland, amid the dusky,
low-lying manufacturing areas, the city would
permit construction of six- to 12-story residen-
tial buildings. Up to 7,000 new units of hous-
ing could eventually be built. City housing offi-
cials say the proposed rewning will help relieve
housing pressures on the low-income residents
of Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
But while community groups and local elect-
ed officials support the city's stated goals, many
strongly oppose its proposal. They say the cur-
rent rewning plan represents a financial reward
for speculative real estate investment more than
it does a workable plan for affordable housing.
At issue is the claim by city officials that
developers will take advantage of some of the
$3 billion in subsidies that the Bloomberg
administration is offering, as part of its pledge
to create 65,000 units of affordable housing
throughout the city. According to city officials,
the financial incentives are so attractive that
developers will create affordable housing even
in super-hot real estate markets such as
Williamsburg and Greenpoint. "Developers
will gladly develop properties using these pro-
grams," says City Planning spokesperson Katie
Maccracken, "because there is no sweeter deal."
City planning officials say it is significantly
more complicated to build along the water-
front than elsewhere, and they maintain that
the added expenses make the city's affordable
housing subsidies that much more attractive to
developers working there. "Because of the
inherent risk of developing along the water-
front, developers are likely to look at bond
fmancing and other ways to reduce their equi-
ty," says Regina Myer, Brooklyn Director of the
Department of City Planning. "Waterfront
development doesn't just include construction
of buildings but also street construction, public
utilities, public access and bulkhead repairs. All
of those things require significant investment."
City housing officials are also confident that
developers will take advantage of the city's
affordable housing programs, such as 421-A
bond financing, which offers 25 years of tax
exemptions in exchange for making one in five
units affordable to low- and moderate-income
tenants. "We really do expect that the housing
that will be developed along the waterfront will
be financed with tax-exempt bonds," says
William Traylor, deputy commissioner for the
New York City Department of Housing Preser-
vation and Development. "Developers are
going to make a financial decision based on
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whatever limits their risk. "
But many Williamsburg and Greenpoint
community leaders are skeptical that developers
will voluntarily take advantage of financial incen-
tives with affordable housing requirements when
their neighborhoods are in the midst of a luxury
housing boom. For one thing, developers can
already qualify for a 15-year version of the 421-A
program that comes without any mandate to
include affordable housing. Skyrocketing land
prices are another deterrent to developing afford-
able housing in the area, say local nonprofit
developers. "In the late 1990s we were looking at
the $30 to $50 range," says Paul Parkhill, a devel-
oper with the Greenpoint Manufacturing and
Design Center, a nonprofit group that develops
manufacturing space in the area. "It's gotten very
difficult to find industrial property for less than
$100 a square foot. " Virtually all the land in the
proposed rezoned areas is privately owned.
Property prices are so high that the city's fman-
cial incentives to build middle-income housing,
such as the New Housing Opportunities Program
(NewHOP), won't be attractive to developers, say
builders who have worked with the program. "All
of the sites where NewHOP has succeeded are in
places like Harlem, where developers have gotten
the property from the city for a dollar or substan-
tially less than market rate," says Jaye Fox, an
independent real estate development consultant.
Fox notes that the city's financial incentives are
generally used solely for construction costs. In
Williamsburg, she says, "incentives under the
existing NewHOP programs are not enough to
compensate for the higher acquisition costs."
In a recent rezoning controversy at the edge of
Park Slope, another gentrifYing Brooklyn neigh-
borhood, affordable housing advocates say that
the city's refusal to implement inclusionary wning
precludes the development of affordable housing.
The housing market in Park Slope is so hot that
developers can make substantial profits without
taking advantage of affordable housing programs,
says Brad Lander, executive director of the Fifth
Avenue Committee. "So far there are several hun-
dred units being built along Fourth Avenue," lan-
der says, "but not one unit of affordable housing. "
INSTEAD OF GIVING developers the choice of build-
ing affordable housing, many community groups
and local elected officials want the city to create
more aggressive incentives or legally require it,
through a process known as inclusionary zoning.
"The administration representatives said that 'we're
confident that developers will take advantage of the
programs and do affordable housing,'" says City
Councilmember David Yassky, chair of the coun-
cil's Special Committee on Waterfronts. The City
CITY LIMITS
Council will ultimately have to voce on the wning
as part of the city's Uniform Land Use Review
Process. "My response to that is, well, if you are
confident, then there's no harm requiring that it
be written right into the wning." Yassky asserts
that the proposed rewning will at least quintuple
the value of former industrial property. "When
property owners are getting a windfall like that,"
he says, "there's no reason part of that windfall
cannot be used to generate affordable housing. "
One coalition of community groups, Mobiliza-
tion Against Displacement (MAD), is demanding
that a full 40 percent of the housing developed in
the rewned area be made available for low- and
moderate-income residents-people now being
forced out of the area. In the last decade, Green-
point lost 5,500 affordable rental units, more than
half the neighborhood's stock, according to a
report issued by the Northern Brooklyn Religious
Cluster. "This is a golden opportunity to create
affordable housing," says Martin Needelman,
chief counsel for Brooklyn Legal Services, one of
the organizations in the MAD coalition. "Our
community is dead without the immediate cre-
ation of large amounts of truly affordable housing
for current residents." Other groups in the coali-
tion include St. Nicholas Community Develop-
ment Corporation, Los Sures and North Brooklyn
Development Corporation.
Inclusionary wlling has been used in cities
throughout the United States and Europe. It
can be an outright mandate or a voluntary pro-
gram, in which a developer can construct a larg-
er, more profitable building than wning would
otherwise permit and must build a cerrain num-
ber of affordable units in exchange for the
bonus. In New York City, inclusionary wning
has been implemented only in expensive, high-
density neighborhoods of Manhattan and a
small part of downtown Brooklyn.
The Citizens Housing and Planning Council,
an independent civic group, recendy released a
proposal calling for the Bloomberg administration
to expand inclusionary wning citywide-imple-
menting a voluntary policy in which developers
would be allowed to construct bigger buildings as
a bonus for incorporating affordable housing. Says
Executive Direcror Frank Braconi, "In the propos-
al that we issued last fall, we designed [inclusion-
ary wning] in a way we think would encourage all
development, not just affordable housing. It
would be a pro-development initiative.
But city officials maintain that an inclusion-
ary wning requirement could deter the deep-
pocketed developers they're counting on to take
on the redevelopment of manufacturing areas in
Williamsburg and Greenpoint. "We're very, very
concerned that a requirement for inclusionary
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housing might possibly discourage housing pro-
duction," says Myer. "It essentially becomes
another burden on the developer."
If the city imposed inclusionary wning, Myer
adds, it would also have to allow developers to
build bigger projects. "An inclusionary require-
ment would require more density-raller build-
ings," she says. "That's not something the com-
munity wants."
WILLIAMSBURG AND GREENPOINT have been plan-
ning for redevelopment since 1989. Afrer more
than a decade of community workshops and
public forums, Brooklyn Community Board 1
generated planning documents for development
of the waterfront, known officially as 197 -A
plans. The plans, approved by the City Council
last year, stressed industrial growth, open space
along the waterfront and affordable housing.
The city's rewning proposal doesn't fully address
the community's need for affordable housing, says
Christopher Olechowski, chair of the board's rewn-
ing task force. 'Mordable housing wasn't really
explored-it was touched on pro forma," he says of
the city's June presentation of the plan to the board.
To win the community's support, the city is going
to have to provide some kind of affordable housing
guarantee, says Olechowski.
This September, City Planning will start put-
ting together an environmental impact state-
ment-the first of many steps in the rewning
process. The statement is supposed to analyze the
effects of the rewning plan as well as different
alternatives to it. Yassky says it's urgent to make
sure an inclusionary wning option gets included
in the document. "What we cannot let happen is
[to let] the folks who oppose affordable housing in
the administration get to a year ftom now, and tell
people like me, 'Well it's too late, we didn't study
the affordable housing option,'" says Yassky.
While it opposes inclusionary wning in
Williamsburg and Greenpoint, the city is planning
to help local nonprofit community development
organizations build affordable housing in the area.
It is in the process of establishing a special $15- to
$20-million revolving acquisition fund to enable
them to buy land in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
But even with the fund, it will be difficult to
compete with the private sector for development
sites, says Michael Rochford, executive director of
the St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Cor-
poration. The acquisition fund "is an essential
tool," he says. "But we're scill somewhat handi-
capped competing against private developers." The
slow processing of government funds, he explains,
makes it difficult to snag real estate deals before big
developers with readier access to capital get them.
Nor will the acquisition fund stretch very far,
CITY LIMITS
say affordable housing experrs. "That $15 million
has to underwrite the difference between the cost
of acquiring city land," says Jaye Fox, "which is
basically nothing, and the amount that a develop-
er would expect to pay on the open market."
According to Fox, a similar, $6 million acquisition
fund that the city made available to Park Slope
nonprofirs would "probably pay for one building
with approximately 40 affordable units."
Those high land prices aren't just a reflection
of the neighborhood's popularity, says Ron Shiff-
man, former director of the Pratt Institute Cen-
ter for Community and Environmental Develop-
ment and one of the authors of the neighbor-
Mandates on
developers "might
discourage housing
production," says a
planning official.
hoods' 197 -A plans. Shiffman says speculation on
the rezoning plans themselves has been a big fac-
tor. Speculators "anticipated because of the city's
actions in the last five to 10 years that the area
would be rezoned, so many of them bought man-
ufacturing land at excessively high prices," says
Shiffman. "Land that was worth $10 to $15 mil-
lion was being sold for $20 to $24 million."
While city officials say that an inclusionary
wning policy could make Williamsburg and
Greenpoint unattractive to market-rate develop-
ers, Shiffman says that wouldn't necessarily be a
bad thing. In the event that inclusionary wning
depressed real estate prices, affordable housing
would still emerge, says Shiffman, who served on
the City Planning Commission in the early
1990s. Developers "drove out manufacturers;
they held the land out of development for many
years for a speculative reason. We don't have to
reward that," he says. "If these developers don't
want to [build affordable housing], the land val-
ues will go down so that other developers can do
it. If this a free market economy, let's really make
it a free market economy."
Alex Ularn is a Manhattan-based freelance writer.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
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15
The New York City Council is poised to pass tough new lead
paint poisoning protections. But we've yet to reckon with new
science showing that II safe" levels of lead are harming kids.
B
edford-Stuyvesant resident Maria Sal-
vatierra doesn't know Ohio pediatrician
Bruce Lanphear, but if the two ever
met, their conversation might turn quickly to
low IQ, tooth decay, juvenile delinquency and
delayed breast development. Hardly upbeat
topics, but these days all of them worry the
doctor-and parents, like Salvatierra, who are
raising their kids in old buildings contaminat-
ed with lead-based paint. For years, Lanphear,
a pediatrician and public health researcher at
University of Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Medical Center, has been studying the bad
things that can happen to children who eat or
breathe lead. Now, one of those children is Sal-
vatierra's daughter.
Her name is Alexandra. She is a petite, dark-
haired 2-year-old with a shy but ready smile
who entertains herself by hugging a teddy bear
and exploring the crannies of her family's
cramped, knickknack-filled railroad apartment
near DeKalb Avenue. The unit's faded exterior,
pocked foyer and scaly window sills suggest it
was built generations ago and has barely had a
facelift since then-certainly not since 1960,
when New York City banned the use of lead
paint. Toddlers in aging homes like this one
often chew lead-based paint chips that peel off
the walls, or lick their fmgers after touching
surfaces where invisible dust from the paint has
settled. Alexandra's elders know the place is
decrepit. "My son keeps telling me to find
something better," says her grandmother, Ada
Luz Moran, the matriarch of the apartment.
But at $283 a month, the rent can't be beat,
and the family, Nicaraguans who came here in
the 1990s, must pinch pennies.
Maria Salvatierra got nervous after special-
ly trained high school students volunteering
with Pratt Area Community Council (PACC)
16
By Cassi Feldman and Debbie Nathan
Photographs by Joshua Zuckerman
knocked on doors in Bed-Stuy earlier this year.
Located in a so-called lead belt running ftom
Williamsburg and Fort Greene through central
Brooklyn and into Queens, Bed-Stuy shares
with all these neighborhoods a high rate of
childhood lead poisoning.
When the students checked Salvatierra's
apartment, they found up to 12 times more
lead dust on the floors and window sills than
the city considers safe. Worried, Salvatierra
took Alexandra to the doctor for a blood test.
Her lead level turned out to be more than twice
the national average for American children.
Yet the New York City Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene (DOH) has
shown little regard for children like Alexandra.
According to policy, her lead levels are too low
for the department to recommend treatment or
case management. This angers Salvatierra, and
it concerns Lanphear. The health of kids like
Alexandra is at risk, he and other public health
experts believe. "There is no magic number for
lead poisoning," Lanphear has said. "What we
must do is reduce children's exposure to lead at
every opportunity."
That view is backed by a disturbing study
that Lanphear and several other researchers pub-
lished this spring in the New England Journal of
Medicine, which suggested that even low levels
of lead contamination can damage the intelli-
gence of children. This means, according to an
increasing number of public health researchers
and policymakers, that there may be no minimal
acceptable level of lead exposure for kids. Dr.
Herbert Needleman, a psychiatrist at the Uni-
versity of PittSburgh who has studied the ill
effects of such exposure on children's behavior,
sums up the issue. "Science," he says, "strongly
suggests there's no threshold for safety. "
New York's City Council has lately been rak-
ing a hard look at lead, too. On July 1, the state's
highest court ruled that the city's existing law
governing lead paint cleanups was invalid. That
ruling has opened a precious opportunity to
reinvent how New York City deals with lead poi-
soning in children. Council members have
seized it, pushing forward a proposed law, Intro
10 I-A, that had been sidelined by Council
Speaker Gifford Miller for more than a year.
Intro 101-A offers strict new rules for pre-
venting childhood lead poisoning, as well as
responding to incidents once they have hap-
pened. Despite a major drop in the last decade,
those incidents are still too frequent: Nearly
4,000 New York City children under age 6 were
reported poisoned last year alone.
The Bloomberg administration has opposed
101-A, calling it impracticable and less effective
than current city practices. Council sponsors are
hellbent on passing it. They've taken their case
repeatedly to the steps of City Hall, joined in
mid-July by a trio of mayoral hopefuls: City
Comptroller William Thompson, Manhattan
Borough President C. Virginia Fields and
.ex-Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer.
But despite all the news conferences and
speeches and stories of contaminated kids, few
politicians are grappling with the new medical
research, or how we should respond to it. No
one is talking about what it may really take to
keep New York's children safe: a fundamental
rethinking of what it means to be "poisoned. "
W
hen he first turned his attention to
childhood lead poisoning a decade
ago, Lanphear and his colleagues
thought the problem was nearly licked thanks
to years of education and cleanup. By the
1990s, a century had passed since doctors first
recognized lead as a highly toxic substance.
CITY LIMITS
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003 17
Back then, adults often got poisoned in indus-
trial settings rife with lead dust and vapors.
Dizziness, stomach pain, amnesia, kidney dam-
age, lowered sperm count and miscarriage were
just some of the problems triggered by even tiny
amounts oflead in the body.
Today, these amounts are measured in micro-
grams. To imagine how small a microgram is,
consider that there are 250,000 of them in a pill
the size of an aspirin. Now, imagine an aspirin
made of fme lead dust. A small child whose body
contained the contents of only a hundredth of
the pill-a vinually invisible tad--could experi-
ence loss of balance, hearing problems, slurred
speech, coma, convulsions---even death.
People are tested for lead by measuring
micrograms of the metal in a tenth of a liter of
their blood. The hypothetical, gravely ill child
in the above example, who ingested a smidgen
of lead dust, could have a reading of 60 to 80
micrograms. Two generations ago, many Amer-
ican children tested in this range. Their levels
were high because house paint commonly con-
tained lead, as did tin cans, toothpaste, ceram-
ic dishware, water pipes and gasoline.
Kids who got sick from lead poisoning typ-
ically recovered from the immediate symp-
toms, but many were clearly not well. A 1943
study of 20 children who'd had convulsions
and other serious complications found a num-
ber of them acting severely antisocial long after
they supposedly recovered. Three were expelled
from school: one for setting fires, one for danc-
ing on desks, and one for sticking a fork in
another child's face. Others attacked teachers
with knives and scissors.
In 1960, the government told doctors and
18
local health departments to take action-by
giving medication and seeking the source of
contamination-if a child's lead level tested at
60 micrograms or more, even if he or she
seemed in good health. Over the next three
decades, public health authorities increasingly
lowered this number, which they call the "level
of concern." In 1971, it dropped to 40. In
1985, it came down to 25. And in 1991, the
Even more harm
to intelligence
seems to occur at
low levels of lead
contamination than
at high ones.
The damage
appears irreversible.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) again decreased the level to 10.
The number has dropped mainly because of
massive cleanups that have led to dramatic
decreases in U.S. kids' lead levels. The first came
in the late 1970s, after lead was removed from
house paint and phased out of gasoline and
metal food containers. Before these changes,
half of all American kids younger than 6 years
old were scoring at least 15 on their lead tests,
and 88 percent exceeded 10. By 2000, the
national average was down to slightly below
three, and only one in 50 preschoolers was esti-
mated to be scoring more than 10.
Today, the government's level of concern is
still 10 micrograms per deciliter. Officially,
children are deemed safe as long as their blood
stays in the single digits.
Bruce Lanphear started his lead poisoning
work in the early 1990s by reviewing earlier
studies, such as one that looked at lead levels and
intelligence in a group of middle-class 10-year-
olds. The kids were divided into two groups: one
whose lead scores had gone up at least 10 micro-
grams since they were toddlers, and another
whose levels stayed below 10. Compared to the
low-lead group, the more contaminated children
scored six to nine points lower on IQ tests.
Though these results were disquieting, by the
late 1990s blood lead scores of 10 or more in
children were a rare occurrence. "Because so
many kids in the United States were below 10,"
Lanphear remembers, "many of my advisers said
I should get out oflead research. People were say-
ing if there were no adverse health affects below
10 micrograms, we should move on to another
problem-asthma, for instance."
But Lanphear worried that lead could be
hurting children even at lower levels. Ominous
new studies were emerging, further linking lead
to juvenile misbehavior and delinquency-
everything from hyperactivity ro temper
tantrums, stealing, aggression and fire setting-
even though children in the new studies had
not been exposed to enough lead to make them
visibly sick. In addition, the Journal of the
American Medical Association published a study
in 1999 linking tooth decay in children to lead
levels of only five. All this led Lanphear and
others to study several thousand Cincinnati
children whose lead scores were less than 10.
Their fmdings, published in 2000 in the jour-
nal Public Health Reports, strongly suggested
that even at low levels, these kids' reading and
math abilities were harmed by lead exposure.
And now, a study published in April in the
New England Journal of Medicine-which Lan-
phear also coauthored-is creating shock waves
among public health advocates. It reveals that
even more harm to intelligence seems to occur
in the single-digit levels of lead contamination
than in the double digits. Statistically, by the
time children reach 10 micrograms per
deciliter, they have already lost seven IQpoints.
Alexandra Salvatierra has lead
in her blood-enough to harm her
health, but not to trigger Health
Department intervention.
CITY LIMITS
During the last year and a half, the
city housing agency spent $43 million
cleaning lead paint. Nearly 4,000
kids still get poisoned every year.
The damage appears irreversible.
Average IQ is 100, and for any given child,
dropping a few points may not be due to lead
levels, and it might not be very important any-
way. But Lanphear and other researchers point
out that elevated lead levels are most common
among children who are poor and live in big
cities in decrepit housing. Blacks and Latinos
are overrepresented in these demographics.
Losing even a few IQ points means there will
be more mentally disabled people in these
communities, and fewer gifted ones.
If all this weren't bad enough, another study,
also published in the April New England Journal
of Medicine, found that African- and Mexican-
American girls with only three micrograms of
lead in their blood started puberty a few months
later than girls with lower levels. Getting breasts
or starting to menstruate a bit late might seem
trivial. But these are hormonal processes. Their
delay may be only the tip of an iceberg of other,
more serious bodily disruptions that may be trig-
gered by lead levels lower than 10.
The puberty and IQ fmdings inspired a pol-
icy-oriented summary article in the same issue of
the New England Journal of Medicine. It noted
that safety might not be assured "even when all
children have blood lead concentrations of
below 10," and concluded that "prevention"-
keeping kids from being exposed in the first
place-"is thus the only plausible strategy."
R
ight now, New York City does make
some meaningful efforts at prevention.
Parents who see peeling or deteriorating
paint can call the city's new 311 hotline and get
an inspector in from the Department of Housing
Preservation and Development (HPD). If the
inspector finds a lead hazard, the agency orders
the landlord to do a cleanup; if the landlord
won't comply, HPD does the remediation itsel
HPD also operates a "primary prevention"
program, which provides forgivable loans to
landlords conducting lead abatement in high-
risk neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy, Jamaica, and
Washingron Heights. More than 1,600 apart-
ments have been or will soon be cleaned up.
The Department of Health does its part as
well. Following state law, DOH tries to make
sure every New York City child gets screened
for lead poisoning at ages 1 and 2.
If a child's lead level is between 10 and 14,
DOH sends letters to the child's parents and
doctor, encouraging a second test and providing
information on lead abatement. At higher lev-
els--one test over 20 or two at 15 to 19 over a
three-month period-the city automatically
provides medical care if warranted and con-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
ducts an environmental investigation of the
child's home and other places he or she spends
time, such as a day care center. DOH can also
pass the case on to HPD for remediation.
The agency does not, however, respond to
tests lower than 10. And even at higher levels,
it does not always intervene. Bed-Stuy resident
Abby Bah says she was turned away when she
asked for help. When Bah's toddler, Omar, test-
ed at 18 last year, her doctor advised her to
have his blood drawn every three months.
Omar's next few tests registered below 15, so
DOH never conducted a formal investigation.
"They said I should just continue washing his
hands and clothes often and use cold water in
his formula," Bah says.
Health and housing officials argue that
they are simply following the federal CDC
guidelines. "If based on scientific consensus,
CDC recommendations change, the Depart-
ment will review the changes and propose
appropriate revisions to the Health Code,"
said DOH commissioner Thomas Frieden at a
recent City Council hearing.
But health advocates challenge this wait-and-
see approach, arguing that the current CDC lev-
els are hardly a reliable measure. Even 10, the
number at which CDC recommends advising
parents their child might have a problem, "is just
a round number that has no biological signifi-
cance whatsoever," says Harvard Medical School
neurology professor David Bellinger, who has
done landmark research showing negative effects
of lead exposure on children's intelligence. Anne
Guthrie, director of health policy for the
Alliance for Healthy Homes, a national advoca-
cy group, agrees. "Ten was chosen in 1991
because at that point it seemed like an appropri-
ate number," she says. "But we're getting to the
point where we don't think a single cut off helps
things-it might actually confuse things."
The process of deciding minimal levels for
action has also become mired in politics, notes
Guthrie, who sits on a committee that advises
the CDC on lead policy. Late last year, the
Wall Street Journal reported that the panel
would likely recommend cutting the level of
concern from 10 to five. But that prediction
was soon abandoned as the Bush administra-
tion loaded the committee with experts widely
considered sympathetic to the lead industry.
One newly chosen member, William Barmer,
testified on behalf of paint manufaeturers that lev-
els below 70-the same level that had sickened
children in the World War II-era study-do not
damage the central nervous system. "Your recent
appointments undermine public confidence in
[the U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser-
vices') comrnitrnent to end childhood lead poi-
soning," wrote hundreds of environmentalists,
doctors and advocates in a letter to Department
of HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson.
Meanwhile, the Secretary rejected the nom-
inations of experts like Bruce Lanphear and the
reappointment of Michael Weitzman, known
to favor lowering the CDC level of concern
below 10. Weitzman does still chair the work
group focused on blood levels, which is now
reviewing relevant research and will release its
findings to the full panel this fall.
New York Senator Charles Schumer is
among those who want to speed up this process.
After learning of the New England Journal of
Medicine study conducted by Lanphear and his
colleagues, Schumer called on the CDC to
change its legal threshold. "It's in everyone's best
interest," he said in a statement, "that we address
this lead poisoning issue as soon as possible. "
H
ealth advocates say there's no reason
New York City can't move more quick-
ly than the feds. It certainly has done
19
so in the past. The city was one -of the first
municipalities to ban lead paint. In 1982, it
enacted Local Law 1, which required landlords
to cover or remove lead paint in any apartment
where a child under age 7 lived.
The law was considered sweeping and vision-
ary at the time, one of the strongest in the coun-
try, but it soon proved impossible to enforce.
Because landlords only had 24 hours to make
repairs, hundreds of violations piled up on the
city's desk. Meanwhile, even health advocates
had begun to question the necessity-and safe-
ty--of removing intact lead paint.
Faced with a class action lawsuit from ten-
ants, the city looked for a compromise, but
ended up with what many tenant advocates
considered a sellout to landlords. The City
Council passed Local Law 38 in June 1999,
under heavy pressure from Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani and Speaker Peter Vallone. Anti-lead
activists were incensed. Although Local Law 38
required owners of pre-1960 buildings to
20
inspect for peeling paint each year and quickly
correct problems, it failed to define lead dust as
a hazard, despite the fact that even a tiny bit of
dust can make a child sick. It also mysteriously
shifred the age cut-off from 7 to 6.
After years of angry protests, and a lawsuit
filed by 20 community groups, the activists final-
ly won their case. This July, the state Courr of
Appeals ruled that the proponents of Law 38 had
failed to conduct a proper environmental review.
The timing couldn't have been bener for
Intro lOlA, a stronger bill already proposed by
Councilmember Bill Perkins. Among other
changes, it would require more thorough HPD
inspections, label lead dust an official hazard,
and require a DOH inspection any time a child
tests over 15. One of its most important and
controversial provisions requires HPD to "estab-
lish an inspection program to identifY dwellings
where children are at risk of lead poisoning,"
rather than waiting for problems to arise.
The bill is supported by a veto-proof 37 of
the council's 51 members, but Council Speak-
er Gifford Miller has refused to sign on. He has
yet to release details on what is likely to be a
compromise between activists and the mayor's
office. Remembering Vallone's sly push
through of Law 38, many observers fear that
the speaker's final version will be watered down
in favor of landlords. According to Common
Cause, which tracks campaign donations,
Miller has collected $148,675 from real estate
interests for an unspecified race in 2005-pre-
sumably for mayor.
Meanwhile, the Bloomberg administration
seems dead set against Intro 101-A. At a June
23 hearing, the city's top officials argued that
the new law was not only unnecessary, but also
dangerous. The city had already corrected
almost 10,000 lead hazard violations since 2001
and spent approximately $43 million on lead
paint enforcement, said HPD Commissioner
Jerilyn Perine, who also repeatedly emphasized
that parents could seek inspections through the
311 hotline. Puning new mandates on the city
"would divert scarce resources," she said, mak-
ing the problem worse, not bener.
Frieden echoed Perine's concerns, arguing
that the current law was obviously working: the
number of kids with blood levels over 10
dropped a whopping 79 percent between 1995
and 2002.
Council members angrily accused the two
of trying to minimize the problem. Last year,
3,985 children under age 6 still tested over 10,
and only one in three children were tested at
both ages 1 and 2. "If [these regulations] work,
why have we not stopped the numbers?"
Councilmember Margarita Lopez demanded
of Frieden. "Why do we still have 20,000 chil-
dren poisoned in four years?"
W
hen it comes to lead paint, liability,
and the expense of lawsuits, are
inevitably considerations. They are
for the Bloomberg administration, which paid
out $4.2 million in lead paint tort cases in fis-
cal year 2003. In her testimony, Perine said the
measure establishing a proactive inspection
program, which would require the ciry ro
decide how and when to investigate high-risk
apartments, was vaguely worded and could
open city coffers to lawsuits.
Landlords, not surprisingly, agree that the
law's tight timelines and complicated paper-
work are a tort lawyer's dream. Its "primary pur-
The Department of Health tells parents
like Cheri Lewis-Fontanez and David
Fontanez, Sr., to wash their children's
hands and keep their house clean.
CITY LIMITS
pose is not to protect children," testified Dan
Margulies, executive director of Community
Housing Improvement Program, a landlord
group. "It is to set traps, place blame and ensure
liability so the negligence bar can get its share."
In order to avoid lawsuits, the Bloomberg
administration says it would have to interpret the
law strictly, taking clean-up measures that it esti-
mates could cost as much as $260 million per
year. But City Comptroller William Thompson
stands by the Independent Budget Office's much
lower estimate-just $8.2 million per year. "By
any calculation," Thompson testified, "this is
many millions of dollars less than the amount the
city will have to spend on medical care and spe-
cial education for lead poisoned children."
Thompsons claim is borne out by the stud-
ies of researchers like Mary Jean Brown, cur-
rently at the CDC, who reckons that it takes a
one-time outlay of only about $16,000 to
remove dangerous lead from the average three-
unit residence. Compare that to the calculations
of Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrics professor
who heads the Mount Sinai School of Medi-
cine's Department of Community and Preven-
tive Medicine and is chair of the state's Adviso-
ry Council on Lead Poisoning Prevention. In a
briefmg he presented to City Council recently
in support of 10 I-A, Landrigan noted that the
annual cost of lead exposure in New York City
children is at least $1.2 billion armually. And as
the years pass, that figure multiplies. The cost,
Landrigan notes, comes from decreased earning
power due to lowered intelligence-even in
kids whose blood-lead levels are at the national
average of just below three.
There are ways to respond to findings like
these. Some counties and states have already
dropped their levels of concern. The Miami-
Dade County, Florida, health department does
a home inspection if more than one child in a
residence tests at 10 or more. Harris County,
Texas (which encompasses Houston) actively
follows up on all kids with rwo tests of 10 to
14. "We call the doctor to get the child in for a
visit, and if the family doesn't respond we do a
home visit," says Kathleen Ingrando, program
manager of the county's Childhood Lead Poi-
soning Prevention Program. A single test of 15
or more triggers an investigation of every place
where a child spends a lot of time. Ingrando
explains that in 2000, when Harris County
decided to use blood levels lower than the
CDC's, the county was responding to the
emerging science. "We know there's [damage]
already going on at levels of 5 or 7," she says.
Miami-Dade County Child Lead Poisoning
Prevention Program director Dr. Vukosava
Pekovic agrees. Of CDC policy, she says that
given the chance, "I would vote for decreasing
continued on page 40
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
LAYERING ON THE BLAME
It will be a while before David LewisFontanez, Jr. understands anything about passing the buck or racism. Right now,
he doesn/t even know from the five senses. Seeing, hearing, smelling-and especially touching and tasting-they/re all
the same to the cheery, curly-haired 15 month old as he gallops, colHike, through his apartment. "No, David, no! Don/t
eat that tay! * his mother warns. "Stop licking the fan! // scolds his father.
David Fontanez, Sr. and Cheri Lewisfontanez weren/t thinking dark thoughts either a few months ago, back when
they were laughing at their toddler's oral antics. But this spring, a Pratt Area Community Council inspection of their home
found windowsills with 28 times the level of lead dust considered safe for children. Cheri and David, Sr. are fast-talking,
quick-moving people who spend workdays in midtown - he does billing for on ad agency; she/s on accountant. They seem
capable of handling any problem, but these days both are a bundle of nerves. They wipe and sweep more than they used
to. They chose David Jr. around, trying ta censor what he puts in his mouth. He often gets the better of them.
Cheri is shocked that her apartment is contaminated. We/re not poor-we/re middle class!" she protests. At least
eight of every 1 0 New York City children with high degrees of lead contamination are black, Latino and Asian; and most
come from low-income families. Cheri is African American and David, Sr., is Latino. They live in Clinton Hill on the border
of Bedford-Stuyvesant, in the building David, Sr. grew up in. They are frustrated by the advice they/ve gotten: to wash
David, Jr.'s hands and do better housekeeping. It implies they/re not good enough parents, and that the danger to their
son is their fault.
According ta two New York City scholars, the point industry has for decodes blamed children, porenting, poverty, race - any-
one and anything except - for lead poisoning in kids. That attitude has often been picked up by public health
In their book Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution, published lost year, Columbia University his-
tory and public health professor David Rosner and John Joy College historian Gerald Markowitz reveal that by the 1920s,
medical journals were olready running articles about lead-poisoned children and warning that leaded paint was dangerous.
But instead of removing lead from paint-os was done in more than a dozen countries by the early 1930s-the U.S.
lead industry tried to divert blame.
As a 1924 article put it, children were living in a "Iead world." It was a world celebrated by the lead industry. Point
advertisements touted lead as sofe for children, and brands like Dutch Boy produced coloring books and other fun literature
that encouraged kids and their parents to use lead point. Bock then, even well-heeled white kids used cribs and toys point-
ed with lead. Sprucing up one/s apartment in glossy lead paint was a mark of status.
Kids did get lead poisoning, of course. As any parent of a toddler could guess, studies show that half of all young
dren put practically everything in their mouths. But in the 1920s, the lead industry had its own ideas about child
ogy. Some doctors joined the industry in citing on obscure condition called pica to explain it. Pica comes from the word
"magpie/" and harks to that bird/s habit of consuming anything it sees. Pica sufferers have on abnormal urge to eat non-
food substances like dirt, clay or hair. Even so, their psychological malady was only a minor problem, claimed representa-
tives from groups such as the Lead Industry Association (LlA) . Lead did not hurt most children.
Thirty years later, continuing research and growing press coverage hod alerted the public that leaded point was truly
dangerous. Industry officials could deny it no longer. And so they mixed pica with something new-the race cord.
Historically, paint manufacturing has been concentrated in the urban Northeast and Midwest - the some places where
waves of poor African Americons and Latinos relocated in the 1950s, into formerly middle-doss housing that was now falling
apart. Faced with increasing pressure to put warning labels on point cans and otherwise regulate their products, trade groups
like the LlA blamed these migrants for the lead poisoning of their offspring. The problem, wrote LlA/s health and safety direc-
tor/ was "slum dwellings" and "ineducable" "Negro and Puerto Rican" parents who didn/t watch their children closely
enough. The president of the Notional Paint, Varnish and Lacquer Association suggested that youngsters raised by emo-
tionally neglectful parents ate flaking point to "gain the comfort and reassuronce they crave."
Markowitz and Rosen have presented much of this history lately in court. The state of Rhode Island and cities includ-
ing Chicago, Milwaukee ond St. Louis have sued paint companies for millions of dollars in damages, which would be used
to remove lead paint from contaminated homes. So far, the lawsuits have not prevailed. But public health lead experts like
pediatricion Bruce Lanphear say it/s wrong and impractical to blame anything for childhood lead poisoning except lead
"Putting out brochures, educating mom about washing the children/s hands-from 0 public health standpoint there/s
no evidence it helps, // Lanphear says. "The only thing shown to work is control of leaded dust from house paint."
HPD come to the Lewis-Fontanez apartment right after Pratt Area Community Council called a press conference and
talked about the windowsills where DaVid, Jr./ lives. "The inspector found 13 lead violations/" sOys Cheri. "If the landlord
doesn/t fix them, the earliest HPD can come bock is late August or early September.
"Meanwhile, we/ve got a health hazard here. And we pay middlei:lass rent. All the poor people in this neighborhood-
they/ve probably got it worse. // - ON
21
TWO YEARS AFTER
9/11, NEWYORK
HAS 330,000
UNEMPLOYED,
OVER 2 BILLION
FEDERAL RECOVERY
DOLLARS-AND
NO PLAN FOR
GETTING BACK
TO WORK.
By Alyssa Katz
"IT WAS A SITUATION where all
income disappeared," remembers James Connor,
chief executive of the Manhattan branding and
marketing agency the James Group. It was a sec-
ond shock wave following September 11, 2001:
His four-person business ground to a halt. Deals
in the works, deals that had closed, even money
he was already owed-none of it came through.
He didn't want to lay anyone off. So Connor
stopped paying himself, and his was one of the
few businesses to succeed in getting a disaster
loan from the Small Business Administration.
But in the mess, Connor also came to real-
ize there was a major opportunity. A lot of
companies out there needed to reinvent them-
selves to stay competitive, and the James Group
could help them do it.
Through volunteer work he was doing to
help downtown companies get back in action,
Connor learned about the Center for Workforce
and Economic Development, a disaster relief
program run by the Consortium for Worker
Education. The Center wouldn't just help him
hold onto his staff, Connor found, but help him
expand. When the James Group signed on, he
22
received more than $38,000 in subsidies to his
payroll, allowing him to add an office manager
and a creative director. Connor had to put up
the money first, then submit time sheets to the
consortium. For the next three months, he
received cash back, equivalent to about 50 to 60
percent of the new staffers' wages.
Hundreds of other companies got the same
deal. By the time it wrapped up earlier this
year, CWE's wage subsidy program-paid for
with $32.5 million from Congress, secured
through joint lobbying by New York City busi-
ness and labor groups-kept more than 2,800
workers employed following 9/11. The pro-
gram helped nonprofits, too, like the tenant
advocacy group Good Old Lower East Side,
which found itself in a $30,000 hole. "We did-
n't want to let people go," says GOLES Execu-
tive Director Margaret Hughes, "but the
money wasn't there in the short term."
Consortium staff specializing in sectors of the
city's economy-from information technology
to food services-recruited companies and
made sure that the dollars got spent quickly and
CITY LIMITS
effectively on jobs that carried decent wages and
benefits. "It's structured to privilege the best jobs
in the community," says Bruce Herman, direc-
tor and architect of the CWE program.
The investment appears to have paid off.
Three months after their subsidies ended, three
out of every four companies were able to hold
on to all of their formerly subsidized employ-
ees, and most of the rest were able to retain at
least half. The wage subsidies made entrepre-
neur Connor a born-again believer in govern-
ment's power to help, nor hinder, small busi-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
ness: "It was a beautiful education process."
It was also the sort of success story New
York desperately needs more o From the very
early days following September 11, economists
predicted a second disaster: a wave of mass job-
lessness. They proved all too prophetic. After
9111 , an emerging recession snowballed. The
city has lost more than 230,000 jobs since
December 2000, and an estimated 300,000
residents are unemployed. The Independent
Budget Office projects the city will lose 38,000
more jobs this year. New York City's official
unemployment rate is now 8.6 percent-2.2
points higher than the rest of the nation.
This spring, Herman and allies sought more
funding for wage subsidies. CWE found
enthusiastic private support: $1 million from
the September 11 Fund to subsidize about a
hundred more workers.
But they've had no luck so far with public
money. New York's congressional delegation has
still not succeeded in renewing the initial fund-
ing. Now CWE plans to turn to what should be
a natural source of support: the Lower Manhat-
tan Development Corporation. Joindy governed
by the city and state, the LMDC oversees more
than $2.7 billion in federal redevelopment
funds, channeled through the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development's Commu-
nity Development Block Grant program. A lit-
de over $1.1 billion remains to be allocated.
In theory, the LMDC is giving that money
away for projects like Herman's. In May 2002,
it issued a broadly worded solicitation for pro-
posals, including projects helping lower Man-
hattan's economy. LMDC won't derail how
many proposals it has received since then. Bur
in January, an executive from the agency told a
meeting of business owners that it had received
more applications than it had funding for,
according to a source present at the meeting.
Numerous organizations Like CWE--estab-
Lished groups with track records in community
and economic development-say they have
submitted ideas aimed specifically at tackling
the jobs crisis. Many of those projects focus on
Chinatown, which is still reeling from the dou-
ble whammy of 9/ 11 and SARS hysteria.
But over a year later, the LMDC has
approved few grants. Most recently, it gave $25
million to the Battery Conservancy for improve-
ments to Battery Park; LMDC also helped fund
the River to River Festival and the Listening to
the City rebuilding forum. It has not approved
any of the economic redevelopment proposals.
LMDC told one applicant that it won't be
considering any until at least this November,
and suggested to others that the agency will
eventually issue a new set of solicitations look-
ing for specific projects. But the LMDC has
not even indicated whether, in the end, it will
commit to funding programs to aid employ-
ment and the economy. "There are lots of pro-
posals pending, and no clarity on the process,"
says Herman. "It's not clear whether they're
23
interested in near-term programs or squirrel-
ing money away for infrastructure."
"From what we understand, everything's been
put on hold," says Cao 0, executive director of
the Asian American Federation, which has sub-
mined a proposal for a Chinatown Rebuilding
Parmership. The plan, drafted in conjunction
with local business and arts groups, seeks to invest
in developing Chinatown's leading economic sec-
tors, including the import, jewelry and tourism
industries. It would market the neighborhood to
tourists, launch a Business Improvement District,
and make improvements to the area's strained
infrastructure, repairing sidewalks. "People are
frustrated, " says 0. "Almost two years have gone
by and Chinatown is still struggling."
Roben Weber, director of policy for Asian
Americans for Equality, is involved, along with
the New York Industrial Retention Network and
the union UNITE, in planning another project
seeking LMDC funds, a major center offering
affordable real estate and support services for the
struggling garment indusrry. "For large business-
es, some of them would have stayed anyway-
they need to be at the heart of Manhanan's
financial district, and they weren't going any-
where, " says Weber. "The small businesses,
where the margin for failure is greater-that's
where the help should be targeted. There are
over 4,000 small businesses in Chinatown
alone-they're the backbone of our economy. "
THE IDEA THAT LMDC is neglecting
lower Manhattan's economy might sound
strange at first. After all, the agency has spent
$650 million so far on grants assisting enter-
prises south of Canal Street.
But the bulk of that money, $485 million,
was intended simply to help companies survive
in the short term: 12,400 small businesses got
compensation for business they lost in the
weeks following September 11.
With LMDC dollars, the city and state eco-
nomic development agencies have also given
more than $130 million so far to 34 large com-
panies, each with more than 200 employees, in
exchange for their promise to remain in lower
Manhattan for at least seven years. These Job
Creation and Retention grants include penal-
ties for companies that don't follow through on
their commitments-should they leave lower
Manhattan prematurely, they will have to
return twice the amount of their grant, and
they're also penalized for shifting jobs out of
the area. (If they downsize as a result of "eco-
nomic says EDC spokeswoman
Janel Paterson, companies are not obligated to
repay: "We don't punish them for that. ")
24
Twelve of the companies stand to receive
additional payments of up to $900,000 each
for adding new employees. But a number of
others-including American Express, which
received $25 million, and institutions and
businesses like NYU Downtown Hospital, the
Municipal Credit Union, Pace University, the
Legal Aid Society, J &R Music and Computer
World, Medical and Health Research Associa-
tion and the American Stock Exchange-are
either anchored to New York City or have
made clear that they never intended to leave.
Others relocated from midtown. What they
didn't do was create jobs for New Yorkers.
Business leaders concede as much. "In terms
of the city's tax base, you're right, it does not make
a difference. From the standpoint of not wanting
to see a hollowing out of downtown Manhanan,
yes it does make a difference," says Patty Noonan,
vice-president of research and policy at the Part-
nership for New York City, which advocates on
behalf of the city's leading corporations. ''The dol-
lar value is important, but so is the symbolic
value, to other firms whose leases are expiring,
and small firms that are dependent on them."
That's the idea that underpins the
EDC/ESDC strategy, and it has a compelling
rationale. Retail or food or printing businesses
located in lower Manhanan will be viable in the
long term only if they have enough customers to
keep them going. High-paid, large-staffed Wall
Street firms are their main sustenance.
The LMDC program to help small business-
es hold onto their staff is accordingly modest. Its
Small Firm Attraction and Retention Grant was
available only to fums whose leases expire prior
to September 31, 2004, without an option to
renew. As a result, many fums are not even eligi-
ble: just 952 have received a total of $31.3 mil-
lion, most of them gening $1,750 per employ-
ee. They'll receive a second installment in 18
months for each staff member they hold onto.
"We told ESDC, there isn't enough money, "
says Jeannine Chanes, an attorney assisting
From the Ground Up, a group of lower Man-
hattan businesses agitating to make relief pro-
grams more responsive to their needs. "They
said, 'We're not going to help businesses that
are going to go under anyway.'"
Small businesses that have managed to get
the small firm subsidy dollars say the money has
helped them hold on to their employees. "I don't
know how I'd be in business without it, " says
Arthur Gregory, a Community Board 1 member
who owns the A&M Roadhouse restaurant on
Murray Street. But Gregory got the aid only
because, at the suggestion of an ESDC represen-
tative, he signed a new lease for basement space.
He still doesn't have the money to equip it-and
as a result, ESDC now wants its $24,000 back.
"I said, 'What the hell are you talking about?' "
recalls Gregory. "They said, 'What are you doing
with the additional space?'"
Chanes' group is yet another applicant for
the phantom LMDC funding. "The silence was
deafening," says Chanes, who applied nearly a
year ago for money to help fund her group and
its activities to help downtown businesses obtain
loans and other aid. When asked how long it
would take to process applications, LMDC told
her it would happen soon. "Soon like this
month, this year, this decade?" she recalls
responding. Chanes says LMDC officials told
CITY LIMITS
TWO YEARS AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, CHINATOWN
her they needed ro do more outreach ro differ-
ent groups before making funding decisions.
TWO YEARS AFTER September 11,
Chinarown is still New York's other ground
zero. Vinually every business reports a perma-
nent decline in sales, and one in 10 workers has
lost his or her job. Even before then, one-third
of families in the area lived below the poverty
line. Every job here is precious.
Not only were its small businesses and gar-
ment facrories slammed economically-the
neighborhood has seen little in the way of rede-
velopment dollars. Of the projects LMDC is
funding directly, only twO, the renovation of
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
IS STILL NEW YORK'S OTHER
Columbus Park and a transportation study,
focus on reviving Chinatown. A survey by the
Asian American Business Development Center
found that just 11 percent of businesses got
LMDC job retention aid, an average of $7,000
each; grants under the lost-business program
added up ro under $1,900 per firm.
A number of the reinvestment pitches lan-
guishing at LMDC focus on rebuilding China-
rown and stabilizing jobs ro the area. The Asian
American Business Development Center, which
srarted its conversations with LMDC last year,
has been trying to convince the agency to sup-
port an initiative to bring in more rourism and
help upgrade companies' business operations.
Another, the New York Fashion Space, pro-
poses to help revive the area's battered garment
industry by opening several workspaces as afford-
able homes for businesses, keeping them near
their workers, suppliers and customers in Man-
hattan. It would also offer marketing services and
cutting-edge production facilities, to give shops
occupying the spaces a competitive advantage.
In attempting to convince LMDC to invest
$25 million in the Fashion Space, AAFE is also
trying to get the agency ro target its economic
recovery dollars more carefully. Says Weber,
"One of the things we'd like LMDC and
[Deputy Mayor for Economic Development
Daniell Doctoroff to do is examine strategy,
rather than focus on individual businesses-to
take a sector-by-sector approach." Floating the
possibility that the garment center model could
be expanded ro benefit other kinds of business-
es too, Weber proposes: "Why not, say, look at
the jewelry sector-what does that sector need
to stabilize and grow again? We're looking at
manufacturing. We want to bring rourists back,
connect rourists visiting ground zero, make it
easier to go from there ro Chinarown."
But the prospects of getting funding for the
Chinarown projects remain fuzzy. In the mael-
strom of competing demands for lower Man-
hattan redevelopment, the dollars are quickly
running out. Mayor Bloomberg has an ambi-
tious plan for rejuvenating lower Manhattan
and building and rebuilding parks, the FDR
Drive and other infrastructure.
For its part, the Pataki administration has
come out with a major study that identifies the
remaining money as a likely source of funding
for major transportation improvements.
Some activists are still holding out for direct
investment in job growth. Labor and neighbor-
hood groups, under the umbrella of the Labor
GROUND ZERO.
Community Advocacy Network ro Rebuild New
York (LeAN), issued a call this spring for an
ambitious package of wage subsidies for both
business and public sector jobs. They want
rebuilding to focus on supporting good wages for
well-trained workers, and met in May with
Deputy Mayor DoctorofE "He rook it seriously,"
says LCAN coordinaror David Dysegaard
Kallick. "His response was, This is very big. Let's
talk about particular things.'" In June, Mayor
Bloomberg proposed legislation requiring big
construction contractors working on ground zero
ro have apprenticeship programs that bring new
minority workers into the field at decent wages.
But any chance labor and community
groups had ro influence the political decision-
making on lower Manhattan funds was most
likely lost last year, when most big labor unions
decided ro endorse George Paraki for governor.
The February replacement of former LMDC
director Lou Tomson with Paraki appointee
Kevin Rampe has only strengthened the gover-
nor's role. "The governor was rolling into office
with an endorsement from everyone," notes
Jonathan Rosen, until recenrly the direcror of
the New York Unemployment Project, an orga-
nizing group advocating for the jobless. "We
couldn't even have a conversation about subway
fares-the idea that we could talk about New
Deal-level strategies was preposterous!"
Rosen suggests it's time for labor advocates
to leave behind the battle over rebuilding dol-
lars and to set their sights instead on major new
subsidized development projects as they
emerge around the city, such as the Potamkin
car dealership slated to open in East Harlem.
The Unemployment Project, Rosen says, "is
looking at organizing successes" in Los Angeles
and other cities where labor-affiliated groups
got elected officials to require developers
receiving government incentives to provide
community benefits in rerurn, such as appren-
ticeships, jobs and affordable housing. "It's a
long conversation, over a long period of time.
Rebuilding lower Manhattan is not the place to
start," says Rosen.
Others in the labor movement are adamant
that unemployed New Yorkers still have plenty
at stake in the downtown dollars. "We've been
trying to have a policy conversation about how
to shape economic development," says KalJick.
"We're nor applying for a billion dollars. We're
saying they should have a policy for jobs."
Research assistance by John Tozzi.
25
RENT STABILIZATION
WHO'S BENEFITING FROM A
$280 MILLION DOWNTOWN
REAL ESTATE BAILOUT?
By Mark Wallace
RESIDENTS OF THE PRICEY high rises of
Banery Park have a powerful experience in
common with those in the tenements of the
Lower East Side: Both witnessed firsthand the
destruction of the World Trade Center on Sep-
tember 11,2001. But when it comes to a gov-
ernment grant program that has helped pay the
rent since then, lower Manhanan is as clearly
split as ever into two different worlds.
The Lower Manhanan Development Cor-
poration-the agency created in the aftermath
of the anacks to help revive lower Manhat-
tan-set aside $280.5 million in a grant pro-
gram to encourage the residents of lower Man-
hanan not to leave, and to draw new residents
to an area that saw vacancy rates shoot up to 25
percent after the attacks (and to 60 percent or
more in some large buildings).
From August of last year until this past
June, the LMDC accepted applications from
residents living around the World Trade Cen-
ter, in Tribeca and below Delancey Street on
the Lower East Side. More than 80 percent of
the 47,554 eligible households in lower Man-
hattan submined applications. Over 30,000
have been approved, and more than $160 mil-
lion granted. The LMDC is still processing
thousands of additional applications.
Since the program started, the area's housing
market has recovered impressively. Vacancy
rates in lower Manhanan-variously defined as
the area below Chambers, Canal, Delancey or
Houston Streets-have dropped substantially.
Today, the neighborhood, at less than 5 percent
vacancy, is more populated than the rest of the
island, at 9 percent. And the area has not seen
rents go down nearly as much as they have else-
where in Manhattan.
Real estate brokers say the federal funding
helped bring those numbers up. "The grants
really attracted people to come to the neighbor-
hood," says Yuval Greenblan, manager of the
rental department at real estate broker Insignia
Douglas Elliman. In the area closest to the
Trade Center site-south of Chambers Street
and west of Nassau--eligible residents receive
30 percent of their monthly rent or mortgage,
up to a total of $12,000 over two years. South
of Canal, residents receive up to $6,000.
The dollars also appear to be keeping rents
artificially high. The Real Estate Board of New
York reports that prices are about 95 percent of
26
what they were prior to 9111-and might be
even higher were it not for the LMDC's cap on
rents at that precise level. Elsewhere in Manhat-
tan, rents are 15 to 22 percent off their peaks.
Greenblan acknowledges that the grants may be
affecting housing prices. "Without that," he
points out, "someone would have to make up
that gap. Either tenants would have to pay that
money or owners would have to reduce rents."
Some observers call the grants an outright
giveaway to propeny owners. "It's really just a
pass-through to the landlords," says an aide to
one local elected official. "If the true market had
gone down, the exact same [number of] people
would have come in because the rent would
have been lower. It's a huge waste of money."
The LMDC disagrees, of course. Asked
whether it props up rents, Amy Peterson, the
LMDC vice president who manages the pro-
gram, says, "I don't know if that's true. But I
think the added incentive for people to move
downtown brought people back to the neigh-
borhood, and stabilized the market."
Frank Braconi, executive director of the Cit-
izens Housing and Planning Council, a non-
profit research group, cautions against giving the
grants too much credit. Housing subsidies, he
says, normally sway only a small fraction of the
housing market: residents who have already
decided to move but who are weighing one
neighborhood against another. "I question what
it's accomplishing," Braconi says. "I would be
very surprised if [the LMDC program] had
played a big role in the location or relocation
decisions of many of the existing residents" in
lower Manhanan. "I think for the most pan
people were either going to leave or they weren't,
and the subsidies played very little pan in that."
RESIDENTS OF THE Lower East Side south
of Delancey are also eligible for grants-much
smaller ones. There's a one-time $1,000 "Sep-
tember 11 grant" for ongoing residents of
lower Manhattan, and a "family grant" of up to
$1,500 for residents with children.
These households are strikingly different
from the ones getting two-year grants. In the
wne where residents are eligible for $12,000
grants, 77 percent of households have incomes
above $50,000 a year, according to the 2000
Census. In the $6,000 wne, 45 percent do.
Between Canal and Delancey, just 25 percent
earn more than that.
The LMDC has declined to release figures
showing the distribution of grant money across
lower Manhanan. But Hyeon-Ju Rho of the
Urban Justice Center is determined to see them.
Rho has heard numerous reports from other
advocacy groups that low-income residents have
had difficulties applying for the benefits, partic-
ularly because of lack of documentation. Many
Lower East Side residents, for one thing, don't
have leases. LMDC has a policy of ensuring that
no resident is denied aid on the basis of inade-
quate documentation, but it's unclear how suc-
cessfully it has been carried out in the field.
"The real question is, what percentage of eli-
gible units actually applied and were approved
in each of the wnes, and what percentage of the
total money available was approved and has
been disbursed?" Rho says. Her organization
has filed an extensive Freedom of Information
Act request seeking that data.
Poor residents of lower Manhanan have had
another problem taking advantage of the
LMDC grants: Public assistance agencies are
erroneously counting them as income, demand-
ing that recipients of other public benefits, like
welfare and disability, reimburse the agencies for
;ontinued on page 41
CITY LIMITS
Where there are day
laborers, more and more
cities run workers' centers
to get them on good jobs
and off the streets.
So why doesn't Woodside,
host to hundreds
of jornaleros,
have a
place for
them to go?
By Matthew Schuerman Photographs by Carey Kirkella
A
community organizer named Juan Valentin walks up and down
Roosevelt Avenue in Queens on a June morning, handing out
leaflets that he carries in his leather satchel and speaking [0
groups of Latino men. "We live here. We pay rent here. We buy food
here. We are part of the community. They're saying we are vagabonds on
the street," he says. "Let's not just wait for Immigration [0 come and take
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
everybody away."
The half-dozen men around him, many wearing the baseball caps and
backpacks that mark them as day laborers, seem [0 be half listening. A cou-
ple of them tum and look across 69th Street, where a white SUV has pulled
up to another clump ofjornaleros. Work! But it's too late. A police car pulls
up to ticket the driver for stopping in the middle of the street. The jornaleros
27
across the road walk away, pretending to be doing something else. A week
earlier, police arrested as many as 12 day laborers for obstructing traffic just
a block down. Two of them have not returned to the strip since. The rumor
is that fa migra took them away.
Unaware of the drama across the street, Valentin continues: "Get to
know your fellow workers. Get their names and cell phone numbers.
When you get a job, make sure you get the name and phone number of
the boss. Get the address of the building where you are working. You will
need all that information if you don't get paid."
The crowd of men around Valentin is dispersing. Some have heard the
speech before. Others are not likely to ask the patron for his name and tele-
phone number: Most of these jornaleros are in this country illegally, and
deportation is a bigger fear than not getting paid. Few know what rights
they have. They don't know that their boss can't charge them for driving
them out to the work site, that they deserve a lunch break, that they are,
whatever their legal status, entitled to workers' compensation for on-the-
Juan Valentin, second from left, tells workers
their rights and wins them back pay, but some
are wary of anyone who t ri es to help them.
job injuries. What they do know is that their fellow day laborers, the ones
whom Valentin is saying they should get to know, are their competition.
Valentin is aware of this. "The people with experience can ask for
$100 a day, or they ask for $100 and the contractor offers $80," he says.
"Then a bunch of new people come running over shouting, ' $60, $60.
I'll do it for $60.' And the contractor says, ' Okay. Let's go.'" He adds, "In
winter I hear some workers going for $20 or $30 a day. "
But building solidarity among the jornaleros on Roosevelt Avenue is just
the start of what Valentin hopes to do. Eventually, he and the nonprofit
organization he works for, the Latin American Workers' Project, want to
create a workers' center, a kind of clearinghouse where day laborers can wait
and contractors can come to make hires in an orderly and regulated-if still
28
illegal-way. A center would get the day laborers off the streets and keep the
SUVs and vans from blocking traffic. A center could require contractors to
provide their names and numbers, and also establish a floor for the wages
that will be paid, no matter how high the supply of workers.
The Latin American Workers' Project already runs a center like this
in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, which it put together in a mere five months.
But if any place in the city needs a workers' cenrer, it is the area along
Roosevelt Avenue, probably the largest site for day laborers in the city. As
many as 300 show up each morning and stand in the shadow of the
Number 7 elevated line between 63rd and 74th meets. The Brooklyn-
Queens Expressway brings contractors from as far away as Long Island,
and jornaleros from all parts of Queens and northern Brooklyn.
They have no bathroom other than the bushes alongside the expressway.
As morning turns to day, some of the workers who have not gotten jobs
begin to drink. Women complain they get harassed when they walk by.
Workers' centers elsewhere around the country have proved to be simple,
if imperfect, solutions: places where workers can
expecr some minimal respecr for their rights, and
communities can keep their streets clear of dou-
ble-parked vans and loitering workers. Yet
Queens, New York City's capital of day labor,
doesn't have a center. Nor is it likely to anytime
soon. Elected officials, churches and communi-
ty organizations are highly aware of how the day-
labor trade affects their community, but they're
not much interested in getting involved. So far,
none has helped Valentin secure the most obvi-
ous necessity of all: a space for the cenrer itsel
And truth be told, the founder and execu-
tive director of the Latin American Workers'
Project, Oscar Paredes, likes keeping politicians
at a distance. He knows government officials
are a prime source of funds and real estate, but
he doesn't want to cozy up to them. He prefers
to have workers themselves, not politicos or
community development corporations, take
the lead in making a center happen. His six-
year-old organization carries on in the tradition
of Latin American leftist political movements,
down to its socialist-realist logo of a thick-
armed worker carrying a banner emblawned
with "P.T.LA.," the acronym for the Project's name in Spanish. His stated
aim is to educate workers about their rights, raise their consciousness and
then let them determine for themselves what they want. "We can do noth-
ing if the workers do not want to do it," Paredes says. "The workers have to
be their own leaders. We are just facilitators and coordinators. "
Paredes, a tall thin 42-year-old who wears a knit cap in the colors of
the Pan-African flag, was a construction worker in his native Ecuador
and began community organizing at the age of 13. He is intensely pro-
tective of his rurf. He openly criticizes advocates with whom he has
worked in the past and officials he will need to work with in the future.
"I don't trust anybody, " Paredes declares. If Woodside does get a work-
ers center, one thing is fairly certain: It won't happen tomorrow.
W
orkers' centers started in this country not to help laborers, but
to get immigrants off the meets of Southern California. The
first, in Costa Mesa, opened in 1988. They were the product of
desperation: aggressive law enforcement had already failed disastrously.
CITY LIMITS
Once, police from the city of Orange arrested hundreds of work-seekers
on petty charges and turned them over to border agents, only to see new
day laborers return to the same srreet the following day.
The city convened a task force, which came up with a rwo-pronged
response: pass an ordinance against hiring workers off the street, and
establish a center where contractors could ftnd the people they needed.
"As long as there is a demand for work in our city, people are going to
come here for work," says Gabe Garcia, who as the city's community ser-
vices manager oversees Orange's workers center. "We are not going to
change the labor trend. We needed to address the problems our city was
facing." California is home to a vocal anti-immigrant movement, which
loudly criticized Orange for helping illegal immigrants. Locally, howev-
er, few people objected, and the center is still in operation.
Now the city of Los Angeles alone sponsors six centers at an annual cost
of $70,000 to $150,000 each. Other publicly ftnanced sites operate across
the country, including in Houston; Denver; Silver Spring, Maryland; and,
as of last October, Freeport, Long Island. "The cities that invested in day
labor had already used all the means they thought they had," said Pablo
Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborers Organizing Nerwork.
'They already used police on horses. They already chased the workers in
helicopters. They sent in the INS twice a month. Some have gone as far as
criminalizing the act of looking for work, and all of these actions failed."
New York hasn't seen anywhere near that kind of conflict in the
streets. What it has experienced is a surge in the number of people look-
ing for work in public places. On any given morning now, as many as
8,300 men and women look for work at various shape-ups-places
where laborers congregate, waiting to be chosen for work-in the New
York metropolitan region. Polish cleaning women gather in Williams-
burg, Brooklyn; Sikhs congregate in Richmond Hill, Queens. But most
day laborers-about 95 percent-are Latino men.
Police, for the most part, leave them alone: There are no ordinances
against loitering or soliciting work on sidewalks. Bur occasionally-last
August, and again this June-laborers have reported crackdowns, with
NYPD officers arresting workers on minor charges such as obstructing
traffic. Police deny they changed tactics.
Police also made numetous arrests of day laborers in the fall of 200 1 in
Bensonhurst, workers say. In the months following 9/11, tensions in the
neighborhood were high--enough that they galvanized community lead-
ers to come up with a solution. A City Council candidate, Joanne Semi-
nara, distributed letters promising to rid the neighborhood of day laborers
by bringing in federal immigration agents. In response Paredes held a press
conference denouncing racism in the southern Brooklyn neighborhood.
Around the same time, the area's then-state senator, V mcent Genrile,
started meeting with a local religious leader, Rev. Terry Troia, and a few day
laborers to ftgure out a more constructive response. Paredes later joined
them in Troia's church basement. They decided that a workers' center
would be what Gentile called a "win-win": a way to advance laborers' rights
while making sure vans and job-seekers weren't a nuisance on the streets.
Gentile secured a piece of city-owned property at the dead end of a
street, about a mile from 18th Avenue. The Independence Community
Foundation-which came on board after the manager of Independence
Community Bank's 18th Avenue branch called seeking money for a
portable toilet for workers who waited outside-kicked in $25,000 for
operating costs. By March 2002, the Latin American Workers' Project
opened its center on a fenced-off piece of asphalt right on New York Bay.
Getting the jornaleros to move down to the waterfront wasn't as hard
as getting contractors over there, too. That is where the police became
invaluable allies. Once contractors learned they couldn't stop to pick up
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
workers without getting ticketed for double parking or parking in bus
stops, they would come down to the center. Or at least, many did.
"Some of them went to different locations," recalls Gentile. "I have to be
honest that we lost some contractors." The transition hasn't worked per-
fecdy; day laborers still show up on 18th Avenue. Bur organizers say the
roster of members keeps growing, and now tops 400.
The jornaleros get work on a ftrst-come, ftrst-served basis, and other-
"They promise you $100 or $90 a day and
then pay you only $60 or $70," laments
Jorge Hernandez, who recently moved from
Florida. "I can't do anything about it."
wise sit in a tent where they get occasional lessons in English or workers'
rights. Those who do not get work-sometimes half or more do not-are
put at the top of the list the next day, so long as they show up by 6: 15 a.m.
When SUVs pull up, no one runs into the street or haggles over
wages. Workers are paid according to a set scale: $75 for a full day's work,
more for specialists such as bricklayers or electricians. Even at those rates,
contractors are paying well below union wages, and get to hire on the
spot. But those contractors who use the center are likely to be the more
scrupulous ones, since each has to give a name, telephone number and
license plate number to the center's coordinator. Contractors planning to
rip off jornaleros can see if anyone is still standing on 18th Avenue, or,
for that matter, Roosevelt.
29
D
ay laborers are notoriously hard to organize-they move on and
off the street as they get jobs. The Latin American Workers' Pro-
ject started off along Roosevelt Avenue in April 2002, at first spo-
radically. Since May of this year, Valentin has been coming here every
day, handing out information on free health-care clinics. In mid-July, to
draw attention to the workers' situation and build solidarity on the
street, he organized a clean-up day when jornaleros picked up liner.
Some of the jornaleros have been working the street for years, others just
a few months, but almost everyone says they thought they'd find much
more work than they have. Until Valentin talks to them, they also seem to
believe devious contractors are a normal part of living illegally in this coun-
try. "I don't much like working as a jornalero," says Jorge Hernandez, who
moved to New York in March after a year picking fruit in Florida. "They
promise you $80 or $90 a day and then pay only $60 or $70. That's hap-
pened to me four times so far. I can't do anything about it. "
Day laborers do occasionally call
the police, and sometimes get
June. The church, home to a Korean congregation, had a soup kitchen
where many day laborers ate breakfast several times a week and used the
bathrooms. It had a parking lot contractors could pull into and an assem-
bly room for English classes and workshops. It was there that more than
100 day laborers gathered for the meeting last October, and smaller crowds
convened in May. But the week after Valentin held a press conference at
the church on the police crackdown in June-without checking with
church officials first-his proposal for a permanent center was rejected.
"It's just that the more people you have in the church, it wreaks havoc,"
Peter Kim, the church secretary, explains. ''There's always a higher chance
of something happening. "
The day after the rejection came, though, Valentin forged an unlike-
ly alliance with a South Asian organization in the area, Desis Rising Up
& Moving, which opened its office space to him. Soon DRUM, best
known for advocating for Arabs and Muslims harassed and deported
under post-September 11 security
measures, agreed to share its hotline for
results. But more typically, an
employer has already convinced
them that police will turn them over
to immigration authorities. Valentin
has taken up the cases of dozens of
day laborers who did not get paid,
and says he's retrieved back wages for
75 percent of them so far. Some-
times, all it takes is a phone call to
the employer; in other cases, he's
gone to small claims court.
Some laborers
people who are arrested, and to have
Spanish-speaking volunteers staff its
phones. "What's been going on in
terms of the harassment of day laborers
has been happening in our community
as well," said DRUM Director Mona-
mi Maulik. "If we bring together these
two communities here we will be able
to influence local officials more than if
we just do this separately." DRUM, the
Project and the Asian American Legal
Defense and Education Fund have
been meeting to come up with a coor-
dinated strategy to fight the arrests.
One worker he is helping is Flavio
Alvarez, 23, from Ecuador. "Two weeks
ago I went with an Indian guy and
worked from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. He did-
n't give me lunch or any food. He did-
n't pay me. When I asked him, he said
he'd pay me tomorrow but I'm never
going to see him again." To Flavio, who
immigrated this summer to join his
are skeptical.
"Me, if there are
50 people at the
center and no one
on the street, I'll
go find work on
"They understand more about this
neighborhood than I do," Valentin
says. "Maybe they can teach me."
th e street."
wife and child, a workers' center is a
natural solution. "It will make it easier to find work, and it will be safer than
gening work off the streets."
But other day laborers are wary of anybody who says he is out to help
them, Valentin included. "He's into politics," speculates one 42-year-old
jornalero who would only give his first name, LUIS. "He's doing this to
make a profit." For Luis, the day-labor market could dry up tomorrow,
and is hardly a situation worth fmding a long-term solution for. "This is
illegal and you don't know how long it is going to last. Giuliani allowed
it. Mayor Bloomberg, you don't know."
Another worker calls the center a good idea, but is doubtful it would
work. "If the contractor has to pay $80 at the center and can find some-
one on the street for $70, he'll go with someone from the street," said
Manuel Pelaez. "Me, if there are 50 people at the center and no one on
the street, I'll go find work on the street."
Meanwhile, Valentin has a whole other set of relationships to build:
with churches, nonprofit organizations, businesses, whoever can donate
some real estate along that strip for a workers center--or a location to
hold meetings and English classes should jornaleros ultimately decide
they don't want a center. Right now, he has no leads.
A major prospect, the New York Cho Dae Church, fell through in early
30
C
ompared to Bensonhurst and
Los Angeles--or Long Island,
where two workers were badly
beaten three years ago after being picked up by men posing as contrac-
tors-what Roosevelt Avenue lacks is any sense of crisis to galvanize the
community. There is little consensus that anything at all needs to be done.
"Essentially, the police say either there's very lime they can do about
it or there is no problem," says state Assemblymember Ivan Lafayette,
whose district includes the eastern and western portions of the strip.
"Roosevelt Avenue is a commercial street where people come from all
over. It's not a quiet residential street." The neighborhood is ethnically
diverse, with a large population of Latinos, which makes it all the more
tolerant of workers on the streets.
The idea of a center also remains controversial, even among leaders of
nonprofit organizations in the neighborhood. "It gets into the question
of promoting something that is technically illegal, " says Thomas J. Ryan,
executive director of the community development corporation Wood-
side on the Move. "You cannot hire someone without documentation. If
you do, you have to pay them off the books. I would not encourage any
institution to help people break the law."
Local City Councilmember Helen Sears is also skeptical of workers'
centers. "The issue is delicate because you are dealing with undocument-
ed people," she says. "That's a sticky problem, to help these people while
CITY LIMITS
also not breaking the law. At the same time, they need to have help."
Sears sponsored a January council hearing on day labor, and pledges to
organize a meeting this fall with other city, state and federal officials. She
says she has been meaning to visit the center in Bensonhurst, but has not
found time.
Paredes is now trying to build a relationship with Corona Coun-
cilmember Hiram Monseratte, who has expressed interest in the orga-
nizing effort. But Paredes' distrust of politicians has kept him from
reaching out more. Though invited, he did not attend a meeting of day
labor advocates in March with Sayu Bhojwani, the city commissioner for
immigrant affairs, nor has he contacted the state assembly members and
senators from the area. (The legislators told City Limits they were
unaware of the campaign.)
His fear, he explains, is that elected officials could appropriate the
idea of a workers' center. "The politicians are waiting for the money
to open job centers on their
own, " he says. "They are trying
to manipulate us. They don't
really want to work together. A
lot of politicians want to visit the
[Bensonhurstl center to see
it as a model for them to do
it themselves."
Paredes is equally distrustful of
other activists he has worked with
in the past. One is Rev. Terry Troia,
whose church donated the tent for
the Bay Parkway center, along with
a year's wotch of portable toilet ser-
vices. Now, Troia is a leader in a
coalition organizing El Centro de
Hospitalidad, a five-year-old space
in the Staten Island neighborhood
of Port Richmond. Home to a
wave of Mexicans and Central
Americans and next door to the
Bayonne Bridge, which brings con-
tractors from New Jersey, Port
Richmond is an ideal location for a
workers' center, and a fully func-
tioning one could begin as soon as
this all. But Paredes is adamant
that Troia has stepped into his group's business-and doesn't belong there.
"Terry Troia is not a day laborer organizer," Paredes says. "We tried to orga-
nize day laborers on Staten Island and she stopped us. She tried to create a
divisional conflict."
Troia responds that she invited the Project to visit her campaign's
headquarters, but that at no time did the Project staff suggest it should
take over. "Their staff was really helpful to us about how to organize
workers, " Troia says.
Paredes admits a very practical reason for not wanting other groups in
the day labor organizing business. Troia has built an extensive social ser-
vice agency, Project Hospitality, on Staten Island. Paredes fears that the
Latin American Workers Project-and its vision of a worker-run, day
labor agenda-is at a disadvantage in the fierce competition for funding.
"The language of these foundations, these other organizations are experts
in that," says Paredes.
The Latin American Workers' Project, which this year has a $500,000
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
budget and 10 employees, is funded primarily by the New York Foun-
dation (which also supports the Staten Island campaign), Jewish Fund
for Justice, the North Star Fund and the Robin Hood Foundation.
But funding for community organizing is scarce, and New York prob-
ably won't be able to develop a viable network of workers' centers with-
out public money, too. Sustained investment pays off, says Abel Valen-
zuela, Jr., a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles who
has studied day labor around the country and was the author of a recent
New School University study focusing on New York. Valenzuela found
that it takes up to five years before the centers fulfill their promise to
their neighbors: moving day laborers and contractors off the streets. "It
takes an initial gestation period for these centers to take hold, to get
everybody to buy into the system," he says. "It can take a while to see
street hiring disappear from the surrounding area."
Just another reason Woodside can't wait. Immigrants continue to stream
Cho Dae Church (background) declined to host a
center, so j ob seekers still throng the streets.
in from Mexico and Central America. Because construction jobs have
grown scarcer, more men are out on the street for longer periods of time.
"There are new ones every day," Valentin says. "Someone told them
back home there are jobs here. They have no idea how bad the economy
is until they get here." He insists Roosevelt needs a center quickly. "We
don't know how the police are going to respond," he says.
Day laborers won't go away, even if police or immigration authori-
ties bear down. New workers will take their places. Contractors will hire
off the street as long as they can do so cheaply. Community leaders in
Queens can wait until a workers' center becomes inevitable. Or the
Latin American Workers' Project can convince them to act first.
Matthew Schuerman is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer.
31
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CITY LIMITS
INTELLIGENCE
THE BIG IDEA
Safe Sex Ed
The feds want to stop funding
HIV prevention-and starl
tracking sex parlners.
By Kai Wright
THERE'S AN OLD WAR STORY about working as a
community organizer in the early years of the
AIDS epidemic. During a meeting in which
the u.S. Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention was showing off a new education ini-
tiative aimed at Mrican Americans, an activist
complained that none of the posters targeted
gay men. Not so, the CDC officials eagerly
pointed out--one depicted a man shadow box-
ing with a caged canary. This, they said, would
surely indicate his homosexuality.
The idea is laughable today, when you can
find HIV prevention workshops on how to
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
safely engage in anal fisting. But as we plow
into the epidemic's third decade, still facing
an estimated 40,000 new infections each
year, a dangerous confluence of scientific
fatigue and right-wing invigoration is bring-
ing public health policy to the verge of a
national dejit vu.
The Bush administration has launched an
unprecedented number of high profile audits
of community groups working with gay men,
charging them with misusing federal funds by
"promoting sexual activity." Nationwide
concern over this increased government
hostility to admittedly provocative work
exploded into alarm in April, when the CDC
announced it was changing its HIV preven-
tion funding priorities.
Traditional HIV prevention aims to educate
an entire community, instilling the value that
anyone who's sexually active or using injection
drugs is at risk, and encouraging behavior that
reduces that risk. Last year, the CDC spent
roughly $400 million on such campaigns,
directly financing community-led projects and
funneling additional funds through the states.
But the agency now says this brand of "primary
prevention" has failed.
The problem, CDC maintains, is that not
enough people know they are HIV positive. The
agency estimates that almost a quarter of a mil-
lion people are walking around unknowingly
infected; New York City epidemiologists say
25,000 of them live here. One much-discussed
study found that nine out of 10 twenty-some-
thing black gay men who are positive don't real-
ize it. So the feds want local health departments
and community groups to focus on the basics:
zero in on pools of people likely to contain a
high percentage of positives, test them, then
trace their sex and drug-use partners.
Once those positive people are identified,
groups can still sit them down for the more
traditional prevention work-ranging from
offering information on how the virus is trans-
33
INTELLIGENCE
THE BIG IDEA
34
NEW REPORTS
Twenty-one areas in the city health department's
latest Community Health Profiles have un-
cleaned Superfund sites, and all have higher-
than-average rates of diseases associated with
exposure to toxic waste. This Public Advocate
report-meant to needle Governor Pataki on
Superfund financing-breaks down what ails
each of the communities. Infant mortality rates
in Hunts Point are 25 percent higher than the city
averagej prostate cancer rates in Northeast
Bronx are 30 percent higher. The report overlooks
other potential causes of the diseases, but it's
still a compelling illustration of how poor neigh-
borhoods are plagued by poor health.
"Report on the Need for NY to Refinance the SuperlumJ"
NYC Public Advocate
www.pubadvocate.nyc.govor212-669-4743
Believe it or not, New York City's street -based
prostitutes have some complaints about their
job. This report, compiled from a 3D-person
focus group, asked sex workers to speak for
themselves about what policymakers can do to
help. They described increasing police and cus-
tomer violence, and cyclical arrests that ware-
house them for a night before dumping them
back on the street without housing and other
support services. The report suggests the city
set up shelters for prostitutes like those for vic-
tims of domestic violence, offer more substance
abuse counseling and job training and stop
police from using excessive violence.
"RevoMng DDDr"
UrtJan Justice Center
www.urtJanjustice.orgor646-602-5600
The good news is that most non-mayoral city
agencies provide benefits to their employees'
domestic partners. The bad news is that they
aren't equal to those provided to spouses, and it
takes twice as much paperwork to access them.
According to this report, the agencies that
spring for domestic partnership benefits all
offer health insurance, but only 37 percent cover
unpaid childcare leave. Eighty-seven percent
offer that benefit to employees with spouses.
"Domestic But Not Equal"
New Yorlr City Council
www.counciLnyc.ny.usor 212-788-7116
mitted to counseling in order to decrease risky paigns: young, black, gay and closeted. Epi-
behaviors. This approach works best, argues demiologists warn that HIV is galloping for-
CDC's HIV-prevention chief, Ron Janssen, ward in this population at a speed akin to that
when applied to HIV-positive people. He in southern Africa, and the CDC has floated
points to studies showing that efforts to the notion that these men may at least be con-
change risky behavior among those who are tributing to the skyrocketing rates among
negative work only about 20 to 30 percent of young straight black women as well.
the time. Meanwhile, research shows a 60-to- The primary mission of Brooklyn's People
80 percent return on work to prevent risk of Color in Crisis is to craft prevention cam-
behavior among people who have tested posi- paigns for this population. In August, it spon-
tive-people who are necessarily involved in sored a weekend's worth of black gay pride
any virus transmission. events-from a beach party to a drag ball-all
"It's very science-based," concludes Janssen, excuses to get 10,000 men in one place not
one of the plan's chief architects. just to conduct HIV tests, but also to work on
ALL OF THIS WOULD MAKE
perfect sense if HIV pre-
------------- their sense of identity
and self-worth. Year
round, the group offers
vention had ever been
solely about science, or
even public health. But
the epidemic's easiest tar-
gets are poor people of
color, and the road to
behavior change for peo-
ple in this demographic,
be they positive or nega-
tive, is a long and wind-
ing one that may not
even pass through the
testing stage.
"People think it's
programs like couples
counseling and safe sex
workshops, and every
dime of its money
comes from federal
funding-money that is
now supposed to be
used for narrowly
focused efforts to iden-
tify positive people and
link them to treatment.
the sex police,"
acknowledges
the CDC's Ron
Janssen. "But
Local health depart-
ments can choose to
ignore the CDC's new
priorities. But the fund-
ing pool for community-
led projects is now much
more restricted. For
instance, the roughly
$90 million budgeted by
"The things you have
to put in place really speak
to social services," insists
Harlem United's impas-
sioned prevention direc-
tor, Soraya Elcock. To
address risk behavior, her
clients first have to deal
that's not what is
driving this
initiative. "
with housing crises, detox
and food shortages. ''And
that's the funky dynamic, "
she says. "That's why it's hard for public health
dollars to go to it. "
Because of the epidemic's unique history,
prevention also involves wrestling with a com-
munity's political and social values as much as
its health-the disease, after all, was originally
dubbed Gay Related Immune Disorder. ''I'm
not just changing your behavior; I'm working
on a whole community," says Elcock. "I've also
got to get grandma to change the way she feels
about the gay boy who's her grandson. Because
if he's still living in shame and secret. .. he's
gonna go to the park, suck a little cock and
come home and pretend."
Elcock's character choice is not rhetorical.
He's the prototypical target for today's most
aggressive and cutting-edge prevention cam-
Congress to fund groups
doing prevention work
with people of color
directly this year is being
redirected to the new initiative. Funding sent
through local governments must also support
work in epidemiology and other essential pub-
lic health efforts.
But what troubles people like pacc direc-
tor Gary English most is the climate in which
these changes are taking place. pacc is the
latest in a series of community groups working
with gay men in large urban areas to become
ensnared in what many see as orchestrated fed-
eral harassment, led by conservative politicos
anxious to return to the days of shadow boxing
with canaries.
Last year, egged on by Indiana Republican
Rep. Mark Souder, the Department of Health
and Human Services accused a 19-year-old San
Francisco prevention program of "promoting"
CITY LIMITS
sex-in violation of rules governing the use of
CDC dollars-with workshops on topics like
having "safe and friendly relations" with
hustlers. Undeterred by vocal protests from all
over the country, HHS launched similar inves-
tigations of groups working with gay men in
Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. Then, this
June, POCC discovered CDC officials were
asking the same questions about an email
POCC sent out soliciting proposals for a work-
shop on "erotic sex."
Defenders of these programs say campaigns
targeting sexually active gay men, particularly
young ones, only work when they discuss sex in
the language and context of real life. In fact, the
CDC's own compendium of model programs
highlights such a project, one targeting young
gay men in Oregon. The participants' reported
incidence of unprotected anal sex dropped by a
quarter after a series of workshops that
included tips on making safery sexy. "You don't
get HIV from a smile," English scoffs. "You get
it from sex. It's unprotected sex, and we need to
talk to people about it. "
But the Bush administration's HHS is peo-
pled with decision makers who have long said
otherwise. In April, news broke that federal
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
grant officers were advising researchers not to
include phrases like "sex worker," "anal sex"
and "needle exchange" in their proposals. The
new Presidential Advisory Council on
HIV/AIDS is stacked with some of the nation's
strongest proponents of abstinence-only sex
education. Its chair, former Oklahoma Rep.
Tom Coburn, once argued the CDC was
engaging in criminal behavior by promoting
condom use despite what he insists is proof
that it is an ineffective way to block sexually
transmitted diseases.
"So the CDC is coming out with this whole
testing campaign," warns English, "I think
because it is being partially driven by the right
wing. The CDC wants to do something safe."
The CDC's focus on changing the behavior
of positive people and fmding their partners is
also disquieting. In 18 states, people who know
they are positive and don't disclose it to their
sex partners can be jailed-whether they're
having protected sex or not, and regardless of
whether the virus has been transmitted. And
the same Bush advisors who have challenged
cutting-edge prevention campaigns have long
called on public health officials to demand peo-
ple with HIV take greater responsibiliry for
INTELLIGENCE
THE BIG IDEA
their actions.
Concerned Women for America is among the
new CDC initiative's most vocal supporters. Joe
McIlhaney, the favored researcher of the absti-
nence-only movement, congratulated the CDC
for "being dissatisfied with the status quo."
"You hear people on the right say, This is
great, '" acknowledges the CDC's Janssen. "And
that creates great concern in the communiry."
Janssen spent the summer traveling throughout
the country, trying to convince communiry
leaders that his agenda is distinct from that of
the right-wingers they fear. "People think it's
the sex police," he sighs. "I agree that this is the
political environment that we live in. But that's
not what is driving this initiative."
But to Harlem United's Elcock, even if the
initiative is well-meaning, it still marks an
unfortunate retreat: Moving HIV from being
a problem for everyone to deal with back to
one that only diseased individuals need to
worry about. "We have done a lot of work to
make people feel we're all at risk in some way,"
Elcock insists. "If, at the end of the day, peo-
ple want to say that all prevention did in its
old paradigm was put AIDS awareness out in
the world, that was major enough."
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35
INTELLIGENCE
CITY LIT
Deconstructing The Ghetto
Racism, not geography, binds America's urban slums.
By Hakim Hasan
How East New York Became a Ghetto
By Walter Thabit
New York University Press; 291 pages; $29.95
IN 1966, NEW YORK CITY hired Walter Thabit's
consulting firm to conduct housing surveys
and develop a program for low- and moderate-
income public housing in central Brooklyn's
East New York neighborhood. The area had
just undergone a rapid decline, and to Thabit's
eyes it hadn't been accidental.
"At the start of the l%Os," he writes in
How East New York Became a Ghetto, "the pop-
ulation was 85 percent white. By the end of
1%6, the population of 100,000 was close to
80 percent black and Puerto Rican." That
white flight was accompanied by a devastating
withdrawal of economic resources.
How East New York Became a Ghetto
chillingly recounts the neighborhood's speedy
and deliberate destruction and analyzes the
efforts aimed at its revitalization. The book is a
standout among a recent crop that seeks to
answer the complicated question of how policy-
makers can improve the lives of those inhabiting
America's ghettos. And Thabit is an able repre-
sentative of a school of thought that believes the
solution can be found in the human agency-
political, civic, business and religious-of ghetto
residents, and the unique informal networks
that hold those neighborhoods together.
Thabit stresses that East New York did not
become a ghetto merely because of the increased
black presence-as implied by the so-called tip-
ping point hypothesis, which says whites will
flee a neighborhood once its black population
surpasses a small percentage of the total. He cites
Starrett City, a mammoth housing project in
Brooklyn, as a striking example of a place where
blacks, whites and Latinos are willing to live
together. To Thabit, the real "tipping point" in
East New York's destruction was the moment
when a consortium of white bankers, landlords
and real estate brokers constructed a fundamen-
tally racist system of redlining, blockbusting and
foreclosure--not to mention arson and the
wholesale abandonment of properties-in an
36
A Way Out: America's Ghettos
and the Legacy of Racism
Edited by Joshua Cohen,
Jefferson Decker and Joel Rogers
Princeton University Press; 130 pages; $19.95
effort to flip the demographics.
Banks began to systemically withdraw mort-
gage loans to East New York residents and land-
lords once blacks and Puerto Ricans moved in.
At the same time, welfare recipients began con-
centrating in the neighborhood, quickening the
area's economic demise. "Of the eighteen com-
munity districts in Brooklyn," Thabit writes,
"East New York contained the second highest
number of welfare recipients."
Close to 40 years of relentless social collapse
followed this literal corralling of poor blacks
and Puerto Ricans into East New York. Thabit
describes the New York City Board of Educa-
tion's failure to repair old schools-let alone
build new ones to meet the demands of an
exploding population of children. And he
mourns the senseless moral decline and abdica-
tion of civility-spawned from hopelessness
and a lack of economic opportunities- that
has plagued East New York, making it a haven
for homicide and crime.
But Thabit does not view East New York
with the telephoto lens too many academics and
public policy analysts wield. He has been at the
scene of a social crime, and he's chalk-marked it.
As a result, Thabit's prescriptions for where the
troubled neighborhood can go from here are not
limited to impractical theories. He points
instead to the talent and human resources preva-
lent among its citizens and leaders.
Reverend Johnny Ray Youngblood is one of
those people. The dynamic pastor of St. Paul's
Community Church has been leading commu-
nity development efforts for decades, and was a
key player in the Industrial Areas Foundation's
famed Nehemiah Plan, which built 500 afford-
able single-family homes in the area. These are the
sort of successes Thabit sees as possible when revi-
talization is community-led, and he illustrates
several that are slowly changing the troubled
neighborhood. "When we left [East New York] in
the 1970s," he explains, "less than one-third of
the housing stock was viable. Today, more than
2,500 new and rehabilitated housing units are lib-
erally sprinkled throughout the community."
Thabit holds steadfastly to the idea that poor
people deserve to live with dignity, even if in
poor neighborhoods. But How East New York
Became a Ghetto also demonstrates that he
understands that the lives of poor blacks and
Latinos cannot be romanticized. The complicity
of poor people in the destruction of their own
neighborhoods, through vandalism and neglect,
as a result of a deep-seated lack of self-respect,
also has to be acknowledged. Yet, as Thabit
reminds us, "Any basic improvement in ghetto
conditions requires that white society begin to
accept its responsibility for those conditions."
Here, one thinks of the raw political will that
came unleashed to clean up the World Trade
Center site after the tragedy of 9/11. Can that
political will be conjured and directed toward
ghettos like East New York? "Community
improvements aren't going to come about,"
Thabit concludes, "simply because community-
oriented politicians are elected. They require the
active collaboration of all the major forces for
good in the community."
WHERE THABIT is an advocate of the revitaliza-
tion of ghettos as a slow but crucial process,
Owin Fiss, a Yale Law School professor, con-
tends that ghettos are irredeemable "structures
of subordination" in his provocative essay
"What Should Be Done for Those Who Have
Been Left Behind?" published in Princeton
University Press' new collection, A WIty Out:
CITY LIMITS
Americas Ghettos and the Legacy of Racism.
"More than a sum of individual disadvan-
tages," Fiss writes, "the ghetto is a mechanism
through which we have created and main-
tained the black underclass, a group saddled
with a multitude of burdens-above all, job-
lessness and poverty-that relegates its mem-
bers to the lowest stratum in society and locks
them into it."
Fiss advances the radical assertion that the
only way to save American ghettos, where close
to six million members of the black "underclass"
(as he characterizes them) live, is to dismantle
them and relocate their residents to largely
white middle- and upper-middle-class neigh-
borhoods. "Pursuing this remedy requires pro-
viding those who are trapped in the ghetto,"
Fiss writes, "with the economic resources neces-
sary to move to better neighborhoods-black
or white-if they chose." He estimates a price
tag of $50 billion per year.
Fiss' plan (and one must resist the tempta-
tion to dismiss it as a feeble attempt at science
fiction) is modeled a&er a 1976 Supreme Court
decision in the landmark case Hills v.
Gautreaux. This decision came about as a result
of the Chicago Housing Authority's determina-
tion to provide white city council members
with the power to prevent the construction of
public housing projects in the white communi-
ties they represented. The Supreme Court ruled
that this practice was unlawful and forced
HUD to provide rent subsidies to CHA resi-
dents-subsidies that enabled them to move to
white suburban communities.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
But Fiss' integrationist fantasy is contingent
upon a goodwill that has never before existed.
The plan would first have to eradicate the same
racism that brought about ghettos like East
New York in the first place. Unlike Thabit, Fiss
does not acknowledge the revitalization of
ghettos as a possibility. Nor does he see local-
ized institutions (such as the black church) as
having any real significance in the lives of poor
blacks. And as borne out in Adrian Nicole
leBlanc's acclaimed Random Family, ghetto
residents rely upon informal networks to sur-
vive. Poor folks levy their circle of familial,
social, religious and economic ties to piece
together everything from housing to childcare.
Simply dispersing the ghetto's inhabitants into
more affluent neighborhoods breaks apart
these crucial networks-without replacing
them with real services.
Fiss writes about ghetto subordination, his-
torically and otherwise, as if the systematic
redlining of, and failure to provide essential ser-
vices to, neighborhoods where poor blacks and
other people of color reside happened coinci-
dentally. He morally pontificates, as if poor
communities' proximity to garbage dumps and
industrial waste stations was arranged by ghosts.
If ghettos are structures of subordination, who
are they subordinated to? He ignores the sort of
history Thabit painstakingly details and opts,
instead, to propose a plan that leaves us betting
on the welcoming arms and liberating presence
of whites as gleeful next-door neighbors.
J. Phillip Thompson, an associate professor
of political science at Columbia University, is
one of several essayists inA way Out who writes
a wonderful response to Fiss. "So long as white
Americans are willing to tolerate a few middle-
class blacks in their midst, they can absolve
themselves of charges of racism," Thompson
argues in his essay "Beyond Moralizing." "Try-
ing legally to force white Americans to inte-
grate against their will, in a country where they
are the voting majority, he later warns, "has
not worked and it will not work."
Thompson is getting at the larger and cru-
cial point: "structures of subordination" are not
geographic. Poor blacks and Latinos are
trapped between white largesse and America's
structural and attitudinal racism. Until we face
that brutal reality, and provide the Reverend
Youngbloods of our cities with the resources
they need to rebuild their communities, the
degradation of ghetto life will persist.
Hakim Hasan is the director of the Urban Insti-
tute at Metropolitan College of New York. He can
be reached at hhasan2@aoLcom
INTELLIGENCE
CITY LIT
NOW READ THIS
Gangs and Society:
AHemative Perspectives
Ed. by Louis Kontos, David Brotherton
and luis Banios
Columbia University Press, $24.50
From the Jets to the Bloods to the Latin Kings,
gangs have long symbolized the roughest parts of
urban America. Still, argues this collection of
essays, crime and theft are just a part of what
fuels their existence; gangs' role in communities is
far more complex. Edited by John Jay College pro-
fessors, the text tries to dispel some common
myths-{)ne essay suggests that gangs were not
instrumental to the New York drug trade in the
1990s. The final section, an impressive collection
of photojournalism documenting gangs, provides
a welcome respite from the book's academic tone.
Hispanas de Queens: Latino Panethnicity
in a New Vori( City Neighbor11ood
By Milagros Ricourt and Ruby Danta
Cornell University Press, $16.95
This ethnographic account of Latino women in
Corona, Queens, deftly illustrates the evolution of
informal networks into organized social and polit-
ical groups. Readable and well researched (much
of it is based on Ricourt's own experience as a
Dominican living in Corona), Hispanas makes the
case for the political potency of convivencia
diaria, or "daily-life interaction." The authors
document how the common language of immi-
grants from far-flung parts of Latin America
came together in pursuit of basic needs like
housing and child care.
Echoes Upon Echoes:
New Korean American Writings
Ed. by Elaine H. Kim and Laura Hyun Vi K a ~
The Asian American Writers' Wor1tshop, $19.95
This collection of poetry and short fiction dealing
with immigration and identity compiles writing
from over two dozen emerging Korean authors. The
stories and poems here stand in stark contrast to
the familiar myth ofthe American immigrant, filled
with hope and opportunity. While they don't all deal
directly with Korean identity, many share a haunt-
ing feeling of displacement.
37
INTELLIGENCE
NYC INC.
Signs of
Progress
Rolling back the awning
regulations could cost
merchants a lotto business.
By Jennifer Gerend
IT SOUNDED LIKE a classic little-guy-gets-
dumped-on-by-big-bureaucracy tearjerker:
First carne the pictures in the papers and on TV
of familiar-looking awnings advertising "beer,
cigarettes, Lotto, sandwiches, 24 hours, deliv-
ery," accompanied by the oh-so-shocking news
that such awnings are actually illegal. Then
there were the wet-eyed testimonials from mer-
chants who received fines of $2,500 this past
spring, and who insisted they didn't know
about the law.
During a ticket blitz that included $55
fines for those car-dealer license-plate frames, a
$50 ticket for feeding pigeons in the park and
a summons for a pregnant woman blocking a
stairwell, it was easy to add "illegal awning
crackdown" to the list, and the media did just
that. The papers were quick to label the law
"arcane" and the summonses "silly." ABC's
20/20 saved the story for its "Give Me a Break"
segment. As he stood before the wonderfully
dizzying signage of Times Square, John Stossel
expressed his disbelief at the stupidity of it all:
Wasn't big, flashy signage a quintessential New
York experience?
Well, yes and no. Times Square is really
more the exception than the rule. All of the
buildings in the core of Times Square are
required to have large, flashy signage as part of
a Midtown special district passed in 1990,
according to Daniella Eidelberg of the Times
Square Business Improvement District. The
intent of the regulations, according to Eidel-
berg, was to "preserve the bright lights and
signs that have made Times Square famous."
Eidelberg added, "They help create the ambi-
ence of Times Square and distinguish it from
other parts of Midtown."
In other words, Times Square is world-
renowned because it doesn't look like the rest
of the city, and for good reason: How beloved
would Times Square-like signage really be on
your block?
38
)., J
A project of the Center for an Urban Future
The truth is, the current awning regula-
tions do serve a purpose. They not only help
keep the city from becoming one big Times
Square, but they also help businesses prosper
and encourage the economic development of
the communities they serve.
If you were house-hunting for your family,
you would probably prefer a home in an area
where residents sweep the sidewalks, plant
flowers and maintain their buildings. Business
owners feel the same way. Furthermore, neat,
clean storefronts attract pedestrian traffic: In
general, when choosing which way to walk to
the subway or another local destination, peo-
ple naturally gravitate toward the route that
seems the safest and most visually pleasing.
That has certainly been true on Myrtle
Avenue in Brooklyn, where the aesthetic
improvements to the commercial strip have
led to such a boom in pedestrian traffic that
our Local Development Corporation has to
employ private sanitation workers from 6 a.m.
to 7 p.m., six days a week, to remove litter and
empty overflowing trash cans.
To be sure, the current rules are a little
strict. Under the regulations, which took
effect in 1961, when awnings were mostly
retractable and mainly used to provide shade
or cover from the rain, an awning is only
allowed to state a business name and address
in a 12-inch or smaller font. By contrast, reg-
ulations governing flat signs focus not on
their content, but on ensuring that their size,
hanging height and illumination are appro-
priate to the zoning. But taken together,
these regulations make a certain sense: They
allow merchants to say what they wish on
signs that hang fl ush against the building, but
limit what they can print on the awning that
protrudes over the sidewalk. They also pre-
vent a merchant from having both a wordy
sign and a wordy awning. And on a practical
note, do we really need an awning anyway to
tell us that a bodega sells cigarettes, Lotto
tickets and soda?
Although they got most of the attention,
the rules governing the content of a merchant's
awning are not the only place businesses got
into trouble last spring. The New York Times
reported that 494 of the 1,211 awning sum-
monses were for awnings without permits.
Most signs and awnings require permits,
which can be fIled by licensed awning or sign
companies that employ permit brokers. Many
merchants don't request these permits, how-
ever, either because the process is not clear to
them, or because they hear the law is never
enforced and would rather save the money
(often around $700).
This is one reason it's also fair to say there
was indeed a ticket "blitz." Enforcement of
awning and sign regulations over the years has
been minimal, so when Department of Build-
ings inspectors this spring began issuing tick-
ets, it felt to many like a sting operation. To be
fair, maybe the fines given out during that
period should be waived, or perhaps those
merchants should be given a grace period in
which to comply with the law, since enforce-
ment was sudden and some business owners
may not have known of the rules.
However, while some reform may be
needed, the answer is not to discard the exist-
ing regulations entirely.
To understand the reason for regulation,
you have to delve into the psychology behind
an average commercial strip. Given free rein,
many merchants will list as much on their
awnings as possible-even their entire menus.
I have spoken with merchants about this, and
many admit their tendency to be "long-
winded" on awnings. One Brooklyn merchant
acknowledged, "There needs to be a limitation
on the amount of language on awnings to
head off ridiculous amounts of information."
Why do merchants want to put so much
stuff on their awnings anyway?
I believe that many small-business owners
get pulled into an awning "arms race." One
merchant will put up a large, flashy awning
and block the view to the other more modest
signs on the block. As a result, the neighboring
CITY LIMITS
merchants feel the need to get even larger,
wordier, flashier signage to be noticed. On
Myrtle Avenue, for example, we once had a
merchant install a three-story-high awning.
Without some regulation, there would be
nothing to prevent this and more.
In addition, awning companies onen steer
merchants toward flashier signs, for their own
reasons. The mainstream media have reported
that it would cost "thousands of dollars" for a
merchant to replace his or her awning. In fact,
a simple canvas awning for a 20-foot store-
front costs more like $1,800, and lasts about
eight years - or even longer if one occasion-
ally gets it steam-cleaned. The illegal ones,
with their extensive lettering and lights, cost
much more.
On top of the race for bigger, flashier sig-
nage, many of our merchants are bombarded
by soda manufacturers and others offering
free or reduced-price awnings. This is a ploy
to get merchants to install awnings that adver-
tise a specific brand ("Sprite") instead of their
own business identity ("Bob's Corner Store").
Many merchants only see the immediate
advantage of a free awning, without even con-
sidering the long-term economic effects of
this choice. How will satisfied customers
identify the store to others, for example?
What if Bob wanted to become a chain, with
more Bob's Corner Stores? No one would
know that they were related if all they saw was
a "Sprite" awning.
From the awnings arms race to the incen-
tives from advertisers to problems with permits,
the forces against legal signage are formidable. I
don't blame merchants for being confused. But
the good news is, even under the current regu-
lations, merchants actually have many options
for creating overall fa<;:ades that are both legal
and effective. A flat sign can be hung against the
side of the building to add information, or a
transparent window decal logo can communi-
cate a business identity without blocking light
through the window. A see-through metal secu-
rity gate can allow window-shopping at night
while also warding off graffiti.
To help local merchants understand these
issues and navigate the regulations, many
BIDs and LDCs operate fa<;:ade improvement
programs that work with merchants to imple-
ment new signage. Since 1978, the city's
Department of Small Business Services has
been helping organizations in eligible areas to
implement these programs, which have dra-
matically improved the appearance of many of
our retail corridors. Landmark West, for
example, has worked with several-hundred
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
small retailers since 1997 to improve signage
in the area around 72nd Street between
Broadway and Columbus Avenue. The
MetroTech BID in Brooklyn also has a
program that has helped
many small businesses get new signage that is
legal, attractive and affordable.
Under a typical improvement pro-
gram, a designer will work with a merchant to
create a new awning or sign, a sign company
will manufacture it and acquire the permit and
the BID or LDC will give an incentive grant
for part of the cost ro encourage such improve-
ments. Such programs can do much to help
older businesses, in particular, by attracting
renewed interest, allowing them to better com-
pete with newer, trendier neighbors. (This is
Neat, attra ctive
storefronts increase
sales and can help
strengthen an entire
re.tail strip.
not to say there isn't a place for older signage.
The city is full of fabulous 1940s-era liquor
store and pharmacy signs, for example, that
could simply be repaired and cleaned.) On
Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene and Clinton
Hill, merchants who have participated in our
LDC's improvement program have
reported as much as a 50 percent increase in
sales. And better-looking stores attract more
shoppers and more new businesses, strength-
ening the whole retail strip and the surround-
ing community.
IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINTS nom merchants
and news coverage of the ticketing blitz, the
City Council quickly took up the awnings issue
this summer, and a six-month moratorium on
ticketing for illegal awnings passed on June 25
by a vote of 47 to 1. Even before the vote, the
mayor agreed to the moratorium.
So what comes next?
INTELLIGENCE
NYC INC.
Let's use these six months to have a dia-
logue about reform among the mayor's agen-
cies that deal with signage and small busi-
nesses, the City Council, the City Planning
Commission and BIDs and LDCs around the
city that operate commercial revitalization
programs. We should also include merchants
and awning companies, to ensure that the reg-
ulations are both fair and clear to those who
must comply with them.
Perhaps the rules should be relaxed just a
little. For example, I agree that a phone num-
ber would be useful on an awning, and maybe
an appropriately sized logo for the business
(not an advertiser like Lotto or a soda manu-
facturer). And while we're looking into a sig-
nage regulation and trying to develop an
enforcement system that works better, maybe
we could trim a little bit off the cost of the
permits? I know we're living in tough budget
times, but even if signage permits were signif-
icantly cheaper the city would likely take in
more revenue overall, because merchants
would much more likely to comply with the
law and apply for them. Maybe we should
also reconsider which signs and awnings
should even require a permit. Currently only
very small signs, those less than six square
feet, are exempt.
But let's not lose hope about the future for
attractive and individualized signage. City
Council Speaker Gifford Miller has said that
90 percent of our awnings are in violation of
the code, and therefore the code must be
reformed. This is the wrong motivation to
change a policy. If90 percent of our restaurants
violated the health codes, would we change the
legislation to make that standard legal?
Honestly, New York has some of the ugli-
est signage in the world. Go to London,
Berlin, Paris, Brussels or most other major
metropolitan cities and tell me othetwise.
Stateside, Boston seems to be winning the
fight. On a trip there last fall, I was surprised
to see even the likes of CVS and 7-11 con-
forming to minimalist signage code. When we
try to get national chains to participate in our
signage programs in New York, they laugh in
my face!
We can do better. Instead of simply aban-
doning the awnings code, let's develop a sys-
tem that is clear, sensible, enforceable and
helps our merchants dress for success .
Jennifer Gerend is executive director of the Myrtle
Avenue Revitalization Project Local Development
Corporation, and a member of the American
Institute of Certified Planners.
39
CITY
LIMITS
FOR PEOPLE
WHO WANT
Affordable
Housing ... Thriving
Neighborhoods ...
Successful
Schools ... A Strong
Economy ... A Clean
Environment ... An
End to Poverty
News for the people
who make
New York a beHer
place to live.
Ten times a year, CITY LIMITS
delivers the news you won't
find anywhere else, about
how your city really works.
But we don't just tell you
what's wrong. CITY LIMITS is
the only magazine that looks
at who's doing what to make
every neighborhood in New
York thrive-and what all of
our hard work will mean for
New York's future.
CITY LIMITS
YOUR ROADMAP FOR NAVIGATING
THE REAL NEW YORK.
40
LET T E R S continued on page 4
But Bell made his comments before an audi-
ence of more than 100 people. I would have
gladly supplied the names of several whom Fain
could have called. But he never asked.
Fain also understated the virulence of the
opposition to this plan rrom the Children's
Defense Fund. CDF specifically urged its mem-
bers to inundate Congress with calls opposing
the foster care flexibility plan along with other
Administration initiatives. And a March 5,
2003 press release declares that these plans,
including the foster care flexibility plan would
"dismantle Head Start, Medicaid, Housing Assis-
tance and foster care" [emphasis added]. Since I
had called CDF's opposition to Fain's anention
in the first place, I would have gladly provided
these documents to him. But he never asked.
As for the alternative proposal Fain and much
of the liberal child welfure establishment sup-
ports, even if this bill, sponsored by some vety
dedicated, very capable liberal Democrats sud-
denly passed a Republican-controlled Congress
and was signed by a Republican President, fund-
ing for foster care would still outpace prevention
funding by about five to one. And since the bill
would liberalize eligibility requirements for foster
care aid, it might actually make the current finan-
cial incentives worse. Furthermore, some of what
Fain calls "accountability measures" in the bill
actually punish states that do more to keep chil-
dren out of foster care in the first place. I would
have explained that to Fain. But he never asked.
One of the reasons we liberals have been on
a long, long losing streak is that we refuse to
consider ideas on their merits instead of based
on their source. By joining the liberal chorus
jerking its knees against this plan without even
seeing it, City Limits helps us lose one more
skirmish in the war of ideas. But more impor-
tant, you increase the likelihood of more child
abuse tragedies. You can't fix foster care by
adding a few hundred million here and there
to prevention, while still lavishing billions on
foster care. You have to change the incentives
that prompt states and localities to make foster
care a first choice instead of a last resort.
The real choices are likely to be the status
quo versus the Bush plan. What the foster-care
industrial complex and now, apparently, City
Limits, want to do is take one of those two
choices off the table. Afrer all, what could be
more important than ensuring that children
like Issa always have a "right to foster care?"
Sincerely,
Richard Wexler, Executive Director
National Coalition for Child Protection
CORRECTIONS
In "Safe and Sound" UuiyIAugust), Dr. Mary
Ann Forgey's name was misspelled. She is affili-
ated with Fordham University's Interdisciplinary
Center for Family and Child Advocacy.
"Close Company" UulylAugust) incorrectly
suggested that the Point CDC paid $50,000 in
environmental fines. While it received notices of
violations adding up to that amount, the Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection settled for
$7,500 and required the Point to plant $22,500
worth of trees. In addition, attorney Gail Such-
man has been practicingfor 23 years, not 33.
THE POLITICS OF PAINT
continued from page 21
the level of concern to lower than 10. We
should all have zero!"
In New York, key advocates of 101-A admit
that the legislation could be stronger on the
issue of blood-lead levels. "Some people think
they should be lower, and I wouldn't quibble
with them," says Matrhew Chachere, staff
attorney with the Northern Manhattan
Improvement Corporation, who helped drafr
the bill. "We were trying to figure out a policy
that is achievable and reasonable and hopefUlly
effective," he says. Advocates made a tactical
decision to focus on HPD and expanding pri-
mary prevention; legislating a lower level of
concern would mean taking on the Depart-
ment of Health as well.
Gabriel Thompson of the Pran Area Com-
munity Council, which is calling for lowering
the level of concern down to 5, says an ideal
approach would include both preventive mea-
sures and a low threshold for action. "It defi-
nitely seems weird to have a really strong HPD
program and, at the same time, have the
Department of Health telling parents that
their children aren't sufficiently poisoned. The
numbers are just wrong."
As a public health response, lowering the
level of concern can only go so far, caution
researchers. It "may not be worth the expense
to drive the [average American child's] level
below two micrograms per deciliter, where ir
stands today," says Harvard Medical School's
David Bellinger. At lower levels, he explains, it
becomes extremely difficult to test accurately
for lead poisoning.
Of course, it's also not realistic to expect
cash-starved local governments to invest in
universal lead paint cleanups. But Bellinger
thinks that targeted primary prevention is an
essential start. "Children in some neighbor-
hoods are much worse off than in others," he
observes. "Those are the areas that need tar-
geting." New York City, at the very least, is
poised to help those kids before they ever get
hurt .
CITY LIMITS
RENT
STABILIZATION
continued .from page 26
all or part of the grant amounts. Elaine Hoff-
man, a mother of two who lives on Supplemen-
tal Security Income, applied for and received all
three grants under the LMDC program. "Then
all of a sudden," she says, "we find out Social
Security wants to be reimbursed. "
That's not supposed to happen. The fed-
eral Stafford Act states that funding for recov-
ery from a national disaster is not to be
treated as income; it shouldn't affect disability
checks or welfare benefits. Yet a number of
low-income residents have reported losing or
being threatened with losing public aid after
getting rent subsidies.
The bureaucracies' confusion about the
grant program "could jeopardize their SSI pay-
ments, food stamps, public assistance and
housing, Medicaid. It's like a domino effect,"
says Phil Craft, an aide to Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney. Anyone familiar with these
programs knows how difficult they can be to
stop, start and navigate in general. "These are
people who are barely able to pay their bills
every month," Craft says. "There's just no
room for error." Maloney's office has been
working with the government agencies, with
varying levels of success.
Peterson says the LMDC has notified federal
agencies of the grant program but can't do more
to ensure poor residents get all the benefits
they're entitled to. "We're not privy to the list of
people who get benefits from different agen-
cies," she says. The city's Human Resources
Administration and Housing Authority have
both been responsive, she says, with HRA issu-
ing a mailing advising recipients of their right to
receive benefits without penalty.
Advocates working with aid recipients feel
compelled to point out that the housing
grants are originating through the federal
Community Development Block Grant pro-
gram, under which 70 percent of aid must go
to low- and moderate-income people. Follow-
ing 9/11, New York received a special appro-
priation along with a waiver allowing the
block grant dollars to be spent regardless of
beneficiaries' income levels. "Suffering isn't
determined by whether you were rich or
poor," says Peggy Earisman, interim project
director at Legal Services of New York's Man-
hattan office. "That this CDBG money is
going to assist fairly wealthy people and some-
how it's not going to benefit poor people-it's
just not equitable."
Mark WallLlce is a JreelLlnce writer based in New
York City.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
THE NEXT
AMERICAN
CITY
Introducing the new magazine on
t he future of American cit ies and suburbs.
PREMIERE ISSUE: SPRING 2003
The Future of Smart Growth
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Subscr ibe online at www.americanclty.org
Is the weight of information slowing you down?
Cut throu h the dai delu e with
Your bite-sized daily dose of urban affairs news and research.
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41
JOB AOS
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 - Beautiful eco-office
space available near Penn Station. Lots of
natural light and eco materials. Available
Immediately. All include furnishings with
extensive work surfaces, high-speed internet
access, file cabinets, shared sizable confer-
ence room, kitchen and more. Two spaces @
$510/mo each. One space (for 1 or 2 worksta-
tions) $855/mo. One glass enclosed office
with 2 large windows (for 1 or 2 workstations)
$1,085/mo. Offices can be rented together in
proximity to each other or rented separately.
One month deposit with 2 year lease
required. (3 112% annual increase.) Contact:
Lynn 212-645-9930 ext: 824, email:
Lynn@sustainabilityed.org
SPACE AVAILABLE - Beautiful sublet space
available, newly renovated, move-in condi-
tion! 3,l7l square feet on West 36th Street.
Private entry, bathroom, passenger and freight
elevator. Full-service building with on-site
super and hands-on management. Very
aggressive rent. Barry Goodman 212-372-
2243
SPACE AVAILABLE - Forming group to share
office space on Fifth Avenue at 28th Street at
cost to participants. Space will be built to our
needs, so there is flexibility from 88 to 500
square feet. Call Teresa at 212-889-1101;
email Calabrese@jps.net
SPACE AVAILABLE - One (l) furnished, car-
peted office available in Chelsea with large
window. 195 sq. ft. for $1,250. Available
immediately. Must be registered not-for-profit.
Contact Miranda Tully for an appointment at:
42
212-627-0444 or madre@madre.org
SPACE AVAILABLE - Rent a piece of Sunset
Park. Great 1800 SF office suite for non-profit.
Recently renovated with several private
offices, large waiting area, high speed Internet
access. 2417 access and security. Accessible
to all major trains and bus lines.
$3000/month. Yvette D. Wilson 718-686-
7946, Ext. 19 or yd.wilson@nhnhome.org.
SPACE AVAILABLE - SoHo Corner Office:
Secure 10' x 16' Office w/ 12' loft ceiling with-
in congenial Architectural firm. Views &
shared access to conference room, resource
' Ii.brary, kitchen & blueprint machine. Conve-
nient to subways (Canal St.), rent is
$1500/month. Contact Michele Boddewyn:
email: mboddewyn@gaynordesign.com or call
212-334-0900.
SPACE AVAILABLE - Sunny furnished private
office (250 sq. ft.) available for sublease in
SoHo loft. Large windows. Great location.
Recently renovated with architectural details.
Shared reception, cleaning service, conference
room. $1,000 Contact Christie at 212-871-
0933, chong@wpa-works.com
SPACE WANTED - Wanted Urban Develop-
ment Sites. Vacant - Improved - Brownfields.
Throughout the NYC Metro Area and New Jer-
sey. All offerings promptly considered. lee-
wood Real Estate Group. 260 Christopher
Lane, Staten Island, NY 10314. R. Randy Lee
718-983-8800.
JOB AOS
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - NY INJ based
non-profit seeks a temp (late August - early
November) administrative assistant for train-
ing program in Newark. Provide direct support
to program coordinators & manage day-ta-day
office responsibilities. Must be proficient in
Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Pub-
lisher). Competitive salary. Fax resume and
cover letter to BMWTP Sr. Program Coordinator:
973-286-2075.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - The Center for
Urban Community Services (www.cucs.org) is
seeking a full- time Administrative Assistant
for its Housing ConSUltation department. This
person is responsible for data entry, photo-
copying, and general office support in a fast-
paced environment. Requirements: HS Diplo-
ma, BA pref.; 60wpm, 2 years office experi -
ence, proficiency in MS Office. Salary:
$30,617. Benefits: compo Benefits included
$65/month in transit checks. Send resumes
and cover letters by 6/16/03 to: Melissa
Ramirez, CUCSlHousing Resource Center, 120
Wall St. 251FL, New York, NY 10005. Fax: 212-
801-3360, Email:mramirez@cucs.org. CUCS
is committed to workforce diversity. EEO
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - The Citizens
Advice Bureau (CAB) is a large, mUlti-service
non-profit 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-need populations, such as immi-
grants, children, adolescents, seniors, home-
less families and singles, individuals and
families affected by HIVIAIDS. CAB provides
excellent benefits and offers opportunities for
advancement. Resumes and cover letters
indicating position may be mailed to 2054
Morris Ave. Bronx, NY 10453, or faxed as
directed. CAB's Children, Youth and Senior
Centers Department seeks an Administrative
Assistant. The position requires a bachelor's
degree. Responsibilities include grant writing,
office management, management of contracts
and assisting department directors. Experi-
ence in management and project coordination
preferred. Fax credentials to V. Vazquez at 718-
590-5866.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Upper West
Si de daycare center seeks part-time adminis-
trative assistant. Experience with Word and
QuickBooks required; interest in young chil-
dren a plus. 2-3 days per week, $15Ihour, flex-
ible schedule. Send cover letter/resume by
email to CChess27@aol.com; by fax to 212-
665-6855 or by mail to Basic Trust, 225 West
99 Street, NY, NY 10025.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS - Man-
age the operations function of a 24 hr., 90-unit
emergency housing facility for homeless
women and children. Supervise 24 hr. crisis
intervention staff & ensure professional
response to client needs; manage collection,
preparation & analysis of client & program
information. Administer 24 hr. protocols; con-
trol inventory & distribution of client-care
items and ensure regulatory compliance. Must
have MSW or related Master's degree; mini-
mum 5 years social service experience with at
least 3 years supervisory experience and 2
years administrative residential program
experience; knowledge of office systems,
including MS Office. May be required to work
long hours & a varied schedule. Send resume,
incl udi ng salary history and requirement to
American Red Cross in Greater New York, HR
Dept. JP, 150 Amsterdam Ave., NY, NY 10023
Fax 212-875-2357; Email careers@arcgny.org
EOE M/F/DN Visit our website at
www.nyredcross.org
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - Center for New York
City Affairs, New School University. Pursue
research, reporting, analysis of social services
policy and programs in New York City. Also take
on some management responsibilities, and
assist with fundraising, development.
Required: background in urban journalism or
professional urban policy analysis, plus some
management experience. Strong writing abili-
ty and editing skills, demonstrated in pub-
lished material. Salary based on experience.
Cover letter, resume, no more than three clips
or reports (or URLs to same) to
whitea@newschool.edu or Andrew White,
Milano Graduate School, 72 Fifth Ave., 6th
Floor, NYC 10011.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, WORKFORCE DEVEL-
OPMENT DIVISION - NYC social services
agency seeks dynamic, driven, outcome-ori -
ented leader with strong management skills,
to lead $2 million workforce development
enterprise. Based in Lower East Side/ East Vil-
lage area of Manhattan, program serves dis-
advantaged adults - primarily those former-
ly homeless and in recovery - from through-
out the city. Preferred candidate wil l have
supervisory experience and experience in the
field of workforce development, as well as
strong communication and interpersonal
skills. Job Responsibilities: Reporting to the
executive director, the Associate Director of the
Workforce Development Division will be
responsible for the (management and perfor-
mance of the agency's employment programs,
including: job center 90-bed residence for for-
merly homeless men seeking employment,
food providing classes, training, job place-
ment, and case management services, ser-
vices program which provides training and
produces over 700 meals daily, support ser-
vices to program building maintenance train-
ing program, participants to help them retain
and advance their employment. Developing
and implementing a strategic business plan
that ensures maximum availability of program
participants and employment opportunities.
Taking initiative to adapt plan and activities to
address various changes in external and inter-
nal environment. On-going identification and
cultivation of funding sources, public and pri-
vate. Ensuring compliance with all applicable
contractual and regulatory obligations.
Demonstrati ng leadership and participating in
all applicable activities, as member of
agency's senior management team. Qualifica-
tions and Requirements: Demonstrated suc-
cess in a supervisory capacity, in any environ-
ment. Prior experience in workforce develop-
ment or related area, preferred. Self-starter,
able to work independently with limited super-
vision. Ability to develop and manage budgets.
Excellent oral and written communication
skills. Driven to succeed. Salary: $75,000;
attractive benefits package. Please e-mail
cover letter and resume to:
workforcedev@hotmail.com.
ASSOCIATE OFFICE MANAGER - The New
Press, a nonprofit EOE publisher, seeks highly
efficient & organized associate office manag-
er to supervise all aspects of office, including
purchase supplies & equipment, organizing
staff events, outfitting new personnel , & over-
seeing intern program. Some data entry &
receptionist work. Excellent organizational
skills required. Reports to Finance Director. Fax
letter & resume to 212-629-8617 or e-mail to
newpress@thenewpress.com. No calls,
please. Minority candidates strongly encour-
aged to apply.
ATTORNEY - Former legal-aid-attorney-
turned-solo-practitioner with too much busi-
ness seeks associate for matrimonial and
family law work, with criminal defense back-
up. Minimum 2-years litigation experience in
any field; must be able to go to court. As the
business grows, your salary grows. Perfect for
independent-thinker with good writing skills.
Fax: Grace 212-684-3008.
BILLING SUPERVISOR - Finance-Billing
Department, Full -time. Performs and demon-
CITY LIMITS
strates proficiency in all tasks required of a
medical biller and collection agent. Reconciles
daily encounters. Process electronic transmis-
sion to Medicaid. Generates the daily charge
reports. Reviews denials and reprocess for
appropriate reimbursement. Supervises billing
clerks. Provides oversight for the billing
process. Assist unit nurses in ensuring that
proper coding and demographic information is
obtained and identified on a regular basis.
Timely reports to the Director of Patient
Account on all assignments. Maintains com-
munications with billing vendors and other
outside agents as needed. High School Grad-
uate or G.E.D. Computer literate. At least 4
years of medical billing and reimbursement
experience. Certified in ICD9 &CPT4 Coding
with knowledge of medical terminology. Excel-
lent supervisory skills. Strong interpersonal
and excellent oral and written skills. Excep-
tional organizational skills.$30,000 per
annum. Send resume to HR Dept by fax: 718-
346-7183 or email: jwong@bmsfhc.org.
BUSINESS MANAGER - HELP USA, a national-
ly recognized leader in the provisions of transi-
tional housing, residential & social services,
has a pos avail in its family units. Responsible
for payroll, new hire processing and mainte-
nance of site personnel , distributing and mon-
itoring petty cash and supplies, billing to fund-
ing agencies and processing check request
and purchase requisitions. Requirements: BS
in Accounting or Business Administration &
proficiency in Windows based software
required. Experience in a similar position pre-
ferred; bilingual (EnglishlSpanish) a plus.
Salary: starts in the high $30s but is commen-
surate with experience. Send resumes to:
Catherine Shugrue, Executive Director, HELP
Haven, PO Box 641, NY, NY 10037, Fax: 212-
862-4376 or send resumes via email:
cshugrue@helpusa.org. EOE. A drug free work-
place.
CASE MANAGER - HELP USA, a nationally
recognized leader in the provision of transition-
al housing, residential and social services
seeks candidates for a Case Manager. Assist in
helping families achieve permanent housing
and self sufficiency. BA and computer literacy
required. Case management experience pre-
ferred and bilingual (EnglishlSpanish) a plus.
Salary starts in the mid $20s. Send resumes to
HELP 1, Attn: Gena Watson, 515 Blake Avenue,
Brooklyn, New York, 11207 or fax at 718-485-
5916 or email at gwatson@helpusa.org
CASE MANAGER - Not-for-profit organization
is seeking a full time case manager to work
with youth with juvenile/criminal justice histo-
ries. Must have at least a B.A. in a social sci-
ence field and at least 2 years working experi-
ence with high risk youth. Bilingual a plus. Fax
resume to Dr. Perry 212-760-0766.
CASE WORK SUPERVISOR-FRP - Provide
clinical and administrative supervision to case
management staff in a Preventive (foster care)
program in East New York, Brooklyn. Oversee
assessment and case documentation. Coordi-
nate programs and activities to meet the social
and emotional needs of at risk children and
families. Participate in case conferences,
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
home visits, as needed. Coordinate and review
service plans. Assist with inter-agency coordi-
nating of client services and activities. Men-
tors staff in standard clinical concepts, prac-
tices and procedures. Perform any other
department or agency-related duties or special
projects as directed. Masters Degree required
(MSW preferred) and prior case management
experience. Knowledge/experience with child
welfare and/or foster care systems, recovery
issues, substance abuse, public entitlements,
criminal justice, housing and related systems.
Strong communication skills and knowledge of
social work/case management practices and
procedures. Please forward your resume
and cover letter (including salary history) to
WPA, 110 Second Avenue, NY, NY 10003 or fax
to 212-353-0809 or email to
frosado@wpaonline.org.
CASE WORK SUPERVISOR-SPHH - Provide
clinical and administrative supervision to case
management staff in Sarah Powell Huntington
House (SPHH), a Tier II shelter for formerly-
incarcerated women and children. Oversee
assessment and case documentation. Coordi-
nate programs, staff and activities to meet the
social and emotional needs of residents. Par-
ticipate in case conferences. Coordinate and
review service plans. Assist with inter-agency
coordinating of client services and activities.
Mentors staff in standard clinical concepts,
practices and procedures. Perform any other
department or agency-related duties or special
projects as directed by supervisor. MSW pre-
ferred with related experience including case
management, supervision, knowledge of child
welfare, housing, substance abuse/recovery
issues, criminal justice and related systems.
Please forward your resume and cover letter
(including salary history) to WPA, 110 Second
Avenue, NY, NY 10003 or fax to 212-353-0809
or email to frosado@wpaonline.org
CERTIFIED TEACHER - Do you want to make
an impact? We are seeking excellent science
certified teachers to impact classrooms where
they are most needed. Use your skills and expe-
rience to ensure that all students in NYC's pub-
lic schools fulfill their academic potential. The
Excelsior Teacher Initiative (En) is a selective
program designed to bring outstanding teach-
ers to New York City's classrooms this fall. Ben-
efits of the program include an easy application
process, quick response, intensive paid pre-
service training, a network of support, and
opportunities to meet with principals. Apply
now at: www.excelsiorteacherinitiative.org. We
challenge you to teach in a classroom where the
potential is limitless and change is possible.
CFOIDIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION - The
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is a large, multi-
service non-profit 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-need populations, such as
immigrants, children, adolescents, seniors,
homeless families and singles, individuals
and families affected by HIV/AIDS. CAB pro-
vides excellent benefits and offers opportuni-
ties for advancement. Resumes and cover let-
ters indicating position may be mailed to 2054
Morris Ave. Bronx, NY 10453, or faxed as
directed. CAB seeks a CFOlDirector of Adminis-
tration to oversee fiscal , technology, procure-
ment and physical plant functions. Supervise
Controller, Technology Coordinator and Pro-
curement Director. Oversee development
of/adherence to fiscal systems & internal con-
trol policies, develop/monitor agency & pro-
gram budgets, and manage investments &
assets. Implement technology plan & ensure
that systems support agency work. Improve &
enforce procurement procedures, oversee bid-
ding & vendor selection process, and negotiate
vendor agreements. Establish standards for
facilities management, and oversee operations
policies & practices, including insurance,
health & safety, and compliance. CAB is a 31-
year old settlement house with 400 employees,
15 sites and a $17 million budget. Masters
degree required (MBA, MPA, MSW or JD). Strong
fiscal and supervisory experience, and excel-
lent writing and organizational skills required.
Excellent benefits, Salary negotiable. Send
resume and salary history to Karen Courtney at
fax number 718-365-0697 or e-mail
kcourtney@cabny.org. CAB is an equal oppor-
tunity /affirmative action employer.
CHIEF OF STAFF - Politically progressive
manager to run the district office of New York
City politician. Responsibilities include super-
vising scheduling, administering staff salaries
and office budget, media relations, and man-
aging relationships in communities served.
Experience in government and extensive famil-
iarity with local New York City politics essen-
tial. Outstanding candidates will demonstrate
commitment to and experience with LGBT
causes, tenants' rights, labor, women's rights,
or neighborhood activism, etc. Send
resume/cover letter to dcastald@yahoo.com.
CHILD CARE AIDE - HELP USA, a nationally
recognized leader in the provisions of transi-
tional housing, residential & social services,
has a position avail for a Child Care Aide. As
part of an interdisciplinary team, the individual
will supervise children from the ages of eight
(8) weeks through five (5) years old. Will con-
duct the initial family evaluations of child day
care needs, as well as in the development of
lesson plans & educational goals for children &
their families. Requirements: An Associate's
Degree in Early Childhood Education is a must.
Experience in working with pre-school children.
Proficiency in computers & Windows based soft-
ware is required. Bilingual skills (Spanish/Eng-
lish) is a plus. Salary: high teens to low twenties
commensurate with experience. Resumes for
this position can be sent to: Katherine Sheldon,
PO Box 641, NY, NY 10037, via fax at 212-862-
4376 or email: ksheldon@helpusa.org. EOE. A
drug free workplace.
CHILD CARE SUPERVISOR - HELP USA, a
nationally recognized leader in the provisions of
transitional housing, residential & social ser-
vices, has a pos avail for a Child Care Supervi-
sor. As part of an interdisciplinary team, you
will supervise childcare aides as well as man-
age & direct a comprehensive program of early
childhood development. This includes assess-
ment, linkage to health, educational programs
& other services for families and their children
JOBADS
who are currently residing in a shelter for sur-
vivors of domestic violence. Requirements:
BAIBS Degree in Human Services or other relat-
ed field, with Early Childhood Education degree
preferred. Candidate should have a minimum
of two (2) years supervisory experience. Excel-
lent oral communication skills necessary. An
unrestricted NYS driver's license, as well as a
proficiency in computers especially Windows
based software, are necessary. NYS certifica-
tion & bilingual skills (Spanish/English) a plus.
Salary starts in the mid $30s but is commen-
surate with experience. Resumes for this posi-
tion can be sent to: Katherine Sheldon, PO Box
641, NY, NY 10037, via fax at 212-862-4376 or
email: ksheldon@helpusa.org. EOE. A drug free
workplace.
CLINICAL CASE MANAGERISUPERVISOR
Community Follow-Up Program (CFP) Monday-
Friday (9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) Occasional
evenings and/or weekends. Assist case man-
agement teams with the most difficult cases
requiring advanced case management and
clinical skills in the are of mental health, sub-
stance abuse, MICA and short term counseling
interventions. Facilitate and participate in
intra and inter agency conferences. Provide
supportive counseling via individual and fam-
ily setting and advocacy for client and family.
Provide clinical supervision to the case man-
agement teams. Perform quality assurance
activities. Responsible for staff training and
supervision of mental health issues. Master's
degree in Social Work, Human Services or Psy-
chology. At least 2 years of case management
experience with HIVIAIDS population or with
homeless, substance users and other related
populations. At least one year supervisor expe-
rience and one year post-graduate experience
working families who have a history of sub-
stance use, mental illness, chronic homeless-
ness, and/or HIVIAIDS with some level of
supervisory experience. $45,000 per annum.
Send resume to HR Dept by fax: 748-346-7183
or email:jwong@bmsfhc.org
CLINICAL SUPERVISOR - Edwin Gould Ser-
vices for Children and Families. Professional
needed for innovative domestic violence pro-
gram, supervise staff and MSW Interns, MSW a
must + SIFI, salary $50K. Fax resume to 212-
410-4345. EOE
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER - The National
Federation of Community Development Credit
Unions, a leader in the CDFI movement, is
seeking a Communications Officer. Key duties:
managing electronic communications, writing
press releases and reports, liaison with media,
communicating with our board and members,
coordinating meetings. Key requirements:
BAlBS; 3 years f-t professional experience;
superb writing skills. See full job description at
www.cdcu.coop. No phone calls, please. EOE.
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS ASSOCIATE - The Doe
Fund, Inc., a non-profit serving the homeless
seeks Community Affairs Associate to provide
support with work training contracts. Respon-
sibilities include, but not limited to: draft bud-
gets, monitor weekly reports, coordinate meet-
ings, write community correspondence, attend
community events, maintain database. Candi-
43
JOBADS
date must have BA, experience dealing with
community based organizations, proficiency in
WordlExcel. E-mail cover letter, resume to
hr@doe.org
COMMUNITY LIAISON - Brooklyn public sec-
tor employer seeking community liaison for
dynamic, storefront office. Candidates with
strong interpersonal, writing skills for con-
stituent services, correspondence, and serve
as liaison between office, elected officials,
agencies, community organizations. Salary
commensurate with experience. Email resume,
cover letter to brooklynposition@hotmail.com.
COMMUNITY LIAISON - Liaison will closely
monitor community issues, represent Senator
at community meetings, provide assistance to
constituents, and research policies affecting
constituents. Fully bilingual Spanish, written
and spoken, is required. Strong writing/com-
munication skills a must. Salary in low $30Ks.
Fax resume: 212-928-0396.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER - HCC seeks to hire
organizer to work on various community issues
with an emphasis in working with low Income
Coops, Bilingual is preferred. (SpanishlEng-
lish). Send cover letter and resume to
hepstein@hcc-nyc.org
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER - St. Nicholas
Neighborhood Preservation Corporation seeks
a Community Organizer to work with OUT-
RAGE, a coalition of residents and organiza-
tions in East Williamsburg and Greenpoint, to
organize an effective campaign to reduce the
volume of garbage processed in our communi-
ty. He/she will help to maintain and strength-
en the existing coalition, work with coalition
members to develop and implement political
and practical strategies to achieve its goals,
and facilitate linkages with other groups work-
ing to change the City's garbage policies.
He/she will also supervise our Waste Preven-
tion and Community Garden projects. Requires
BAIBS or equivalent experience; excellent com-
munications and organizing skills, and ability
to understand complex technical material and
explain it to community residents. Knowledge
of Williamsburg/Green point community, waste
disposal and environmental justice issues a
plus. Salary commensurate with experience
and excellent benefits package. Fax resume to
Alison Cordero at 718-486-5982 or e-mail to
acordero@stnicksnpc.com.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER - The Citizens
Advice Bureau (CAB) is a large, mUlti-service
non-profit 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 spe-
cial-need populations, such as immigrants,
children, adolescents, seniors, homeless fami-
lies and singles, individuals and families
affected by HIVIAIDS. CAB provides excellent
benefits and offers opportunities for advance-
ment. Resumes and cover letters indicating
position may be mailed to 2054 Morris Ave.
Bronx, NY 10453, or faxed as directed. CAB's
Children and Youth Department seeks a Com-
munity Organizer. The position requires a
bachelor's degree. Experience in organizing
44
preferred. Responsibilities include recruitment
of parents in the community, facilitation of
committees and their work, developing cam-
paigns around school issues, and making edu-
cational information accessible to parents and
the community. Fax credentials to R. Parithivel
at 718-590-5866.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS - The Community
Collaborative to Improve District 9 Schools
(CC9) seeks Community Organizers to join a
two year-old organizing project on the cutting
edge of public school reform and community
building in the South Bronx. CC9 is organizing
parents and residents into a powerful con-
stituency for improved educational outcomes
in what has been for decades one of the lowest
performing school districts in NYC. We are cre-
ating a model for how to combine the building
of parent/community power with the building
of new relationships of accountable collabora-
tion between communities and schools. CC9 is
working with the United Federation of Teach-
ers, the new Regional Superintendent, and
local colleges to implement the CC9-developed
Platform for Educational Improvement. We are
six community-based organizations that have
played leading roles in rebuilding the South
Bronx, including ACORN, Citizens Advice
Bureau, Highbridge Community Life Center,
Mid-Bronx Senior Citizens Council , New Settle-
ment Apartments, and the Northwest Bronx
Community and Clergy Coalition. Strategic and
technical support is provided by the NYU Insti-
tute for Education and Social Policy. There are
FIVE POSITIONS available, full-time, for indi-
viduals who possess at least two years' paid or
unpaid grassroots organizing experience.
BAIBSIMSW and English/Spanish fluency
desirable. EOE. SAlARY: Mid- $20s-mid-$30s,
DOE, + benefits. See www.idealist.org, key
words "Community Collaborative to Improve
District 9" for more info. Send cover letter and
resume to: CC9, cia NYU Institute for Educa-
tion and Social Policy, 726 Broadway, 5th Floor,
New York, NY 10003. Email: iesp@nyu.edu.
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER - A Harlem based
community development organization seeks a
highly motivated team player with strong lead-
ership skills to work in our Real Estate Depart-
ment as a Construction Manager. Responsibil-
ities include overseeing and monitoring on-
site residential and commercial construction
activities undertaken by the organization to
include insuring compliance with the scope of
work, specifications, architectural drawings
and program requirements. Act as a liaison
between the organization, project architect,
contractor, and any others directly involved in
the construction process. Evaluation of the
project schedule and budget for the purpose of
maintaining targeted completion dates and
prevention of cost overruns. In-depth knowl-
edge of construction means, methods, materi-
als, and cost estimation experience for new
and renovation projects. Knowledge of applic-
able NYC Department of Buildings codes
requirements and certification process to
include historic preservation issues. Candi -
date must have a Bachelors degree in Con-
struction Management, Architecture or Engi -
neering with a minimum of seven years in con-
struction management, supervision or experi-
ence in related technical areas. Solid under-
standing of design requirements of various
governmental agencies, including NYC
Department of Housing Preservation (HPD);
NYS Department of Housing and Community
Renewal (DHCR) ; and US Department of Hous-
ing of Urban Development (HUD) are a plus. We
offer a competitive salary and excellent bene-
fits. Please send cover letter and resume to
realjobs@adcorp.org
CONTROLLER - Management position
responsible for supervision of agency account-
ing functions. Prepare and analyze statements
and financial data; maintain FundEZ system;
manage cash flow & projections; supervise
billings, cash receipts, accounts
payable/receivables and assigned staff. Coor-
dinate with other agency staff to manage joint
efforts. Perform any other agency duties as
assigned. BS in Accounting required and
strong communications skills. Computer liter-
ate and able to multi-task. Prior supervisory
experience and strong accounting/analytical
skills. Experience w/non-profit accounting pre-
ferred. Please forward resume with cover letter
(including salal)' history} to WPA, 110 Second
Avenue, NY, NY 10003 or fax to 212-353-0809
or email to frosado@Wpaonline.org.
COORDINATOR OF THE SUMMER PLAY STREET
PROGRAM FULL-TIME (SEASONAL) - New
Settlement Apartments and Community Ser-
vices seeks candidates for a full-time Coordi -
nator which provides diverse daily recreational
and arts activities for girls and boys, aged 7-
14, M-F, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in July and August.
Coordinator must have previous supervisory
experience in recreational youth programming,
strong communication skills, ability to work
outdoors in hot weather, availability in June to
plan program. College degree or experience
desirable. Rate of pay: $13-$16 per hour, DOE,
negotiable. See Inew settlement for more info.
Send letter, resume and list of 3 references to
M. Nolan, Staff Search, New Settlement Apart-
ments, 1512 Townsend Avenue, Bronx, NY
10452. Fax: 718-294-4085. EEO/AA
COORDINATOR, FAMILY REUNIFICATION PRO-
GRAM - Facilitate weekly parenting groups
for women in recovery from addiction and coor-
dinate activity-based family interaction/visita-
tion program. CASAC or MSW req. Schedule
includes 2 Saturdays/month. Fax cover letter
and resume: 212-951-7037. Mail: SPRC, 31 E.
28th St., NY, NY, 10016 Attn: Personnel.
DAY CARE DIRECTOR - The Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB) is a large, multi-service non-
profit serving the Bronx for more than 31 years.
The agency provides a broad range of individ-
ual and family services, including walk-in
assistance and counseling, services to spe-
cial-need populations, such as immigrants,
children, adolescents, seniors, homeless fami-
lies and Singles, individuals and families
affected by HIV/AIDS. CAB provides excellent
benefits and offers opportunities for advance-
ment. Resumes and cover letters indicating
position may be mailed to 2054 Morris Ave.
Bronx, NY 10453, or faxed as directed. CAB's
Community Center seeks a Day Care Director.
The position requires a master's degree in early
childhood education, with a minimum of 2
years of supervisor experience, licensed by the
NYC Board of Education, or certified by NYS
Education Department as a teacher in early
childhood education. Responsibilities include
operation of the learning center, supervision of
staff, staff training, classroom activity prepa-
ration, enrollment procedures and fiscal man-
agement. Fax credentials to R. Pettway at
718-590-5866.
DENTIST - Dental, Full -time. The staff den-
tist is responsible for overall patient care;
proper documentation in patients file. Provide
patient services with clinical competence and
caring communication. Diagnose accurately
patient's dental conditions with an eye towards
total patient health. Develop treatment plans
for quality patient care. Dentist will supervise
dental assistant in maintaining proper infec-
tion control techniques. Graduate of accredit-
ed School of Dentistry. Licensed to practice
dentistry in the State of New York. DEA certifi-
cation, BLS certification, Infection Control cer-
tification. At least two years working experi-
ence in dentistry. Work experience in communi-
ty health center setting preferred. Bilingual a
plus, salary contingent upon experience. Send
resume to HR Dept by fax: 718-346-7183 or
email :jwong@bmsfhc.org
DEPUTY DIRECTOR and TRANSITION COACHES
- The Center for Alternative Sentencing and
Employment Services, Inc. (CASES) is seeking
a Deputy Director for Youth Development and
several Transition Coaches for Community
Prep High School , a small , transitional high
school funded in part by New Visions for Pub-
lic Schools that opened in September of 2002.
The school is a collaboration among CASES,
the Department of Education's Superintendent
of Alternative Schools and Programs (AACESP) ,
and the City University of New York Office of
Academic Affairs. The School operates with
two Co-Directors: a Principal and a CASES
Director. The Deputy Director will report to the
CASES Director. Candidates must bring energy,
a vision for and expertise in engaging at-risk,
academically disenfranchised young people,
and the ability to create a vibrant school com-
munity consistent with the partnership's
vision. Candidates should be able to begin by
early summer. The mission of Community Prep
is to improve the academic and social skills of
young people recently released from prison or
jail, so that they are able to return to a four-
year high school, enroll in a GED program, or
obtain employment/employment training. All
instruction is delivered in small, supportive
environments that will facilitate improvement
in literacy and social participation. The school
challenges students to develop the skills they
need to navigate the passage to adulthood and
to translate their own experiences with the jus-
tice system into positive civic involvement.
With coaching and support from staff, stu-
dents see new possibilities, set their own aca-
demic and life skills goals and identify and
take the steps needed to meet those goals.
Students then move on to further education or
employment. Full job descriptions can be seen
at: www.cases.org. Send a cover letter, resume
and salary history to: Betsy Witten, Director,
Education Initiatives, CASES, 346 Broadway,
CITY LIMITS
3rd Floor, New York, NY 10013. No phone calls
please. CASES is an Equal Opportunity
Employer.
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE - Public interest
legal and advocacy non-profit seeks an asso-
ciate to work in its development office on all
areas of fundraising including: research, foun-
dation grant and report writing, special events,
solicitation and cultivation mailings, database
management, tracking and acknowledging
gifts, and general administrative tasks. Appli-
cants should be extremely organized, have
strong writing skills, good computer skills, and
a commitment to social justice and civil rights.
Fundraising experience a plus. Cover letter,
resume, writing sample, and salary history to
Isabel Ochoa, Director of Development, New
York lawyers for the Public Interest, 151 West
30th Street, 11th Floor, New York, New York
10001. EED.
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - Downtown non-
profit seeks self-motivated, energetic Develop-
ment Director to work with senior management
to develop, design development effort. Respon-
sibilities incl. implement first annual fund pro-
gram; build major gifts program, other
fundraising activities. Must have drive, proven
track record of success, 4+ yrs dev. expo Cover
letter/resume/salary requirements to Vera
Institute of Justice, J. Chattin, 233 Broadway,
12th FI., NYC, 10279, fax 212-941-9407, email
HR.Dept@vera.org, EOE
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - JusticeWorks
Community, Brooklyn-based social justice
agency, advocating for more humane and
effective criminal justice policies, seeks full-
time Development Director to manage all
aspects of fundraising, including but not lim-
ited to: coordinating annual mail appeals and
major gift campaigns, foundation research
and grant writing. Three years' fundraising
experience, exceptional oral and written com-
munication skills. Working knowledge of MS
Word, Excel, Access and Publisher, excellent
Internet skills. Salary commensurate with
experience. Qualified candidates should mail
a cover letter, resume and writing sample to:
Mary-Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Executive Director,
JusticeWorks Community, 1012 Eighth Avenue,
Brooklyn, New York 11215. Faxes and e-mails
accepted: 212-832-2832 or
mefitzgerald@justiceworks.org.
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER - Assist ED with
annual fundraising plan including: develop-
ment and oversight of events, donor tracking,
scheduling of meetings with board and volun-
teers, oversee production and distribution of
mailings, prepare donor listings and corre-
spondence, creative marketing/promotion to
cultivate new donors. BA, with 1-2 years of
experience in non-profit fundraising and data-
base management. Strong writing, marketing
and desktop publishing skills. Fax resume to
212-587-5731, attention: TOC or e-mail to:
Toconnor@nyawc.org
DIRECTOR - The Community Action Project is
looking for a dynamic, pro active director to
lead it. CAP is a member of the Pacific Institute
for Community Organization (PICO)Cl national
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
network of faith-based communitY organiza-
tions active in over 75 cities nationwide. The
candidate should have an associate or bac-
calaureate degree. The candidate should have
a minimum of 2 years of proven and progres-
sively responsible organizing experience
preferably in a congregation-based communi -
ty organization. The candidate should be thor-
oughly familiar with the principles and prac-
tices associated with the Congregation-Com-
munity Model of Organizing. Interested appli-
cant should send a cover letter, a CV and 3 ref-
erence letters to: CAP Search Committee 890
Flatbush Ave Brooklyn, NY 11226
DIRECTOR OF CLIENT SERVICES - HELP USA,
a nationally recognized leader in the provisions
of transitional housing, residential and social
services, has a position available for Director
of Client Services. Candidate will manage and
direct a comprehensive program of social ser-
vices for homeless families in the Bronx. Can-
didate will also provide administrative and
case management supervision to social ser-
vice staff. Will also oversee case record man-
agement, quality assurance and provide staff
training. Requirements: An MSW or related
field. Should have a min of 3 years manage-
ment exp as well as a thorough knowledge of
casework practice. Candidate should have
proven supervisory and staff development
skills. Proficiency in Windows based applica-
tions necessary. Salary: Ranges from $44K to
$58K. Resumes for this position should be for-
warded to: Ron Guy, Regional Executive Direc-
tor, 285 East 171st Street, Bronx, NY 10457,
via fax at 718-583-9085 or via email at
rguy@helpusa.org. EOE. A drug free work-
place.
DIRECTOR OF COLLABORATIVE PROGRAMS -
The International Center in New York serves
immigrants, refugees, and other non-native
English speakers. With 1,000 volunteers and
almost 2,500 students, the Center is a com-
munity and a unique learning environment for
those who need help improving their English
and adapting to life in America. The Director of
Collaborative Programs is a key position for the
Center's current and future involvement with
New York City's immigrant community. We work
with community-based organizations (CBOs)
and public schools serving immigrants to
bring our ESl program models to immigrant
communities. Our current growth efforts are
focused on developing and piloting theme-
based TESOl programs for specific immigrant
populations, e.g. immigrant parents of all
backgrounds who wish to become more
involved in their children's education. Please
see our web site for more details: www.intlcen-
ter.org Qualifications and Background needed:
Masters in an education-related field; MSW a
plus; three years experience working with
immigrants in the non-profit sector; program
development and volunteer management
experience strong plus; communication skills
associated with outreach and collaboration
required; TESOl experience strong plus; experi-
ence with school based programs strong plus;
abilitY to organize and prioritize; initiative;
energy; patience; flexibility. Programs will
determine schedule, and will include some
evenings. Salary: mid 30s-low 40s, plus full
benefits. EOE. Send cover letter and resume to
Beverly Brown Ruggia, The International Cen-
ter in New York, 50 West 23rd Street, New York,
NY 10010-5205; fax: 212-255-0177, or email
bbrown@intlcenter.org.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - The Welfare
law Center is a leading national advocacy
organization that safeguards legal rights of
the poor, supports civic participation and
grassroots organizing in low-income commu-
nities, and assures that human services pro-
grams meet low-income families' needs. The
Director of Development reports to the Execu-
tive Director, works closely with program staff,
and is responsible for expanding a $1.4M bud-
get, writing/editing grant materials, strength-
ening relationships with funders (foundations,
individuals, law firms, corporations), oversee-
ing donor cultivation and special events, mak-
ing effective use of volunteers and consul-
tants, and supervising support staff. The can-
didate should demonstrate success as a 'gen-
eralist' , experience with donor cultivation and
foundations, resourcefulness, collegiality,
commitment to social justice, familiarity with
advocacy on poverty issues, the ability to think
strategically while managing multiple pro-
jects, and superior writing, research, analyti-
cal , and communication skills. Salary,
health/family leave benefits (including domes-
tic partners), TDA, and vacation policy are
competitive with peer organizations. The Cen-
ter is committed to diversity. Send cover letter
selling yourself, resume, writing sample, and
salary history to freedman@Welfarelaw.org,
fax to 212-633-6371, or mail to Henry Freed-
man, ED, 275 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1205,
NYC 10001.
DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY
- leading Brooklyn CDC seeks FIT person to
direct all community organizing work. Respon-
sibilities: Supervise staff of 6+ organizers on
multiple campaigns. Direct aggressive Dis-
placement-Free Zone and city-wide policy
organizing to combat tenant displacement and
gentrification. Supervise anti-eviction tenant
advocacy. Oversee other organizing campaigns
and leadership development work. Some
fundraising and management. Qualifications:
five years organizing experience, project man-
agement and staff supervision and training,
passionate commitment to fighting for social
justice, Spanish a plus. Salary commensurate
w/experience. AAlEOE. letter, salary require-
ments, & resume to Brad lander, FAC, 141
Fifth Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217,
blander@fifthave.org, or fax to 718-857-4322.
Full posting at www.fifthave.org
DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
& EVALUATION - Responsibilities: Reporting
to the Executive Director, assist organization's
23 programs, various administrative depart-
ments, and Board of Directors with the contin-
ued implementation of agency-wide perfor-
mance measurement and management
process. Monitor, compile, analyze, and dis-
tribute monthly and quarterly reports submit-
ted by programs and departments. Help staff
understand performance data and apply
knowledge to service management and advo-
cacy. Oversee the implementation and utiliza-
JOBADS
tion of on-line case management software.
Assist with in-depth research of particular
issues and programs. Prepare reports and pre-
sentations for public review and discussion.
Qualifications and Requirements: Experience
with social research and/or data collection and
analysis in a nonprofit or government setting.
Highly driven individual, self-directed, capable
of working independently as well as in groups.
Proven success with implementation of new
and multi-faceted initiatives. Capacity to work
effectively in a multi-site agency that serves a
diverse client base. Ability to facilitate training
sessions and group discussionsldecision-
making with various stakeholders. Excellent
oral and written communications skills. Profi-
ciency with computers, including various
research databases, Excel , and Power Point.
Experience in homeless services a plus. Mas-
ters degree in related field preferred. Salary:
$45,000; 35 hourslweek; excellent benefits
package. Send cover letter/resume to fax: 212-
533-1893 or mail to Bowery Residents' Com-
mittee, 324 lafayette Street, NY, NY 10012.
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SERVICES - HELP USA,
a nationally recognized leader in the provisions
of transitional housing, residential and social
services, presents the following opportunity:
Director of Social Services. Supervises Team
leaders, Case Managers and Housing Specialist
in delivering a comprehensive program of social
services, which includes recruitment, assess-
ment, counseling and linkage with h e a ~ h , edu-
cation, vocational and housing programs and
services. The successful candidate will also
ensure that the programs established stabilize
the displaced families living at the facility,
maximizes the benefit of their stay in the facil-
ity, to ensure their successful and expeditious
placement in permanent housing; and to
strengthen their dependent family living skills.
Requirements: An MSW or related MS degree in
Public Administration, Psychology, or Counsel-
ing. 3-5 years minimum of supervisory/man-
agement experience. A thorough knowledge of
casework practices and strategies, proven
supervisory and staff development skills. Profi-
ciency in computers and Windows based soft-
ware. Valid US driver'S license required. Salary
starts at $44,000. Send resume to: Gena Wat-
son, Assistant Executive Director, HELP I, 515
Blake Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207, fax 718-
485-5916, email gwatson@helpusa.org. EOE. A
drug free workplace.
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SERVICES - Well-
established non-profit housing agency in
Westchester County seeks an experienced, cre-
ative administrator with excellent verbal , writ-
ten and management skills. Position requires
an MSW with a minimum of five years supervi-
sory experience in social work. We offer an
excellent salary, benefits and a supportive pro-
fessional work environment. Send resume with
cover letter to Dir. of Human Resources,
Westhab, 85 Executive Blvd, Elmsford, NY
10523. Fax 914-345-3139, Email
westhab@Cloud9.net. EOE
DIRECTOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNI-
CATIONS - Mid- sized NYC non profit seeks PR
Director. Perfect opportunity for those with
experience in re-branding. Strategic thinker
45
JOB ADS
required to establish organization's unique
positioning and effective messaging. Make an
impact on NYC social services, city and state
govt. 7-10 yrs experience. Success with NYC
media. Send resume with salary history to:
Emma Guzman, Federation of Protestant Wel-
fare Agencies, Inc.281 Park Avenue South, 3rd
Floor, New York, NY 10010 or
eguzman@fpwa.org or fax 212-533-8792
EDUCATION CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND DIS-
ABILITIES MANAGER - Cypress Hills Child
Care Corporation Head Start seeks Education
Child Development Disabilities manager to
oversee direct services for 3 to 5 year olds.
Train and supervise family daycare providers,
participate in program planning. Excellent
writing skills required, BAIBS in Early Child-
hood Education or related field. Bilingual Eng-
Iish/Spanish necessary. Head Start experience
a plus. Fax resume 718-235-0898.
EDUCATIONAL PRDGRAM DIRECTOR - Brook-
lyn non-profit seeks Program Director for Edu-
cational Center. Impart vision, oversee daily
operations, supervise staff & communicate
with funding sources (proposal writing and
reporting). Masters Degree in Education or
related field; strong management & superviso-
ry exp; 5yrs ESOL, Literacy & Pre-GED teaching
exp; committed to learner-centered philosophy.
English/Spanish or English/Chinese preferred.
Please mail, fax or e-mail cover letters. &
resumes to: Attn: HR Code: EDCntr TPIDOMI,
5220 Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11220, Fax.
718-439-3963 E-mail: bcaldald@tpdomi.org
EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST - Responsibili-
ties: Candidate will assist participants ages
17-21 in securing employment, developing
internship sites, establish an employer bank,
develop curricula, lesson plans and utilize
existing materials to conduct career readiness
workshops. Qualifications: Minimum BA. Mini-
mum 2 years of prior vocational training school
experience. Competent computer skills, strong
verbal and written communication skills are
required. Experience educating adolescent
population is essential. Bilingual
English/Spanish a plus. Salary commensurate
with experience, comprehensive benefits pack-
age. Send resume and cover letter indicating
position of interest to: Mrs. Evans, Coordinator
of Program Operations, The Mt. Hope Housing
Company, Inc. 2003-05 Walton Avenue, Bronx,
NY 10453. Fax: 718-466- 4788. No telephone
calls.
EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST - Times Square
Ink (lSI), the on-site job training program of
the Court, is seeking an Employment Special-
ist. TSI guides adults with barriers to employ-
ment into permanent jobs. To prepare partici-
pants for these positions, TSI assesses partic-
ipants' needs, offers a ten-week office ser-
vices/job-readiness training program, and
develops job opportunities. Reporting to the
Coordinator of Workforce Development, the
Employment Specialist is responsible for
preparing participants for work through job-
readiness training as. well as for placing par-
ticipants in employment that supports self-
sufficiency. Qualifications BA, excellent orga-
nizational and communication skills, knowl-
46
edge of computers and Microsoft Office
required. This position requires an aggressive,
detail-oriented self-starter who can get things
done in a high-paced environment, and who is
sensitive to working with many different types
of people. The ideal candidate will have 2 years
of experience in workforce development.
Knowledge of -ex-offender population a plus.
Salary commensurate with experience. Excel-
lent benefits. Send resume to: Employment
Specialist, Midtown Community Court, 314
West 54th Street, New York NY 10019. Email:
atolosa@courts.state.ny.us Fax: 212-586-
1144. No phone calls please. The Fund for the
City of New York is an equal opportunity
employer.
EVENING TEEN PROGRAM DIRECTOR (FUU-
TIME, YEAR-ROUND) - New Settlement
Apartments and Community Services seeks
candidates for an Evening Teen Program Direc-
tor. Directs and develops recreational and edu-
cational program, evenings & summer, for
200+ youth aged 12-20, and supervises 18
part-time staff. Salary: mid-30s-$40,000, with
comprehensive benefits. Director must have 3-
5 years' experience, including 2 years as
supervisor. B.A. or M.S.w. preferred. Spanish
bilingual a plus. Send letter, resume and list of
3 references to M. Nolan, Staff Search, New
Settlement Apartments, 1512 Townsend
Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452. Fax: 718-294-4085.
EEO/M
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - for new organization
dedicated to improving care for people with
developmental disabilities and conditions for
direct care workers. Responsibilities: Recruit-
ing board; developing work-plan & budget;
chapter-building; investigating quality &
staffing issues; developing & advancing policy
initiatives; implementing media campaigns.
Qualifications: 3+ years relevant experience,
organizational and communication skills, abil-
ity to travel. Bachelors, experience with pro-
gram development and with diverse con-
stituencies preferred. EOE. Salary depends on
experience. Fax resume and cover letter to 212-
332-9368.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Growing nonprofit
membership organization comprised of home-
less housing and service providers seeks high-
energy Executive Director. Proven ability to
build and maintain complex relationships.
Must communicate effectively on paper and in
person. Familiarity with NYC government and
issues impacting vulnerable New Yorkers. Abil-
ity to gather, analyze and convey information
rapidly and accurately. Motivated to lead a
fast-paced member driven organization within
a high demand context. Prior experience in
association management and organizational
development a plus. Send cover letter includ-
ing salary requirements and resume to: jcha-
vannes@helpusa.org or fax to: 212-444-1907
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Small, model shelter
for homeless women and children seeks com-
mitted, nurturing executive director. Near Park
Slope, Brooklyn, NY. 20-30 hour week. Send
resume to Robert Hayes, 1460 Broadway, 17th
Floor, New York, NY 10036.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - The South Broadway
Business Improvement District (BID) in Yonkers,
is seeking an Executive Director with a minimum
of seven years of relevant experience dealing
with private industry and the public sector. Our
community has a tremendous diversity of busi-
nesses and residents. The experience of our mer-
chants and business people ranges from novice
to highly skilled entrepreneur. The Executive
Director should be able to: Create and execute
plans to bring new consumers from outside our
area (as well as former 'nostalgic' residents) to
shop in our neighborhood businesses; work
directly with neighborhood businesses to
improve their business by suggesting new mar-
keting strategies, improving storefront appear-
ance, using available government programs to
their advantage and assisting them in their
dealings with municipal agencies. Prior profes-
sional work experience in one or more of the fol-
lowing areas is desirable: marketing, retail man-
agement and urban planning/architecture. The
Director will be adept at running the administra-
tive side of the BID and will enjoy working in an
atmosphere of diverse cultural backgrounds.
Fluency in EnglishlSpanish is very important.
Please send resume to: Dennis Monasebian,
Chair South Broadway District Management
Association, 487 South Broadway, Suite 205,
Yonkers, NY 10705. Fax: 914-968-2098. E-mail
to southbroadwaybid@aol.com
FAIR HOUSING COUNSELOR - Multi-Service
Non-Profit seeks professional staff to fill the
following position with requirements as listed:
Fair housing program seeks counselor in Stat-
en Island to counsel individuals with housing
problems. Also work 2 days per wk. in L& T
Mediation Court. HS Diploma required. Bi -Iin-
gual preferred. $26K. Please fax or email cover
letter and resume to the New York Urban
League at Fax: New York Urban League 212-
690-4794 or Email Address:
fstewart@nyul.org
FINANCIAL ASSOCIATEIBOOKKEEPER - The
New Press, a nonprofit publisher, seeks analyt-
ical financial associate to assume responsibil-
ity for data entry & bookkeeping (incl. AIR and
AlP; tax compliance; royalties; record-keeping);
employee. payroll & benefit admin; computer
systems; & contract admin. Reports to Finance
Dir. Fax letter & resume to 212-629-8617 or e-
mail to newpress@thenewpress.com. No calls,
please. Minority candidates strongly encour-
aged to apply.
FINANCIAL COORDINATOR - UNHP, a Bronx-
based non-profit assisting in the development
and preservation of community controlled
housing, seeks a coordinator to provide finan-
cial services including bookkeeping and
accounting, budget and update preparation.
Good communication skills required. Bache-
lor's degree preferred. Knowledge of Excel and
Quickbook Pro and ATB software helpful. Send
resume with minimum salary requirements to
UNHP, 2751 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY
10468, by fax 718-933-3624, bye-mail to
mail@unhp.org.
FISCAL ANALYST AND CONTRACT
ADMINISTRATOR - Manage accurate accu-
mulation and dissemination of financial infor-
mation in compliance with Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles (GAAP) and agency poli-
cies and procedures. Oversees and evaluate
the adequacy of the system of internal control.
Supervises accounting and payroll functions.
Supervises and oversees financial reporting,
including internal financial statements, gov-
ernment and funders reports and other
required filings. Serves as primary liaison with
external auditors. Performs special projects as
required. Qualifications: Bachelors degree in
AccountinglFinance is required. CPA is a plus.
Minimum of five years hands on non-profit
experience. Knowledge of government con-
tracts ideal; knowledge of the non-profit
accounting system Fund EZ a plus. Salary:
$50,000 to $55,000 per year. Excellent benefit
package. Send cover and resume to Human
Resources: fax 212-360-5634 or email in Word
format only fsimmons@strivenewyork.org
GRANT WRITER - My Sisters' Place, a domes-
tic violence service provider and advocacy
organization serving Westchester County,
seeks a part-time Grant Writer to: indepen-
dently draft government and private funding
proposals and reports; research funding
opportunities; work with staff to determine
funding priorities; assist with database man-
agement; and other duties as assigned. Must
have bachelor degree; excellent written and
oral communication skills; proficiency with
word processing, spreadsheet and database
programs; and ability to interact with funders
and staff; at least one year nonprofit
grantwriting experience preferred. Send
resume and cover letter (with salary require-
ments) to Associate Director of Operations, My
Sisters' Place, 2 Lyon Place, White Plains, NY
10601; psarro@mysistersplaceny.org. This is a
part-time position with flexible hours.
GRASSROOTS POLITICAL ORGANIZER - The
WFP is hiring organizers for NYC and Buffalo to
build local chapters by recruiting, training and
mobilizing volunteers, deepen involvement of
our institutional allies, and organize political
campaigns. Organizing experience preferred.
Women and people of color strongly encour-
aged to apply. Fax/email cover letter and
resume to Rachel 718- 246-3718,
rberkson@workingfamiliesparty.org
HOUSING DEVELOPER - Join a dynamic com-
munity development corporation rebuilding
neighborhoods in Orange and East Orange, NJ.
Major responsibility for developing abandoned
homes for sale to new homebuyers. Great
salary and benefits. Take charge and experi -
enced problem solvers ONLY. Must be able to
move properties, negotiate loans, work with
government officials, supervise staff and
more. Visit www.handsinc.orgfor more details.
Fax resume and specific cover letter to Hands
973-678-0014.
HOUSING PLACEMENT SPECIALIST - Bailey
House, Inc is committed to empowering people
living with HIVIAIDS, their loved ones and the
communities and agencies that serve them to
operate at their fullest potential through the
development and provision of housing and
supportive services. Description: Assist for-
merly incarcerated, homeless PWA obtaining
CITY LIMITS
appropriate housing. Provide case manage-
ment, independent living and housing place-
ment. Conduct intake screenings, develop
treatment plans, strategies, mar1let services,
develop housing service plans, outreach and
broker leases. Requirements: Bilingual Span-
ishlEnglish, BA a +, housing, HIV/AIDS experi-
ence a must. Send resume, cover hr@bailey-
house.org, Fax: 212-414-1431. Bailey House,
Inc. is an Equal Dpportunity Employer. We offer
competitive salaries along with a comprehen-
sive benefits package that includes
medical/dental insurance, life/disability insur-
ance, pension plan and five weeks vacation.
HOUSING SPECIALIST - HELP USA, a nation-
ally recognized leader in the provision of tran-
sitional housing, residential and social ser-
vices seeks candidates for a Housing Special-
ist. Assist families in securing permanent
housing. Real Estate and/or government low
income housing and lease negotiation experi-
ence preferred. Bachelor's degree preferred.
Knowledge of realtors, housing subsidy pro-
grams and computer literacy required. Valid
driver's license and bilingual skills
(EnglishlSpanish) preferred. Salary starts in
low-mid $20s. Send resumes to HELP 1, Attn:
Gena Watson, 515 Blake Avenue, Brooklyn, New
Yor1l, 11207 or fax at 718-485-5916 or email at
gwatson@helpusa.org.
HOUSING SPECIALIST FIT - The Forest Hills
Community House now has a full-time Housing
Specialist position available in the Organiz-
ingIHousing and Homelessness Prevention
Program. Wor1l with families who are at risk of
homelessness to prevent their eviction by court
intervention , entitlement assistance, and
when necessary relocation assistance.
Requirements: Knowledge of housing court and
regulations and/or entitlements. Possess good
advocacy, organizational and communication
skills. MUST be bilingual (EnglishlSpanish).
Bachelors Degree/l year experience. Willing to
do field wor1l when necessary. Full benefits.
Mail resumes to: Forest Hills Community
House, 108-25 62nd Drive, Forest Hills, NY
11375. Attn: Housing Department.
HOUSING SPECIALIST PIT - - The Forest Hills
Community House now has a part-time Hous-
ing Specialist position available in the Orga-
nizingIHousing and Homelessness Prevention
Program. Do Outreach to brokers and property
owners to develop resources for families need-
ing relocation assistance. Requirements: Good
networ1ling abilities. Excellent verbal/written
communication skills. Must be willing to do
field work. Excellent benefits. EEO. Mail
resumes to: Forest Hills Community House,
108-25 62nd Drive, Forest Hills, NY 11375.
Attn: Housing Department
JOB DEVELOPER - The Center for Employ-
ment Opportunities, an employment.and train-
ing project for adult men and women ex-
offenders, seeks a Job Developer to strengthen
placement outcomes for participants Essential
Functions: The essential functions include, but
are not limited to, the following: Develop and
maintain a targeted list of potential and cur-
rent employers. Assess and assist program
participants in the formulation of both short-
and long-term vocational plans for placement
into permanent, unsubsidized, full-time
employment. Provide follow-up services to par-
tici pants and employers. Act as the liaison
between participants and the funding sources.
Document all participants and employer con-
tact, including field visits to worksites, into a
JOBADS
computerized case systems management.
Other Duties: Performs other job-related duties
and responsibilities as may be assigned from
time to time. Minimum Qualifications: Degree;
three to five years experience as a Job Develop-
er or equivalent, saleslmar1leting experience a
plus. A network of current contacts with poten-
tial employers. English/Spanish language
skills a plus. Please email/fax resume to
pmunoz@ceowor1ls.org/212-248-4432.
JOB TRAINER/CAREER COACH - for innova-
tive, multi-service non-profit located in down-
town Jamaica. Part-time, 12 hours per week.
Experienced professional needed for training
program in job search skills and techniques.
Good management, communication, and pre-
sentation skills required. Operate successful
group supportive Job Club and provide job
seekers with one-on-one career development
counseling and technical assistance. Fax
resume to 718-297-0841.
MANAGER - FIT Non Traditional Program
for/by People with Disabilities in North Bronx
seeks Manager BAIMA Supervisory nonprofit
Administrative experience to assist in staff
PROFESSIONALDIRECTORY
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: (914) 395-0871
FEEL UKE YOUR CAREER IS GOLNG OWHERE'?
Call: 718-840 1
Penny Polakoff
Prole.lonal ea,..,. Coo lat
Put you! C8t'BBf bade on illaclU
it UPDATE YOUR RESUME
it CHANGE CAREERS
it REASONAIBLE RATES
EYBn ng sndSundsys Hou ... Available
Advertise in this space!
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
212.721.9764
.JREICH 2 @EARTHLINK.NET
WWW. CREATIVEHOTLlST.COM/ .J REICH
ADS, ANNUAL REPORTS, BOOK DESIGN, BROCHURES, CATALOGS,
COLLATERAL, CORPORATE IDENTITY. MEDIA KITS , & MORE
Nicole Lisa
Spanish to English Translation
Copyediting Proofreading
Specializing in Non-Profit Language,
Human Rights, Women's Rights,
Development, and Law
nlisa@auroralanguage.com . 917-385-0267 www.auroralanguage.com
OFFICE SPACE PROBLEMS?
IIaI.W
CS1
CSI CONSULTANT-S INC.
(845) 566-1267
Expert Real Estate Services - once
available only to major corporations and
institutions -
Now offered to NYC's Non-Profits ..
at no out-of-pocket cost,
or at speclaUy reduced rates.
Visit our web site: www.npspace.com
Call for a free, no-obligation consultation.
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47
JOB ADS
development with strong computer skills. Must
be organized, detail oriented, meet deadlines,
good communicator, and a team player. Fax
resume and cover letter 718-515-2844
MANAGER, GOVERNMENTAL GRANTS AND
COMMUNITY - The Manager, Governmental
Grants and Community Relations will assist in
project/program design and secure capital and
operating funding from all levels of govern-
ment. S\he will conduct research and prepare
proposals for governmental grants and con-
tracts for capital, social and support services,
and operating funds for new and existing pro-
grams and projects. The Manager will also
coordinate competitive renewal contract pro-
posal applications. The Manager will also rep-
resent Common Ground in discussions with
elected officials, government agencies, com-
munity boards, community organizations, not-
for-profit service providers, and other partners,
including the Supportive Housing Network of
New York and the Corporation for Supportive
Housing. S\he perform other duties as
assigned. Cover letter with salary requirements
and resume to CGC HR/JF, 505 Eighth Avenue,
15th Floor, New York, New York 10018. Facsim-
ile 212-389-9313.
MARKETING & SALES MANAGER - The New
Press, a nonprofit EOE publisher seeks experi-
enced, organized sales & marketing profes-
sional to manage marketing department &
oversee trade, academic and special sales.
Responsible for marketing plans & budget,
sales analysis, & all marketing programs, incl.
trade shows, conferences, & trade distributors.
Excellent oral & written communication skills
required. Reports to Publisher. Fax letter &
resume to 212-629-8617 or e-mail to new-
press@thenewpress.com. No calls, please.
Minority candidates strongly encouraged to
apply.
MEMBERSHIP ORGANIZER - The New York
City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA), a
grassroots network, seeks experienced organiz-
er to assist community groups to develop
effective environmental justice (EJ) advocacy
agendas at the community and larger levels
and to get them involved in citywide coalition
activities. Our long-term goal is to develop a
democratic, community-based, citywide EJ
movement. 2+ years of organizing experience
are required, preferably among low-income
people of color; Spanish a big plus. Excellent
spoken and written communication skills and
strong familiarity with NYC are also pluses.
$45,000-52,000 to start plus full family med-
ical/dental/vision. Resumes & cover letters:
dave@nyceja.org, or fax: 212-239-2838 or
mail: MembershipOrganizer. NYCEJA. 115 W
30 St #709, NY, NY 10001.
NURSE PRACTITIONER - Brooklyn's Women's
Shelter, Full-time. Provides quality adult health
care examination including pelvic exams, and
pap smears. Provides ongoing and episodic
care including first aid. Oversight, coordination
of care, and liaison, on behalf of clients, with
the medical review team/program referral unit,
hospital inpatient unit staff, VNS, Dialysis cen-
ters, DOHMH, Division of TB Control and Med-
ical Director & staff. Completes requisition
48
forms for placement in alternate facilities.
Facilitate referral mechanism for primary and
specialty health care, as appropriate. HIV pre
and post-test counseling and testing. Respon-
sible for implementing a system of medication
administration or supervised self-administra-
tion. Participates in on-call schedule for the
requirements of BMS @ Brooklyn Women's
Shelter. licensed to practice as a Family Nurse
Practitioner in New York State. Minimum of two
years clinical experience as a Nurse Practition-
er. BLS certified. Bilingual a plus. $70,000 per
annum. Send resume to HR Dept by fax: 718-
346-7183 or email:jwong@bmsfhc.org.
OFFICE MANAGER - Manage daily operation
of Learning Center with an array of needs. Pro-
vide clerical support to faculty and staff. Excel-
lent computer skills. Supervise workstudy stu-
dents. Coordinate tutoring program registra-
tion. Multi-tasker who is willing to dig in and
get hands dirty, moving desks, unclogging toi-
lets, cleaning refrigerator. Friendly with good
communication skills. Hours Ipm-9pm
$30,000 excellent benefits. Resume and cover
letter to Charlotte Marchant, fax 718-246-
6499 or email cmarchan@liu.edu
OFFICE MANAGER - UHAB, a growing non-
profit cooperative housing organization seeks a
highly-organized, computer-savvy person who
is excited by the challenge of making our office
run smoothly, and ensuring the accuracy and
accessibility of essential data and supplies.
Job involves a great deal of interaction with
UHAB staff, board, and members. Fluency in
Spanish is highly desirable. Complete job
description listed on our web site:
www.uhab.org. Send letter and resumes to:
jobs@uhab.org
PORTFOLIO ASSOCIATE - Youth Development
Fund, The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation seeks a
Portfolio Associate. Reporting on a project-
related basis to Portfolio Managers and the
Director of Finance and Administration and
working with a team of other foundation staff,
the Portfolio Associate will help to develop a
portfolio of investments in youth-serving orga-
nizations that result in increases in the posi-
tive opportunities for low-income youth within
urban communities, primarily along the East-
ern seaboard. The Portfolio Associate will be
responsible for helping to conduct due dili-
gence research on potential organizations,
drafting investment recommendations, assist-
ing in business planning, and supporting staff
in the management of selected grantee organi-
zations. Requirements: Private and public sec-
tor experience and particular strengths in non-
profit organizational development. Knowledge
of youth development is also important. Under-
graduate degree in business, public adminis-
tration, or a related field, with experience in
financial analysis and the uses of computer
technology; abil ity to work independently, yet
within a team context; strong written and oral
communication skills. Salary commensurate
with background and experience, ranging from
high $40's to low $50's with comprehensive
benefits package. To apply: Please mail, fax, or
e-mail a resume with a cover letter to Portfolio
Associate Search, The Edna McConnell Clark
Foundation, 250 Park Avenue, New York, NY
10177-0026; fax 212-986-4558 email
pasearch@emcf.org. No calls please.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR (Adolescent Devel-
opment Program) - The Citizens Advice
Bureau (CAB) is a large, multi-service non-
profit serving the Bronx for more than 31 years.
The agency provides a broad range of individ-
ual and family services, including walk-in
assistance and counseling, services to spe-
cial-need populations, such as immigrants,
children, adolescents, seniors, homeless fami-
lies and singles, individuals and families
affected by HIVIAIDS. CAB provides excellent
benefits and offers opportunities for advance-
ment. Resumes and cover letters indicating
position may be mailed to 2054 Morris Ave.
Bronx, NY 10453, or faxed as directed. The Ado-
lescent Development Program seeks a Program
Coordinator. Responsibilities include direct
oversight of teen after-school programs and
working closely with youth. The position
requires a BA in a related field and experience
working with teens. Fax credentials to J. Gold-
smith at 718-590-5866. CAB is an equal
opportunity /affirmative action employer.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR (Safe Passage Pro-
gram) - The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) is
a large, mUlti-service non-profit serving the
Bronx for more than 31 years. The agency pro-
vides a broad range of individual and family
services, including walk-in assistance and
counseling, services to special-need popula-
tions, such as immigrants, children, adoles-
cents, seniors, homeless families and singles,
individuals and families affected by HIVIAIDS.
CAB provides excellent benefits and offers
opportunities for advancement. Resumes and
cover letters indicating position may be mailed
to 2054 Morris Ave. Bronx, NY 10453, or faxed
as directed. The Safe Passage Program seeks
a Program Coordinator. The position requires a
BA in a related field and experience working
with youth. Responsibilities include supervis-
ing staff, overseeing day-to-day operations of
the program, and working closely with teens.
Fax credentials to J. Goldsmith at 718-590-
5866.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR - Not-for-profit
primary healthcare organization seeks a Pro-
gram Coordinator to work with statewide Area
Health Education Center (AHEC) program. Job
includes establishing Manhattan center, and
placement of health professional students in
community-based learning environments.
Bachelors degree required, Masters preferred.
Strong oral & written communication skills,
and strong organizational & management
skills required. Minimum of three years experi-
ence working in a health profession or in an
educational setting. Send resume with cover
letter stating minimum salary required to:
Shoumya Roy-Choudhury, Institute for Urban
Family Health, 16 East 16th Street, New York,
NY 10003. Fax: 212-989-6170, Email :
hresource@institute2000.org
PROGRAM COORDINATOR - NYINl based non-
profit seeks program coordinator for successful
minority environmental/construction job training
program in Newark. Motivated individual need-
ed to manage support staff and program opera-
tions, including: curriculum and life skills devel-
opment, crisis intervention, job development, on-
going mentoring and placement. Must work well
with diverse communities. Good supervisory,
decision-making, written communication, inter-
personal , organization and computer skills a
must. A background in construction and/or
Spanish bilingual a+. Competitive salary
w/good benefits. Fax resume and cover to
BMWTP Sr. Program Coordinator: 973-286-2075.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR - Multi-Service Non-
Profit seeks professional staff to fill the follow-
ing position with requirements as listed: Pre-
ventive service program seeks MSW to direct
ACS funded program in Harlem. Successful
candidate must be an effective administrator
with 5-7 exp as supervisor. $50K. Please fax or
email cover letter and resume to the New York
Urban League at: Fax: New York Urban League
212- 690-4794 or Email Address:
fstewart@nyul.org
PROJECT COORDINATOR - Community-based
organization developing a $10 million, multi-
service Community Center. Ideal candidate is a
highly motivated self- starter, a creative
thinker with good problem solving skills who
has experience in community development,
affordable housing or urban planning. Working
with an experienced team, responsibilities will
include identifying/exploring program opportu-
nities, analyzing development/operating plans,
strategic planning and coordinating the pre-
development process. Highly competitive
salary and benefits. Resume! cover letter:
SRCO, 1720 Metropolitan Ave. , Bronx, NY
10462, fax 718-824-0532
PROJECT DIRECTOR - Nonprofit org. seeks
Project Director to lead team on school safety
issues and provide assistance to NYC educa-
tors and law enforcement officials. Duties:
fundraise, manage government relationships,
develop new work. Advanced degree, 5yrs min
urban youth exp, 2yrs min supervisory exp,
managerial, writing and public speaking skills.
Letterlresume to Coordinator, Demonstration
Programs, Vera Institute of Justice, 233 Broad-
way, 12th fl., NY, NY 10279 Fax 212-941-9407
Email tsgobba@vera.org. EOE
PROJECT MANAGER - Bridge Street Develop-
ment Corporation is seeking a Project Manag-
er. Responsibilities: Managing the construction
process, including oversight of architects and
contractors, and supervision of the relocation
process. Qualifications: BS/BA plus two or
more years experience managing complex pro-
jects that involve multiple partners. Fax cover
letter and resume to: 718-573.6874 or e-mail:
cgillpierre@bsdc.org. Salary commensurate
with experience.
PROJECT MANAGER - For community based
not for profit housing corporation to coordinate
development and construction of affordable
housing. Experience working and negotiating
with architects, contractors and government
agencies. 3 years experience and BA required.
35K - 40K plus benefits. Please send resume and
cover letter to: R. Visnauskas, CHDC, 403 West
40th Street, NY, NY 10018 or fax 212-967-1649.
CITY LIMITS
PSYCHIATRIC NURSE - Brooklyn's Women's
Shelter, Full-time. Coordinates with social ser-
vices staff to identify clients who are in imme-
diate need of psychiatric screening evaluation
or care. Coordinates the client's psychiatric
care with medical clinic and shelter staff, as
well as outside providers. Completes psychi-
atric screening evaluation, psycho-social sum-
mary, or other documents needed to facilitate
transfer, and if indicated, referrals to outside
programs or psychiatric clinics; additionally,
for general and program shelter clients.
Assists with obtaining the client's permission,
information from corroborative sources. liai-
son with hospital social workers, MRTIPRU as
necessary. Implement system of medication
administration or supervised self-administra-
tion. Provide crisis intervention and/or counsel-
ing to diffuse conflicts among clients. Partici-
pates in monthly case conferences with Shelter
staff. Coordinates emergency responses. Reg-
istered Nurse licensed to practice in the State
of New York. Minimum of five years clinical
experience in psychiatric unit. BClS or BlS cer-
tified. Bilingual a plus. $60,000 per annum.
Send resume to HR Dept by fax: 718-346-7183
or email: jwong@bmsfhc.org.
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST - HELP
USA, a nationally recognized leader in the pro-
visions of transitional housing, residential and
social services, presents the following opportu-
nity: - Public Assistance Specialist - Assist res-
idents in obtaining public assistance benefits.
Work as a liaison between the residents and
the agencies that provide income support ser-
vices. Requirements: Bachelor's degree.
Knowledge of income support programs
including TANF, SSI , Food Stamps, etc. Profi-
ciency in computers and Windows based soft-
ware necessary. Valid US drivers license
required. Send resume to: Gena Watson, Assis-
tant Executive Director, HELP I, 515 Blake
Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207, fax 718-485-
5916, email gwatson@helpusa.org. EOE. A
drug free workplace.
PUBLIC EDUCATION COORDINATOR, ONE YEAR
POSITION - Working with Project Director,
develops and manages public education: cre-
ating national publications; developing legal
docket on drug policy issues; writing talking
points, editorials, op-eds, materials for web-
site; assisting with fundraising efforts; recruit-
ing and supervising undergraduate interns;
assisting with press-related work; participat-
ing in conferences and youth events. Under-
graduate degree; strong computer skills: Win-
dows, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, lexis-
Nexis; excellent organizational skills; ability to
multi-task. Send resume and cover letter to
Public Education Coordinator Position/AClU,
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY
10004 or fax to 212-549-2657.
PUBLICITY INTERN - The New Press, a non-
profit publisher, seeks publicity intern to pre-
pare press materials & track media coverage.
Will receive weekly stipend & hands-on experi-
ence. working with terrific authors & books.
Commitment, communication skills, & energy
required. Fax letter & resume to 212-629-8617
or e-mail tonewpress@thenewpress.com.No
calls, please. Minority candidates strongly
encouraged to apply.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003
RECREATION SPECIALIST - For community
based not-for- profit housing organization,
develop and conduct activities, design empow-
erment programs, link with community activi-
ties. Experience with diverse populations. Cre-
ative and organized, Spanish a plus. $22K-
$25K plus benefits. Resume to Orchid Cruz,
CHDC, 403 West 40th Street., NYC, 100018.
Fax: 212-967-1649
RN'S - Edwin Gould Services, a large family
services agency seeks RN's for adolescent
girls' group homes in Brooklyn and Manhattan
and for OMRDD supported group homes in the
Bronx. Mon-Fri. No weekends. Com petitive
salary and comprehensive benefits package.
Send resume w/salary requirements to
chasty@egsc.org or fax to 212-677-1799.
SENIOR SOCIAL WORKER - Responsibilities:
Candidate must be experienced in inter-team
coordination and decision-making, possess
excellent supervisory and administrative skills,
knowledgeable in program management and
service delivery within a community based set-
ting. Proven capacity to work with adolescent,
grade school youth and their families. A solid
clinical background is essential for individual
and group modalities. Qualifications: MSW +2
years post masters experience, strong verbal
and written communication skills. Competent
computer skills. Bilingual Spanish/English a
plus. Salary $40,000+ commensurate with
experience. Comprehensive benefits package.
Send resume and cover letter indicating position
of interest to: Mrs. Evans, Coordinator of Pro-
gram Operations, The MI. Hope Housing Compa-
ny, Inc. 2003-05 Walton Avenue, Bronx, NY
10453. Fax: 718-466-4788. No telephone calls.
SOCIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVES PROGRAM COOR-
DlNATDR - Columbia Law School has created
a new department to develop and implement
projects that will further Columbia's excellence
in preparing the public interest and human
rights lawyers of the future and advance Colum-
bia's participation in capacity building projects
in the U.S. and abroad regarding legal educa-
tion, civil society and democratic governmental
institutions. At first, the department will consist
of the Dean for Social Justice Initiatives and a
Program Coordinator, who would provide admin-
istrative and programmatic support to her. The
Program Coordinator also will playa major role
in preparing and presenting conferences and
other programs on substantive public interest
and human rights topics. She also will be
responsible for designing and maintaining the
office's Internet products. Supervision of student
employees, who staff the office on a part-time
basis, and employees who are retained for spe-
cific programs or events will also be necessary.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be able
to demonstrate interest and participation in
public interest and human rights issues as well
as program management and strategic plan-
ning. Excellent oral and written communication
skills in English and Spanish also are required.
Proficiency in additional languages would be a
plus. Must have strong interpersonal, adminis-
trative and organizational skills as well as a
bachelor's degree plus 2 years of experience, or
equivalent combination of education and expe-
rience. Must be extremely detail-oriented, able
to function independently and exercise discre-
tion and judgment in sensitive and potentially
controversial matters. Excellent computer skills,
Internet research, desktop publishing programs,
word processing and database management is
required. Ability to initiate work and follow-
through with minimal supervision as well as
work under pressure, adapt to changing priori-
ties and balance competing assignments is
necessary. Evenings and some weekend work
are required. A sense of humor is a must. Per-
sons of color are strongly encouraged to apply.
Salary and Benefits: Salary depends on experi-
ence. There are good benefits including heath
insurance, vacations and tuition credits. Inter-
ested persons should send a cover letter
describing their reasons for seeking this job and
salary requirements, a resume and a brief writ-
ing sample (does not have to be legal) to: Direc-
tor of Human Resources, Columbia Law School ,
435 W. 116th Street, New York, NY 10024, FAX:
212-854-7946. No e-mail applications will be
accepted. Applications will be reviewed on a
rolling basis until an applicant is selected.
Columbia University is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
SOCIAL WORK (MSW Mandatory) - Creative,
compassionate, smart MSW to help legal team
represent clients in court. Address counseling,
treatment, referral needs that brought clients
into criminal justice system. Excellent writing
skills. Bi-lingual (English/Spanish) a must.
Benefits. Contact Denise, fax 718-665-0100.
SOCIAL WORK CLINICIAN - HELP USA, a
nationally recognized leader in the provision of
transitional housing, residential and social
services seeks candidates for a Social Work
Clinician. A challenging opportunity for a cre-
ative and dedicated professional to grow
through hands-on practice through therapeu-
tic groups and counseling individuals. MSW
and computer literacy required. New graduates
are encouraged to apply. Bilingual
(English/Spanish) a plus. Salary starts in the
low $30s. Send resumes to HELP 1, Attn: Gena
Watson, 515 Blake Avenue, Brooklyn, New York,
11207 or fax at 718-485-5916 or email at
gwatson@helpusa.org
SOCIAl. WORK SUPERVISOR - Work in a
rewarding, fast-paced, community clinic set-
ting! Respected Early Intervention service
provider seeks experienced CSW for a supervi-
sory position. Responsibilities include manag-
ing a multidisciplinary team in the assessment
of the needs of developmentally delayed chil-
dren, supervising the service
coordination/case management staff, and
some direct service. Fully bilingual in Eng-
IishlSpanish mandatory. Must have knowledge
of early childhood development. Experience
supervising a multidisciplinary team, a plus.
Position is integrated into an extended com-
munity social service network through luther-
an Medical Center's Community Programs divi-
sion. Wonderful career opportunity with poten-
tial for growth. Excellent benefits package.
Send resumes to fax 718-439-0549.
SOCIAL WORKER - Experienced Social Work-
er for HIV Advocacy Project. Coordinate out-
reach efforts, direct social service needs
assessment, counseling and referral program.
JOBADS
Conduct needs assessments, develop service
plans, provide short-term individual or family
counseling and referrals for long-term coun-
seling and related services. Work with staff to
develop outreach material, and on court cases.
Establish and maintain contact with neighbor-
hood-based organizations, participate in bor-
ough-wide outreach and represent the Project
at meetings. Coordinate community education
workshop and training program as well as its
advisory board. Minimum requirements: Famil-
iarity with HIV/AIDS-related issues, including
permanency planning and confidentiality
issues, and experience working with people
infected with and affected by HIVIAIDS. M.SW.
preferred. Fluency in Spanish highly desirable.
Salary: Depending on education and experi-
ence. Excellent benefits. To apply, send
resume/recent writing sample: CarlO. Callen-
der, Esq. Executive Director Queens Legal Ser-
vices Corporation 89-00 Sutphin Boulevard
Jamaica, New York 11435
SOCIAL WORKER - Social Worker for Child
Welfare Preventive Services. Bi-lingual Social
Worker (Spanish/English) to provide services to
individuals/families in the preventive services
program. Responsibilities include case man-
agement, counseling, advocacy and crisis
intervention. Requirements: MSW (preferable)
or BSW plus I-year experience in child welfare
setting. Salary commensurate with experience.
For QUEENS position submit resume Attn:
Gianna G. layne, Queens Program Director,
lower East Side Family Union, Queens Preven-
tive Service Office, 108-36 Queens Blvd. Ste.
#204, Forest Hills, NY 11375 or email:
glayne@lesfu.org or Fax: 718-575-5515. For
Manhattan position submit resume to Attn:
Administration, Lower East Side Family Union,
84 Stanton Street, NY NY 10002, or email
info@lesfu.org or fax: 212-529-3244
SOCIAL WORKERISUPERVISOR - The staff
member will be responsible for providing
intake assessment and individual/family
counseling in Government benefits such as:
food stamp, SSI, Senior MedicaidIMedicare,
WTC Disaster and post-traumatic counseling.
Staff member should be a motivated individual
committed to assist disadvantaged immigrant
communities become self-empowered. All
career opportunities are posted on our website
at www.aafe.org.
STAFF ASSOCIATE - Citizens Committee for
Children of New York (CCC) is seeking a candi-
date for a part-time position of Staff Associate
for YouthAction. The position requires a mini-
mum of three years direct work with adoles-
cents, group work experience and a Bachelor's
degree. Knowledge of government operations,
public policy, advocacy and civic engagement
strategies is also required. The Staff Associate
will be responsible for planning and directing
an experiential learning course for high school
students and developing activities to improve
the civic competency of youth in a twice-week-
ly program. The position will also include plan-
ning and implementing a range of advocacy
and public education activities for both youth
and adult volunteers. We are looking for a can-
didate with excellent writing, communication
and interpersonal skills to add to the team at
CCC. Candidates must live in New York City or
49
JOB ADS
50
ILL U 5 T R AT ED M E MOS.
om CEOFlHE CITIVISIONARY:

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TO AN INTRACTABLE PROBLEM?
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OFFICE Of THE CITY VISIONARY
CITY LlMITS MAGAZINE
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TH
FLOOR, NY NY 10005
ootcv@citylimitS.ors
CITY LIMITS
be willing to relocate to New York City. CCC is
an equal opportunity employer with competi-
tive salaries. Minimum Qualifications: Group
work experience and a minimum of three years
direct work with adolescents; Knowledge of
public policy, advocacy strategies and civic
engagement; Excellent writing, communication
and interpersonal skills. Education: Bachelor's
Degree Salary Range: Commensurate with
experience Reference Required Three refer-
ences required To Apply: Submit cover letter
and resumes by mail or email before July 17th
to: Rose Anello Associate Executive for Public
Affairs Citizens Committee for Children 105
East 22nd Street, 7th Floor New York, N.Y
10010 or email to: ranello@kfny.org
STATE STRATEGIES ATTORNEY - ACLU Repro-
ductive Freedom Project, One (l)Two Year Posi-
tion. Coordinate and manage state-based pro-
grams to assist ACLU state affiliates defend
reproductive choice including training advo-
cates to analyze legislation, conduct surveys,
and assist minors requesting a waiver of their
state's law requiring parental involvement in
abortion decisions. Assist in litigation, includ-
ing research, drafting sections of briefs, and
reviewing affiliate briefs. Requires a law degree
plus two years legal experience, strong analyt-
ic, research, writing, and oral advocacy skills,
ability to work under pressure. Letter of interest,
resume, list of references, and legal writing
sample to Louise Melling, Director, Reproduc-
tive Freedom Project, ACLU, 125 Broad Street,
18th floor, New York, NY 10004- 2400.
SUPERVISING PSYCHIATRIST - Brooklyn's
Women's Shelter, Part-time, Ensures that the
satellite center provides mental health ser-
vices in a manner consistent with BMS' mis-
sion statement and philosophy of practice.
Ensures clinical practice compliance with
managed CarelHMO, Federal & State guide-
lines, BMS guidelines, standards establ ished
by JCAHO, the DOH, and all other governmental
agencies. Works with psychiatric nurse to con-
duct psychiatric assessments. Responsible for
implementing a method to obtain prescriptions
for medication. Directly supervises psychiatric
nurse to assure compliance with BMS policies,
procedures and objectives. Assists in crisis
intervention with clients, when necessary.
Ensures coverage for mental health services
during all of BMS @BWS's operating hours.
licensed to practice medicine in New York
State. Minimum of 5 years experience in deliv-
ering psychiatric services. Board Certified or
Board Eligible in Psychiatry. BLS Certified.
$70Ihr. Send resume to HR Dept by fax: 718-
346-7183 or email:jwong@bmsfhc.org
SUPERVISOR - Supervisor for Preventive
Services Children Welfare Preventive Services.
Challenging opportunity for MSW and/or CSW
to supervise preventive service team in Chil-
dren Welfare agency. Qualifications: Min. 2
year supervisory experience in child welfare,
bi-lingual English/Spanish preferred. Family
Case work experience a plus. Submit resume
and cover to Administration, Lower East Side
Family Union,84 Stanton Street, NY NY 10002,
via email: info@lesfu.org, via Fax: 212-529-
3244.
TEAM LEADER - HELP USA, a nationally rec-
ognized leader in the provision of transitional
housing, residential and social services seeks
candidates for a Team Leader. Responsibilities
may include but are not limited to: direct
supervision of Case Managers, Employment
Specialists, Housing Specialists, Substance
Abuse Counselors, Continuing Caseworkers
and Clinical Social Workers. Responsible for
providing overall leadership of the interdisci-
plinary team in client service delivery. Leads
the team in the delivery of comprehensive on-
site and/or community based services includ-
ing assessment, counseling and linkages with
entitlement. MSW preferred, or related degree
with clinical focus required. Minimum three
years supervisory experience, computer literacy
with Microsoft applications and knowledge
and understanding of team concepts, prefer-
ably in a residential setting, required. Bilin-
gual (English/Spanish) is a plus. Salary starts
in the mid $30s. Send resumes to HELP 1, Attn:
Gena Watson, 515 Blake Avenue, Brooklyn, New
York, 11207 orfax at 718-485-5916 or email at
gwatson@helpusa.org
JOBADS
TRAINING COORDINATORS(3) - CFRC, a
non-profit organization is seeking three (3)
Training Coordinators to provide training and
technical assistance to United Way Food
Stamp Access Project and CFRC staff; and
conduct presentations and workshops to
community organizations on Food Stamps
and other benefits. Knowledge of Food
Stamps and bilingual (EnglishlSpanish or
Chinese) a must. E-mail resume to gsardel-
li@cfrcnyc.org. For more information, visit our
website www.cfrcnyc.org.
TRANSITIONAL PLANNER/CASE MANAGER -
The Osborne Association has several openings
for Transitional Planner/Case Manager. Suc-
cessful candidates will work 3 - 5 days/week
at Riker's Island helping inmates prepare
for release, arrange for post-release services,
incl. securing housing, jobs and social
services. Will also monitor clients post-release
to make sure they follow up with program ser-
vices. Bach degree and/or CASAC or CASAC-T
helpful. 2 - 4 yrs. Exp. counseling ex-prisoners
or similar population required. Note:
DOC requires that individuals who work
on Riker's be off correctional supervision
(i.e. parole, probation, out of jail/prison)
for at least 2 years. Fax resumes, cover
letters and salary requirements to
718-707-3315 or email hr@osborneny.org.
Indicate job reference code RIKJA in your cover
letter. EOE
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City Limits and the Center for an Urban Future rely on the generous support of their readers and advertisers, as well as the following funders: The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, The Child
Welfare Fund, The Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, Open Society Institute, The Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation, The Scherman Foundaton, JPMorganChase, The Annie E. Casey
Foundation, The Booth Ferris Foundation, The New York Community Trust, The Taconic Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Ira W. DeCamp
Foundation, LlSC, Deutsche Bank, M&T Bank, The Citigroup Foundation, New York Foundation.
SEPTEMBER 2003
51
Workshops on Legal Issues for Nonprofits
Employment Law
September 17,2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at ESB
Business Ventures for Nonprofit Organizations
September 26, 2003 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. at ESB
Incorporation and Tax Exemption
October 2, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at ESB
Legal Issues Associated with Nonprofit Child Care Centers
October 9, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at ESB
Fundraising Law and Regulation
October 22, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at LPP
Basics of Housing Development
October 27, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at ESB
Legal Issues Associated with Operating After-School Programs
November 5, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at LPP
By-Laws and Corporate Governance
November 17, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at LPP
Mergers and Strategic Alliances
November 24, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at LPP
Incorporation and Tax Exemption
December 4, 2003 10:00 a.m. - 1:00p.m. at ESB
Nonprofits and the Internet
December 12, 2003 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at ESB
Legal Maintenance: Tax Compliance and Financial Accountability
January 8,2004 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at ESB
Developing Low-Income Housing Using the Federal Tax Credit
January 22, 2004 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. at ESB
Workshops are located as indicated at either Empire State Building, 350 Fifth Avenue, Room2925 (ESB)
or at Laura Parsons Pratt Conference Center, 281 Park Avenue South at East 22nd Street (LPP).
For more information, or to make a reservation, please call 212 2191800.
These workshops have been made possible by funding from The Department ofYouth and Community
Development, except the Child Care workshop which has been made possible by Citigroup Foundation
and The J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation.
Lawyers Alliance for NewYork is the leading provider of free and low-cost business law services to
nonprofits that are working to improve the quality of life in NewYork's neighborhoods.
330 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
(212) 219-1800
www.lany.org
Lawyers Alliance
for NewYork
Making a World of Difference ... Building a Better New York