THE HARD PART: ENFORCING THE MINIMUM WAGE.

HOW BROOKLYN SOARED WITH THE EAGLE

NEW YORK'S URBAN AFFAIRS NEWS MAGAZINE
$4.95 MARCH/APRIL 2005
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How will the next
generation make it?
EDITORIAL
WHOSE BLOCK GRANT?
THERE WASN'T EXACTlY a collective gasp among
community developers when the Bush admin-
istration floated its latest domestic spending
trial balloon. The president's people propose to
substantially cut the Community Development
Block Grant, while moving it from HUO to
the Department of Commerce. Professionals
who rely on heavy government investment to
get things done in cities know better than to
expect that kind of spending to endure. But
advocates also have a hard rime acknowledging
that the $4.7 billion federal program needs fixing.
Launched in the riot-riven 1960s to consoli-
date federal investment in poor communities,
CDBG has evolved into a broader spending
effort, with vaguely defmed goals. Some cities,
including New York, have made extraordinary
use of their COBG. New York reclaimed tens
of thousands of derelict apartments, reviving
blighted neighborhoods in the process. Other
cities have been using CDBG funds for hous-
ing for the homeless, community and child
care centers, services for the elderly, and so on.
The spending has made a big difference, and
has helped many urban areas revive.
But many cities and counties have become
accustomed to using the money as a more gen-
eral subsidy for their infrastructure. And many
of the projects have slim connection to the
mandate ofCDBG: to improve living and eco-
nomic conditions in low- and moderate-
income communities. Methuen, Massachu-
setts, is using $750,000 to erect "vintage" street
lighting downtown. Oklahoma City just took
nearly $400,000 to extend water and sewer ser-
vice to an aviation-parts manufacturer on the
edge of town. An exurb of Reno, Nevada, is
repaving an airport runway. Missouri is now
suing in bankruptcy court to recover $166,000
it gave to defunct Great Plains Airlines for air-
port improvements that never materialized.
God knows local officials need all the money
they can get. Running a city or county is an
expensive business, and in the era of toxic taxes,
generating revenue is like panning for gold in a
whitewater river. There is a case to be made for
having basic infrastructure funding come via
the federal government, instead of local taxa-
tion-to help ensure that investments are made
where they're needed, and not only in the areas
with the highest local tax base.
Compensating for economic inequities is
what COBG is supposed to do. But outright
subsidy of local spending was just never its pur-
Cover photo by Casey Kelbaugh. Christopher Valentine, Jamal Troutman and Jackie Cruz are giving school a last chance.
pose. It wasn't only for political reasons that the
White House Office of Management and Bud-
get rated CDBG "Ineffective" in a program
assessment last year. 'The need to revitalize dis-
tressed urban communities certainly exists;
however, the CD BG is unable to demonstrate
its effectiveness in addressing this problem,"
noted the evaluators. Among the issues: The
funding is orren spent on isolated projects, and
there are too few efforts to use the public money
to leverage private investment. A smaller and
smaller share of CDBG dollars is spent on the
poorest communities.
The president is picking a fight with the
nation's mayors, and it's still not clear who's
going to end up bloodied in the coming batrle.
If the mayors and their friends in Congress
succeed in defending their block grants, the ax
could well fall instead on other HUO spend-
ing--on housing, especially, which does over-
whlemingly benefit the poor. And that would
be a far greater tragedy.
-Alyssa Katz
Editor
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CONTENTS
17 THE ROAD HOME
To get their kids out of foster care, parents who've already been
through one hell have had to hustle through another: getting help
from a series of separate government bureaucracies. Until now. The
city is connecting the dots to help families find housing.
By Cassi Feldman
22 THE YOUNG AND THE JOBLESS
New York's newest growth industry is a generation of young
adults who are not in school and not employed. Most aren't even
looking for work. A changing economy is partly to blame-but so
is government's disinvestment in job training.
By Tracie McMillan
28 DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Costly lawsuits from mistreated suspects have caused cities and
states to start monitoring police officers' performance. But even
after paying out tens of millions of dollars for illegal strip searches,
the NYPD would rather fight it out in court.
By Curtis Stephen
33 LATE EDITION
The Brooklyn Eagle newspaper folded 50 years ago this
month-and the borough is still suffering the loss of a
mass-media voice.
By Paul Moses
5 FRONTLINES: LOGGING IN AT THE HEALTH CLlNIC ... WHY CAN'T NEW YORK ENFORCE
THE MINIMUM WAGE? .. STATE BREAKS BROWN FIELDS GOLD RUSH ... NEIGHBORHOOD
PRESERVATION SUFFERS DEADLY BLOW ... CITY COUNCIL TO EMPLOYERS: HEAL THY
WORKERS . HIRINGS, FIRINGS AND RETIRINGS
NSIItE f R k ~ K
12 LAW AND DISORDER
Two years after it centralized management of its far-flung operations,
legal Services of New York is reckoning with reckless spending at
neighborhood offices. How many lawyers will it lose?
By Xiaoqing Rong
2 EDITORIAL
41 JOB ADS
46 PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
50 OFFICE OF THE CITY VISIONARY
MARCHI APRIL 2005
36 Q&A
Why Does Bustling Flushing Need a Boost?
Urban planner Wellington Chen, former commissioner,
Board of Standards and Appeals,
interviewed by Jonathan Bowles.
38 CITY LIT
Designing for the Homeless, by Sam Davis.
Reviewed by Arnie Gross AlA
3
LETTERS
MORE HOUSING = MORE JOBS
Inclusionary zoning is missing the chance ro
turn around low-income lives. Low-income
people need jobs, not more handouts. ["Inclu-
sionary Zoning's Big Moment," January/Feb-
ruary 2005].
The jobs that would be created with mar-
ket-priced housing are immeasurable. The
influx of middle- ro upper-income homeown-
ers would allow low-income and small busi-
nesses ro thrive and create more jobs and bener
paying jobs in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
The local working population in Greenpoint
and Williamsburg would benefit more with
middle-income market-priced housing.
New middle-income homeowners need
dry cleaners, takeout restaurants, cafes, hard-
ware srores, plumbing, carpentry, home fur-
nishings, etc. The low-income community
will benefit from middle/high income people
spending their money in the neighborhood,
thus raising the income for the lower classes.
The lower classes can then afford the market
price for housing.
Market forces will naturally create cheap
housing, and there will be such an influx of
housing builr that prices will adjust by market
forces. Greenpoint and Williamsburg need
developers ro clean up the neighborhood and
developers need market-priced housing ro do
it. While all the other Brooklyn communities
move ahead, Greenpoint and Williamsburg
continue to be dragged down by low-income
people. We have kids playing on the street til
2 a.m. during the summer, teens spray-paint-
ing graffiti and vandalizing homes and busi-
nesses. Drunks roaming the neighborhood at
all hours. Why do we continue ro support and
protect these people? I had ro get an educa-
tion and work a full-time job to buy my con-
domini um in Greenpoint. Others should roo.
They must be forced ro either become work-
ing members of the community or ro move
on. There are enough full-time jobs available.
With full -time jobs they can afford the new
housing units. Let's let those who want ro
work have jobs and those that just want ro live
off the system find out that they are not
rewarded.
Srop supporting low-income people; help
them ro become middle income. Spend the
money on creating jobs, not inclusionary zoning.
-Tara McManus
Creenpoint
KEEP THE SI WATERFRONT WORKING
In her recent interview with your publica-
tion ["How Can the Staten Island Waterfront
Be Reborn?" January/February 2005]' West
Brighton LDC Executive Director Susan
Meeker states, 'Td like to see an esplanade
that goes from the ferry terminal out at least
ro the Bayonne Bridge that allows public access
for all of the residents." A proposal along
these lines has been heard before, but it's not
clear to me how such a development-which
also might include "light rail and then envi-
ronmentally friendly industrial businesses"-
would work.
That stretch of waterfront is presently the
home ro the towing industry that keeps New
York Harbor and its industries alive. All the
tugboat and barge companies are situated along
this waterfront, as well as the major dry-dock
operation, and numerous smaller repair, sal-
vage, and support facilities.
At one ti me spread throughout the water-
front of the Port of New York, these essential
resources were concentrated in their current
locality by planners who apparently saw an
advantage in the close proximity of this Staten
Island shoreline ro the containerports at Port
Newark and Port Elizabeth and the petroleum
terminals on the Arthur Kill .
This part of Staten Island is where New
York's maritime industry has been mandated ro
reside. The Coast Guard and other agencies
concerned with rhe security of the harbor have
mandated increased security measures, includ-
ing fences, surveillance systems, communica-
tions systems, and guards observing (and chal-
lenging) all comers. It's difficulr to envision
continued on page 40
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4
CITY LIMITS
Volume XXX Number 2
City Limits is published six times per year by City Futures, Inc.,
a nonprofit organization devoted to disseminating information
concerning neighborhood revitalization.
Publi sher: John Broderick broderick@citylimits.org
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Editor: Alyssa Katz alyssa@citylimits.org
Managing Editor: Tracie McMillan mcmillan@citylimits.org
Senior Editor: Cassi Feldman cassi@citylimits.org
Senior Editor: Xiaoqing Rong xrong@citylimits.org
Reporting Fellow: Dan Bell danbell@citylimits.org
Copy Editor: Ethan Hauser ethan@citylimits.org
Contributing Editors: Neil F. Carlson, Wendy Davis, Nora
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
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Ira Rubenstein, Vice Chair
Karen Trella, Secretary
David Lebenstein, Treasurer
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CITY LIMITS
FRONT LINES
FORGET AIMS. There's a new kiosk in town, dis-
pensing another item of great value: health
information to those without access to care.
Computerized Screening Inc. (CSI) the
Nevada-based company that brought blood
pressure cuffs to your local drugstore, now plans
to place its stand-alone health stations, which
provide non-invasive screenings of heart rate,
body mass index, and blood pressure, in health
centers, offices, and shelters in New York.
Clients are able to develop their own confi-
dential health history at the machines, and down-
load information about the causes of disease.
More important, they can make appointments at
local climcs using the phone that's connected to
the system, providing a direct link to care.
So far, these urnts have shown an impressive
dexteriry. They've been used to provide remote-
access medical care for rural tribes in Alaska, cre-
ating a teleconferencing link for physicians to
momtor symptoms of diabetes and obesity with-
in the tribe. Because the kiosks provide health
information in their native language and uansrrut
the test results to clinics more than 600 miles
MARCHI APRIL 2005
Health Care Jetsons Style
away, doctors no longer have to travel by dogsled
to provide treatment.
And in the wilds of Los Angeles, they've had a
growing presence in the neighborhood known as
Skid Row, where six terminals were used over
12,000 times in a year and a half, often by the
company's target customers: the homeless, those
suffering with HN/AIDS, and substance abusers.
There are currently three kiosks on trial in
New York Ciry, on loan from CSI and located
at Health People in the Bronx, Steinway Med-
ical Center in Long Island Ciry, and at the vis-
itors' center at Rikers Island. CSI is negotiating
with the Department of Health about placing
more units throughout the ciry.
"People are very comfortable using them,"
says Chris Norwood, executive director of
Health People, who refers to the stations as
"health ATMs. " Norwood sees vast possibilities
for the terminals, since they can be pro-
grammed to provide specific health information
on clinical trials, public meetings, and the loca-
tions of health facilities within the areas they
serve. "Many of our clients don't have the inter-
net," she notes. The machines can also be set up
to print out receipts when appointments are
made, which can in turn redeemed at clinics for
bus tokens, sanitary kits, or other incentives.
The machines, which cost between $9,000-
$15,000 apiece, are being marketed as a low
cost alternative to expensive emergency care.
"We're focusing on using primary care rather
than emergency rooms," says Bill Sullivan,
Executive Vice President of CSI. The Depart-
ment of Health could not yet say whether it
intended to buy them.
Jill Rotenburg, Program Director at the John
Wesley County Hospital Institute in Los Ange-
les, srudied the effectiveness of the urnts and
found that nearly 80 percent of the clients said
they would use the stations again. Although
some of her colleagues feared that the ATMs
could underrrune the doctor/patient relation-
ship, says Rotenburg, it's acrually the opposite.
"It's a conduit to get connected to a provider,"
she says, crediting the machines with an increase
in climc visits. "Some of our clients haven't seen
a doctor in months or years. " -Janelle Nanos
5
FRONT llNES
Battle of the Brownfields
Builders balk
at state
spending limits.
By Alyssa Katz
THERE'S A CUL-DE-SAC in the middle of Bush-
wick. There are new streets too. Lining them
are well-appointed townhouses sold for bargain
prices, to owners who have started to move in.
Not bad for a former Rheingold brewery site,
which sat vacant for years because no one knew
whether it was safe to build anything there.
A new state law is supposed to jumpstart the
rejuvenation of brown fields like this one. Under
the Brownfield Cleanup Program, any piece of
real estate where environmental contamina-
tion--or even the perception of contamina-
tion-may complicate development is eligible
for tax credits worth at least 12 percent of the
total cost of cleanup and development.
Not surprisingly, environmentally tainted
real estate is now some of the hottest property
in town. By the beginning of this year, the
developers of 157 sites around New York State
6
had applied, and 101 had been approved.
But the vision of a brownfields boom is now
getting blurry. The state environmental agency
has started to get picky about which projects it's
willing to support, and developers are crying
foul. Take the construction site on the tip of Roo-
sevelt Island, where a company called Becker &
Becker is transforming the grounds of the Octa-
gon asylum ruins-which the developer asserts
contains mercury, lead and other pollutants-
into a 500-apartment complex, including 100
middle-income units and a day care center.
Becker & Becker applied for the tax credit in
late spring and expected to get approval from
the Department of Environmental Conserva-
tion, the state agency that administers the pro-
gram, within the 45 day review period set under
the law. But instead DEC kept asking ques-
tions. "They'll say, 'Well, we're really not sure
that this is a brownfield, '" explains Lawrence
Schnapf, the developers' attorney and co-chair
of the New York State Bar Association's envi-
ronmental committee. '''We're not sure how
heavy the contamination is. '" The state still
hasn't given a green light for the tax credits.
Why would the environmental agency want
to stop housing from going up on a wasteland,
whether there was a little pollution or a lot?
Greens and developers are concluding that he
state is trying to avoid paying an exorbitant bill.
As City Limits reported last year ["The Green
Lady," September/October 2004], New York's
brownfield tax credits are the most generous in
the U.S. Not only is virtually any commercial
site eligible, there is no cap on the amount a
developer can claim. The credit is poised to cost
the state hundreds of millions of dollars.
Now DEC appears to be trying to close the
floodgates. This fall, the agency issued draft
guidelines establishing which projects are eligi-
ble for the tax credit-and gave its staff the
power to exclude some. Most important, the
DEC must "determine whether the public
interest would be served by accepting the project. "
That test could help eliminate costly pay-
outs where contamination is minimal. It would
also promote the legislation's objective: to steer
investment to areas suffering from pollution-
related underdevelopment. The state would
look at questions like whether a site is aban-
doned; whether it is likely to spur the reuse of
surrounding areas; and whether the site is unat-
tractive for redevelopment because of the pres-
ence or perception of contamination.
The new criteria could exclude the new New
York Times headquarters, which is rising on
property where shops and small businesses
thrived before the state evicted them. The T lInes
fued last spring. It is still awaiting approval, for
credits that could amount to $170 million.
THE STATE MAY BE following smart environmen-
tal policy, but it's not following the law, com-
plain attorneys for developers. "Rather than fix-
ing and restructuring the tax credits, someone
has decided that DEC should be the spear carri-
er and bounce perfectly eligible projects out of
the program, " says David Freeman, who repre-
sents a dozen clients who've applied for the pro-
gram. All of them, he says, have experienced
delays as they wait for DEC to decide whether to
award the tax credits; one who filed in June is
still awaiting an answer. Freeman says some
intend to sue the state if they don't get approved.
Delays and uncertainty are toxic for a com-
plex development project. "Everyone in this
business has budgets, schedules, stakeholders
with expectations," notes Freeman. The Octa-
gon's developers claim they were spending
$100,000 a week while waiting for an answer
from DEC. Finally, late this fall, they decided
to proceed with construction before the bills
for doing nothing got any higher.
CITY LIMITS
.. It.s a catch-22," says Linda Shaw, a Rochester
lawyer with real estate clients throughout the state.
"How do you solve the problem of abuse? Do you
make it more difficult for everyone to use, or do
you target abuse?" In the future, warn attorneys,
investors may be rel uctant to touch industrial sites.
Dale Desnoyers, the head of Environmental
Remediation for DEC, asserts that everything his
agency is doing is consistent with the law. He also
says that the expense of the credits has not been a
consideration. The goal of the guidelines, Desnoy-
ers explains, is "to really fulfill the legislative goal
of creating the program in the first place: to pro-
mote brownfIelds cleanup and development. The
legislature set broad criteria for the program, and
our goal was to explain some of that." The law, he
notes, requires the state to consider whether
brownfield projects serve the public interest.
Freeman's not satisfied. He wants to see the
legislature rewrite its law to deal with what he
sees as its core flaw: "overcompensating certain
kinds of development that would have happened
anyway." The state could, for example, support
only projects where environmental cleanup rep-
resents a substantial portion of the cost of rede-
velopment, or restrict eligibility to cases where
the industrial history of a si te unquestionably
compromises future construction. With that
level of clarity, a developer could know ahead of
time whether to count on the state dollars.
But after taking seven years to get a brown-
fields law, the legislature isn't planning to move
quickly. "I think it's a little early to make any
judgment that [DEC] is being too stringent a
gatekeeper, " says Assemblymember Thomas
DiNapoli, who was the lead sponsor as chair of
the Committee on Environmental Conserva-
tion. "From the beginning, the governor and the
department have had a great deal invested in
making this succeed, and I'm confident that
they want to make this work."
There may also be good reason to hesitate.
Environmentalists are nervous that if the legisla-
ture reopens the law, it could cut out New York
City, which accounts for roughly half of the
state's applications and the bulk of its projected
cost. It was only with support from Republicans
eager to bring investment to upstate cities that
the law got passed in the first place.
There's consensus on just one thing: Some-
thing has to be done. "The success of the program
will be the death of it," says Tim Sweeney, Regu-
latory Watch project director for the group Envi-
ronmental Advocates. His group wrote DEC in
support of its guidelines-if, that is, the legisla-
rure incorporates spending limits into the law
itsel "The state," says Sweeney, "can't afford to
payout this kind of money. "
MARCHI APRIL 2005
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7
FRONT llNES
Worried About the Wage
Will workers get
the money
they're owed?
By Dan Bell
ON NEW YEAR'S DAY, hundreds of thousands of
new workers were supposed ro get a raise. The
state's minimum wage was recently upped by
the legislature from $5.15 an hour ro $6, and
ro $7.15 by 2007.
But some backers of the law fear that workers
won't get the raises ro which they are entitled-
and will have little recourse ro fight for them.
8
Park vendors were paid less
than minimum wage-until the
Attorney General stepped in.
The state Department of Labor is responsi-
ble for informing employers of their obliga-
tions under the new law. At press time, it was
in the process of mailing 500,000 workplace
posters ro employers across the state.
But a January survey by the Minimum
Wage Coalition found that only 25 percent of
employers and 14 percent of workers were
aware of the increase.
If an employer doesn't comply with the law,
underpaid employees have four options,
explains Catherine Ruckelshaus, litigation
direcror at the National Employment Law Pro-
ject. They can file a claim with the U.S.
Department of Labor, the State Department of
Labor or the New York State Attorney General.
They can also sue privately. But in reality, she
says, the options are more limited.
The Attorney General 's office doesn't have
jurisdiction to act on behalf of a single
employee, unless the case will impact a larger
number of workers. Even then, its resources
are limited. There are 11 labor atrorneys in the
bureau, only half of whom deal with employ-
ment issues full-time. In 2004, they opened
just 100 cases. (One vicrory: back wages for
underpaid Central Park vendors.)
And though both the federal and the state
labor departments have the authority to act on
minimum wage disputes, neither is required ro
take action.
Since the federal minimum is unaffected by
the state's increase, there will be no new federal
action in support of the legislation, says John
Chavez, regional public affairs direcror for the
U.S. Labor department.
The state DOL did not return repeated
phone calls requesting the number of cases it
handled last year or the number of staffers
assigned ro the job. One source familiar with
these issues estimated there were between 90
and 100 investigarors for the entire state.
'Tve never had a [minimum wage] case
come to conclusion through the [state]
DOL, " says Chaumroli Huq, a staff atrorney
at MFY Legal Services' Workplace Justice Pro-
ject, who has been practicing labor law in
New York for seven years. She traces the prob-
lem ro chronic underfunding. "If they fund it,
it could be a really effective form of enforce-
ment, " she says.
Tony Lu, an attorney with the Urban Justice
Center, has had similar experiences. He says the
DOL tends ro choose only the most straight-
forward cases. One of his clients was informed
that her case was closed even before she had
been able ro respond ro the letter telling her it
had been opened.
That leaves only private litigation, an
option beyond the reach of most low-wage
workers. There is no right ro free counsel for
employees with minimum-wage disputes, and
only a smattering of pro-bono atrorneys ro
take their cases.
Between 2000 and 2003, Marina Lopez, 65,
was a live-in domestic care worker for a Queens
family with a severely disabled son. She worked
as much as 18 hours a day, six days a week,
doing housework and caring for the family's
son. For the fmt six months, her wage was $200
per week, and then went up ro $250 per week.
Lopez went ro rhe DOLs Long Island office
CITY LIMITS
to file a complaint. After two lengthy visits, she
was told that an investigator would be assigned
to her case. But when Lopez called the DOL to
follow up, she was only able to reach an
answering machine message in English. A
friend called on her behalf and found out her
case had already been closed.
"They were supposed to investigate my
lAB 0 It===
Clean Bill of Health
PRIVATE EMPLOYERS could soon be forced to
provide health insurance for their workers,
under a new bill moving steadily toward City
Council approval.
The Health Care Security Act, introduced
last fall, would require private employers in five
industries-large groceries, industrial laundries,
hotels, building services and construction-to
either provide insurance or pay into a citywide
fund that would do it for them. Still in the early
stages of negotiation, the bill has strong support;
at press time it boasted 39 council sponsors,
enough to survive a mayoral veto.
Backed by unions, community organizations
and advocates for the poor, the law is aimed at
sectors that provide services locally, and would
therefore be loath to leave the city. But support
has also come from far less likely quarcers: busi-
nesses in the industries themselves.
That's because most employers in these fields
typically already provide health insurance for
their workers. About 70 percent of employers,
offer insurance, covering about 450,000 work-
ers and their dependents, according to an analy-
sis of industry and census data by the Brennan
Center for Justice at New York University's law
school. But employers who don't provide insur-
ance, operating with lower costs, can underbid
those who do-and that has local employers
scrambling to find a way to keep their workers
insured and their bottom line in the black.
"I give all my employees health care. We just
cannot compete against businesses that do not
provide health care, " testified Gilbert Rivera,
owner of a waterproofmg firm and a board
member of the National Hispanic Business
Council. "[HCSA] will level the playing field."
Rivera's not the only one who sees it that way.
Nearly 100 other businesses have signed on,
ranging from modestly sized building contrac-
tors to strong local chains like Gristedes and
Fairway. (Competition between supermarkets is
MARCHI APRIL 2005
FRONT LINES
case, to find out what had happened to me,
what I had to do, and in what conditions I
worked," says Lopez. Her case had been with
the DOL for nearly a year.
"If it really is there to help people, then it
should take marters very seriously so that we
can trust them, " she says. "I never received any
notification about my case."
likely to intensify, with Wal-Mart's Rego Park
store looming on the horizon.)
Gotham's workers could certainly use the
boost: One in four New Yorkers under age 65
was without health insurance in 2002, accord-
ing to a United Hospital Fund study. That's a
pricey problem, says Sherry Glied, a nationally
renowned health care economist at Columbia
University's Mailman School of Public Health.
Covering health care for low-income, uninsured
New Yorkers costs the city about $466 million
annually according to Glied's research. Still, not
everyone is sold on the bill. The mayor's Office
of Health Insurance Access has argued that the
law is beyond the purview of the council, and in
fact prevented by federal pension law provi-
sions. And some industry groups, such as the
New York State Association For Affordable
Housing, oppose it.
"People really need to have health insur-
ance, and we understand that. On the other
hand, we need affordable housing," says Bernie
Carr, executive director of NYSAFAH. "Ulti-
mately, anything that raises costs, which this
will do, is going to result in fewer units."
That doesn't quite cut it for the law's back-
ers. "It's economically feasible to build afford-
able housing and treat workers right, " says Paul
Sonn, associate counsel with the Brennan Cen-
ter, noting that some trade associations within
the targeted industries are supporting the bill.
If HCSA makes it OntO the books, New
York will be one of the first cities to pass such
legislation. A more expansive version of HCSA
was signed into law in California in 2003; that
legislation died last November when a public
referendum, funded largely by Wal-Mart and
McDonald's, repealed it. Washingron State is
currently considering a state-level program.
The law certainly sounds good to Vicente
Mayorga, a construction worker from Queens.
When his wife had a gall bladder operation
four years ago, they were faced with a $1 ,200
hospital bill. "It took us one year to payoff that
one bill," says the Ecuadoran native. "In all my
10 years of working construction, I never had
health insurance. " - Tracie McMillan
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FRONTllNES
~ = = = ~ S ~ I ~ = = = =
Nyet to Neighborhood
Preservation
IT WAS THE YEAR the usual lobbying was not
enough. Every winter for more than a decade,
Republican and Democratic governors alike
have atrempted to slash the budget of the
Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP), a
27-year-old fund supporting tenant advocacy
and other community-based housing efforts.
And by summer or fall, after a series of visits
from recipients of the funds, the state legisla-
ture restored it.
But in 2004, the NPP-a relatively tiny $10
million item in the $100 billion budget-was
cut by 50 percent.
"We did our normal legislative advocacy,"
says Joseph Agostine, Jr., executive director of
the Neighborhood Preservation Coalition,
which represents the groups that receive fund-
ing under the program. Agostine seems mysti-
fied by the budget brinkmanship in Albany. "It
doesn't make sense to any of us that this pro-
gram has been such a target," he says.
But NPP wasn't exactly singled out. Gover-
nor George Pataki vetoed 195 items in the
2005 budget, and the legislature failed to over-
ride them. In years past, Republican and
Democratic leaders met following the budget's
passage to restore certain programs, including
NPP. It helped that NPP funds went to speci-
fied organizations in dozens of legislators' dis-
tricts, giving it a built-in base of support. But
the Assembly, the Senate and the governor
didn't strike a deal this year. Says Democratic
State Assemblymember Vito Lopez, who chairs
the housing committee, "There was no three-
way agreement, and a lot of good programs got
caught up in the shuffie." Lopez held two hear-
ings in January and hopes to secure additional
NPP funding next year, to make up for the
2005 cuts.
In the meantime, with no money available
for the second half of the fiscal year, some
smaller nonprofits may be forced to close their
doors. Others say they'll have to substantially
cut their assistance to tenants.
"I don't know how long I can go on," says
Pat Singer, founder and executive director of
the Brighton Neighborhood Association,
where $65,000 in NPP funding makes up 50
percent of its budget. "Maybe only another six
weeks." Singer reports that her NPP funding
helps support tenant assistance, legal advice
clinics and social services for close to 3,000 res-
idents of Brooklyn's Brighton Beach neighbor-
hood. The group's activity leverages lots of
additional funding. "I know our actions
brought in about $4 million to the commu-
nity," Singer says.
On Manhattan's West Side, Housing Con-
servation Coordinators faced a double wham-
my. The group lost $32,000 from the NPP and
$75,000 from the Supplemental Homeless
Intervention Program. The two cuts will likely
force HCC to drastically reduce the hours of its
free legal clinic.
In retrospect, HCC's executive director,
Sarah Desmond, thinks her group and the
coalition could have worked harder to call
attention to how the Pataki administration's
budget priorities will affect communities.
"The governor is advocating using public
funds to build a new stadium," notes
Desmond. "Clearly the money's there. It's sim-
ply a choice of how you want to spend it."
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CITY LIMITS
==HDUSING
Feds Skimp
on Granny Homes
THE CITY'S FIRST apartment building designed
specifically for grandparents raising children is
about to open its doors in me Morrisania section
of me Bronx. There should be more to come. In
2003, President Bush pledged $10 million to
create more housing like it. But me federal gov-
ernment now acknowledges mat it hasn't yet
allocated me funds to reproduce me model.
"It's dropped off the radar," says Lemar
Wooley, a spokesperson for the u.s. Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Development.
The program was part of me Living Equi-
tably: Grandparents Aiding Children and
Youth (LEGAcy) Act, passed in 2003. But
when the 2005 budget was authorized in
March of last year, there was no mention of
LEGACY -{)r of grandparent housing.
"We've been fortunate in that we've
received funds from both the Presbyterian
Church and me city," said David Taylor, exec-
utive director of Presbyterian Senior Services
(PSS), one of the cosponsors of the Grand-
ParenrApartments.
PSS raised $13 million in public and pri-
vate funds to support the project (including $1
million from the New York City Housing
Authority, and a $200,000 loan from the
Small Business Administration). The group
hopes to build more grandparent housing, but
MARCHI APRIL 2005
it needs help from me feds. "Our biggest con-
cern is getting me funding for me social serv-
ice programs," says Taylor.
Twenty-six percent of grandparent caregivers
are renters, one-third live in overcrowded apart-
ments, and 60 percent receive no subsidy or are
low-income, according to me 2000 census.
Because many of mese grandparents rake in
their grandchildren wimout me benefit of wel-
fare funds, me federal government actually saves
billions of dollars each year in foster care fund-
ing, says Donna Butts, executive director of me
national organization Generations United.
Dorothy Jenkins is the type of grandparent
the LEGACY Act had in mind. A Bronx resi-
dent for the past five decades, she was forced
to defer her retirement and rake up taxi-driv-
ing to support her seven grandchildren when
her daughter died. "I worked all my life, and
now I'm stuck in the middle, " she says. "All
the money I worked for I have to share with
my grandkids. "
Jenkins is just one of 84,000 grandparents
raising their grandchildren in New York City,
according to the PSS. Fortunately, she will
soon move into GrandParent Apartments,
where she will have room to herself and be
able to connect with other seniors. Cospon-
sored by the West Side Federation for Senior
and Supportive Housing and PSS, the multi-
colored building includes 50 two- and three-
bedroom units, 5,080 square feet of commer-
cial space, and a community services center
with child care, tutoring, counseling and
legal aid.
Tim Gearan, senior legislative director of
FRONT LINES
AARP, hopes similar efforts won't die on the vine.
"There is a need out there," he says. "But Con-
gress and the president haven't seen fit to find the
funds to address it." -Janelle Nanos
INS AND DUTS==
Former New York City Commissi oner of Correction and Pro-
bation MICHAEL JACOBSON was named director of the
Vera Institute of Justice. Jacobson, a professor at John Jay
College of Criminal Justice, took over from Christopher
Stone, who left to head up the criminal justice program at
Harvard's Kennedy School after a decade at Vera.
President Bush named MIKE LEAVITT, head of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency- and former Utah governor,
as the replacement for outgoing Secretary of Health and
Human Services Tommy Thompson. Leavitt made his
mark on Utah's social safety net by blending the welfare,
employment, child care and job training departments
into a single uber-agency, the Department of Workforce
Services, in 1996. Today, Utah's DWS centers have
gained national recognition, but welfare advocates also
have concerns about Leavitt. As governor, he opted to
place three-year time limits on welfare instead of the
federal maximum of five.
Social services veteran JOAN OHlSON retired from Urban
Pathways, one ofthe largest homeless housing organizations
in the city, after serving as executive director for 14 years. In
her 40-year career, Ohlson has served as head for various
social service organizations, including the Federation of
Protestant Welfare Agencies, the Citizens Committee for Chil-
dren, and the Coalition of Community Service Providers. She
is also the founding board member of Women's Survival
Space, the first shelter for battered women and thei r children
in New York. Ohlson is succeeded by Frederick a vet-
eran in the homeless services field. His previous posts
include board president of the Council on Homeless Policies
and Services, an umbrella organization for homeless servic-
es agencies in New York City, and, most senior vice-
president at the national organization HELP USA.
JUMAANE WILLIAMS was recently named executive
director of Tenants and Neighbors, the 30-year-old ten-
ants' rights group. In his former post, as housing direc-
tor for Flatbush Development Corporation, Williams
helped form tenant associations in dozens of Flatbush
apartment buildings and was active in local and
statewide housing campaigns. Meanwhile, Anne Lessy,
Tenants and Neighbors' director of New York City organ-
izing, has left to run the Earned Income Tax Credit out-
reach program at Citizens for NYC.
11
INSIDE TRACK
Law and Disorder
As it struggles to rebalance its budget, can Legal Services trust
its neighborhood offices to manage their own business?
By Xiaoqing Rong
Legal Services of New York executive director Andrew Scherer is confronting rising
labor costs and shrinking government funding.
12
THE STAFFERS at the Legal Services for New
York City (LSNY) board meeting in December
didn't hold back. "I think the first thing you've
got to do is to figure out how to make the pro-
grams manage money properly, before you raise
more money," one woman told the nonprofit
legal services agency's top executives, after they
had talked about finding more resources for the
organization.
"Some programs have financial problems
every year. But every year we see the same man-
agement there," fired off another.
Next up was Ellen Wallace, the President of
the National Organization of Legal Services
Workers. She said that there was rarely a crisis
of this magnitude in the union's more than 100
bargaining units. "Every year we have to face
layoffs," she said. "We don't want to see this
become another Legal Aid Society."
To an organization facing an operating
deficit in the coming year amounting to near-
ly 8 percent of its total $34 million budget,
those were icy words. Legal Services is not in
the desperate straits Legal Aid was in last year,
when it slashed 300 jobs to dodge impending
bankruptcy after it projected a $21 million
deficit. But it is suffering from similar pres-
sures: declining government funding and a
tendency to focus on delivery of legal services
at the expense of attention to administration.
Two years after a controversial restructuring of
the local parent organization, with promises
of better management and coordination of
services, staff members and union leaders
complain that several LSNY programs contin-
ue to overspend their budgets year after year,
with seemingly little interference from the
central office.
The situation came to a head this Decem-
ber, with the resignation of Harlem Legal Ser-
vices project manager Shirley Traylor. She had
held the position for more than a decade, head-
ing one of 10 neighborhood-based legal servic-
es clinics. The board of her group reportedly
CITY LIMITS
pressured her to depart. (Says Traylor, 'Tve been
here for 12 years. It's very much in my own inter-
ests at this point to leave. ")
In 2003, Harlem overspent its budget by
$316,412 and burned a $164,117 hole in its net
assets. It ended up laying off eight people. Three
more attorneys quit soon after. Now two more
employees are set to be laid off. In less than two
years, Harlem has lost about half its workforce.
Staff throughout Legal Services have been won-
dering whether the Harlem office, which has
been representing neighborhood residents in
housing, family and employment cases for 35
years and had nearly 6,000 clients in 2003, can
continue to operate.
The Harlem office had also been stung by a
2001 statewide audit conducted by the Divi-
sion of Criminal Justice Services of New York
State. Harlem Legal Services was questioned for
its expenditures under two state contracts, after
the organization failed to provide adequate
records to support its spending. The case was
handed to the New York State Attorney Gener-
al Office, which demanded Harlem Legal Ser-
vices return $93,000 to the state. Negotiations
are continuing.
Harlem Legal Services wasn't the only office
spending beyond its means. One program over-
spent $1.6 million in three years. Seven out of
LSNY's 10 local programs forecast operating
deficits. And as the organizations leadership
moves to stanch the bleeding, the only remedy it
has is more layoffs.
In December, more than 100 Legal Services
employees sent a letter of alarm to their citywide
board of directors. "LSNY and its constituent
programs face a fiscal crisis that threatens client
services and the very existence of some of Out
programs," it read. "LSNY has continued its
hands-off policy in the fiscal management of the
constituent programs other than to demand bal-
anced budgets after a program is in deficit ....
LSNY in fact makes no attempt to examine
what went wrong or hold anyone accountable
for failings."
TWO YEARS AGO it wouldn't have been the LSNY
central office that got all the heat. Back then,
local programs citywide had independent boards
and management. The head office was mainly a
distributing machine and bookkeeper for federal
legal services funding in New York City.
But things changed in January 2003, when
LSNY was restructured amid a nationwide move
toward consolidation among legal services organ-
izations. The effort was driven by the Legal Ser-
vices Corporation, the national funding and reg-
MARCHI APRIL 2005
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14
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mean a thing.
Except when they do.
As a nonprofit organization, it's your job to make the world we live in a
better place-to get services to people who need them and can't get them
on their own, to make sure money gets to those who need it most, or to
tell the truth as loud as possible above the sound of someone lying.
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ulatory body for the local groups doing the on-
the-ground work. In the process, the LSNY cen-
tral office gained the power to approve and dis-
miss the local board members or managers.
It hasn't yet used that power. And there's rea-
son to be cautious. During the move to central
management, two local programs-MFY Legal
Services and Bronx Legal Services--chose to
break off from LSNY, foregoing guaranteed fed-
eral funding, largely out of concern that they
would lose autonomy.
But now, on the contrary, there's an impres-
sion that top management has gone too far out
of its way to allow local offices to work inde-
pendently. "The restructuring from our point of
"The restructuring
from our point of view
is kind of a joke,"
says a union leader.
"There has been as
little practical change
as possible."
view is kind of a joke," says Jim Provost, presi-
dent of the New York Chapter of the Legal Ser-
vices Staff Association. "[LSNY] wanted a way to
tell the Legal Services Corporation, their biggest
funder, that we are changing. There has really
been as little practical change as possible."
To Andrew Scherer, executive director of
LSNY, giving local offices breathing room is
essential. Watching their operations on a day-
to-day basis, he says, has never been a goal. "I
don't want to build a big central bureaucracy
that's going to be focused primarily on over-
sight," says Scherer. "We want the local organi-
zations to have strong boards of directors that
are actively involved in the day-to-day opera-
tion. So we are not going to use the ultimate
CITY LIMITS
power that we have to dismiss directors or
boards of directors lightly."
Instead, he says, the goal of central manage-
ment is to create a solid infrastructure that will
help staff and clients get what they need. LSNY
is halfWay through unifYing its computer and
telephone systems, so local programs will soon be
able to share data by just one click, and staff will
be able to discuss cases by dialing a four-digit
internal extension. Client calls will be easily
transferred to the appropriate local branch
through a main switchboard. The central office
has started to solicit private donations to supple-
ment federal funding, bringing in more than $1
million for the local offices each year. And in
November LSNY opened its first office on Stat-
en Island, a borough that desperately needs legal
services for its increasing population of low-
income residents. "Restructuring gave us the
opportunity to look at the whole, not just parts,"
says Scherer. "It gave us a different notion about
the role ofLSNY as a citywide operation."
To the union representing attorneys and other
employees, the broad reforms are not enough.
Provost sent his own letter to the central board in
December, urging it to "take a hard look at
LSNY's consistent refusal to plan in advance or
to exercise reasonable authority over local pro-
gram decision making."
"Part of the promise of the restructuring a cou-
ple years ago was there would be greater
oversight and accountability of consistency
throughout the programs," says a LSNY attorney
who asked not to be named. "If people cannot
make a realistic budget and stick to it, you should
bring in somebody who can. The fact is, it's almost
like a life tenure for those project managers."
Scherer disagrees. "The restructuring was not
about trying to get the power dynamic changed
so that particular individuals can be pushed out
of the organization," he says. "That was never
what it was about."
Board chair John Kiernan seconds the strat-
egy of minimal intervention in the operations
of local groups. "LSNY central is accountable
for the performance of each of the local offices.
There is no question of that," says Kiernan.
"All I'm saying is that so is the board of each of
the local offices. So when you are not happy
with what a local office is doing, one thing you
can do is just fire everybody in sight. The other
option is to sit down with them and talk with
them and think through what is the best way to
proceed."
The organization's leadership believes the
problem of chronic overspending can be
addressed by upgrading the financial reporting
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CITY LIMITS
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INSIDE TRACK
system the central office uses, rather than wag-
ing a bloody war against neighborhood offices.
Local managers say it wouldn't hurr. "Some
of the programs, including ours, experience a
deeper deficit because they didn't get accu-
rate information from the central finance
office," said Traylor after her resignation
was announced.
To rein in the overspending, Scherer brought
in John Butler as chief financial officer in Febru-
ary 2004. Among Butler's top priorities are
training local managers in accounting and pro-
viding more meaningful and timely financial
reports, which can help local offices betrer plan
their spending. The impact of Butler's reforms
can't be gauged until April, when audits of2004
financial statements are completed and dis-
closed, but the union says it's pleased so far. But-
ler "at least is producing paper that should be
able to keep track of their funding much more
closely," says Provost.
One thing is clear: Layoffs are inevitable. To
close a gap that reached $850,000 for fiscal year
2005 and a projected $2.6 million for 2006,
Legal Services plans to release nine staffers from
local offices and cut another six through attri-
tion. Butler saw little choice. Labor costs make
up 75 percent of the organization's expenses
and automatically increase every year under the
union contract. "If you are running a quarter-
million dollar deficit or worse," says Butler,
"that's because we haven't made the tough deci-
sions about personnel."
Squeezing from the other end is steadily
One thing
is clear:
Layoffs are
inevitable.
diminishing government support. Since 1993,
federal funding for legal services has decreased
by 70 percent. State dollars, meanwhile, are
consistently late and unpredictable. In the past
five years, even with private fundraising, overall
revenue has remained flat.
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Of course, cuts can't be made without
reducing client services. Brooklyn Legal Ser-
vices Corporation A, one of LSNY's local pro-
grams, still hasn't recovered from layoffs in
2001, when it eliminated half its staff. After a
six-person housing unit at its east Brooklyn
office was left with one atrorney and a supervi-
sor, other Legal Service offices experienced sig-
nificantly increased demand from tenants but
couldn't take on clients who lived outside their
service areas. Citywide, Legal Services took on
nearly 35,000 clients in 2003.
"It's very sad for the network of legal serv-
ices providers when a major institution has to
do layoffs, because there's already not enough
people to do the work," says Lynn Kelly, exec-
utive director of the MFY Legal Services, one
of the two local programs that cut ties with
LSNY in the restructuring. That organization
stopped receiving federal funding since it dis-
affiliated from LSNY, though it's in a good
shape, thanks to its private donors. But Kelly
says for smaller organizations like hers, there
is no way to make up for the slack by taking
more cases, simply because there is no more
funding available. "It's just going to be shrink-
age in the industry," she says. "Fewer clients
will be served."
Pratt Institute
Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment
200 Willoughby Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11205
(718) 399-4314 ext. 101 e-mail: gradplan@pratt.edu
To request a catalog, go to www.pratt.edu/admissirequest/
CITY LIMITS
eRoa Home
Charged with getting kids out of foster care, city agencies are doing the
once-unimaginable: collaborating with one another to help families
piece themselves back together.
MARCHI APRIL 2005
I
t's the kind of horror story that makes
headlines-and causes heads to toll. Last
May, three-month-old Colesvintong Flo-
restal was found starved and beaten to death
at Hamilton Place, a Harlem homeless shel-
ter. A fellow resident had reportedly heard
him "screaming for rwo days straight."
Politicians were quick to express outrage and
lay blame. Apart from the boy's parents, who
were charged with murder, the most obvious
scapegoats were the rwo ciry agencies involved
in the family's life. The Department of Home-
less Services (DHS), which held the contract
for the shelter, didn't know that Florestal's fam-
ily had been investigated nine times by the
Administration for Children's Services (ACS) ,
the ciry's child welfare department. And ACS
didn't realize the family had entered a shel ter.
"This institutional ignorance is sickening
and inexcusable," railed Public Advocate
Betsy Gotbaum at a July hearing. In 2004,
By Cassi Feldman
Photographs by Michael Berman
17
18
Private Eyes
cm AGENCIES aren't the only ones
working togeLher to help familie
reunify after foster care. In Brook-
lyn, an independent project is
bringing another key player into
the mix: private social service
providers.
Safe Haven began in ew York
City in 2002 as a collaboration
between the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse at
Columbia niversity and the
Coalition for l-Ij spanic Family Ser-
vices. FamiHes in the project must
have cases with Brooklyn Family
Court, the Administration for
Children 's Services, and the
lluman Resources Administration
and be affected by substance
abu e. The proj ect cUlTently oper-
ates in Bushwick, Bedford-
Stuyvesant, East New York and
WiUiamsburg.
Facilitator organize and moder-
ate monthly meetings with fami.! y
members, representatives from the
Administration for Chilchen's Ser-
vices ancl Human Hesources
Administration, foster care case-
workers, drug treatment counselors,
and other service providers involved
with the fanUly. "It's really about
coordinating the timing of services,"
says ina Moreno the program
director. "When you' re involved i.n
mulliple municipal service sys-
tems-not even] would know what
to do, what needs to be done first. "
The program is still extremely
small, working with just 30 famili es
a year. But Moreno sees big poten-
tial. "it's reall y a model," she says,
"that you can apply across Lhe
board for fanrilies that are involved
in multiple service agencies. "
-Sarab Unke
12 children who were known to ACS died in
city homeless shelters.
The agencies pledged to boost communica-
tion and tighten safeguards. "While not every
tragedy is preventable, opportunities exist to
strengthen cross-agency work in the name of
protecting children at risk of abuse and
neglect," said DHS Commissioner Linda
Gibbs in a press release issued after an inquiry
imo Florestal's death.
It wasn't an empty claim. Now, roughly six
months later, a collaboration berween ACS and
DHS is in full swing. First, DHS began to
review all families emering the shelter system
for active ACS cases, and to train shelter staff to
recognize signs of abuse. In November, it went
a step further, stationing an ACS "Family Ser-
vices Team" at its new intake center, granting
its staff full access to both open and closed
child welfare cases, going back 10 years.
It's not unusual for public officials to rush
imo action after a tragic incident like a child's
death. It is rare, however, for agencies to use
intensive collaboration as an everyday part of
the process of keeping troubled families safe and
whole-ACS' prime directive. But that, too, is
starting to blossom throughout New York's
child welfare system. And nowhere is the need
for different government and private agencies to
work rogether more critical than in the delicate
process of reunifying children with their fami-
lies after they've been placed in foster care.
Just ask Leslie Grant. Grant lost her four
children to foster care nearly a decade ago,
while fighting an addiction to crack that left
her on dialysis. Now clean and sober, she's
desperate to get her son, Darnell, 17, out of
foster care.
Darnell has spent the past three years at
Leake and Watts, a residential treatmem center
in Yonkers. Even though he's almost grown,
Grant considers reunification an important
goal-for both of them. "He's still very angry
at me, but he forgives me, " she says. "He knows
I had a problem I couldn't control."
Grant's done everything ACS asked of her:
She kicked her habit, got counseling and found
a job as a market researcher. But she can't move
Darnell into her apartment, which she shares
with a roommate. Grant still needs a place to
live that she can afford. She applied for Section
8 rental assistance and public housing rwo years
ago and hasn't heard a thing.
Here's where the city comes in. Charged
with helping parents like Grant find apart-
ments, ACS and DHS are instituting a new
housing subsidy program that could break
through bureaucratic walls that have lingered
for years. In the past, computer systems weren't
compatible. Neither were funding streams.
Sometimes staff was short, and typically they
were chiefly concerned about their own pro-
grams and jobs. Isolation, not partnership,
defined work berween different departments.
A new interagency effort is changing that
model, and while there are still kinks to be
worked out, it seems to be paying off. At press
time, 11 families were set to get vouchers that
would subsidize their rem and allow their chil-
dren to live with them again.
Grant isn't one of them. "I just want some-
one to say, 'We have a nice apartmem for you
and your son,'" she says. "We've been waiting
for a very long time. "
C
hild welfare is an obvious testing ground
for collaboration berween government
agencies. A family that has lost its chil-
dren to foster care is likely dealing with other
issues, and with government agencies besides
ACS. Welfare and disability benefits, Medicaid,
and food stamps-all of which need to accom-
pany children as they move back to live with
their parents-come from the Human
Resources Administration. If there's domestic
violence, courts and police are necessary part-
ners. A great majority of parents who've lost
children to foster care are substance abusers
who must get off drugs; they get treatmem from
private agencies overseen by the state.
For a parent working to get a child home,
finding housing is the most difficult piece of a
complicated puzzle. "You're talking about a
person who's already experienced a lot of trau-
ma," says Erik Pitchal, staff attorney at Chil-
dren's Rights, a legal advocacy group. "It's just
another thing added to the to-do list, and it's
often the hardest thing. "
There's supposed to be help for them. State
social services law acknowledges that it's harm-
ful for children to scay in foster care unneces-
sarily, and it directs government agencies to
intervene: "The state's first obligation is to help
the family with services to prevent its breakup
or reunite it if the child has already left home,"
declares Section 384-b.
In a 1985 case, Cosentino v. Perales, a state
appellate court found that children could not be
taken from their parents, or kept in foster care,
due to a lack of housing. If parents couldn't find
housing, the city now had a responsibility to
help them.
The ruling led to the creation of an ACS
housing subsidy that provides $300 per month
CITY LIMITS
for three years. While not enough for an apart-
ment, families trying to reunify also had priori-
ty for Section 8. Last year, ACS referred 590
parents and 696 teens leaving foster care to Sec-
tion 8, but only 350 total received the subsidy.
Ultimately, Section 8 was frozen as the city
used up its vouchers and the feds cut funding.
To replace it, the city introduced Housing Sta-
bility Plus, a five-year subsidy that starts around
$925 for a family of three. DHS, which runs the
program, set aside a special chunk for "but-fors, "
families that would reunify "but for" lack of
housing. The city and advocates both estimate
there are 200 "but-fors" at any given time.
"We are committed to ensuring that no
family is prolonged in their separation because
they have no home in which to reunify," said
ACS Commissioner John Mattingly when the
plan was introduced. "Shelrer is not the place
to reunify children and parents."
He was joined at the podium by DHS
Commissioner Linda Gibbs, a former col-
league. The two met in 1996, Mattingly recalls,
when he was working at the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, which funds initiatives to improve
child welfare services, and she was chief of staff
at ACS. They later worked closely together on
a plan to reform the agency. By all reports, they
share a mutual respect and a deep desire to
improve the way the city serves families.
They'll need it. The "but-fors" program rests
on their ability to communicate. First foster care
agencies will identify families ready to reunify
and report them to ACS. If the family is found
eligible for housing help, ACS will request a
voucher from DHS and then the agencies will
work together to fmd the family an apartment.
Tina Rowley is skeptical. The 44-year-old
AmeriCorps worker completed her drug treat-
ment and parenting classes nearly five years
ago, but her son, Chams, was just returned in
January. All she needed was housing.
Her foster care caseworker at Lutheran
Social Services sent her to DHS' Emergency
Assistance Unit (EAU) , the sole city office
where homeless families could obtain shelter.
But the staff there sent her back to Lutheran.
Her application for Section 8, filled out in
2000, was never mailed, she says. It was dis-
covered years later sitting in her former case-
worker's desk drawer.
Now finally reunified with both her chil-
dren, Rowley is scill angry. She and Grant are
both part of a lawsuit, in fact, charging that the
city unnecessarily delayed their reunification.
"I knew I needed housing, " she says. "I needed
assistance and it wasn't there."
MARCHI APRIL 2005
The motion, based on Cosentino, was
brought by the Legal Aid Society, South Brook-
lyn Legal Services and the NYU Family Defense
Clinic, to pressure the city to treat "but-fors" as
emergency cases and offer them immediate
housing--even if it's just a homeless shelter.
Chris Gortlieb, adjunct professor at the
Family Defense Clinic, admits that reunifying
families in temporary housing is less than ideal.
But if that's the only option, she and her col-
leagues want the city to allow reunifying fami-
lies to skip the city's onerous screening process.
While DHS has streamlined irs procedures,
homeless families scill endure long waits in gov-
ernment offices followed by nights in scruffy
hotels. "Permanent housing would be prefer-
able, " Gottlieb says, but quick access to a shel-
ter, in her opinion, is bener than "having a
child go into the EAU or PATH [the city's new
intake center] and not know where they're
going to sleep that night. "
Anne Williams-Isom, associate commissioner
for community affairs for ACS, hopes to do bet-
ter than that. She's one of the people charged
with making Housing Stability Plus work for
families whose children are leaving foster care.
An energetic suaight-shooter (and speed-
talker), Williams-Isom doesn'r mind admitting
when her own agency has missed the mark. She
acknowledges, for ins rance, thar private foster
care contract agencies don't always know about
available housing resources. The agency's own
Foster Care Housing Subsidy served only 408
families last year, an 18 percent decline from
the year before. Sometimes parents are reluc-
tant to maintain a relationship with ACS afrer
extricating their children from foster care,
explains Williams-Isom. Sometimes they just
don't know the money is there.
ACS is holding a training session for foster
care agencies to alert them to the collapse of
Section 8 and make sure they know about the
ACS subsidy and Housing Stability Plus. It's
one thing for top officials to declare a commit-
Previous and this page: Theodore Bacott
and Tracey Carter reunited with children
Tyrek and Tahjai-in a homeless shelter.
ment to collaboration; the real test, she says,
will come each day in the field. "I think it's
about all these people doing this job for a long
time," she says, referring to the civil servants
working on the front lines with families. "They
really want it to work."
F
or reunifications to succeed, however,
collaboration needs to go beyond ACS
and DHS. Child welfare advocates say
the Department of Education (DOE) and
19
Human Resources Administration (HRA) also
need to be part of the conversation.
Jose Rivera was thrilled when he regained
custody of his 10-year-old son, Kevin. But
when they moved from a shelter in the Bronx
to one in Manhattan, it took weeks before
Rivera could reenroll his son. "None of the
schools wanted to take him because he was
special ed," Rivera explains. Because he didn't
have child care, Rivera was forced to miss work
at his chemical bottling job, and he was even-
tually fired. He's now looking for work and
housing and dealing with his son's emotional
problems, all at the same time.
"There are tons of issues between ACS and
the Department of Education, " admits
Williams-Isom. "Transportation, special ed,
tracking down records. " The agencies are com-
municating, she says, but not as well as they
could be.
Meanwhile, getting welfare and related
benefits restored is unnecessarily time-con-
suming and difficult, say families and their
advocates. HRA has 30 days to update its pay-
ments to reflect a family's increased size. Some-
times it makes the deadline; sometimes it does-
n't. Either way, for a parent who has jumped so
many hurdles to get this far-cleaned up from
drugs, found housing, reregistered kids for
school, and started the painful process of
rebuilding damaged relationships-not having
money just makes things harder.
"It's amazing, " said Mike Arsham, execu-
tive director of the Child Welfare Organizing
Project (CWOP) , an advocacy group. "Before
the dust settles after your child's removal, your
benefits are cut off. But after you reunify, it
can take months to get them back. " The lag
time can be especially hard on former drug
abusers, he says. "It's like, ' I don't know this 2-
year-old who was separated from me at birth.'
Or ' This teenager is testing me to the limit.'
Add economic stress to that and it's prime
time for relapse."
Mireya Molina, 36, went through a tough
wait. She checked into a residential drug
treatment center on ACS orders three years
ago. Her 12-year-old son, Adam, went into
foster care for 22 months, while her 4-year-
old, Brandon, remained with her at Dreitzer
Women and Children's Center, a program
run by the nonprofit Palladia. When she
moved from Dreitzer to Stratford House, a
supportive housing facility, with both her
sons, it took more than a month for her wel-
fare check to reflect her increased family size.
"I had to do without so the kids could have
20
what they needed, " she says. "I juggle. I do
the best I can."
Susan Kyle, administrative supervisor at
Good Shepherd Services, watches her clients
struggle with the delay. She considers it one of
many catch-22s in the child welfare system.
"You can't take care of the children without the
money," she says, "and you can't get the money
without the children."
W
ll Housing Stability Plus establish
a new pro-family paradigm for
relationships between city agen-
cies? Not entirely. For one thing, it only serves
a limited pool. While families in ACS' pre-
ventive program were given high priority for
Section 8, they aren't even eligible for the new
voucher. Similarly, families who aren't on wel-
fare don't qualify.
Those who are eligible will be dealing with
a far less generous subsidy. Unlike Section 8,
Housing Stability Plus declines by 20 percent
each year and ends after five. "Housing Stabili-
ty is a humongous misnomer if I ever heard
one," says Jessica Marcus, staff attorney with
South Brooklyn Legal Services. "We've been
saying all along that families should be provid-
ed with real subsidies that cover the real market
value of apartments so they can be reunified
and be stable."
Tracey Carter, a parent organizer at CWOp,
is still waiting for that kind of stability. After
five months in and out of the EAU with her
husband and then children, she's finally land-
ed in a family shelter in the Highbridge section
of the Bronx. It may not be perfect, she says,
but it's a private apartment with two bed-
rooms. And, unlike her first placement, it's safe
and clean. "My kids were like, 'Mommy, we're
home,' and I was like, 'Yeah-finally.' ''
Still, she doesn't forget that it's a shelter. She
shakes her head thinking about all the time
and anguish she would have saved if the city
had let her enter a drug treatment program
with her children or provided a housing sub-
sidy so she wouldn't lose her apartment. "If
they can offer services," she says, "they should
do that first."
In many ways, the city is trying to do just
that. Both Mattingly and Gibbs have empha-
sized prevention as smart public policy; the
number of children in foster care recently
dipped below 20,000, a 20-year low. ACS now
has more families in its preventive program
than in foster care.
Williams-Isom hopes collaboration will
enhance prevention, but she knows it won't be
easy. "A lot of these agencies have a different way
of thinking about their issues," she says. "There
are legal mandates that stand in the way of what
you think you're able to do." One agency might
be reluctant to contact another, for example, if
it means violating a client's confidentiality.
There are also competing interests. "The
Department of Education has 1.1 million
kids," notes Williams-Isom, by way of exam-
ple. "Twenty thousand of them are in foster
care. To the DOE, that's just one of many,
many populations vying for their attention."
Meanwhile there are technical issues, which
the city is starting to tackle, says Ester Fuchs, a
special advisor to the mayor who handles
interagency affairs. "There are 50 needs-based
programs that do eligibility," she notes. "And
the information is not shared. It's so ineffi-
cient. " But now, building on the success of the
311 information system, Fuchs explains, the
city is creating a web-based system that will
allow those networks to "talk to each other."
Their human counterparts are doing the
same. The Coordinated Children's Services
Initiative, a statewide program, brings togeth-
er city and state agencies to help children with
behavioral or mental health problems.
Meanwhile the city's housing, homeless ness,
child welfare, probation, health, welfare, and
aging departments are collaborating on an
ambitious pilot program, set to statt in late Jan-
uary. One City, One Strategy will involve
roughly 200 families in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a
neighborhood chosen for both its high level of
need and its strong community services. If a
family applies for help at one government office
but seems to need assistance from others, the
initial agency will convene a case conference.
Representatives from the relevant departments
will come to a central location and talk to the
family, and each other, about its needs. The
panel will then monitor the case as it progresses.
"On the one hand, it's going to help fami-
lies get better, more coordinated services,"
Williams-Isom says. "On the other, it's going
to give us a chance to see some of the real pol-
icy obstacles that lie in the way of families get-
ting good care." While collaboration isn't a
new concept, Williams-Isom considers this
level exceptional. "There are so many com-
missioners that are engaged in this and mak-
ing it a priority," she says.
Fuchs agrees. "This isn't about making a big
political noise," she says. "It's about getting the
work done. "
Additional reporting by Sarah Unke.
CITY LIMITS
THE OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE
IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR
THE 2005 NEW YORK CITY
COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIPS
The fellowships program seeks community activists
and dynamic individuals from diverse backgrounds to
establish progressive initiatives or public interest proj-
ects that address social justice issues in New York City.
The program supports advocacy, organizing, or direct
service projects that promote equity for marginalized
communities. Past projects have focused on the arts,
civic participation, economic justice, education, health,
and workers' rights.
Fellows receive an I8-month stipend and
additional resources for each project.
For eligibility, selection criteria, and the application,
contact communityfellows@sorosny.org or
visit www.soros.org/initiatives/c
Applications are due Friday, April 15, 2005
by 12 p.m. EST.
~
The Open Society Institute, a private operating and grantmaking foundation
created and funded by George Soros, works to strengthen democracy and civil
~ society in the United States and more than 60 countries around the world.
MARCHI APRIL 200S
21
22
CITY LIMITS
MARCHI APRIL 2005
23
ONE IN FIVE.
That's how many of New York City's young adults, ages 16 to 24, are
not working and are not going to school. Only a few of them are even
looking for jobs. There are 200,000 in all-the approximate population
of Richmond, Virginia.
pregnant, but kept going to classes. Then she miscarried. The experi-
ence threw her, and, she says, "I really am the type to hate schoo!." She
dropped out shortly thereafter. At 17, she had her son Tyson, who is
now 3.
Last fall, she started working on her GED for the second time. It's not
an academic thirst for knowledge that got her back in the classroom. She
just wants a job. "Before, I wasn't thinking about [school], but now, as
I'm getting older, it's like, I need a job, I need a job, I need a job," says
Cruz. "There are a lot of things I'd like to get into, but I don't have a high
There have always been young people for whom high school failed,
and work was out of reach, but the sheer numbers have never been
greater, according to new research from the Community Service Soci-
ety of New York. The problem is not New York's alone: The number of
young adults whom policymak-
ers call "disconnected" is surging
nationwide. Today, 5.7 million
young people have left school
and work behind them, com-
pared to 4.8 million in 1998,
according to the Center for
Labor Market Studies at North-
eastern University.
Why so many? Why now? The
reasons aren't complicated. There
are fewer and fewer jobs for work-
ers without specialized training,
while there are more and more
workers competing for them. At
the same time, resources to help
striving young people get skills
have largely vaporized. Federal
funding for workforce develop-
ment and job training last year,
adj usted for inflation, was less than
a tenth of what it was in 1979.
There is a very large price to
pay-and it only begins with the
young people themselves. "They're
costing everyone a ton of money,
because they're not earning money
and they're not paying taxes, " says
Jack Wuest, executive director of
the Alternative Schools Network
of Chicago and an expert on edu-
cation and youth development.
Instead, says Wuest, "we're paying
through the nose for prisons-and
a lot of lost dreams, a lot of lost
taxpayer dollars, and a lot of lost
human capital to companies."
A new generation of residents
living outside the formal economy
WHO ARE THE DISCONNECTED?
170,000 of the city's young adults are not in school,
not working, and not looking for work. Who are they?
They are in their early 20s
72 percent are ages 20-24.
Why: Younger students can still attend school and youth job
training programs. But only those 20 and younger can attend
publ ic schools; youth job training stops after age 2 1 .
They have liHle post-high-school education
50 percent don't have a hi gh school diploma, whi le one-third
compl eted only high school.
Why: College prep standards have made it harder than ever to
get a diploma, and affordable post-high-school training is scarce.
They have liHle work experience
72 percent haven't worked in the last year; 55 percent haven' t
worked i n the last five.
Why: The low-ski ll labor market is fl ooded with former welfare
recipients, recent immigrants and recent coll ege graduates.
They are disproportionately
black and Hispanic, and increasingly male
42 percent are Hispanic; about 29 percent are black. Hal f are
men- much higher than in the past. No longer are girls more
likely to leave school and less likely to pursue jobs.
Why: Job opportunities are growing in service fields dominat-
ed by women, while shrinki ng in manufacturi ng.
Source: Community Service Society of New York onalysis of 2003 Current Population Survey Data.
school diploma. "
Getting that all-important
diploma has become increasingly
difficult, at a time when it's more
necessary than ever. In New
York, students have to pass five
rigorous Regents exams in order
to graduate--one of the highest
standards in the country.
New York also has a genera-
tion of young people who, falter-
ing academically, were "pushed
out"-strongly encouraged to
leave school for GED programs,
usually by administrators and
guidance counselors. The prac-
tice was forbidden last year by the
Department of Education only
after advocates brought several
lawsuits contesting it. "We do
have a sense that people know
they're not supposed to do that
anymore," says Elisa Hyman,
deputy director of Advocates for
Children, the organization
behind the lawsuits. Though not
convinced that the problem has
been solved, Hyman says the city
is making headway. "We're not
getting as many calls [about push-
outs) as we used to," she says.
The city's education depart-
ment has recently begun a series
of new initiatives to reach out to
struggling students-and to
bring dropouts back into the fold
[see "Dept. of Ed Stands on Its
Head," page 24). But the dam-
age may have already been done
poses a threat to New York City's economic health. "It's not just that we
need to do more because we're losing these kids, " says Margaret Stix,
associate director of the New York City Employment and Training
Coalition, a trade group for service providers. Between the job growth
expected in the city and the baby boomers set to retire, says Stix, "our
economy depends on having these kids in the workforce. "
for people like Cruz. At 21, she's no longer the responsibility of the
Department of Education, which is charged with educating New York-
ers through age 20. Neither is she unusual: Nearly three-quarters of the
city's disconnected youth fall between ages 20 and 24.
Jackie Cruz would love to be working. Now 21 , she
dropped out of ninth grade when she was 15. She found our she was
24
Without a high school diploma, Cruz's chances of gening a job are
slim. She's hopeful that she'll pass her GED this time, but she's anxious
about taking the test; she dropped out of school before taking any
Regents exams, and she failed the math section on her last GED attempt.
Cruz has also been trying to gain new skills. Too old for the Department
CITY LIMITS
of Education's programs, Cruz got
herself imo a free, 12-week yourh
training course maes run under me
Workforce Investmem Act (WIA),
me primary source of federal job
training dollars. She's one of a lucky
few. The child care trainingprogtam
she atrended, Youm Works, run by
Sc Nicholas Neighborhood Preser-
vation Corporation, gets 70
inquiries a week bur can serve just
40 w 45 studems per session. Says
Deborah Somme, Yourh Works
coordinawr: "There are more per-
sons in need of training man mere
are places in training programs."
A decade ago, Jackie and young
women in her situation would have
been much less likely w look for
training, or jobs. In New York C i ~
in me 1990s, one in four young
women wasn't in schoo!, working
or looking for work. By 2003, the
mio had dropped w one in six-
the same as me boys.
What happened? Work require-
mems tied to welfare have pushed
more young women w seek
employmem. h me same time, job
Jackie Cruz, here with
I0I'l Tyson, found
a scarce job-training
slot-but so far, no job.
opportunities have expanded in seaors dominated by women, including
education and healm services. (At me same time, me proportion of
young men who are neimer working nor in school is increasing.)
Cruz finished her training in January, so now she's looking for a job.
Ies been frustrating. "Sometimes I get down on myself," she says quiecly.
"I don't know too much, bur if somebody was w teach me, I'd pick it up. "
When she was practicing job imerviews in her class, says Cruz, she would
TRAINING WANTED
There are plenty of jobs for young people,
if they can get the training after high school
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
72%
1973
JOBS REQUIRING:
_ High School or Less
_ Some College
(including training programs)
College +
2001
Proportion of jobs requiring specified level of education
MARCHI APRIL 2005
sometimes get so nervous she'd start w cry.
For mose lacking a diploma, mere aren't
many options for acquiring job skills. Cruz
had looked imo a few private programs, bur
medical assistant training cost money, and a
security guard program required aGED,
placing bom out of her reach.
Most of me city's young people who
don't have jobs and are nO[ in school aren't
getting any training at all. Civic Strategies, a
Boswn-based mink tank that plans w release
a comprehensive survey on disconnected
youm mis winter, found mat out of New
York City's 200,000 young adults in me c i ~
neimer working nor going to school, fewer
man 11,000 are getting employmem help of
any kind.
Competition for work is wugh all
around, but it's perhaps roughest at me bot-
tom of me job market. That's where young
men like Omar White find memselves.
School didn't catch his imerest, says White,
so he left wimour graduating in 11 m grade.
"It was like a fashion show, all about who
got me right clomes," says me 20-yeat-old,
sporting his own stylish parka on me Ful-
ton Mall. He doesn't have much work expe-
rience, eimer, just a stint doing mainte-
nance work while on probation for assault. For now, says White, "I hang
out wim my friends, go w parties. " An aspiring rapper, he's quick to add
mat he's trying w sign up for a GED class, and mat he'll take work if he
can get it.
White's chances of finding a job are sinking fast. For one ming, he's
competing against a sea of desperate would-be workers. "Anyone coming
off public assistance wim low skills-me teenage dropout, me laid-off Rust
but there's insuHicient money to train them.
$30 Billion (2001 dollars)
25
20
15
10
5
1979 2004
Federal spending on employment and job training
2S
Belt manufacturing worker, the recent immigrant-they're all fighting for
the same jobs. Everyone's getting pushed inro one pool," says John Twom-
ey, president of the National Workforce Association and executive direcror
of the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals.
The number of low-skill jobs, particularly those that pay a decent
wage, simply hasn't kept up with the number of workers seeking them.
Manufacturing work continues to disappear. Automation has replaced
jobs like toll-booth and airport-counter attendants with scanners and
kiosks. And many of the jobs that baby boomers walked into straight
from high school now require much more advanced skills-skills that
the boomers themselves gradually gained over the course of their careers.
When it comes to making a living, asks Twomey, "How many jobs can
there be with high school only?"
26
Not many, says Anthony Carnevale, a senior fellow at the National
DEPT. OF ED STANDS ON ITS HEAD
If prevention is the best medicine, the city's public high schools
have long been terrible doctors . With a graduation rate hovering
just above 50 percent and a recent history of pressuring low-per-
forming students to leave school, the city Department of Educa-
tion has built a reputation as being a big part of the problem.
But that, say observers, may be starting to change. "There's
been a refreshing transparency, [admitting) that these kids are
here and they're not getting served," says Jim Marley, director of
Pius XII Youth and Family Services in the Bronx.
The biggest change of all? Several new Department of Edu-
cation initiatives intended to bring low-performing students and
dropouts back into the fold. Two- Young Adult Borough Centers
and Diploma Plus high schools-were rolled out last year, while
the third, Learning to Work, is slated to start this fall.
A Young Adult Borough Center gave Christopher Valentine a
second chance. A year and half behind in his course credits, the
18-year-old entered a YABC run by Good Shepherd Services in
Brooklyn at the behest of his guidance counselor last fall; he
expects to graduate in 2006. "She was saying, 'This is your last
chance,'" says Valentine, who fell behind after cutting classes. "If
you go to school, it's easy to pass. I was just going to do it later."
The initiatives are winning high marks from youth advocates
and city educators alike. With a focus on small campuses- 130
to 400 students each-and close partnerships with community-
based youth organizations, the schools offer tight-knit, intensive
supports for their students.
The downside: They barely even begin to serve the number of
people who've left the education system but are still young
enough to attend Department of Education programs-an estimat-
ed 47,000 in all. The new initiatives will serve just 6,000-and
many of those will come straight from school, not the street.
"What we have is an attempt to grapple with this problem, " says
Marley. "But it's by no means done."
Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) and an advisor to the
Clinton administration on workforce issues. If you take a look at jobs
now compared to 30 years ago, he notes, "the jobs that are declining are
the ones that do not require some college."
Jobs requiring education past high school, on the other hand, are
poised to keep growing. By 2010, nationwide, there will be 5 million
more high-skill jobs than trained workers to fill them; in 2020 the num-
ber will be 14 million, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Sta-
tistics and Census data by NCEE. The need will be so great, says Twom-
ey, that "anyone we can get skilled, we can get a job."
Nearly 370,000 new jobs will open in New York Ciry between 2000
and 2010, about 70 percent of them "replacements"-new workers mov-
ing into preexisting jobs, many of them vacated by retiring baby
boomers. Nationwide, the biggest growth has been in jobs that require
Diploma Plus High Schools
Modeled after efforts in Boston, the city's four Diploma Plus
high schools get most of their 550 students the hard way:
recruiting. School administrators mail letters and cold-call stu-
dents who have dropped out, or who have skipped school so
regularly they might as well have. Principals pride themselves
on bringing back students who might never have returned. The
schools accept 15- and 16-year-olds who have fallen behind in
their credits and offer a full day of classes, including courses
that count for college credit.
Young Adult Borough
Centers
Evening schools are nothing new for troubled youth, but the
city's nine Young Adult Borough Centers bring an important inno-
vation: comprehensive job and higher education counseling for
students between ages 17 and 19. One useful distinction: the
YABCs are programs, not schools in and of themselves. Though
classes are taken at the YABC, diplomas are awarded through
the students' original schools.
Learning to Work
Finding a job is increasingly as much a matter of obtaining
training and skills as it is about earning a diploma, and that's
perhaps even truer for students entering adulthood. The Learn-
ing to Work program, slated to begin this fall, is trying to take
that seriously. Intended for students between the ages of 17 and
21, the program will reach out to dropouts and students who
are old enough to be upperclassmen but only have enough
credits to be freshmen or sophomores. Curricula are still being
developed, and will blend work readiness and job skills with
courses leading to a diploma or GED. -TM
CITY LIMITS
four-year college degrees, but employment
opportunities for workers with specialized
vocational training have also been rising.
Indeed, jobs requiring "some college"-a
classification that includes job training-
have grown faster since the 1970s than
those requiring a fotir-year degree or more
[see chart J.
Significiant growth is expected in health
care, food service, and training and educa-
tion. Construction is also set to boom in
New York City, fed by the Bloomberg
administration's ambitious development
plans. In January, the mayor announced a
Commission on Construction Opporruni-
ty, intended to link youth and veterans
with an anticipated 230,000 jobs in the
building industry over the next decade.
A limited number of job-seekers can get
some help paying for job training through
the federal Workforce Investment Act, which
in New York City provides a $2,500 vouch-
er to pay for training at a private institution.
But is it really so simple-train them
and the jobs will come? Not exactly, says
Carnevale. Anticipated labor shortages
often don't materialize, because the federal government takes steps to
prevent them. Open immigration floods the labor market before a short-
age accumulates; outsourcing sends jobs away before we run out of
workers to fill them. Training workers in the U.S. to do the job would
solve the problem, but it's far more expensive than paying third-world
wages to workers who have already been educated elsewhere. As for the
young people here who get caught in the gulf, says Carnevale, "they don't
really live in America as we know it. They kind of live underneath it."
And so they do. When formal work isn't available, most kids find a
A HELPFUL FUNDING FLIP?
way to keep busy, in ways that don't
show up in labor statistics. Cruz has
picked up cash caring for neighbors'
children, for instance; most of the
young women interviewed for this arti-
cle had done the same. Jamal Trout-
man, a burly 19-year-old with a quick
smile, has done some stints as a club
bouncer, for $75 a night off the books.
He's also found occasional work hand-
ing out flyers at parties for hip-hop
promoters.
Now he's working on his diploma at
night, and Troutman's got a fierce
determination to finish. His mother
died last year. But before she did, she
made him promise that he'd finish high
school. He promised. And so he signed
up and attends class through a second-
chance program, even though he still
has no idea how he'll move on from
there. Maybe he'll go to college, as his
teachers are encouraging him to do. If
not, he imagines, he'll be a security
guard, make $7 an hour.
But for his friends it's a whole other
story. The hustle is a way of life-petty bootlegging of cigarettes and
DVDs at one end of the spectrum, peddling drugs at the other. "Maybe
25 percent is in schoo!," he says slowly. "The other is all, 'School ain't for
everybody.' Everybody's looking for the fast way, thinking hustling is it."
Both, of course, offer the risk of entanglement with the criminal justice
system-a curse for any future employment prospects. "Most of my
friends, when they come outta jail, they can't get jobs." He pauses and
thinks, then remembers how he knows some of them: "The most they
probably get is a job at a club, a bouncer, off the books."
Want to know the easiest way to get job training as a young adult? Stay in high school. The primary source of youth job training
money, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), requires that 70 percent of New York's $35 million grant be set aside for high school stu-
dents. Last year the money helped the city fund more than 33,000 summer jobs and about 7,000 year-round positions, according to
the city Department of Youth and Community Development, which administers the federal funds. That leaves just 1,800 slots in training
programs for the 200,000 young adults who have already left school.
But priorities could change this year when the WIA comes up for reauthorization in Congress. In the last round of negotiations, in
2003, the Bush administration proposed dedicating all WIA youth funds to out-of-school youth. "That makes some sense," says Mark
Levitan, senior policy analyst of the Community Service Society of New York and author of a recent report on disconnected youth.
"Many people argue that spending WIA funds on in-school youth is duplicative of funding from the Department of Education."
In Congress, the House proposed to swap the proportions, spending 30 percent on in-school youth, 70 percent on out-of-school ,
while the Senate suggested a 60/40 split, favoring the in-school programs. "It's widely believed that the final compromise would have
been 50/50, " says John Twomey, president of the National Workforce Association and executive director of the New York Association
of Training and Employment Professionals. "I would bet that, too. "
If the current WIA grants were split down the middle, funding for job training and other programs for New York City's out-of-school
youth would rise by roughly $6.4 million, helping 550 more of them prepare to work. -TM
MARCHI APRIL 2005
27
ar men
e
o
orrec Ions
When police make mistakes, there's a new way
to catch the problem early and retrain them.
Why not in New York? By Curtis Stephen
Crystal Petteway couldn't believe
what was happening. The 18-year-old
had been sitting one evening in May 2001 wirh
three friends in the stairwell of a building in
Harlem's St. Nicholas Housing complex, where
they lived. "We were talking for about three
seconds before two cops interrupted us," she
remembers. Police officers working with the
Housing Bureau can arrest residents if rhey're
found in anorher building of a complex unless
someone who lives rhere vouches for rhem. The
group was arrested for criminal trespass.
At rhe stationhouse, they were ordered to
remove rheir sneakers and socks. Gripped wirh
fear, Petteway was sent into rhe bathroom,
where a female officer told her to strip. "After I
took everyrhing off, she told me to squat and
cough. I said, 'You want me to do what?!'"
The police found nothing illegal. But hours
later, rhe teens were brought to Central Book-
28
ing. There, Petteway was again strip-searched.
NYPD regulations allow strip searches only
for serious felony cases where officers believe rhe
suspect is extremely violent, or carrying con-
cealed drugs or weapons. This was clearly not
rhat kind of siruation. Wirh help from Neigh-
borhood Defender Services of Harlem, Petteway
later sued rhe city for violating her civil rights. In
2003 she settled out of court for $50,000.
New York has been paying a high price for
such incidents. In 2001, rhe city agreed to pay
$50 million to 50,000 people erroneously
strip-searched during 1996 and 1997. In 2002,
rhe last year for which figures are available,
New York City paid out $78.7 million for
judgments and settlements in 561 "police
action" lawsuits, about 85 percent of which
alleged misconduct. Strip-search suits typically
cost the city $20,000 to $75,000 apiece,
according to civil rights attorney Ronald Kuby.
These events took place during rhe Giuliani
administration, which often encouraged police
to violate civilians' rights in the name of crime
fighting. But though rhe problem of police mis-
conduct has ebbed since rhen, it isn't going away.
Last May, rhe Civilian Complaint Review
Board (CCRB) issued a report noting dozens of
improper strip searches rhat had occurred since
2002, and warning rhat city police were not
being properly trained. In one instance cited in
rhe report, officers from rhe 13rh Precinct
approached a young woman who was playing
her car radio loudly in rhe early morning hours
on a street in lower Manhattan. When she failed
to produce her driver's license, she was taken to
rhe station house and strip-searched.
The CCRB report recommends rhat rhe
NYPD improve its instruction on search pro-
cedures. The police department has responded
by developing a video on the subject for use at
CITY LIMITS
MARCHI APRIL 2005
29
the academy, where new officers are trained.
But the NYPD does not have a way to make
sure wayward cops get straightened out once
they've joined the force. There's no formal over-
sight or individualized re-education. And
there's no effort to make sure officers retain the
procedure updates they receive in memos from
the NYPD legal bureau. Eugene O'Donnell, a
professor of Police Studies and Law at the John
Jay School of Criminal Justice, cautions that
even the most proficient veterans need rein-
forcement. "Anyone can forget something six
months after learning it," he says.
Cadets at the Police Academy learn the rules
from the patrol guide-a little red book con-
taining all the procedures they need to know.
To graduate, they have to take four multiple-
choice exams, with 100 questions apiece, on
topics ranging from behavioral science to the
rules regarding arrest and questioning. They
can pass each by answering just 70 questions
correctly. New officers never find out what they
got wrong. That's a precaution against future
test takers finding out what's on the exam-but
it also means rookies are never set straight even
when they plainly don't know the rules.
New York City police officers are at
heightened risk for forgetting old training
because of 9/11, says Nick Casale, a for-
mer NYPD detective and deputy director
for security and counter-terrorism at the
MTA who is now a partner at the Man-
hattan-based business-security consulting
firm Intac. After the 2001 terrorist attacks,
Casale notes, many cops who worked in admin-
istrative support were reassigned outside the
office, and they don't always remember what
they learned a long time ago. "Let's say that an
officer hasn't been out on the street in 10 years,"
says Casale. ''And we say, 'It's Code Orange-
suit up and get out there.'" After so much time
behind a desk, "that officer may be tusty."
"Cops learn on the job," concludes David
Feige, a Bronx defense attorney who has been
working to get the NYPD to use more effective
procedures to identify suspects in police line-
ups. "There are simply too many mistakes
being made over and over again."
"I almost can't blame the officers individu-
ally. They don't know that they don't know,"
says Dawn Cardi. A Manhattan attorney, Cardi
is co-counsel for Queens resident Raymond
Raymond Wray was imprisoned for eight years after police illegally had a crime
victim 10 him at Queens' 105th Precinct. The witness later recanted.
30
Police forces in Phoenix,
are among those
early-warning
cop behavior-lito make the
an officer before he
Wray, who is currently suing the city for $80
million. Wray spent eight years in prison on a
robbery and weapons possession rap before a
higher court ruled that he'd been falsely con-
victed. Evidence gathered for the lawsuit sug-
gests that the city has a cop training problem
it's doing little to correct.
The court determined that the miscarriage
of justice resulted from a "stationhouse
showup"-police arrested Wray, brought him
to the precinct and simply asked eyewitnesses if
this was the guy who robbed them. This prac-
tice had been strictly prohibited since 1967.
The officers never learned it was illegal.
Wray's case began on a cold night in late
November 1990. As a party promoter and DJ,
he had agreed to host a Thanksgiving bash at
Bea's Kitchen, a West Indian restaurant and
nightclub in Laurelton. The day of the party,
Wray arrived at 11 p.m., decked out in a long
black coat and matching hat. With both the
front and back doors open, he remembers that
Bea's felt "kinda chilly," so he kept on his coat.
Also wearing a long black coat was a man
who used a .357 Magnum to steal a leather
jacket from a patron outside the club. He
handed off his weapon to a teenage companion
and fled into Bea's. Police followed him, and
there they spotted Wray in his coat and hat.
The officers rook Wray to the 105th Precinct.
"They just walked up, arrested me and took me
Out," he recalls.
Wray was placed in a cell with the teenager,
and soon officers brought the robbery victim
and a friend who witnessed the scene over to the
cell. The cops asked them ifWray was the per-
son who committed the crime. Both said yes.
The case against Wray was based solely on
this "stationhouse showup" and the word of the
two officers who thought they'd seen Wray as
they stood on a roof near Bea's. Actually, the
detectives had never gotten a clear look at the
gunman's face. It was nighttime and "a little
tough to see-it was shadows, " a detective
would testify at Wray's trial. Another officer
testified about Wray's hat being different than
that of the gunman seen from the rooftop. And
then, in sworn testimony, the robbery victim
CITY LIMITS
New Jersey and Pittsburgh
that have launched
systems for bad
best possible effort to save
crashes and burns."
and his friend both said Wray wasn't the gun-
man. Since the weapon seized was never tested
for fingerprints, there was no physical evi-
dence, either. It was hardly an open-and-shut
case.
Over defense objections, though, the judge
allowed the showup into evidence. Wray was
convicted and given a six-to-twelve-year sen-
tence. He describes the eight years he served as "a
nightmare. I cried myself to sleep every night."
In 2000, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
2nd Circuit overturned Wray's conviction and
ordered him released. In a strongly worded rul-
ing, later backed by a Queens Supreme Court
judge, the NYPD got a thrashing for the station-
house showup. And a year later Wray retained
attorneys Dawn Cardi and Robert Rosenthal.
Since then the trio has turned Wray's case
into a crusade to reform law enforcement pro-
cedures. They put together an $80 million suit
against the police officers who arrested Wray
and arranged the showup, against the District
Attorney's office for not teaching its personnel
that showups are unconstitutional, and against
the NYPD and the city for not training cops
well enough so they'll know the same thing. As
the lawyers subpoenaed police records and
took depositions, they found several appeals
based on NYPD stationhouse showups that
were filed after Wray's. One showup, in late
2001 , caused a IS-year-old Bronx boy to be
classed as a juvenile delinquent and ordered to
a detention facility for a year.
Cardi and Rosenthal were also startled to dis-
cover that after all this time, the cop who'd
arranged Wray's stationhouse showup still said
he was unaware the procedure is banned. They
also found out that many checks and balances
intended to combat police ignorance or misbe-
havior look good on paper but don't really work.
Every day, for example, patrol officers are
required to write down in memo books every
action they've performed while on duty. The
information goes into their annual evaluations.
Rosenthal and Cardi found, however, that the
information recorded can be quite sketchy.
"[W]hen I'm doing an evaluation, I look at sick
records and attendance records, discipline, pro-
ductivity," Lt. Frank Valluzzi, Commanding
MARCHI APRIL 2005
Officer of the NYPD's Promotional Train-
ing Unit, testified in a deposition about
the monthly activity reports he reviews.
But when Rosenthal asked if anything
would happen "if an officer does some-
thing contrary to department policy?" Val-
uzzi answered, "Probably not. "
Whenever someone who's been arrest-
ed is brought to the stationhouse, the desk offi-
cer is supposed to make detailed notes in a com-
mand log about the circumstances of the arrest
and the behavior of all officers involved. But
when Wray's lawyers subpoenaed the command
log in the Wray case, they saw that it makes no
mention of the stationhouse showup. (Likewise,
the log in the Crystal Petteway case fails to men-
tion a strip search.)
"There's an old-school mentality in some
precincts that the more you write down, the
more trouble there is. And the
less you write down, the better
off you are because there won't
be any records to subpoena," says
a former NYPD lieutenant who
requested anonymity. "There are
a lot of flaws in the system. "
Beyond New York, concern
over procedural screwups has
increased as cities grapple with
lawsuits arising from an alarming
number of wrongful conviction
and police abuse cases. In 1994,
Congress passed the Violent
Crime Control and Law Enforce-
ment Act, which empowered the
U.S. Justice Department to sue
state and local governments
whenever police departments
were found to have repeatedly
used procedures that violated the
law. The first wave of lawsuits
and settlements resulted in the
federal monitoring of police
departments in Cincinnati,
Washington D.C. , Los Angeles
and other cities.
that a cop is having problems. When that hap-
pens, superiors are required to intercede. "The
point is to make the best possible effort to save
an officer before he crashes and burns," says
Sgt. Rod Snodgrass of the Phoenix Police
Department's Standards Bureau.
In Phoenix, sergeants and lieutenants typically
begin each day by logging into the database,
which is constantly updated with new informa-
tion from the field. For example, an officer con-
ducting a routine traffic stop must radio a
detailed account, with the reason for the stop and
the race and gender of everyone in the vehicle. If
an officer exceeds a predetermined threshold of,
say, stops, strip searches or civilian complaints, a
database alert is triggered. The sergeant must
then determine how to correct the problem.
One option is sending the cop back to
school, which is what Phoenix did recently
To prevent similar suits, law
enforcement agencies are imple-
menting early intervention sys-
tems. A centralized computer
database, maintained by pre-
cinct commanders, contains
information not only on offend-
ers but on officers, including
complaints from the publi c.
Over time, evidence may emerge
Attorneys Robert Rosenthal and Dawn Cardi are in a
crusade to make NYPD cops accountable for their actions.
31
when the database revealed that an officer had
a tendency to use force in making arrests. His
supervisors developed a 20-hour training block
on proper arrest procedures. "He couldn't
believe that we were going through all this just
for him," says Lr. Snodgrass.
The Phoenix cop was happy to get attention
rather than punishment, and his positive attitude
is common among officers in cities that have
adopted early intervention systems. "It's all about
how you package it," says Carol Archbold, a
researcher at Marquette University in Milwaukee
who has studied early intervention systems.
"When you take away the disciplinary compo-
nent," she says, "police unions are more likely to
go along with ir. But ultimately, proper training
and supervision is in the best interest of officers
and the communities they serve."
Brian Miller, a spokesman for the Phoenix
Law Enforcement Association, the city's police
union, says that any initial concerns about the
intervention system were quickly put to rest
once the department saw it as a tool to correct
the behavior of officers before it was too late.
"This is not set up to skirt around discipline,"
says Miller. "Mistakes are possible, but you
have to consider how long the officer worked.
Is he seasoned or new? That's the beauty of this
system. You can see if it's a onetime thing that
never happens again or something repetitive."
Closer to home, the New Jersey State Police
Department has had an early intervention sys-
tem since January. Developed over three years at
a cost of about $2 million, MAPPS (Manage-
ment Awareness Personnel Performance Sys-
tem) was implemented as part of a 1999 feder-
al consent decree with the U.S. Justice Depart-
ment in the wake of a bevy of racial profUing
incidents, including the infamous 1998 shoot-
ing of three unarmed black and Latino men by
two state troopers along the New Jersey Turn-
pike. With an upgraded system for recording
the data troopers supply during each stop,
including the age and ethnicity of a vehicle's
occupants, MAPPS enables monitoring of all
the state's 1,500 troopers. "It clearly shows who's
performing well and who's not," says Sgt. Kevin
Rehmann of the New Jersey State Police Depart-
ment. "You can identifY officer deficiencies and
train them on ir. " Adds Sgt. Mike Schaller of the
MAPPS unit, "It's an invaluable too!. "
Pittsburgh has also successfully fashioned an
early-intervention program, and Chicago will
have one in the next six months. The systems
are classic risk management-an investment of
resources to protect against crushing expenses
down the road. But most cities, including New
32
York, have resisted implementing them, and
criminal justice experts say their reluctance is
mainly about money. Though Pittsburgh
police officials will not say what their system
costs to maintain, the Vera Institute reports
that the city spent $1 million to get it up and
running. Bigger municipalities can expect
higher bills. Cost is "a huge issue," concedes
Archbold, who recently sampled 354 police
departments and found that less than 4 percent
use risk management. "But cities are also get-
ting nailed in lawsuits for false arrest and
wrongful search and seizure lawsuits," Arch-
bold says. "Having a risk management system
is just good common sense."
The NYPD's Bible: Rules of procedure
that cops are trusted to enforce.
The Bloomberg adminstration has been find-
ing its own ways to reduce the costs of police mis-
conduct. "Police action" payouts are down signif-
icantly from the $142 million doled out in 2001,
the last year of the Giuliani administration.
"Under Giuliani," says Kuby, "the idea was
that police would do illegal stop and frisks of
young, black men, for instance, in order to find
guns. So what if the cases didn't hold up later in
court? You'd gotten the guns off the street and
lowered the crime rate, which was what Rudy
was elected to do. Given that mandate, what
was $2,000 for a stop and frisk, or $20,000 for
a strip search, as far as the city was concerned?
Civil rights for Giuliani were a salable com-
modity. We attorneys loved him! He was a gift
from God when it came to putting money in
lawyers' pockets. "
But civil rights violations continue. In a
report released last October, the CCRB notes
that the number of complaints it receives has
gone up during the past two years. The uptick
can't be explained solely by the 311 city tele-
phone hotline, which gives citizens a new and
ready way to file complaints. Complaints were
already increasing before 311 was activated,
and the CCRB hasn't been doing extraordinary
amounts of community outreach. Among the
most commonly substantiated complaints:
stop and frisks, strip searches, arrests without
probable cause, and searching vehicles and
homes without good reason.
The Bloomberg administration is saving
money by limiting payouts to plaintiffs. Attor-
neys from top-flight private law fums give pro
bono help to fight lawsuits against the city.
"Corporation Counsel delays cases for months,
even years," says Kuby. "Eventually the city will
lose. It won't matter to Bloomberg, though,
because by then he won't be mayor. But ulti-
mately the city will pay a lot more in legal fees
and court costs than if settlements had been
made in the first place. The cost will be higher. "
Raymond Wray's cost has been especially
high. Though cleared in the courts, he still
feels traumatized by asthma and short-term
memory loss, which he attributes to the stress
of his eight years behind bars. And he still
can't shake the fear that he could be wrongly
ensnared again by the police.
Several months ago, the city offered to set-
tle his $80 million suit for $100,000. He
refused the deal, and the city went to court to
have the case dismissed.
In October, Brooklyn federal judge Jack
Weinstein ruled that Wray can sue the detec-
tive who orchestrated the showup and can also
sue the city over the broader issue of NYPD
training. Weinstein urged that Wray and the
city proceed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the 2nd Circuit-the same court that over-
turned Wray's conviction four years ago. But,
the judge mused in his ruling, Wray's claim
against the city "will probably fail" unless his
attorneys can prove the NYPD acted with
"deliberate indifference to the right of citizens."
Rosenthal and Cardi believe they can show
that the city knows better police training would
preserve citizens' rights but that it's been deliber-
ately indifferent about making the improvements.
continued on page 40
CITY LIMITS
W
hen the subway opened a century ago with an inaugural trip
from Ciry Hall up ro 145th Street, the New York papers cele-
brated with all the ingenuiry they could muster. The edirors of
the World even arranged for a signal ro be flashed ro the roof of the rower-
ing Pulitzer Building on Park Row at the moment the first trip began. From
there, the American flag would be raised, celebrarory shots fired and the
message sent ro rugs in the harbor, where boats would root a melody of joy.
But a dissonant note sounded across the East River, where the Brook-
MARCHI APRIL 2005
lyn Daily Eagle editorialized that "the right course" would have been to
start the first subway in Brooklyn and build it toward Manhanan.
Instead, Brooklyn was treated as an "afrerthought," the paper wrote in
an editorial titled "Brooklyn Must Wait-and Should Rememberl"
Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr., evidently took note; at points through
the day, he spoke of how eager he was ro extend the subway to Brooklyn.
March marks the 50th anniversary of the Eagle's demise, and in many
ways the ciry's most-peopled borough carries the scars of that loss. With
33
its dying breath, the Eagle shouted in a final editorial that without a local
newspaper to give voice to community concerns, Brooklyn would be
evermore cast in Manhattan's shadow. Fifty years later, the anniversary of
the Eagle's closing serves as a reminder that the difficulty of attracting the
attention of a Manhattan-centric media is still part of the cost of doing
business in the four larger boroughs.
According to public relations executive Bob Liff, who covered Brooklyn
and City Hall beats as a reporter and columnist for New York Newsday and
the Daily News, it's just a lot easier to pitch Manhattan-based stories. "It's
clear that the Manhattan bias in the city is such that absent a paper whose
existence is predicated on covering Brooklyn, you're not going to get the
A View from the Brooklyn Desk
In the early 1990s, I was the Brooklyn editor at New York Newsday,
a job I took out of a belief that nowhere else in America did so many
people get so little news coverage as in Brooklyn.
At that point, the Times was beginning to make forays into Brook-
lyn-reporters and editors were moving to Park Slope-and doing some
strong features (great work, although one of my colleagues dubbed it
"Margaret Mead journalism" because it sometimes seemed to treat
Brooklyn as a foreign culture). Only recently has the Times begun doing
more of the everyday Brooklyn news stories-the ones on the inside
pages of the Metro Section about the latest on downtown development
or courthouse scandal-that are so vital to keeping the public informed.
Alone among the citywide media, the Daily News has covered Brook-
lyn day in and day out through the years, using a zoned section. (The
rival Post set up a Brooklyn bureau in Bay Ridge, but doesn't do daily
coverage.) The News carries many major Brooklyn stories that don't
appear in other dailies. The downside to its approach is that stories
deserving citywide attention are frequently relegated to the Brooklyn
edition. "If you were going to make an issue or a cause, you weren't going
to do it on the Brooklyn page," says Michael Armstrong, spokesman for
Borough President Howard Golden from 1993 to 200t.
Weeklies and a small daily that circulates in downtown Brooklyn and
carries the Eagle name also cover vital stories, in some cases quite aggres-
sively, but, again, they lack the clout that citywide coverage brings.
At New York Newsday, I worked with reporters who did the everyday
neighborhood stories on zoned pages, bigger stories for the citywide edi-
tion and investigative or in-depth pieces for both. I thought it was a
good approach, but it didn't have enough time. The paper shut its
Brooklyn bureau when Times-Mirror Co. unplugged New York Newsday
a decade ago this July 14.
Now under the ownership of Tribune Co., the paper has been sizing
up Brooklyn; its publisher held a community forum in downtown Brook-
lyn last year to drum up interest.
Media executives might consider the Eagle's demise. Early on, the
Eagle saw itself as a paper for all Long Island and even dropped off papers
by air in Nassau and Suffolk counties. But in 1937, as author Raymond
A. Schroth recounts, it made the huge mistake of closing its Long Island
news operation--despite staff protests.
Newsday started on Long Island three years later and by the 1950s far
outstripped the Eagle because of the suburban boom in housing and shop-
ping. Nowadays, the growth in housing and retailing is in Brooklyn. It's
hard to see how any ciry daily can thrive without focusing on the borough.
-PM
34
[same] kind of coverage," Liff says. "If there are issues that happen in Man-
hattan, that gets huge coverage, but I can't get it if it happens in Brooklyn."
Staten Island has its Advance to raise local issues and Queens has had the
Long Island Press and then Newsday. The Times has paid more attention to
boroughs outside Manhattan in recent years and the Post set up a Brooklyn
bureau, but only the Daily News provides daily, comprehensive coverage of
Brooklyn-albeit in a roned edition, which means that often enough,
important Brooklyn stories don't get citywide attention. In the broadcast
world, only New York 1 covers news from all the boroughs regularly.
For Brooklynites, nothing comes close to matching the days when the
Eagle kept an eye on their interests. The broadsheet's crusades sometimes
were over a small matter of civic pride, as in 1938, when the paper bat-
tled Mayor Fiorello laGuardia to make sure that hero aviator Douglas
"Wrong Way" Corrigan was greeted first in Brooklyn rather than in
Manhattan upon his return from Ireland-fitting, the Eagle argued,
because he took off from Brooklyn. As Raymond A. Schroth recounts in
his 1974 book, The Eagle and Brooklyn: A Community Newspaper, 1841-
1955, the paper also had a vision for the borough. It created the Eagle
Plan, pushing City Hall for more schools for the borough, more money
for the Brooklyn Public Library, a new courthouse and jail, a new civic
center, and continuing extensions of the transit system.
Today, the city's mayor and, for that matter, the news media, are
much more likely to bring up putting tolls on the Brooklyn Bridge than
to raise the subject of extending a new transit line to Brooklyn.
The authors of "Better Transit for Brooklyn," a study released in 2003
by Brooklyn-based Community Consulting Services and consultant
George Haikalis, tried just that. They note that the Second Avenue sub-
way plan's only nod to direct service to rapidly growing downtown
Brooklyn is to leave an 85-foot hole in the ground at lower Manhartan's
Hanover Square that might someday allow for an extension.
Carolyn Konheim, who worked on the study, says it's been difficult
to get any attention in the news media. "This is so frustrating because
there's no coverage," she says. "Brooklyn is so important to the entire
region. " Her study reported that Brooklyn generates the most transit rid-
ership in the MTA region, nearly a third, and that the borough is short-
changed on capital funding.
Brian Ketcham, the executive director of Community Consulting
Services, said he appreciates the coverage Brooklyn's weekly newspa-
pers provide, but that "to make a real difference, you need the citywide
He adds, "I don't think the mayor reads the Brooklyn
weeklIes.
T
om Schroth, the Eagle's last managing editor, chuckled a bit when
asked in a phone interview at his home in Sedgwick, Maine, about
how the Eagle would have responded to Mayor Michael
Bloomberg's effort to put tolls on the East River bridges.
"The Brooklyn Eagle would have raised hell, and that would've been a
fun story," he says. "We were kind of crusading about things like that-
big things and little things. And that would be a big thing." Similarly, he
says, the Eagle would have pushed for the Second Avenue subway to be
built directly to Brooklyn-"lots of page one stories pushing it. "
Schroth said the paper also would have "raised hell" over the decision
to move the headquarters of the city education department from Brook-
lyn to Manhattan's Tweed Courthouse. ''As I remember, the Eagle was
proud to have that big city office in Brooklyn," he says.
The Eagle, owned by Schroth's family, officially closed on March 16,
1955, afrer failing to publish for 47 days during a strike. Author Ray-
CITY LIMITS
mond A. Schroth says the paper always saw itself as a champion of
Brooklyn and soughr to create civic improvement through periodic cam-
paigns for plans published in irs pages.
"I think that's a style of journalism thar's been losr," says Schroth, Jesuit
professor of the humaniries ar St. Perer's College and a nephew of the
paper's fmal publisher, Frank D. Schroth. He sees an echo of it in the trend
toward civic journalism (which the Pew Center for Civic Journalism defmes
as based in "a belief thar journalism has an obligation to public life-an
obligation thar goes beyond jusr relling the news or unloading lots offacts").
From bauling Manhattan over control ofEasr River traffic in the 1840s
to fighting into the 1950s for the creation of a downtown Brooklyn civic
center, the Eagle was always a feisty defender of Brooklyn against what it
regarded as overbearing Manhattan interests. Its last edition, on January 28,
1955, lamented, "the borough has been a stepchild in government services,
charity, social activities, and indeed in every phase of community life. " It
warned that its death would silence "the last voice that is purely Brooklyn"
and thar "the borough seems doomed to be cast in Manhattan's shadow. "
Asked if he thought that
turned our to be the case, Tom
Schroth recalled a conversa-
tion his father, the paper's
publisher, had with Dodgers
owner Walter O' Malley. "I
always felt that it [closing the
Eagle] would hurt Brooklyn
badly, and I even associated it
wirh the departure of the
Dodgers shortly after that," he
says. "I understand Walter
O'Malley told my father rhat
if the Eagle were there, they
wouldn't have gone to Los
Angeles-the Eagle helped to
fire up the local fans . I believe
one reason they moved was
that they believed they needed
more local support."
Even though plenry of
news organizations make
some effort to cover Brooklyn,
without the Eagle around it's possible for an important Brooklyn story to
get little play in citywide media. That happened last October when a task
force created by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz released
a detailed report showing how to lower the borough's car insurance costs,
which the report said are the highest in the nation.
The announcement had plenty of elements to make it newsworthy:
Car insurance is a pocketbook issue. Several million people were affect-
ed by outrageously high rates simply because they live in Brooklyn. The
report showed how crime rings were milking the system by staging acci-
dents on an enormous scale and running hundreds of phony medical
clinics. It also suggested new steps to combat the problem, including the
idea of stopping the no-fault program in Brooklyn.
The result was that the News ran a 351-word story inside its Brook-
lyn section and the Post published a 233-word article on page 23. Noth-
ing appeared in Newsday or the Times. Among broadcasters, Channel 11
News at 10 covered the story.
The minimal coverage contrasts sharply with the way the same issue
MARCHI APRIL 2005
is handled in New Jersey, where the Star-Ledger of Newark has played the
high cost of car insurance on the front page for years. As a result, the
issue always gets close attention in the New Jersey statehouse and in
political campaigns; in New York, it's barely mentioned.
The Eagle would no doubt have played the story on page 1 and fol-
lowed up on it constantly.
Another example of a contemporary Eagle story in the making: AIDS
policy. Chris Norwood, who helped start the 718 AIDS Coalition in the
1990s to press for AIDS funding for agencies in the city's most populous area
code, contends the city just doesn't shape its AIDS policy in a way that ade-
quatelyaddresses the 70 percent of AIDS cases that are outside Manhattan.
Norwood, executive director of Bronx-based Health People: Communi-
ty Preventive Health Institute, said the membership of a year-old city policy
panel, the New York City Commission on AIDS, is heavily weighted toward
Manhattan (23 of the 25 members list Manhattan addresses, according to a
list ptovided by the city Health Department). That "would certainly receive
more attention" from a newspaper based outside Manhattan; she says.
"The borough
has been a
stepchild in
government
services, charity,
social activities,
and indeed in
every phase of
community life."
Brooklyn Daily Eagle,
final edition,
January 28, I955
The same could be said for the simmering conflicts over alleged
favoritism shown to Manhattan in many other areas such as funding for
tourism, parks maintenance, economic development, police staffing, district
attorneys, culture and rebuilding subway stations-potential Eagle stories all.
Even a half-century after the Eagle's closing, there remains in the
city a streak of the paper's sentiment regarding Manhattan and the
media based there.
"The local things that get coverage in Brooklyn are the things that
the New York newspapers like, " says Frank Macchiarola, president of
Brooklyn Heights-based St. Francis College and former city schools
chancellor. "If five people from Manhattan like a restaurant on Smith
Street, it gets coverage. Events don't get to be important because Brook-
lynites find them and spread the word. It's important because the media
in Manhattan found them."
Paul Moses, a former city editor at Newsday, teaches journalism at Brooklyn
College, where he is director of the Center for the Study of Brooklyn.
3S
INTER VIEW
Q&A: Why Does Bustling Flushing Need a Boost?
Few neighborhoods in New York have as
much energy, and as much potential for
growth, as downtown Flushing. With the
neighborhood weighing a number of
public and private sector development
projects, the Center for an Urban
Future took the Number 7 train to Main
Street to ask WELLINGTON CHEN, an
urban planner and former commis-
sioner of the Board of Standards and
Appeals, for his thoughts on Flushing's
future.
Interview by Jonathan Bowles
CUF: How did you get involved in the urban devel-
opment of Flushing?
WC: I was in my last year of architecture
school, and I thought here was a live patient
dying. Flushing was sputtering in the mid-
'70s, and there was an open letter requesting
assistance from the local community board.
We did a lot of great things back then. We
formed a local development corporation, we
did a multilingual shopping guide/map, and
the Flushing Fantastic street fair.
36
CUF: What's your assessment of Flushing today?
WC: I'm a little dismayed that a quarter centuty
later I'm still at the tarmac. I thought that we
should have gotten a lot further than we are
right now.
CUF: What's the problem?
WC: In a sense, what a lot of downtowns take
for granted, those amenities are missing in this
community. It's something as basic as we don't
have a men's health club. We don't have a
decent bookstore, despite having the highest
circulating branch library in the country. The
pizza store is buried someplace here. So what
you take for granted-to get a slice of pizza-is
a treasure hunt.
CUF: That seems strange, because you go out on
Main Street and it's so busy.
WC: The big problem is Flushing has a vety lim-
ited core. There are only a few blocks of streets
in the downtown area that are zoned commer-
cial. And, so, within those few blocks, we have
to tty to achieve what they envisioned half a
centuty ago, which is that this is supposed to be
the fourth largest retail district in the city. And,
at one time, we were almost there. We had five
department stores. But because of the demise of
the department store in general across the globe
we lost those opportunities.
CUF: Are there now opportunities to develop
more retail in Flushing?
WC: Northeast Queens is mostly residential
neighborhoods. The issue is how do we service
this quarter of million people [in the Flushing
area], or 2 million people in the county of
Queens. What is lacking in Flushing is what is
lacking in Queens. We have very limited
choices. Historically, across North America,
there are 23 square feet of retail space per per-
son. In Queens, we only have 4 square feet.
The shopping revenue goes out of the county,
out of the city. And Nassau County, in the last
25 years, was built up on our blood. Our
shopping revenue goes there, the sales tax rev-
enue goes there. And that money should have
been in this community to pay for the teacher
salary increases, to build schools, to maintain
parks, to build waterfront promenades.
CUF: It sounds like you'd like to see significant
new commercial development.
WC: Do we really want our CBD to be a central
business diStrict or a central bedroom district?
The job creation formula is that evety 300 square
feet of office space and evety 500 square feet of
retail space creates a new job. And retail is ideally
suited for this community, in that you don't need
a PhD to operate a retail service job. That's why
I'm a lime concerned about putting all the eggs
in one basket, in a sense that evetyone is building
housing. And I'm a housing advocate. But you
could build a 15 story apartment building, and
how many jobs do you create? A one-shot deal
and we have sacrificed our core, our commercial
space. If I tried to invite you back to downtown
and say, "Wait, you've got to look at this apart-
ment building," you'll tell me, "No thanks."
You've got to give a reason for wanting to return
to downtown, to shop or eat.
C U ~ : Why is Flushing the natural place for all of
this commercial activity?
WC: From Flushing to Great Neck, there's not
another zoning for C4-2 [a zoning designation
that allows for moderate commercial and resi-
dential development]. There's a little strip by
the LIE [Long Island Expressway] where the K-
mart used to be, and that's about it. Whereas
here, at Shea Stadium, there are 9,000 parking
spots, 98 percent of the time unused. You have
23 bus lines, rwo major rail lines. Flushing is
accessible by land, by sea, by air.
CITY LIMITS
CUF: But with such a limited core, how does
Flushing grow?
WC: In my 25 years of banging my head
against this wall, I've come to realize that a
solution for Flushing lies west of the Flushing
River. This river has two banks, but until the
other bank is decided, we are in limbo. The
western Flushing area is rather remote. A
majority of people do not live there and [it]
has no amenities.
One of the reasons why the western region
of Flushing suffered a 30 percent loss in pop-
ulation during the 1990s is because we have a
bleeding gum: the waterfront. One unfortu-
nate graphic limitation of Flushing is that the
waterfront drops 30 feet from College Point
Boulevard. What you see across the way is
not the Manhattan skyline. You see what is
direcrly across the river in Willets Point,
which is junkyards and construction debris.
CUF: The Bloomberg administration is now look-
ing to redevelop this waterfront. What do
you think?
WC: The Bloomberg administration deserves
tremendous credit for handling a hot potato
that no one in the past half of a century wants
to handle. Robert Moses had a grand plan for
Commitment is
this area before he passed away, and right after
the World's Fair of 1964, that area was desig-
nated as parks. But it was rescinded. And so,
from then onwards, every attempt in the last
"I'm a housing
advocate. But you
build a 15-story
building and how
many jobs do you
create?"
40 years to clean up that area has been met
with no success, whether it's Mario Cuomo,
after he became governor, or [Mets owner]
Fred Wilpon wanting to rebuild the area. It
requires a tremendous effort, because the area
INTER VIEW
has no sewer. The area has a lack of infra-
structure.
CUF: Beyond Flushing, what are some of the fun-
damental challenges in Queens for the
economy going forward?
WC: We've got to get up on our feet. If the county
of Queens were to become a city, it would be the
fmh largest city in the United States. It's larger
than Houston. This county used to think on a
vety different level. The two World's Fairs gener-
ated over 50 million visitors each. We used to
think on a global level. We used to compete on a
global level. We need to get back on that mold.
CUF: Should the city's government and business
leaders be thinking of Queens, and all the
boroughs outside of Manhattan, as engines
for growth?
WC: The boroughs, with the right public policy
and the right guidance, could be a tremendous
economic generator. This administration recog-
nizes that there needs to be a five-borough strat-
egy. Each one is unique. The Bronx and Staten
Island are different than Queens. Brooklyn and
Queens share some similar characteristics. But
each on its own is a different city. By using an
integrated strategy, this could go a long way.
Tomorrovv starts today
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MARCHI APRIL 2005
37
CITY LIT ------------------------------------+-
Shelter Book
A West Coast view of a booming field in architecture.
By Arnie Gross, AlA
Designing for the Homeless
By Sam Davis
University of California Press, 176 pages, $34.95
THE IRONY OF A BOOK titled Designing for the
Homeless is that we live in a time when archi-
tects can specialize in a building type that
would not exist without acceptance of home-
less people as a permanent part of our society,
requiring their own special type of housing.
Sam Davis is one of those architects. His
book shows us all, and particularly the nonprof-
its and government agencies that typically build
such housing, the essential role that design plays.
The book demonstrates how thoughtful design
can improve the lives of residents, by creating a
sense of belonging for people who have few
social connections. Good design performs a sec-
ond important function: Artractive buildings
can help alleviate concerns of local residents
uncomfortable with the idea of living alongside
those who have been homeless.
Davis brings into focus the practical chal-
lenges facing architects designing for people liv-
ing in transition. Exterior and interior views,
along with plans of facilities in Southern Califor-
nia and New York City, allow architects and
clients to learn about successful ways to
respond-promoting security, making sure resi-
dents and staff can circulate comfortably, provid-
ing privacy and a sense of organization in tight
spaces, bringing light to interiors, and creating
choices about where people congregate and relax.
Designing for the Homeless cuts a broad
swath through policy concerns and technical
considerations in operating facilities for home-
less people. It acknowledges, for example, the
critical role that construction materials play in
creating environments that are at once aes-
thetic, durable and practical. Supportive hous-
ing tends to be heavily used-these are 24/7,
multipurpose facilities often inhabited by peo-
ple who have lost the skills to keep places clean.
The book further identifies how cost and space
constraints require architects of such structures
to be particularly adept at using the basic ele-
ments of a building to create distinctive forms.
The recommendations here for effective
38
design acknowledge the complexity of spatial
considerations for people who may have differ-
ent needs. Providers of housing for the home-
less call these needs the "Continuum of Care":
housing types that range from emergency shel-
ters to supportive housing and on to owner-
occupied housing.
Much of the book, however, focuses on
large scale transitional shelters offering housing
and various programs. That's unfortunate. If
anything, the trend nationally is toward smaller
scale supportive housing-units with 40 to 70
beds and an environment that fosters interac-
tion between the residents while allowing for
supervision by staff. Smaller facilities also fit
better within a community's fabric, and they
are often easier to find sites for, in part because
they minimize neighborhood opposition.
Davis acknowledges that much of what has
been built for the homeless population is pri-
marily for single men, secondarily for those
with psychiatric disabilities and lastly for fami-
lies withour a home. But design for families
still deserves more attention than he gives it.
Sensitive design is critical for families. A
mother needs to be with her children while get-
ting the assistance to allow her to recover her
self-esteem and abilities. Spaces for families
must also respect both the parent's and child's
privacy. At its simplest, this means that instead
of a relatively small room for a single person,
famil ies need an apartment with separate
spaces for parents and children. To that, add
space for family support services like day care.
Davis does profile an innovative family
housing development, the Canon Barcus Com-
munity House in San Francisco, designed by
Herman and Coliver for Episcopal Community
Services. Canon Barcus provides facilities for
both families and the community at large. Job
training classrooms located at the building's
corner, highly visible from the street, physically
and metaphorically reach into the surrounding
community. Bringing neighborhood residents
into the Community Houses gives comfort to
Canon Barcus residents, at the same time that it
gives neighborhood residents an education-
not just in new skills, bur also in the humanity
of homeless people. Inside, corridors resem-
bling porches facilitate chance meetings and
forge connections between the families. The
architecture helps residents feel like they are
part of a neighborhood, a place where they
belong again.
By integrating a community into the life of a
supportive housing facility, and byaccommodat-
ing residents and visitors who have different
needs and experiences, Canon Barcus is the clos-
est building in Davis' book to the kind of model
that is likely to prevail in expensive urban areas
like New York and San Francisco. Neighbor-
hoods that once provided affordable develop-
ment opportunities now command exorbitant
purchase prices, coupled with community oppo-
sition that is growing more sophisticated. All this
demands new ideas for how to house those with
special needs. Some sponsors are now working
with for-profit developers to procure sites and
fmancing. This will allow them to develop large
properties, housing a diverse range of popula-
tions, including people who have never been
homeless and may not need supportive services.
Those who have been homeless can be a part of
projects for the rest of us, and get a chance to
move from transitional housing into a perma-
nent home. And the next generation of housing
for those without homes may be a seamless part
of affordable housing for us all .
Amie Gross, AM is president of Amie Gross Archi-
tects, which specializes in affordable housing and
residential facilities for those with special needs.
CITY LIMITS
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LETTERS
continued from page 4
how a public esplanade, light rail and other
amenities would coexist with the busy, clut-
tered maritime industry. Shipyards are, on the
whole, hard-hat areas with a certain amount of
risk posed to those who work there. By what
method does a public promenade get designed
into the existing infrastructure, and by what
means does it become populated by the casual
tourist?
Jonathan Bowles responds:
-Don Sutherland
Stapleton
During the course of my interview with her,
Susan Meeker expressed support both for open-
ing up parts of Staten Island's North Shore
waterfront to public access and for strengthening
the maritime companies that currently operate
on part of the same shoreline. As you can read in
the full version of our Q&A, which is posted on
the Center for an Urban Future's website
(www.nycfuture.org), Meeker singled out the
island's dry-dock industry as one sector with
real potential for future growth and which
deserves support. She also supports the preserva-
tion of other types of light industry along the
waterfront. But sadly, the reality is that a not
insignificant chunk of the North Shore water-
front today sits dormant, occupied by rusting
factories and storage yards. Like many other
urban planners and economic development
experts, Meeker wishes to see this area reclaimed
to allow waterfront access. As she stated in the
interview, at least one parcel has already been
purchased and turned over to the city's Parks
Department for this purpose. I don't believe she
envisions a whitewashed waterfront modeled
after the South Street Seaport, but rather a
handful of places where Staten Island residents
and tourists can access their waterfront and
take in the stunning views of the Bayonne
Bridge, the Manhattan skyline and the working
waterfront around them.
NO RUNNING AWAY
About your article regarding Hispanics-
particularly Puerto Ricans-vanishing out of
New York City and going to small, rural areas
in Pennsylvania or small cities like Providence
["Adios, Nueva York," September/October
2004] : There is no doubt New York City is
insanely expensive, and I am a white male in
his mid-thirties. It certainly is not only His-
panics or blacks that see this. Whites have
been vanishing out of New York (unfortu-
nately) for years. Not much was really made
40
about this in the face of the overused "diver-
sity" cry. Now other groups are getting their
whacking in the barrel.
The article is somewhat disturbing in some
ways, though. It seems the old, tired cries for
"inclusion" or the fact some Hispanics are
going on welfare in these towns and cities is
creating yet another cycle of dependency. I
cringe when I read things like "Hispanic stu-
dents account for a certain percent of the stu-
dents but the teachers are nearly all white." So
what? The town was exclusively white for gen-
erations, so what do you expect? Stop moaning
and go to school and take a test if you want to
be a teacher. It sounds like New York City
redux if you ask me. Blame the "system" when
in roo many cases it is the person in the mirror
who is the real problem.
There are no magic bullets. There are no
mystery places that are going ro "save" you.
Those who have children out of wedlock; those
who blame the police, the schools, the system;
those who fall into the filth of the "hip-hop"
culture; those who avoid school, those who get
locked up, etc. , are doomed. It is that simple.
In too many cases, blacks and certain Hispanic
groups are involved in the above mentioned.
No "white rural" towns or cities will save you.
Do it yourselves.
CORRECTION
-Bob Maceron
New York
An article profiling the Fresh Start work-
preparation program ["Occupational Ther-
apy, "November 2004J contains several errors.
It wrongly characterized program director
Peter Fraenkel as "not sure why people are poor,
or what to do to assist them. " For the record, Dr.
Fraenkel states: "I do not and cannot know
exactly how these families are experiencing their
lives, filled as they are with oppression and frus-
trations that I have never and am not likely to
ever experience, as a white, middle-class profes-
sional man. " In addition, the story suggests that
the project will not produce data showing its
results; however, such information is currently
being gathered.
Fresh Start is a program of the Ackerman
Institute for the Family, not the Ackerman Insti-
tute for Family Therapy, and is a project of the
institute's Center for Time, "WOrk and the Family.
Dr. Fraenkel directs that program as a member of
the institute's faculty but has never been a trainee
there.
Department
of
Corrections
continued from page 32
If Wray prevails in court this time around, pre-
dicts Rosenthal, "the judge will order the Police
Department to correct its policies. "
But the city has also appealed, and Rosen-
thal notes, "The chances are always greater
that the court will rule for the city." Even so,
he and his cocounsel are fiercely dedicated to
the suit. "I've worked hundreds and hundreds
of hours on this, and Dawn [Cardi) and I
have invested thousands of dollars of our own
money. We think it's a good case. It's infuriat-
ing to think that a NYPD officer who hasn't
learned something at the academy can go out
on the street and hurt someone-most likely
a poor, minority person-and the city doesn't
care. If Wray prevails here, the police depart-
ment will have to change its training proce-
dures. That's a win for a lot of people. "
Wray, too, hopes his case will serve as a cata-
lyst for reform. "Police officers should have the
right training so that an innocent person isn't
locked up," he says. "I want ro make sure that
what happened ro me doesn't happen ro anyone
else. Whether black or white."
Curtis Stephen is a Brooklyn-based freelance
writer.
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RENTAl SPACE
SPACE AVAILABLE - Up to 17,500 square
feet. Will divide. Newly built out office and pro-
gram space featuring many offices, confer-
ence rooms, storage, etc. Ideal for programs,
offices, medical , and approved for residential
treatment facility. Asking only $9.00 per
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ther information please phone Lee Allen of Arc
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SPACE AVAILABLE - Sisters of St. Dominic:
Two offices in the former Dominican Commer-
cial High School in Jamaica, Queens, are avail-
able for rental. One was recently renovated and
is air conditioned with 973 sq. ft. composed of
3 offices and a main conference area. The other
is the former 600 sq. ft. carpeted library with
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garet Krajci at 631 842-6000 X351.
SPACE AVAILABLE - Coro New York Leader-
ship Center seeks compatible partner(s) to
sublet office space in the downtownNiall
Street area. Three offices totaling 400 sq. ft.
24f7 building with lobby attendant, close to all
major subways. Rent $700 to $1000 for each
of up to three offices for 1 to 4 persons each
negotiable). Includes shared conference
rooms, reception area, kitchenette and copier.
Available immediately. Contact Nina Massen
MARCHI APRIL 2005
at 212-248-2935 ext 310.
SPACE AVAILABLE - Literacy, Inc. Seventh
Ave. & 28th Street seeking subtenant(s) for
two furnished offices, 230 square feet of
usable space, bright and attractive offices,
utilities, reception area, conference room,
pantry; copier and internet can be arranged.
Available immediately. Call Vera Weintraub for
rates. 212.620.5462 x223
JOB ADS
EDITOR - CITY LIMITS MAGAZINE SEEKS EDI-
TOR - City Limits, a 30 year-old magazine
that covers New York City communities, seeks
an experienced editor to lead a team of staff
writers and freelancers to guide and produce
the magazine's editorial content. City Limits
covers community development, housing,
delivery of city services and economic develop-
ment. The magazine is currently going through
a major redesign of departments and content
- the editor will work with a team of staff and
board members to shape the magazine's edi-
torial strategy, and will then implement that
strategy by overseeing development of
content for the magazine and its affiliated web
site and other products. City Limits
(www.citylimits.org) is published by City
Futures, Inc., a nonprofit organization, which
also operates the Center for an Urban Future
(www.nycfuture.org), an urban policy think
tank. Requirements: No fewer than 8 years as
a practicing journalist, including significant
editing experience. The successful candidate
will have superior interpersonal and leader-
ship skills, bring a business and editorial
vision, have some knowledge of New York gov-
ernment and politics. Women and people of
color are encouraged to apply. Salary commen-
surate with experience. Applicants should
send resume and cover letter, with salary
requirements, to: John Broderick, Publisher,
120 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY
10005, or e-mail tosearch@citylimits.org.No
phone inquiries, please.
ACTIVITY SPECIALIST - Hudson Guild is a
not-for-profit social service agency located in
Chelsea seeks an Activity Specialist to orga-
nize and provide direct service for teen groups.
Implement designated teen workshops, activi-
ties, projects and events; assist group in orga-
nizing community events and provide overall
direction of the group. Qualified candidates
must currently attending graduate school ,
preferable a Social Work major. Must have
experience working with diverse population,
providing workshops for teens and ability to
effectively organize teen groups. Please send
salary requirements along with cover letter
and resume to jobs2004@nyc.rr.com or fax:
212-924-6872.
ADMINISTRATIVE & PROGRAM ASSISTANT -
National Alliance for the Mentally III of New
York City, Inc.: Manage office, volunteers,
memberships and donations; coordinate
meetings, events, etc. , for NAMI-NYC Metro, a
unique grassroots advocacy organization (see:
www.naminycmetro.org). For job description,
contact: asstdir@naminyc.org
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Affordable
Housing Developer: Seeking part-time admin-
istrative assistant (15 hours per week, with at
least 3 hours per day) for busy Brooklyn hous-
ing development office (located in S. Park
Slope). Responsibilities include filing, prepar-
ing back-up for billing, copying, phone. $12
per hour. Must have excellent computer and
phone skills, be reliable and organized. Email
resume and cover letter to
telesisbrooklyn@yahoo.com.
ADMINISTRATIVEITECHNICAL ASSISTANT -
CUCS-Opening Doors to Opportunity: Full -time
position available at the CUCS-Housing
Resource Center. The Administrative!Technical
Assistant is responsible for providing general
support to the program's local and national
training and technical assistance services.
This person works closely with other adminis-
trative support staff, trainers, trainees, and
technical assistants. Resp: Oversight of logis-
tics of training and technical assistance ser-
vices (including scheduling, registration, set-
up, material prep, etc.), document production,
maintaining service records, and supervising
clerical staff. Reqs: Must have excellent orga-
nizational and customer service skills. Ability
to multitask is essential. Strong office, com-
puter and interpersonal skills are necessary.
Intermediate knowledge of Word required.
Experience with data entry in Access and Excel
Required. BA and experience with not-for-prof-
its preferred. Competitive salary and benefits.
*Send resumes and cover letters to: Melissa
Ramirez, CUCS/Housing Resource Center, 120
Wall St. 25/FL, New York, NY 10005. CUCS is
committed to workforce diversity. EEO
ASSET BUILDING PROGRAM MANAGER - The
Mount Hope Housing Company, Inc. is hiring
an Asset Building Program Manager for our
Department of Asset Building Programs. The
Asset Building Program Manager will realize
Mount Hope's vision to create an innovative
and comprehensive program providing educa-
tion and training, advocacy, unique invest-
ment models and direct services to families
interested in expanding their economic health
through asset building. The Asset Building
Program Manager will report to the Director of
Asset Building Programs. Responsibilities will
include: *Manage the Individual Development
Account Program, including oversight of pro-
gram administration, institution and evalua-
tion practices to achieve program goals, and
adjustment of program activity as needed.
*Work with the Director of Asset Building Pro-
grams and other program staff to develop pro-
gram's goals, infrastructure and outcomes
with an eye toward a sustainable future. *Work
with Mount Hope's Development and Commu-
nications Department to develop a market-
ing/outreach and fund raising plan for pro-
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOB ADS
gram. *Develop, institute, facilitate, evaluate
and refine economic literacy sessions with the
Director of Asset Building Programs. *Facili-
tate the application, selection and account
opening process with participants, and refine
as needed. *Provide technical assistance to
participants, and monitor progress. *Work
one-on-one with program participants to make
asset goals a reality. *Maintain and expand
partnerships with other organizations, includ-
ing financial partner. *Coordinate the develop-
ment of new resources/support systems to
assist in asset accumulation. *Manage an in-
house program evaluation and participate in
outside evaluations. *Create a plan and model
for developing comprehensive, well- rounded
programs, services and tools to support asset
development among low and moderate income
Bronx families. *Undertake the necessary start
up activities for these new programs and ser-
vices including expanding staff, implementing
evaluations, working directly with program
participants and any other work as needed.
*Supervise program staff, including Ameri-
Corps VISTA Volunteers. *Represent Asset
Building Programs at local and national
forums and events. Qualifications: Graduate
degree preferred/Bachelor's degree or equiva-
lent required; strong computer, oral and writ-
ten skills (especially familiarity with MIS);
have prior experience with homeownership,
small business development and/or educa-
tional financial aid; knowledge of investing,
personal asset management, and adult learn-
ing theory; experience in program development
and management; established team-
building and problem-solving skills;
experience working in community; and
strong interpersonal skills/case management
skills. Knowledge of Spanish (written and oral)
preferred. Please fax or e-mail resumes to
Zuleika Dejesus at 718-299-5623 or
Zuleika_DeJesus@mounthopehousing.org
ASSET MANAGER AND DIRECTOR OF REAL
ESTATE DEVELOPMENT - MBD Community
Housing Organization: Prestigious CDC in the
Bronx, with 30 years of experience in property
management is seeking 2 experienced profes-
sionals for 1) Director of Real Estate Develop-
ment and 2) Asset Manager position. Respon-
sibilities include Developing and implement-
ing affordable housing construction initiatives
as well as overseeing economic development
activity. Asset Manager must have Tax-credit
financing and reporting experience. Bachelor's
Degree in Real Estate, Non-Profit Manage-
ment, Business Administration or related field.
Master's Degree preferred. Salary according to
experience. Email resume and cover letter to
jroundtree@mbdhousing.org or fax to HR at
718-542-7694
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF YOUTH PROGRAMS
- The Center for Family Life (www.cflsp.org).
a nationally recognized youth and family ser-
vices program in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, seeks
an Assistant Director of Youth Programs to
share oversight of three school-age child care
and summer camp programs, in-school and
community youth development programs and
41
JOB ADS
a year-round youth employment program.
Responsibilities include assisting with pro-
gram development, grant writing, administra-
tive supervision of site directors and participa-
tion in advocacy and public contractor meet-
ings. MSW with five years of supervisory and
administrative experience in a youth develop-
ment setting and experience in grant writing
required. Send resume to jbrockway@cflsp.org
ASSISTANT DlRECTDR, PROGRAMS - Com-
mon Ground: Assists Director in day-to-day
operations of 652-unit supportive housing res-
idence for single adults. S/he supervises
administrative functions, including recruit-
ment and staff selection and supervises tenant
compliance and tenant service units. S/he
meets with tenants to resolve housing prob-
lems or concerns; mediates tenant conflicts,
works with social services, security and tenant
compliance staff on tenant safety and behav-
ioral issues. Slhe maintains, reviews and/or
modifies procedures to ensure compliance with
Common Ground Community (CGC) policies
and standards and City, State and federal eli-
gibility guidelines and/or rent regulations. Slhe
prepares deliverables to meet government
oversight requirements including DHCR, S8,
DHS and HASA. S/he manages the apartment
inspection program, and supervises the land-
lord's legal agent. Slhe may also function as a
CGC management liaison with community
organizations and providers of social and other
supportive services. Minimum Qualifications -
BA degree (Masters preferred) and 2 years
comparable work experience in supportive
housing, property management, social services
or a closely-related field, including at least one
year in a managerial, supervisory or adminis-
trative capacity; or Equivalent education
and/or comparable work experience. Candi-
dates must have BA degree or its educational
equivalent and at least one year in a manage-
rial , supervisory or administrative capacity.
Preferred skills - Experience and/or commit-
ment to working with special needs, low
income and/or formerly homeless populations.
Superior organizational , verbal , writing and
presentation skills. Flexibility, creativity and
initiative to work both independently and as
team member. Please send two (2) copies of
your cover letter and resume to: Human
Resources!GD, Common Ground Community,
505 Eighth Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY
10018 Fax: 212-389-9313 Email:
CGCresumes@commonground.org
ASSISTANT PROGRAM DIRECTOR - Brooklyn
Economic Development Corporation: Seeking
Assistant Director for two programs that train
individuals with physical disabilities and men-
tal illnesses to start and run micro-enterprises.
Provide l:l micro enterprise development
counseling to clients, build collaborative rela-
tionships, recruit and maintain program can-
didates, coordinate training sessions, provide
project coordination & reporting, seek out
funding opportunities. Position requires person
with strong interpersonal & writing skills, & an
ability to meet deadlines. Micro-enterprise
42
development experience a must. B.A. required.
Project management experience. Experience
working with people with disabilities a plus.
Salary: 30s to low 40s. Good benefits. Grant
funded position. Email resume, cover letter, &
writing sample to mschulman@bedc.org. By
mail to Assistant Director Search, BEDC, 175
Remsen Street, Suite 350 Brooklyn, NY 11201.
ASSISTANT PROGRAM DlRECTDR - CUCS -
Opening the Doors to Opportunity. The limes
Square is a 652 unit supportive housing resi-
dence. Supervise 2 direct service teams provid-
ing case mgmt to 650 tenants with a history of
homelessness, substance abuse, mental ill-
ness, HIV/AIDS and low income tenants. Moni-
tor contract requirements, serve as key mem-
bers of management team, report to program
director Reqs.: LCSW and 4 yrs related post
MSW clinical and supervisory expo Send Resume
and Cvr Ltr, ASAP to: Karen Oser, CUCS!1imes
Square, 255 West 43rd Street, NY, NY 10036,
Fax: (212) 391-5991 For more information
please visit our website at www.cucs.org. CUCS
is committed to workforce Diversity. EEO.
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR PREVENTION SER-
VICES - Single Parent Resource Center:
Small family support agency seeks an admin-
istrator with solid program and supervisory
experience in substance abuse prevention,
family services and group work. Responsibili-
ties include: oversight for program develop-
ment and implementation, staff supervision
and training, quality control and contractual
compliance(including statistical reporting,
annual work plans and quarterly reports), mar-
keting of program services and maintenance of
relationships with funders and other service
providers. Qualifications: Minimum 5 years
supervisory experience in prevention/family
services. MSW or related advanced degree pre-
ferred. BA plus CASAC or CPP will be consid-
ered. Excellent writing and communication
skills. To apply: Fax cover letter, specifying
position and salary requirements, and resume
to (212) 951-7037. By mail: SPRC, 31 E. 28th
Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10016.
ASSOCIATE DIVISION DIRECTOR, STATEN
ISLAND - Volunteers of America is seeking an
Associate Division Director, Developmental Ser-
vices Division for their Staten Island office. The
qualified candidate will assist the Division
Director with all aspects of program operations,
develop and manage program services and
assist in the management of divisional fiscal
operations and governmental relations. Must
have a Master's degree in Human Services or
similar field plus 5 years experience or a Bach-
elor's degree in a related field with 7 years expe-
rience. Two years administrative/managerial
experience required. To apply please copy
and paste your cover letter and resume to
anicosia@voa-gny.org.
ASS1 RESIDENCE MANAGER - St. Vincent's
Services: Assist Residence Mgr w/supervision
of residents & staff in ICF. Maintain responsi-
bility for home in Residence Mgr's absence. HS
diploma/GED + 2 yrs. exp & driver's lic. req'd.
Benefits for fIt positions include 4 weeks
vacation, Medical/Dental, 401 (k)/403(b),
pension plan, flex-spending plans, etc.
Mail/fax resume to: Personnel Director, St. Vin-
cent's Services, 66 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY
11201. Fax: (718) 422-2312. St. Vincent's Ser-
vices - Founded in 1869. EOE MIF/DN Diversi-
ty is part of our mission.
ATTAIN LAB MANAGERlCOORDlNATDR - The
position is offered through the SUNY System
Office of Grant and Contract Administration, an
operating location of The Research Foundation
of State University of New York, a private, non-
profit educational corporation supporting
research, education and public service at the
State University of New York. Dr. Betty Shabazz
Complex Center, Brooklyn, New York -
0405UCAWD07 Duties: Monitor day-to-day
activities & provide administrative oversight for
lab activities. Responsible for program devel-
opment, instruction & delivery. Provide techni-
cal support, identify/train staff, & other duties
as outlined. Qualification: Bachelors' deg. in
ed.lrelated discipline. Two yrs. expo working
w/adult population. Exp. w/instructional com-
puter software applications in reading, writing,
& math. Working knowledge of Word, ACCESS &
Excel. Some evening hours may be req. Strong
interpersonal, oral , & written communication
skills. Local travel req. Salary: $40,000.00
Qualified candidates should send a resume
with cover letter and Ref. # 0405UCAWD07 to:
University Center for Academic and Workforce
Development, Ms. C. Paradis, Director of Con-
tracts and Personnel, 1 Steuben Place, 4th
Floor, Albany, New York 12246. EEO/M
BID MANAGER - Grand Street BID: St.
Nicholas NPC, on behalf of the Grand Street
District Management Association, seeks an
energetic, articulate, full-time Manager/Execu-
tive Director for the Grand Street Business
Improvement District (www.GrandStBklyn.
com) . The Grand Street BID is a six block retail
corridor between Union and Bushwick Avenues.
The Grand Street BID provides sanitation ser-
vices and limited holiday marketing activities.
The successful candidate should: be creative,
have experience working with retail business-
es, have good writing skills, excellent comput-
er/internet skills, be able to communicate and
work with business/property owners on improv-
ing retail facades, have knowledge of city pro-
grams and agencies, and be able to work inde-
pendently. BA degree required. Salary com-
mensurate with experience. Please email
resume, cover letter with salary requirements
and three references to joseleon@ewvidco.com
or fax to 718.486-5982 attention Jose Leon.
BILINGUAL ORGANIZER - ACORN: Work for
the organization that raised the minimum
wage in Florida and registered over 1 million
new voters! Seeking organizers for NYC, Long
Island, Westchester to organize campaigns for
affordable housing and immigrants' rights.
Send resume to nyacornbrx@acorn.org or fax
(718) 246-7939.
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
BRONX RIVER GREENWAY COORDINATOR -
The Bronx River Alliance seeks coordinator for
unique ecological restoration/recreation/trans-
portation development project. The Bronx River
Greenway Coordinator works with public agen-
cies and community organizations to imple-
ment an 8-mile long bike/pedestrian path and
park through the heart of the Bronx. Tasks
include coordinating community participation
in project development, monitoring
projects to ensure ecological and community
visions are implemented, and working with a
team to prioritize projects and raise
funds. Full job description at
www.bronxriver.org/greencoordposition.cfm.
Minimum BA and 3 years experience; design
skills preferred. Salary $35- $43K plus bene-
fits. Email resume and cover letter to
resa.dimino@parks.nyc.gov.
CAMPAIGN MANAGER - ACLUIF, Lesbian &
Gay Rights and AIDS Projects: Working with
Director and other staff of LGRP/Communica-
tions/Legal/D.C. offices, Manager will
create/supervise execution of: national earned
media strategy; strategy to aid affiliates with
lobbying/grass roots organizing/initiative cam-
paigns; program to make marriage central part
of ACLU's public message; program to have
ACLU board/staff reach out/secure support of
potential ally organizations; will supervise
staff Associate and Assistant; 7 yrs experience;
demonstrated ability to direct public educa-
tion/media/lobbying/grass roots campaigns!
supervise small staff, works well under pres-
sure, thinks creatively/strategically; Send cover
letterlresume/writing sample/references to:
Matt Coles, Director, Lesbian & Gay Rights and
AIDS Project, ACLU, 125 Broad Street. , 18th
Floor, New York, NY 10004
CASE MANAGER - Bronx lier II Shelter for 27
Women and their babies, seeks a FIT Bilingual
(Eng!Span) Case Manager. Provide compre-
hensive case management services to home-
less women seeking permanent housing. Qual-
ifications: BAlBSW or related human service
experience, sensitivity to families in crisis;
good communication skills and computer liter-
ate. Fax cover letter & resume to Director, Siena
House (718) 293-2390
CASE MANAGER - HELP USA, a nationally rec-
ognized leader in the provision of transitional
housing, residential & social services, is seek-
ing a case manager to work at one of its Bronx
facilities. Responsibilities include providing
services and referrals with or on behalf of res-
idents, such as, but not limited to, assess-
ments, counseling, service planning, entitle-
ments, medical , educational , substance
abuse, employment, child care, and recreation-
al services. Services and referrals to result in
the expeditious placement of families and indi-
viduals into permanent housing and self-suffi-
cient families and individuals. A degree in
Social Work or related field required, as well as
excellent interpersonal, verbal and writing
skills, & computer literacy. Bilingual skills
(Spanish & English) a plus. Salary commensu-
CITY LIMITS
rate with work experience. Send resume to:
HELP USA-Bronx Morris, Attn: Andre Alickson,
Director of Social Services, 285 East l7lSt
Street, Bronx, NY 10457. EOE. A Drug Free
Workplace.
CENTER DIRECTOR - Community Healthcare
Network, one of NYC's largest network of not-for-
profit community based healthcare centers, pro-
vides health, mental health & social services to
medically underserved neighborhoods through-
out Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
Responsibilities include day-to-day manage-
ment coordination of all clinical administration
and operational functions. Minimum BNBS in
public health administration or related field 3
years experience in primary care administration;
working knowledge of budget development;
strong verbal/written skills and managerial
background required. If interested, please send
your resume to the VP of Human Resources at
Community Healthcare Network, 79 Madison
Ave, 6th Floor, NY, NY 10016 or
fax to: (212) 807 -0250 or e-mail
Resume@chnnyc.org www.chnnyc.org EOE
MlFIDN/AA
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER - Community-
based Nonprofit: Diversified community-based
nonprofit in northern Manhattan seeks Chief
Financial Officer to direct finance department,
employee benefits, vendor relations, facilities,
IT and HR. Strong multi-fund accounting back-
ground, good management and communica-
tion skills required. Report to Executive Direc-
tor. Salary commensurate with experience.
Email cover letter and resume to
cfosearch@nmi c.org.
COMMUNITY BANKING INTERN - Join an
emerging community development corporation
in long Island City that is working to connect
public housing residents to the economic
development of the region. The East River
Development Alliance, Inc. (ERDA) is looking
for a graduate student to work with Executive
Directorto manage and develop a campaign to
attract a bank to our neighborhood. Responsi-
bilities will include developing financial plans,
potential corporate and government partners,
managing grassroots campaign to build com-
munity participation and support. Intern must
be able to commit 15 hours/week and have
some weekend availability. The ideal candidate
will be motivated, ambitious, passionate,
detail-oriented, experience with financial
statements and business plans helpful but not
required and have strong verbal and written
communication skills. This is a very
exciting opportunity to play an integral role in
creating a new organization. Stipends may be
available. Please email resume and or ques-
tions to Debra-Ellen Glickstein at
debraellen@erdalliance.org
CDMMUNITY BUILDING SPECIALIST - Com-
munity Building Specialist Housing and Com-
munity Development Network of New Jersey
seeks an organizer for training & technical
assistance to organizers and resident leaders
MARCHI APRIL 2005
working with CDCs. North Jersey emphasis with
office in Newark. 3 + years' experience
required. Spanish-speaki ng desi reable.
Resume, letter & three references to: HCDN,
145 W. Hanover Street, Trenton, NJ 08618 or
dbrunn@hcdnnj.org.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT VISTA MEMBER-
Fifth Avenue Committee: Rewarding one-year
VISTA positions available with leading Brooklyn
CDC. Help Fifth Avenue Committee launch and
expand projects in affordable housing, job
training, financial literacy, asset development,
adult education and media strategy. Living
stipend, education award, health insurance.
Job announcement at www.fifthave.org. To
apply send cover letter and resume to
vista@fifthave.org.
COMMUNITY NElWORK INTERN - Join an
emerging community development corporation
in long Island City that is working to connect
public housing residents to the economic
development of the region. The East River
Development Alliance, Inc. (ERDA) is looking
for graduate and college interns to begin in
January 2005 to assist with a variety of pro-
jects. The Community Network Intern will work
with Community Outreach Coordinator to
assist other community groups, develop out-
reach materials and build community and
organizational infrastructure. Depending on
interest, he or she may also be able to assist
with youth development and school-based pro-
grams. Intern must be able to commit to 10-15
hours/week. Stipend may be available based
on experience. The ideal candidate will be
motivated, ambitious, passionate, detail-ori-
ented and have strong verbal and written com-
munication skills. Bilingual candidates
are preferred. This is a very exciting opportuni-
ty to play an integral role in creating a new
organization. Please email resume and or
questions to Debra-Ellen Gli ckstein at
debraellen@erdalliance.org.
COORDINATOR, SINGLE STOP BENEFITS CEN-
TER - New Settlement Apartments: The new
Single Stop Center will offer low-i ncome fami-
lies in our SW Bronx community free and confi-
dential social-service counseling and referrals;
assistance in applying for public benefits; and
direct access to legal , tax and financial coun-
seling and services. Requirements: Demon-
strated capacity to provide counseling and
referrals, conduct intakes, coordinate and com-
municate with program partners and clients,
maintain records and write reports. Bilingual
English and Spanish. Computer literary. Experi-
ence with New York City benefits and entitle-
ment programs. Hours and compensation:
Approx. 10 to 12 hours weekly (over 2 or 3 days),
including Fridays from 2-7p. Hourly rate nego-
tiable, $15 to $22.50 / hour, DOE. Send letter,
resume and list of three references to Single
Stop Center Coordinator Search, New Settle-
ment Apartments, 1512 Townsend
Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452. Email:
jobsearch@newsettlement.org. More info: see
www.ideal ist.org, "New Settlement Apart-
ments."
DATA ENTRY/OFFICE ASSISTANT - CUCS-
Opening Doors to Opportunity: CUCS' Housing
Resource Center is seeking a full-time Data
entry/Office Assistant specialist for its training
department. Responsibilities include entering
information into Access Database, filing,
extensive photocopying, and providing general
administrative and clerical support for the
department. Reqs: HS Diploma or equivalent;
one year general office experience; type mini-
mum of 45 words/min.; strong data entry skills
(experience with Access Database). Additional -
ly, this individual must have good interperson-
al and strong organizational skills as well as
have the ability to flexibly manage multiple
tasks. Experience working in a not-for-profit
setting pref. Bilingual Spanish/English a plus.
Competitive salary and benefits. * Send
resumes and cover letters to: Melissa Ramirez,
CUCSIHousing Resource Center, 120 Wall St.
251Fl, New York, NY 10005. CUCS is committed
to workforce diversity. EEO
DATABASE PROGRAMMER/ANALYST - AClU
Department of Information Technology: Under
supervision of Database Development Manag-
er, Database Programmer/Analyst will : Devel-
op/maintain database applications/software
solutions; create/run queries/reports; provide
programming/system analysis support;
design/support databases/spreadsheets; sup-
port users; support affiliates; assist mainte-
nance/administration of database servers;
assist development of technical documenta-
tion; troubleshooting; BA in CompSci or related
field; 1-3yrs relevant experience; experience
database applications, client/server solutions,
SQl query language; knowledge
Orac Ie/Microsoft Access/UN IXlfu nd ra i si n g
applications preferred; excellent program-
ming/problem solving/organizational/commu-
nication skills; letter of interest, resume, salary
requirements to: Database Development Man-
ager- PGRANA, 125 Broad Street-18th Floor,
New York, NY 10004 or hrjobs@aclu.org
DEPUTY DIRECTOR - Growing Bronx multi-
service organization seeks experienced Deputy
Director. Responsibilities include overseeing
youth and community service programs,
fundraising and administration. Minimum five
years program management and supervisory
experience. Competitive salary. Excellent
opportunity for professional growth. Fax cover
letter and resume to SRCO 718 824 0532.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION FOR
EMPLOYEE SERVICES - American Civil liber-
ties Union Foundation: Reporting to Director of
Administration and Finance; responsible for
reviewing/evaluating current organizational
programs; recommending modifications/over-
seeing implementation; overseeing creation of
employee services plan for all aspects of staff
recruitment, including diversity outreach/staff
orientation/tra i n i ng; reviewi n g/develop i ng
compensation program/personnel policies and
procedures/employee appraisal system; imple-
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOB ADS
menting internal affirmative action process;
assisting financial management; BA relevant
field, 10 yrs experience, demonstrated experi-
ence recruitment, organizing management,
financial management, superb interperson-
al/oral and written communication/organiza-
tional skills required; letter of interest and
resume to Nurys Harrigan, General
Manager, Professionals for NonProfits,
nharrigan@nonprofitstaffing.com or fax:
202.349.3821
DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE - New York
lawyers for the Public Interest: Associate works
on all aspects of fund raising and on NYLPI
publications. Requirements: Bachelor's degree,
good organizational , writing, and computer
skills. Fundraising experience preferred. Salary
commensurate with experience. Excellent ben-
efits. Affirmative action employer. Cover letter,
resume, writing sample, three references,
salary history ASAP: Isabel Ochoa, Develop-
ment Director, NYLPI, 151 West 30th Street,
11th Floor, New York, NY 10001. No E-mail s.
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR - Make the
Road by Walking: Non-profit community orga-
nization seeks a full-t ime development coordi-
nator for grant writing, donor and foundation
management, major gifts, appeal s and special
events. Must be highly independent and orga-
nized with advanced computer experience.
Send resume to karen@maketheroad.org or
Karen Oh, Make the Road by Walking, 301
Grove Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237.
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - New York City
Employment and Training Coalition: NYC ETC is
an association of 180 organizations that pro-
vide job training and employment services to
low-income New Yorkers. The Coalition seeks a
Development Director to research foundation,
corporate, and government funding opportuni-
ties; write grant proposals and report on active
grants; cultivate prospective donors; maintain
donor information. Qualifications: Minimum
B.A. degree; Demonstrated experience and
record of success in obtaining grants; Famil-
iarity with MS Access; Experience in workforce
development a plus. Salary: Commensurate
with experience and great benefits package.
Send resume, letter, and salary requirements
to: Jessica Tesoriero, NYC ETC, 135 E.
15th Street, New York, NY 10003,
jtesoriero@nycetc.org.
DEVELDPMENT DIRECTOR - UHAB - Urban
Homesteading Assistance Board: Dynamic and
growing nonprofit that develops and supports
affordable housing co-ops seeks a full-time
Development Director to oversee fundraising
and communications operations and expand
the funding base. Responsibilities include
research, proposal-writing and reporting on
foundation and corporate grants; coordinating
annual individual donor campaign; overseeing
planning and executing of special event(s);
supervising Communications Coordinator; and
working with ED and Board to develop and
implement overall fund development strategy.
43
JOB ADS
Salary commensurate with experience; excel-
lent benefits. Women and minorities are
encouraged to apply. For full job description,
visit www.uhab.org/abouUjobs.htm; visit
www.uhab.org for general information.
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER - CARE FOR THE
HOMELESS, in its 20th year as one of the largest
homeless health care and social service
providers to New York City's homeless men,
women, and children, seeks a DEVELOPMENT
OFFICER to assist in shaping and carrying out
overall fund development strategy, researching
foundation and corporate prospects, writing and
timely submission of grant proposals, expand-
ing the base of the agency's private support,
and assisting the Board and staff of Susan's
Place: The CFH Susan L. Neibacher Women's
Center in planning a fund development cam-
paign to enhance the facility. Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree with at least 2-3 years suc-
cessful record of fund development and donor
solicitation; knowledge of marketing and brand-
ing opportunities for non- profit human service
agency; excellent written and communication
skills, plus high level of organization and com-
puter literacy (.html a plus) and commitment to
social justice. How to Apply: Qualified individu-
als should send resume & cover letter, clearly
stating salary requirements, electronically to
recruit@cfhnyc.org (Subject: Development
Director) OR mail resume with cover letter and
salary historyirequirements to: Paul E. Dinter,
Care for the Homeless, 12 West 21st Street, 8th
floor, New York, NY 10010. Care forthe Homeless
values diversity and is an EOElAA employer.
DIRECTOR - FIERCE! , a community organiz-
ing project for Transgender, Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Two Spirit, Queer, and Questioning
(TLGBTSQQ) youth of color in New York City,
seeks Executive Director; $37-$42K with bene-
fits. Qualifications: Knowledge of New York City
TLGBTSQQ communities. Minimum 3 years
campaign & community organizing; fundrais-
ing & development experience; demonstrated
success building strong organizations. Appli-
cations due ASAP. Mail OR e-mail cover letter,
resume, three professional references, and
short writing sample to FIERCE! ,
Director Search, 437 W.16th Street, Lower
Level, New York, NY 10011 OR
directorsearch@fiercenyc.org. For more infor-
mation: www.fiercenyc.org
DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY - The NYC Depart-
ment of Homeless Services seeks a Director to
oversee the Office of Client Advocacy, which
assists clients in resolving issues that were not
adequately addressed through their casework-
er. The Director will develop, implement and
apply policies, procedures and timeframes for
handling client complaints. The position allows
for wide latitude for the exercise of indepen-
dent judgment, decision making and action.
For more information visit
www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/downloads/
pdf/jvn729.pdf
DIRECTOR OF AFFILIATE SUPPORT - Ameri-
44
can Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLUF):
Director of Affiliate Support will: analyze
capacity/assess emerging needs/devise
strategies to further empower/bolster technical
abilities/programmatic/organizational capaci-
ty of ACLU affiliates; set program
priorities/overall direction of affiliates; devel-
op/direct implementation of affiliate support
system; bolster relations among affiliates and
National Office programs/staff; manage Affili-
ate Support Department. BA relevant field,
graduate training preferred, lOyrs experience,
experience establishing/managing department
dedicated to organizational developmenU
strengthening of affiliates/regional offices,
outstanding managemenUinterpersonal/com-
munication skills, analytic/strategic planning
abilities, knowledge/experience implementing
electronic communications strategies
required. Letter of interesUresume: ACLU
Human Resources, 125 Broad Street, 18th
Floor, New York, NY 10004 or hrjobs@aclu.org
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT
MONITORING UNIT - The New York State
Banking Department is looking for a highly
experienced professional with expertise on the
Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to serve
as the Director of the Community Reinvestment
Monitoring Unit in our Consumer Services Divi-
sion. We seek an individual with significant
and relevant hands-on CRA bank, community
group and regulatory experience to manage
bank examiners and CRA analysts in evaluat-
ing the CRA performance of all New York State
chartered banking institutions. This individual
will construct and implement CRA policies and
guidelines, direct and train bank examiners
and CRA analysts, and assist in the Depart-
ment's community outreach activities related
to state-chartered banks and CRA perfor-
mance. Candidates must have a thorough
understanding and knowledge of the CRA, the
impact of the CRA on low- and moderate-
income communities and the ability to imple-
ment policy recommendations. Strong commu-
nication, analytical, and organization/ man-
agement skills are essential. Computer skills
preferred. Must have knowledge of Federal and
State banking laws and regulations as they
relate to the CRA and be able to demonstrate
the ability to understand complex and sensitive
community reinvestment issues. The preferred
candidate should possess a bachelor's degree
and at least 8 years of progressively responsi-
ble experience involving major supervisory,
administrative or program planning functions,
three of which must involve the interaction of
regulatory oversight with private industry and
the public. A Master's Degree in Public Admin-
istration, Urban Planning, or a related field
may be substituted for one year of the experi-
ence. Interested candidates should send their
resume to: Peggy Butler-Bertholf NYS Banking
Department Human Resources One
State Street New York, New York 1000-
1417 You may also submit your resume
by: Fax (212) 709-5450 Email
peggy.butler.bertholf@banking.state.ny.us
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - Child Care,
Inc.: Fundraising, special events, cultivation
and management experience for a develop-
ment director with 3-5 years of senior level
fundraising: writing proposals, prospect
researching and managing grants.
Some marketing, pr and communications expo
required. Salary $55,000-$65,000 rsvp
amiller@childcareinc.org or fax 212-929-
5785. ATTN: Development Director.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - Urban Path-
ways, an EOE and provider of services to home-
less single adults, seeks a Director of Develop-
ment to effect private grants; planlimplement
special events; and coordinate all other agency
development. Requires exceptional interpersonal
skills; excellent organizational! writing/computer
skills; creative/optimistic spirit; knowledge of
resources; commitment to the mission of the
agency. Cover letter/resume 212-736-1388 or
hr@urbanpathways.org. Competitive salary,
good benefits. NO CALLS OR AGENCIES PLEASE.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT - Common
Cents New York: Youth development organiza-
tion running service-learning program in
schools & expanding, seeks Director to design
& implement its fund raising program. 5+
years fund raising leadership w/ proven track
record; experience w/ Boards; excellent writing
skills; B.A. Salary mid $70's, resume to:
jobs@commoncents.org.
DIRECTOR OF HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
- Common Ground Community: Common
Ground will open a comprehensive neighbor-
hood-based homeless ness prevention program
to reach families in Brownsville, Brooklyn prior
to their becoming homeless, working with fam-
ilies and landlords to resolve conflicts which
could lead to loss of housing; assistance with
securing government benefits; legal services,
and assistance with re-housing when neces-
sary. MSW or MPA preferred, program manage-
ment experience, especially involving the start
up of new programs. To apply,
please faxl email cover
letter and resume to 212.389.9313/
CGCresumes@commonground.org.
DIRECTOR OF LENDING - Neighborhood Trust
Federal Credit Union: Neighborhood Trust is a
community development credit union located
in Washington Heights. We provide our pre-
dominantly Latino, low-income residents with
access to affordable financial services. The
Director of Lending will direct an ambitious
growth strategy for Neighborhood Trust. S/he
will oversee the growth of our loan portfolio,
and will manage the launch of other financial
products which generate revenue and better
serve our membership. The ideal candidate will
speak Spanish and have at least three years of
experience in lending and community develop-
ment. Salary is commensurate with experience.
Please send resume to Justine Zinkin at
jzinkin@cwcid.org.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS - NJCDC is a
multi-service community development and
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
social service agency. Reporting to the Presi-
dent, the Director of Operations is a member of
the agency's senior staff and is responsible for
overseeing all aspects of agency operations
and administration. Job requirements: Strong
record of program and agency administrative
management; top-notch organizational, com-
munication and computer skills; and ability to
prioritize multiple tasks and work as part of a
team. Bachelor'S degree required as well as
five years of progressively responsible admin-
istrative/management experience. Attractive
salary and benefits package. E-mail resume
with a cover letter telling us about yourself,
your skills, and experience to
rguarasci@njcdc.org or mail to: Robert
Guarasci, NJCDC, PO Box 6976, Paterson, NJ
07509. Learn more about NJCDC and this posi-
tion opening by visiting www.njcdc.org
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT -
HELP USA, a nationally recognized leader in the
provision of services to homeless and other at-
risk populations, is seeking a Director of Program
Development for the agency's central office in
lower Manhattan. The Director of Program Devel-
opment will develop new program models and
prepare funding proposals for HELP USA. Duties
include analyzing new government funding pro-
grams and providing summary reports to HELP
senior management on relevant program oppor-
tunities. Will also prepare documents and perfor-
mance reports that are requested by the funding
source and participate in all strategic planning
and program development activities conducted
within the agency. The Director reports to the
Senior Vice President for Programs. The ideal
candidate will have 3-5 years experience in pra-
gram development in the human services area
and demonstrated success in developing gov-
emment funding proposals. Excellent writing
skills are required, as well as proficiency with
Microsoft Word and Excel. A Bachelor's Degree is
required; Master's Degree preferred. Competitive
salary and benefits. Email resume to:
jmills@helpusa.org EOE. A Drug Free Workplace.
DI RECTOR OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT -
Promesa Inc, community based multiservice
corporation in the South Bronx: Seeking a
Director of Property Management who has
experience working with special needs popula-
tion, low income housing tax credits and New
York city and state subsidy programs. Capable
of managing 300 scattered site units in South
Bronx, NY. Responsible for supervising up to 11
employees, ensuring tenant services are pro-
vided, overseeing all property management
including security. Must have at least 10 years
experience managing low income housing pro-
jects. Must be familiar with LlHTC, city and
state compliance. Minimum B.A. Degree. Com-
petitive salary. Email cover letter, resume and
salary requirements to GUISearch@aol.com
DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT
INITIATIVES - The Mount Hope Housing
Company, Inc, a non-profit CDC in the Bronx,
seeks a Director of Real Estate Development
Initiatives. S/He will report directly to the Sr.
Vice President for Real Estate. Current real
CITY LIMITS
estate development initiatives include com-
mercial, residential and mixed-use develop-
ment projects, green building practices and a
community based planning effort. The Direc-
tor supervises a project manager and interns
as assigned. The position requires manage-
ment as well as execution. Responsibi lities
include: oversight of all aspects of pre-devel-
opment, construction, and completion of real
estate development projects, identification of
new development projects, and conducting
feasibility analysis. Qualifications: Proven
ability to multi-task in a fast paced environ-
ment. Excellent written and verba l communi-
cation ski ll s. Bachelors degree required; Mas-
ter's degree in Urban Planning or related field
is preferred; 3-5 years prior project manage-
ment experience with residential and/or com-
mercial developments; knowledge of real
estate fi nance; experience in a community
based setting; skills in working with
clients/customers. Salary low to mid $60's.
Fax or e-mail cover letter and resume to
Zuleika Dejesus, Director of REDI
Search at 718-299-5623 or
Zuleika_DeJesus@mounthopehousing.org.
DIRECTOR, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER -
Safe Horizon, the nation's leading victim
assistance & advocacy organization is looking
for a Director for a domestic violence shelter
in Brooklyn. The ideal candidate will be famil-
iar with domestic violence emergency shelter
regulations, contract compliance, have expe-
rience managing a residential shelter, 3-5
years supervisory experience, be able to lead a
team, and have experience with domestic vio-
lence and victim issues. Qualifications: An
advanced degree (MSW, MPA, or related field)
A mi n. of 5 yrs experience in the field of
domestic violence, with demonstrated exper-
tise in providing quality services to victims of
crime and abuse. Demonstrated capability of
developing innovative approaches through
team building, systemic change and intera-
gency collaboration. Excellent writing skills,
strong computer skills including MS Office.
Bilingual Spanish a plus. Salary: commensu-
rate w/ qualifications, excellent benefits.
Send resume and cover letter to: Allegra Per-
haes Vice President Domestic Violence Shelter
Programs Safe Horizon 2 Lafayette Street,
21st Floor NY, NY 10007 No phone calls.
DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES - Communi-
ty Food Resource Center: We are seeking a
Director, Human Resources to join the manage-
ment team and oversee the overall administra-
tion and coordination of the Human Resources
function. The Director will manage the daily
human resources and professional develop-
ment needs for all FoodChange/CFRC employ-
ees. Act as advisor to Executive and Deputy
Director to meet organization's strategic
human resources goals. For a detailed job
descri ption go to www.cfrcnyc.org. Send a
cover letter and resume to jobs@cfrcnyc.org or
fax: 212-616-4988
DIVISION DIRECTOR - Volunteers of America
MARCHI APRIL 2005
is seeking a Division Director, Developmental
Services Division for their Staten Island office.
The qualified candidate will oversee a $16 mil-
lion budget from multiple and private funding
sources, as well as 240 employees; provide
leadership to programs offering residential
services for developmentally delayed adults
and educational opportunities for pre-school
children. Must possess a Master's degree in
Human Services or related field plus a proven
track record of leading and managing complex
programs, including significant budgets, staff
and facilities. Knowledge of special education
and/or OMRDD regulatory preferred. To apply,
please copy and paste your cover letter and
resume to anicosia@voa-gny.org.
EDUCATION COUNSELOR, COllEGE ACCESS
CENTER - New Settlement Apartments: VIIlrking
with the director and staff, the Education Coun-
selor will plan & conduct I-t0-1 counseling ses-
sions and group workshop series for teens, parent
orientations, and community outreach, with the
goal of assisting youth in overcoming barriers to
higher education, staying on track through high
school & taking the steps necessary to gain
admission to college. Requirements: BA, B.S.
Min. two years' teaching and/or counseling expe-
rience desirable. Experience in community-based
youth development, education or social work.
English/Spanish bilingual a +. Familiarity with
NYC public middle and high schools a +. Salary:
high $20's-low $30's & comprehensive benefits.
To apply: Send letter, resume and list of three
references to CAC Ed. Counselor Search, New Set-
tlement Apartments, 1512 Townsend Avenue,
Bronx, NY 10452. Email:
YAljobsearch@aol.com. More info:
see www.idealist.org, "New Settlement Apart-
ments."
EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPER INTERN - Join an
emerging community development corporation
in long Island City that is working to connect
public housing residents to the economic
development of the region. The East River
Development Alliance, Inc (ERDA) is looking for
graduate level and college interns to begin in
January 2005 to assist with a variety of pro-
jects. The Employment Developer Intern will
help Executive Director to manage and create
long Island City job placement program. Intern
will manage employment registry, assist in
community outreach, manage other volunteers,
and assist to develop a long- term vision for
the program. The ideal candidate will be moti-
vated, ambitious, passionate, detail -oriented
and have strong verbal and written communi-
cation skills. Bilingual candidates are pre-
ferred. This is a very exciting opportunity to play
an integral role in creating a new
organization. Please email resume and or
questions to Debra-Ellen Glickstein at
debraellen@erdalliance.org.
EMPLOYMENT SPECIALIST - Fifth Avenue
Committee: Innovative Brooklyn CDC seeks
employment specialist responsible for day-to-
day operations of walk-in employment assis-
tance program. Assist participants in develop-
ing career goals, facilitate job club, provide job
development/placement services. Qualifica-
tions: goal-driven, professional , excellent com-
munication, self-starter, computer literate, job
development experience. Full description at
www.fifthave.org. Send cover letter and resume
to msmith@fifthave.org or fax to
718.857.4322. 28K. Deadline ASAP. AAlEOE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Friends and Rela-
tives of Institutionalized Aged (FRIA): Non-prof-
it long-term care advocacy organization
(www.fria.org) seeks dynamic, committed
leader with passion for advocacy and promot-
ing mission. Essential: Strong administra-
tive/management experience; ability to collab-
orate with dedicated staff and oversee/conduct
grant writing, fund raising and development
initiatives; strong oral/written communication
skills, computer literacy. Desirable: health,
aging, long term care advocacy; media, PR,
and/or marketing. $55,000-62,000; fully paid
health, 4 weeks vacation. 403(b) available.
Cover letter and resume to EDsearch@fria.org
or Beatrice Close, Search Committee Chair,
FRIA, 18 John St., Suite 905, New York, NY
10038. FRIA is an equal opportunity employer.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Good Old lower East
Side: GOlES is a neighborhood organization
dedicated to tenants' rights, homeless ness
prevention, economic development and com-
munity preservation. The ED is responsible for:
financial management; staff; fundraising;
managing contracts; supervising ongoing ini-
tiatives, overseeing Homeless Housing Assis-
tance Project; playing a visible and active role
in neighborhood and citywide coalitions .. We
are looking for a person with a deep commit-
ment to housing and community issues, with
knowledge of the lES and multicultural experi-
ence who has at least five years organizing
experience and three years in administration.
Prefer bilingual applicants. Please send a
cover letter, resume, writing sample (a funding
proposal) and references to Executive Director
Search Committee, Good Old lower East Side,
169 Avenue B, NYC 10009 or email to
info@goles.org.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Northwest Bronx
Community and Clergy Coalition: The NWBCCC,
a Bronx-based community organizing group
that fights for neighborhood improvements
and social justice, seeks an Executive Director.
Candidates should have 8 years of organizing
experience; strong fundraising, fiscal , supervi-
sion and administrative skills; and a proven
track record of campaign work on housing,
school reform, environmental justice, immigra-
tion, and related issues. People of color are
strongly encouraged to apply. Excellent salary
and benefits. Full job description available
upon request. To apply, send resume, cover let-
ter, and 3 references to edsearch@nwbccc.net.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - Southwest Brooklyn
Industrial Development Corporation: local
Development Corporation seeks new Executive
Director. Successful candidate should have a
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB PoSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.oRG
JOB ADS
minimum of three years of management and/or
progra m development experience in a govern-
ment or not-for-profit environment, including
two years of supervisory experience. In-depth
understanding of community economic devel-
opment and industrial retention/expansion
programs is critical. A master's degree in pub-
lic administration, economic development or
related field is desirable. Excellent communi-
cation, interpersonal and computer skills are
necessary. Interested candidates should mail
cover letter, resume and salary requirements to
"Executive Director Search", Southwest Brook-
lyn IDC, 241 41st Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232,
ASAP.
EXECUTIVE DI RECTOR - St. John's Bread and
Life Program, Inc. (B&L): B&L, located in Bed-
ford-Stuyvesant, runs one of NYC's largest soup
kitchens/food pantries and provides social and
other services and is a Catholic organization.
We seek dynamic leader experienced in serving
the poor and delivery of food/social services.
Essential: strong administrative/management
experience, articulate/ carry out organizational
goals, work with Board to carry out goals and in
fundraising, play key role in upcoming capital
campaign and major renovation, work with
development consultant to strengthen annual
fundraising, strong oral/writing skills, comput-
er literate. Desirable: masters, prior ED and
capital campaign experience. $60-65,000, 4
weeks vacation, health/dental. Cover
letter/resume to Igile@breadandlife.org or fax
to Larry Gile 718-455-7796
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - WomenRising Inc., a
women and family services/advocacy organi-
zation, seeks Executive Director to lead strate-
gic, programmatic, financial and management
operations, to communicate vision, to recruit
and motivate staff; to nurture culture of
empowerment; and to work collaboratively with
Board and Management Team in focusing and
evolving organization's mission, developing
strategy, raising funds and formulating policy.
Position begins 10/1/05. Ideal candidate will
have passion for women's empowerment;
strategic leadership ability, communication
skills, change management skills and ability to
manage and develop others. Five years experi-
ence leading a complex non-profit organization
or leadership experience in for- profit organiza-
tion; significant experience working with non-
profits, volunteering with non-profits or serving
as a board member for a non profit; and con-
crete, demonstrable commitment to empower-
ment of women required. Preferred MA in Pub-
lic Administration, Organization Development
or related field, or an MBA Degree. Competitive
salary and benefits. EOE. Women and women
or color encouraged to apply. Send or fax cover
letter and resume to: WomenRising, Inc. Attn:
Rose Davis/ED Search, 270 Fairmount Avenue,
Jersey City, NJ 07306. Fax 201-333-9305. Can-
didates strongly encouraged to review
employment and WR vision sections on
www.womenrising.org.
FITNESS ROOM INSTRUCTOR - CUCS/The
4S
JOBADS
Christopher: CUCS- Opening the Doors to
Opportunity. Fitness Room Instructor- (8
hrslwk). Oversee the usage of the Fitness
Room, orient members, conduct classes.
Reqs.: ACSM or ACE certified, Bachelor's in
Sports Medicine or related field pref.; CPR Cer-
tified required. Send Resume and cvr Itr, by
1/23/05 to: CUCS/Christopher 202-212 West
24th St. , NY, NY 10011. Attn: Alison
Noyer. FAX: (646) 485-3729. Email:
christopher-hires@cucs.orgFormore informa-
tion please visit our website at www.cucs.org.
CUCS is committed to workplace diversity. EEO
FT & ON-CALL DIRECT CARE - St. Vincent's
Services: Directly assist MR/DD adults. Ensure
their needs are met & maintain appropriate
documentation. Required: HS diploma/GED +
driver's lic & ability to pass medical &
restraint training + level of caring req'd for
this position. Benefits for fit positions include
4 weeks vacation, Medical/Dental, 401(k)/403
(b), pension plan, flex-spending plans, etc.
Mail/fax resume to: Personnel Director, St. Vin-
cent's Services, 66 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY
11201. Fax: (718) 422-23l2. st. Vincent's Ser-
vices - Founded in 1869. EOE MlF/DN Diversi-
ty is part of our mi ssion.
FUND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Caribbean Women's Health Association, Inc.:
Our 24-year old multi-service agency seeks a
creative, experienced individual to assess the
organization's programs and operations; iden-
tify infrastructural and operational opportuni-
ties; conduct fund development activities; and
secure other financial and human resources to
strengthen and expand program and opera-
tional capacity. Masters Degree with demon-
strated record of achievement in fund devel-
opment a must. Strong grant writing skills
and high level of initiative and resourceful-
ness desired. $45-50K. Mail resume to J. San-
tiago, CWHA,lnc., 123 Linden Boulevard,
Brooklyn, NY 11226, Fax to 718- 826-2948, e-
mail to jsantiago@cwha.org
HOMEOWNERSHIP COUNSELOR - Neighbors
Helping Neighbors: Counsel first time buyers
in Spanish and English, prequalify and pack-
age loans, provide group training. FT & great
benefits with proven nonprofit organization in
Brooklyn. Required: BA, 3 years experience,
accomplished team player. Salary: $29,000-
33,000. For information: 718-686-7946 or
www.nhnhome.org.
HOUSING DIRECTOR - Flatbush Development
Corporation: Manage and administer all gov-
ernment housing contracts; supervise staff;
accountable for the accomplishment of pro-
grammatic, fiscal , personnel and agency
goals. Write foundation and government
grants applications for funding, including
funding renewals. Maintain effective working
relationships with grantors, related service
organizations and clients. Possess knowledge
of housing laws and develop agency's response
to change in laws, rules and policies. Provide
direct service to tenant and property owners
and work with the housing counselor(s) to
ensure effective service delivery. Organize and
facilitate bi-a.nnual housing workshop series;
conduct outreach and public relations cam-
paigns. Develop and maintain new housing
program initiatives, including, Tenant Organiz-
ing Project (TOP) and Discover Home Owner-
ship. Develop and staff volunteer committees.
Support the mission and core values of the
agency. BA in related field, minimum five years
experience. Excellent communication (ver-
bal/written), time management, computer and
staff management skills. Knowledge of HPD
and DHCR government contracts a plus.
Bilmulti-lingual a plus. Send resume/cover let-
ter to ssiegel@fdconline.org or via fax (718)
859-4632. Please no phone calls.
IMMIGRANT RIGHTS CIVIC PARTICIPATION
COORDINATOR - American Friends Service
Committee (AFSC), a non-profit Quaker orga-
nization working worldwide for social justice
and peace, seeks an individual to work in New
Jersey to strengthen the network of grassroots
organizing in immigrant communities. Prima-
ry responsibilities: identify and communicate
with other base-building and civic participa-
tion projects; develop a list- serve and web
site for use by organizers to share strategies,
successes, and challenges; organize confer-
ence calls and bi- annual meetings for orga-
nizers to share strategies, materials, success
stories, and challenges; develop a media plan
to increase coverage; and develop a system for
setti ng policy priorities. Key qualifications:
successful organizing experience with diverse
immigrant communities; demonstrated ability
to work in a project planning team; ability to
organize and facilitate formal and informal
education and training meetings; familiarity
with current immigration policy issues; good
oral and written communication skills; experi-
ence in web design, site-building and listserv
management and fluency in a second lan-
guage. Must be able to work eveni ngs and
weekends and to travel. Competitive salary,
excellent benefits. Please send cover letter
and resume to NYMRORecruit@afsc.org or to
Anne Wright, AFSC, New York Metropolitan
Regional Office, 15 Rutherford Place, New
York, NY 10003, ASAP. No calls, faxes.
INTAKE ANALYST - HELP USA's new Fair
Housing Justice Center seeks highly motivat-
ed individual who can work independently
and as a team member providing direct
assistance to individuals who want to file
complaints alleging violations of local , state,
or federal fair housing laws. Ideal candidate
is a self-directed individual with strong ana-
lytical abilities and excellent written and oral
communication skills. Previous experience
providing training, one-to-one counseling,
civil rights advocacy, and/or paralegal assis-
tance a plus. Responsible for obtaining factu-
al , accurate, and complete information from
persons who file housing discrimination com-
plaints and for providing testimony in deposi-
tions, trials and other legal proceedings when
needed. Familiarity with fair housing laws,
the New York metropolitan area, housing mar-
ket practices and affordable housing pro-
grams preferred. Must be detail oriented,
computer literate, and experienced using
PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY
SPECIALIZING IN REAL ESTATE
J-51 Tax Abatement/Exemption 421A and 421B
Applications 501 (c) (3) Federal Tax Exemptions All forms
of government-assisted housing, including LISC/Enterprise,
Section 202, State Turnkey and NYC Partnership Homes
KOURAKOS & KOURAKOS
Attorneys at Law
Eastchester, N.Y.
Phone: (914)
: Program delivery : Supervisory skills
: Performance appraisals : Initiative
: Communication
_....:.. __ ...... ___ www.growyourorg.com
212.721.9764
.JREICH 2 @EARTHLINK .NET
WWW. CREATIVEHOTLlST.COM/ .J REICH
-
ADS. REPORTS, BOOK DESIGN, BROCHURES, CATALOGS 'j
COL.LATERAL, CORPORATE IDENTITY, MEDIA KITS, & MORE
=--- ./ II " "'-' 'W . 'I" .
Social Policy Research Design and Evaluation
Val mont Consulting LLC
Mary Eustace Valmont, Ph.D.
Phone: 7187888435 Fax: 7187880135
Email: valmont-consulting@earthlink.net
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
46
CITY LIMITS
WORD, Excel and other Microsoft applications.
BAiBS degree preferred, but will consider
commensurate experience. Bilingual (Span-
ish/English) strongly preferred. Salary: $45-
SDK range. Send cover letter and resume to:
Diane Houk, Executive Director, Fair Housing
Justice Center/HELP USA,S Hanover Square,
17th Floor, New York, NY 10004. No calls
please. EOE. A Drug Free Workplace.
INVESTIGATOR - HELP USA's new Fair Hous-
ing Justice Center is seeking a self- directed
and well-organized individual to recruit and
train testers, coordinate fair housing testing
investigations and provide testimony in depo-
sitions, trials, and other legal proceedings
when needed. Ideal candidate has strong ana-
lytical skills, excellent written and oral com-
munication skills and working knowledge of
local, state, and federal fair housing laws.
Objectivity and attention to detail are essential
qualities for this position. Must be detail ori-
ented, computer literate, and experienced user
of WORD, Excel and other Microsoft applica-
tions. Strong preference given to person who is
knowledgeable about housing market prac-
tices, affordable housing programs and famil-
iar with the neighborhoods and communities
in the New York metropolitan area, supervisory
skills and ability to work cooperatively and
effectively with all types of people a must.
BAIBS strongly preferred, but will consider
commensurate experience. Previous experience
in test coordination, other investigative work,
research, civil rights advocacy and/or parale-
gal work a plus. Val id driver's license a must
and access to a vehicle preferred. Salary: $50-
55,000 range. Send cover letter and resume to:
Diane Houk, Executive Director, Fair Housing
Justice Center/HELP USA, 5 Hanover Square,
17th Floor, New York, NY 10004. No calls,
please. EOE. A Drug Free Workplace.
INVESTMENT SPECIALIST - American Civil
Liberties Union: Responsible for administering,
coordinating, overseeing organization's invest-
ment program; assuring investment goals,
objectives, guidelines, clearly stated and com-
municated; monitoring investment strategy
implementation; overseeing portfolio manage-
ment administration; MA finance or mathe-
matics, MBAIrelated certificate to invest-
ments, 5yrs experience financial analysis,
investment management or investment con-
sulting, familiar with concepts used in portfo-
lio managemenVinvestment strategylinvest-
ment consulting, superior written/oral commu-
nication/ana Iyticalltime managemenVplan-
ning/project management skills required;
send letter of interesVsalary
requirements/resume ASAP to Human
Resources Department, Attn: InvSpec, ACLU,
125 Broad Street 18th Floor, New York, NY
10004 or hrjobs@aclu.org
JOB DEVELOPER - St. John's Place Family
Center, HDFC: Developer to create employment
opportunities and to assist with employment
skills development for trainees. BA or related
degree with employment training experience
required. Salary negotiable. EOE. Resumes:
MARCHI APRIL 2005
Director of Employment Program, 1630 St.
John's Place, Brooklyn, NY 11233, Fax 718-
771-3980, Email office@stjohnsplace.org
JOB DEVELOPER - The Doe Fund, Inc., an
innovative social service organization provid-
ing job training and transitional housing to
homeless individuals, seeks an experienced
job developer/recruiter to cultivate and main-
tain employer relationships. Ability to teach life
skills and job preparation classes and experi-
ence working with homeless population a plus.
Ability to provide full range of job placement
services - resumes, interview training and
tracking clients' job search efforts. This posi-
tion requires a bachelor's degree, strong oral
and written communications skills, great
interpersonal ski ll s and at least 3 years expe-
rience as a job developer or recruiter. Salary in
high 30's with a comprehensive benefits pack-
age. Send resume to HR, The Doe Fund, Inc.,
341 East 79th Street, NY, NY 10021; fax to
(212)570-6706 or e-mail to hr@doe.org.
Please respond ASAP.
LEGAL ADVOCATE - Urban Justice Center,
Homelessness Outreach & Prevention Project
(HOPP): Urban Justice Center's Homelessness
Outreach and Prevention Project seeks a legal
advocate to represent individuals in their
attempts to obtain and maintain access to
public assistance, food stamps, medicaid, and
eviction prevention grants. Legal clinics are
held in soup kitchens and food pantries. Col-
lege degree, strong written/verbal communica-
tion and organizational/administrative skills,
and endless patience are essential. Spanish
fluency (or STRONG aptitude) is required. Sub-
mit letter detailing public interest
experience/interest, resume, writing sample,
and references to HOPP Advocate Search, 666
Broadway, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10012.
Salary commensurate with experience; gener-
ous vacation, full medical/dental benefits. OE
LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT - NYS Assembly:
Chairman of Assembly Housing Committee
seeks motivated self- starter to work in district
office. Responsibilities include: 1) Assisting
constituents and community groups 2) Orga-
nizing community coalitions 3) Coordinating
policy in such areas as housing, childcare, the
environment, etc. Spanish speaker preferred.
BA required. Drivers license preferred. Fax
resumes to (718)963-6942
LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR - New York City
Council Member seeks Legislative Director to
develop and execute legislative agenda, moni-
tor Council legislation and comprehend com-
plex public policy issues. Bachelor's degree
required, MPP or law degree a plus. Legislative
or public policy experience and strong organi-
zational , analytical, writing and interpersonal
skills required. Must have ability to work in a
fast-paced office environment and to produce
on a deadline. Bi-lingual English/Spanish a
plus. E-mail resume and cover letter to
m34imper@council.nyc.ny.us with the subject,
"Legislative Director." Only Qualified appli-
cants will be contacted (OE). No calls.
LOAN OFFICER - Non-profit lender seeks
processor to assist in making affordable loans
to senior homeowners and tenant-run cooper-
ative buildings. Work with non-profit organiza-
tions using flexible public and private loan
programs. Experience with housing finance
and be willing to develop expertise in several
program areas. Familiarity with Word, Excel
and Access. Salary to $30k-$40k/ benefits
depending on experience. Send resumes and
cover letter to T. White at the Parodneck Foun-
dation, 121 Sixth Avenue, Suite 501 NY, NY
10013, fax 212 431-9783 or email
twhite@parodneckfoundation.org
MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTOR - Maintenance
Instructor to train students in building con-
struction and maintenance. Bi-Lingual a+
(Eng/Span. Teaching/Supervisory experience
reQured. Salary negotiable. EOE. Resumes:
Director of Employment Program, 1630 St.
John's Place, Brooklyn, NY 11233, Fax: 718-
771-3980, Email: office@stjohnsplace.org
MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR - Tier II Shelter:
Bronx Shelter seeks FIT Maintenance Supervi-
sor. Supervise and provide general repairs.
Qualifications: Organized, current driver's
license, handyman skills, on-call for emer-
gency repair. Boiler maintenance certificate;
bilingual a plus. Fax resume to Director, Siena
House (718) 293-6580.
MARKETINGIFUND DEVELOPMENT CONSUL-
TANT - Neighborhood Reinvestment Corpo-
ration: Network of 37 nonprofit affiliates
based in New York State and Puerto Rico
engaged in affordable housing and neighbor-
hood preservation seeks full-time, salaried
Marketing/ Fund Campaign Consultant with
minimum 8 years experience in the design/
execution of niche marketing and private
fund campaigns that raise public profile,
advance mission, generate private dollars.
ConSUltant will staff district-wide committee
while coaching local executives on fund ini-
tiatives. Requires creative, strategic thinker
with skills in market analysis, campaign
development, networking, training, coaching,
use of medial public relations. EOE 50% trav-
el. Sa lary to 88k+ excellent benefits. Letter
and resume to susanm@nonprofitjobs.org
See http://www.nw.org & more detail at
http://www.nonprofitjobs.org
NETWORK MANAGER - American Civil liber-
ties Union: Reporting to Director of Information
Technology; responsible for data/telecommuni-
cations networks, all associated
eQuipmenVuser support at national office; will
advise on technical infrastructures throughout
organization; BA Computer Science/Engineer-
ing or related field, managerial experience of
local area 100+ network, experience Novell,
Microsoft Windows (clienVserver), Exchange,
Office, Checkpoint firewall , IPT, Cisco network-
ing, WordPerfect, Macintosh O/S, excellent
organizational/problem solving/communica-
tion/interpersonal skills required; letter of
interest and resume to ACLU Human
Resources-IT/NM, 125 Broad Street-18th
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOBADS
Floor, New York, NY 10004 or hrjobs@aclu.org
NYC HPO HOUSING AND COMMUNITY OEVEL-
oPMENT FELLOWSHIP - NYC Dept of Hous-
ing Preservation and Development: This two-
year program exposes Fellows to the inner
workings of NYC government and provides a
forum for the exchange of ideas with those who
shape HPD's housing policy. Related lectures
and tours enhance the fellowship experience.
In the first year, fellows work for four months in
three different offices of their choosing at HPD,
allowing them to learn firsthand HPD's innov-
ative efforts to revitalize NYC neighborhoods
through new construction, renovation, code
enforcement, litigation, and outreach and
loans to private owners. In the second year, fel-
lows move into a full-time position. The 2005-
2007 Fellowship begins in July 2005. Applicant
must be a recent graduate with a master's or
law degree, and have good writing, analytical ,
and interpersonal skills. Demonstrated inter-
est in government and housing is preferred.
Selected applicants must become residents
of NYC within ninety days following the start of
employment. Salary: $44K per year with health
care benefits beginning three months after
the start of employment. The application
is available for download at
http:// n yc. gov /ht m I/h pdf h t m I/fo r -job-
seekerS/housing- fellows.html. Deliver com-
pleted application packages to 100 Gold
Street, Room 5A4, by February 28th, 2005.
Contact:glaserp@hpd.nyc.gov
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR - Trauma resilience
project: Office Administrator, post 9/11 trauma
resilience training program for leaders and
caregivers, multi-faith settings. Heavy comput-
er, logistics, clerical , reporting, correspondence.
ReQ: Excellent communication skills, teamwork,
good judgment, sense of humor. BA + 3-5 yrs
office expo Resume: starnyc@emu.edu
OFFICE ASSISTANT - Center for Cultural
Judaism: Secular Jewish organization seeks a
part time clerical/administrative assistant for
small and busy office. Attention to detail,
excellent organizational skills, ability to work
independently and computer literacy
required. Mac experience helpful.
approx. 20 hours/week. Fax resume and cover
letter, 212-212-564-6721 or email to
info@culturaljudaism.org.
OFFICE MANAGER(S) - Community Health-
care Network: The Office Manager will work
under the general supervision of the Center
Director, providing the supervisory and adminis-
trative functions to ensure a smoothly function-
ing clinic and group patient relations. Serves as
liaison to the clinic with the Human Resources
and Finance Departments. Performs all neces-
sary supervisory functions to effectively and
efficiently manage the personnel assigned.
Manages front desk activities to ensure uninter-
rupted patient flow, including performing the
actual duties wherever volume deems it neces-
sary with the Center. Conducts and/or coordi-
nates the departmental orientation of new
teams members. Position are available at mul-
47
JOB ADS
tiple sites in Brooklyn. Bilingual Spanish pre-
ferred and experience with labor relations. If
interested please forward your resume to the
Human Resources Department at 79 Madison
Avenue 6th Floor New York, NY 10016 or
fax/email (212) 807-0250 mali@chnnyc.org.
OFFICE MANAGER, COUEGE ACCESS CENTER
- New Settlement Apartments: Manager is the
sole administrative supportto the education staff
of a community-based center serving residents of
our Southwest Bronx neighbomood, Duties: Coor-
dinate day-to-day operations; serve as reception-
ist; secretarial and admin.-asst. duties; maintain
the resource libraI)'; coordinate computer upkeep;
manage database; maintain program calendar
and records. Requirements: College experience
(degree preferred); related office experience; pro-
ficiency in MS Office. Bilingual Spanish and Eng-
lish. Salal)': low to mid-$20,000's and compre-
hensive benefits. Send letter, resume and list of
three references to CAC Office Manager Search,
New Settlement Apartments, 1512 Townsend
Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452. Email:
YAljobsearch@aol.com. More info: see
www.idealist.org, "New Settlement Apartments."
ONLINE MARKETING MANAGER - ACLU Devel-
opment Department seeking membership
development manager with background in
online advocacy/online marketing; will expand
ACLU's online marketing, increase online
activism and giving; will convert subscribers to
members/Internet activists; reports to Deputy
Director of Development and works with cross-
departmental Internet team. Understanding of
Internet tools, experience with online market-
ing/fundraising/activism required. Resume and
coverletter to: Geraldine Engel , Attn: Online
Mktg Mngr, Deputy Director of Development,
ACLU 125 Broad Street-18th Floor, New York, NY
10004, or hrjobs@aclu.org, no phone calls. Visit
www.aclu.orgfor more information.
OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE - New York Indus-
trial Retention Network: NYIRN seeks a full-
time Operations Associate: primarily support
contract management & fundraising efforts,
as well as provide support for direct services
and advocacy efforts as needed. Visit
www.nyirn.org for more details. Qualifications:
BAIBS degree; 1-3 years experience; excellent
written, verbal and computer skills. Demon-
strated ability with budgets and spreadsheets.
Resumes with formal cover letters (in MS
Word) should be emailed or faxed ASAP to:
Anne Seifried, Director of Operations;
aseifried@nyirn.org; Fax: 212-424-6999
ORGANIZER - Make the Road by Walking, a
membership organization of low- income, Lati-
na/o immigrants seeks an ENVIRONMENTAL
AND HOUSI NG JUSTICE PROJECT ORGANIZER.
Key responsibilities: recruitment, leadership
development, campaign planning and coali-
tion organizing. Job requirements: Bilingual
(Spanish-English), 2-5 years organizing expe-
rience. Great benefits and salal)'. Persons of
color and GLBT encouraged to apply. Send
cover letter/resume/references to
andrew@maketheroad.org or Andrew Fried-
48
man, Make the Road by Walking, 301 Grove
Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237.
ORGANIZING INTERN - The New York Civic
Participation Project (NYCPP) organizes working
class immigrant communities to engage in civic
participation at the neighbomood and citywide
level in New York City. The Project is seeking tal-
ented and energetic organizing interns to begin
in the WinteriSpring 2005 term. The intern will
work under the direct supervision and mentor-
ship of an organizer. The intern will engage in
campaign work, carl)'-Dut policy research, work
directly with members, and support neighbor-
hood organizers in their daily work. This is a
great opportunity for students interested in
exploring the possibilities of labor-community
collaborations or organizing around immigrant
worker rights issues. This is an unpaid intern-
ship. E-mail cover letter and resume ASAP to:
Zahida Pirani, zpirani@nycpp.org
PIT MEDICAID SVCS. SUPVSR. - St. Vincent's
Services: LMSW required for auditing and ini-
tialing the work of our Medical Services Coor-
dinator who evaluates and documents compli-
ance at our IRA. Four hours/week - weekday
eves req. Mail/fax resume to: Personnel Direc-
tor, St. Vincent's Services, 66 Boerum Place,
Brooklyn, NY 11201. Fax: (718) 422-2312. St.
Vincent's Services - Founded in 1869. EOE
M1F/DN Diversity is part of our mission.
PARENT ORGANIZER - ACORN is seeking a
parent organizer to mobilize parents to fight for
educational justice in the south Bronx. Bilingual
Spanish. 1 year organizing experience. Resume
and cover letter to nyacorned2@acorn.org or
fax: 718-246-7939.
PART TIME GROUP TEACHER - HELP USA, a
nationally recognized leader in the provision of
transitional housing, residential & social ser-
vices, is seeking a part time group teacher (full
time is negotiable) for its early childhood pro-
gram. Responsibilities include supervision of a
group of infants and two (2) staff members.
Work hours are scheduled for afternoons and
evenings. The group teacher is expected to
maintain positive relationships with parents
and will be responsible for all recordkeeping. A
Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood is neces-
sal)', with work towards a Master's Degree and
certification preferred. Salal)' range is in the
low $20s to mid $30s, commensurate with
experience. Send resume to: Ruth Freeman,
HELP USA, 285 East l7lSt Street, Bronx, NY
10457 or Email to rfreeman@helpusa.org.
EOE. A Drug Free Workplace.
PERMANENCY (TEENAGE LIFE) PLANNING
PROFESSIONALS - St. Vincent's Services,
helping adolescents from troubled families
adjust to adulthood since 1869, is searching
for a diverse array of professionals to assist
them in reaching their goals. Extensive and
rewarding opportunities for counseling and
mentoring. Master's degree (Education, Guid-
ance/Counseling, or other Behavioral Sci-
ences) required. Familiarity with educational ,
vocational , and other resources + expo with
adolescents a plus. Competitive salal)'. Gener-
ous benefits package includes MedicallDen-
tallLife & other insurance, 4 weeks vacation
plus personal days & holidays off, pension,
401{k) & 403{b) plans, flex-spending plans &
a dedicated, professional family environment.
Mail/fax resumes to: Personnel Di rector, St.
Vincent's Services, 66 Boerum Place, Brooklyn,
NY 11201. Fax: (718)422-2312 EOE MIF/DN
Diversity is part of our mission.
POLICY AND ADVOCACY COORDINATOR -
Child Care, Inc, a child care resource and refer-
ral agency, seeks a Policy and Advocacy Coordi-
nator to implement our policy and advocacy
activities. S/he will analyze policies for city and
state-funded early education programs and
develop recommendations for improvement;
research, write and dissemi nate policy memos
and advocacy materials; work with public
agencies, pol icy makers and coalitions; provide
public testimony. The ideal candidate will have
a masters degree in a related field and 3-5
years experience. Please send resume to Nancy
Kolben at nkolben@childcareinc.org.
PORTER/MAINTENANCE - Porter/mainte-
nance position available at nonprofit, elderly
housing development. Five years' experience
preferred. Union scale, health benefits. Experi-
ence with this population a plus. No telephone
calls. Please fax resume to: Susan Baldwin,
(212) 496-4086.
PROGRAM AIDES - FEGS is one of the largest
not-for-profit health and human service orga-
nizations in the countl)' with an operating bud-
get in excess of $200 million, 3500+ staff, 12
subsidial)' corporations and a diverse service
delivel)' network including operations in over
350 locations throughout the metropolitan
New York area. We are currently seeking expe-
rienced Program Aides to join our Career Devel-
opment Institute serving the youth population
in the Bronx. Program Aides Candidates must
be able to recruit participants, conduct follow-
up services, site visits and home visits and
escort participants on interviews and trips.
Must be able to work independently in the field
is essential. Evening hours may be necessal)'.
We offer a competitive salal)' and benefits
package. If you are interested, please send
resume and cover letter with salal)' require-
ments to our HR Consultants: HR Dynamics,
Inc. (Dept. ECS/SS) 315 Hudson
Street. 6th Floor, New York, New York
10013 or fax 212-366-8555 or email
sgsmalls@hr-dynamics.com. EOE, MlF/DN.
PROGRAM COORDINATOR - Pratt Area Com-
munity Council seeks a Program Coordinator
for its Home Services Department. Responsi-
bilities: Coordinate outreach and promotion of
all department workshops, special events,
meetings and program. Maintain program-
matic and client files. Update client database.
Assist with scheduling of clients, coll ecting
documents from clients, maintaining applica-
tion files and checklists, reproduction and
submission of applications. Qualifications:
Team player, two years experience in the field
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
of mortgages/mortgage counseling, computer
proficient, excell ent communication and orga-
nizational skills. Bachelors Degree a plus.
Mail or fax cover letter including salal)'
requirements and resume to PACC- JOB
SEARCH, 201 Dekalb Ave. , Brooklyn, NY
11205, Fax: (718) 422-0213. email
lori_cottrell@prattarea.org.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR - St. Vincent's Services:
Direct, manage & supervise the program,
which includes four ICFs & one IRA. Have a
comprehensive understanding of operating
environment and ORMDD regs. Maintain
responsibility for planning, organizing, coordi-
nating, reporting, budgeting, etc. Arrive on site
within an hour of any emergency. Required:
MSW +5 yrs post-graduate salaried exp in
MR/DD, including at least 2 yrs supv exp +
NYS driver's lic. Competitive salal)' commen-
surate w/exp. Benefits for fit positions include
4 weeks vacation, Medical/Dental ,
401{k)/403{b), pension plan, flex- spending
plans, etc. Maillfax resume to: Personnel
Director, St. Vincent's Services, 66 Boerum
Place, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Fax: (718) 422-
2312. St. Vincent's Services - Founded in 1869.
EOE MIFIDN Diversity is part of our mission.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENTALLY DIS-
ABLED SERVICES - St. Vincent's Services,
Brooklyn, NY: Direct, manage and supervise
the program which includes ICFs and one IRA.
Have a comprehensive understanding of oper-
ating environment and OMRDD regulations.
Maintain responsibility for planning, organiz-
ing, coordinating, reporting, budgeting, etc.
Arrive on site within an hour of any emergency.
Required: MSW, related MS or RN with five yrs.
of post-graduate salaried experience in
MRlDD, including at least two years superviso-
I)' experience + NYS driver's license. Competi-
tive salal)', commensurate with expo Benefits
include 4 weeks vacation, Medical/Dental,
401{k)/403{b), pension plan, flex-spending
plans, etc. Mail/fax resume to Personnel Direc-
tor, ST. VINCENT'S SERVICES, 66 Boerum Place,
Brooklyn, NY 11201. Fax: (718) 422-2312. EOE
MlF/DN. Diversity is part of our mission.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, YOUNG ADULT OUT-
REACH INITIATIVE - New Settlement Apart-
ments: The director will lead a positive-inter-
vention program for 70 teens and young adults,
aged 16-24, who have dropped out of school ,
are under-employed, or at risk of involvement in
the criminal justice system. Responsibilities:
program development, youth counseling, staff
supervision, outreach to youth and program
partners. Requirements: Minimum three years'
experience working with young adults in non-
mandated settings, using effective, voluntal)'
intervention strategies. B.AlB.SJequired; grad-
uate degree preferred. Spanish-English a plus.
Some evening hours. Salal)': $40,000+ & com-
prehensive benefits. TO APPLY: Send letter,
resume and list of three references to Program
Director Search, New Settlement Apartments,
1512 Townsend Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452.
Email: YAljobsearch@aol.com. MORE INFO: see
www.idealist.org,
CITY LIMITS
PROGRAM OFFICER, NEI GHBORHOOD INITIA-
TIVES - The Enterprise Foundation: The Pro-
gram Officer manages resident services
resources and programs of The Enterprise
Foundation's New York City office. Provides
resources and technical assistance to non-
profit and small for-profit housing developers
to address the service needs of residents of
newly-developed affordable housing. For more
detail and how to apply: Please see our website
for full job description: http://www.enterprise-
foundation.org/aboutUs/efjobs/jobsmain.asp
PROJECT COORDINATOR WITH MSW/CSW -
LSNY - Bronx is presently seeking a Project Coor-
dinator with MSW/CSW to supervise and assist
in the development and management of a newly
created Center that will be located at the Bronx
Landlord -Tenant Court. The coordinator will be
responsi ble for overall functioning, monitoring
and operation of day-to-day activities for the
court-based Center and administrative supervi-
sion of all personnel. Fluency in Spanish pre-
ferred. For further information regarding this
position please go to our website: LSNY.org. We
are an equal opportunity employer.
PROJECT DIRECTOR - The Sephardic Angel
Fund (SAF) is a CBO that operates micro- lend-
ing, business development and employment
placement services in Southeast Brooklyn.
Almost all of the services are provided by com-
munity volunteers. The Project Director will be
responsible for overseeing the day to day pro-
gram and fiscal operations, managing govern-
ment contracts, and working with the board of
directors and volunteer committees on new
program development. Qualifications: College
or Master's degree. At least four years of expe-
rience working in community economic devel-
opment, micro-lending and/or small business
development. Must be a self-starter and very
resourceful. Salary: $45,000 to $60,000.
depending on qualifications and
experience. Please e-mail resume to:
joanne@sephardicangelfund.org
PROJECT INTERN, HEALTHY HOMES - UHAB -
Urban Homesteading Assistance Board:
Dynamic and growing nonprofit that develops
and supports affordable housing co-ops seeks
Interns for Healthy Homes project. Candidates
should have familiarity with and interest in
public health, curriculum development, and
ability to work well with people from diverse
backgrounds. Knowledge of PC computer plat-
forms, word processing, and graphics/desktop
publishing software a plus. Responsibilities
include assisting in training classes, seminars,
and clinics; reviewing content and objectives of
training classes, seminars, and clinics; write
and produce traini ng manuals; collect informa-
tion on products and methods to add to Healthy
Homes "toolbox"; identify, develop, and main-
tain UHAB's resource materials relevant to
building maintenance and repair as they relate
to healthier homes. For more information, visit
httpJ/www.uhab.org/healthyhomeslHHhome.htm
or www.uhab.org for general information. Full-
time during winter break with continued part-
time hours during semester.
MARCHI APRIL 2005
PUBLIC BENEFITS AND HEAlTHCARE ADVOCATE
- Make the Road by Walking (activist mem-
bership org): Membership-led organization of
Latino immigrants building collective power
seeks Public Benefits and H e a ~ h c a r e Advocate
to conduct outreach, facilitate workshops, and
represent members in disputes with HMOs, gov-
ernment agencies, etc. Requirements: bilingual-
Spanish; commitment to resisting oppression;
excellent writing, public speaking, and oral
advocacy skills. Great benefits, competitive
salary DOE. Send cover letter, resume, and short
writing sample ASAP to Deborah Axt, Debe-
rah@maketheroad.org or 301 Grove Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11237.
RECREATIONAL TEEN SPECIALIST - Hudson
Guild: Premier Chelsea agency seeks FIT
Recreational Teen Specialist for
afternoons/evenings (M-Fl. Shared responsi-
bility with an MSW to design & implement a
broad range of activities to engage, inspire,
nurture and motivate. Position requires
patient, role model , and comfortable in work-
ing with emotionally challenged teens. Salary
low $30's, plus great benefits & working envi-
ronment. Send cover letter and resume to:
jobs2004@nyc.rr.com; or fax: 212-924-6872.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT - Urban Agenda, a
research, advocacy and public policy organiza-
tion which works with labor unions and com-
munity groups, seeks a Research Assistant to
work on environmental, job creation, and
affordable housing initiatives. Competitive
salary and benefits. Please fax/email resume
and cover letter to jeremLreiss@qc.edu,
212.827.5955, www.nycapollo.org.
RESIDENCE MANAGER - Vincent's Services:
Manage ICF for severely/profoundly MRIDD
adults. Supv/coord. programming. Supvse
staff. BAIBS or QRMP pref + NYS driver's lic +
2 yrs. expo Benefits for fit positions include 4
weeks vacation, Medical/Dental,
401(k)/403(b}, pension plan, flex-spending
plans, etc. Mail/fax resume to: Personnel Direc-
tor, St. Vincent's Services, 66 Boerum Place,
Brooklyn, NY 11201. Fax: (7l8) 422-2312. St.
Vincent's Services - Founded in 1869. EOE
MlFIDN Diversity is part of our mission.
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE -
Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Assist the Exec-
utive Director with all fund raising, donor culti-
vation, special events, media activity. FT &
great benefits with proven nonprofit organiza-
tion in Brooklyn. Required: BA, 2 years experi-
ence, superior communication skills. Salary:
$30,000- 35,000. For information: 718-686-
7946 or www.nhnhome.org.
SECRETARY - Welfare Law Center: Exciting
national non-profit economic justice law office
seeks secretary (secretarial , litigation support,
development). 3+ yrs. exp., $33,000 up, good
benefits. Midtown South. Persons of color, for-
merly on welfare or poor, encouraged. EOE. See
www.welfarelaw.org. Send resume, refs to
job@Welfarelaw.org.
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT - Forest Hills Communi-
ty House: Non-profit organization seeking experi-
enced Senior Accountant. Responsibilities: GIL;
Balance Sheetllncome analysis; Budget vari-
ances and reporting; Monthly vouchers; Program
audits and year-end Agency Audits; Special pro-
jects. Qualifications: BS! Accounting; Five years
experience in non-profit; Expert in Word, Excel
and accounting software, Fund EZ or similar;
Detail- oriented, organized and knowledge of
accounting principles. Submit resume with cover
letter including salary history to rblay@fhch.org.
or mail to: Forest Hills Community House, 108-25
62nd Drive. Forest Hill, NY, 11375 ATT: Senior
Accountant Position. Salary negotiable
SENIOR LEGISLATIVE INTERN - Assemblyman
Steven Sanders, Chairman of the Education
Committee, seeks very bright, energetic, sharp
individual committed to positive change, for
research, writing, policy analysis and inves-
tigative work. One day a week minimum, no pay,
open-ended slot. Must be an excellent writer,
have an engagi ng personality and be at ease
with complex assignments and independent
work. Will report to the Chief of Staff. Knowledge
of city or state government, experience with
public education a plus. An extraordinary
opportunity for the right person who has a
desire to make a difference and gain valuable
experience. Send cover letter and resume to
SANDERSsCHIEF@aol.com. NO CALLS PLEASE!
SENIOR MEDIA RELATIONS ASSOCIATE -
ACLU Communications Department: Will
report to Director of Media Relations; respon-
sible for assisting Director of Media Rela-
tions; developing media strategy around
ACLU issues; writing/editing/supervising
production of press materials; cultivating
relationships with journalists; establish
working relationship with Legal Depart-
ment/affi liates; supervising in director's
absence; College Degree, 6yrs related experi-
ence, strong oral communication/writing
skills, strong reporter contacts, commitment
to civil rights/liberties required; letter of
interest, resume, three references, writi ng
sample press release/column/opinion
piece/fact sheet/or brief article: Lauren
Gumbs, 429 Clinton Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
11238 or ligsearch@aol.com
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER - Pratt Area Com-
munity Council seeks a Senior Project Manager
for its Housing Development Department.
Responsibilities: management and implemen-
tation of new and existing development projects,
prepare feasibility and finance packages for
acquisition and construction, negotiate con-
tracts, oversee relocation, construction man-
agement and requisitions, project closeout and
transition to property management. Qualifica-
tions: minimum 3 years comparable experience,
Masters in Planning or RE Finance a plus, excel-
lent organizational , computer, problem solving
and writing skills. Mail or fax cover letter includ-
ing salary requirements and resume to PACC-
JOB SEARCH, 201 Dekalb Ave., Brooklyn,
NY 11205, Fax: (l18) 422-0213. emaillori_Cot-
trell@prattarea.org.
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOB ADS
SENIOR PRDPERTY MANAGER - Metropoli-
tan Council on Jewish Poverty: Senior Prop-
erty Manager to oversee 1,000 units special
needs pops. Responsibilities: conduct prop-
erty inspections, oversee code compliance,
track inventory of building supplies, aid in
special projects, carry out rehabs. Oversee
site directors in supervising maintenance
staff. Qualifications: At least five yrs experi-
ence in res. property mgmt. Strong writ-
ing/presentation/computer skills. Grad
degree in real estate, planning, business or
public administration or related field pre-
ferred as is professional real estate desig-
nation. Send cover letter and resume to: Met
Council, 80 Maiden Lane, 21st floor, New
York, NY 10038, AnN: Director of Housing.
SENIOR PRDPERTY MANAGER - Pratt Area
Community Council seeks a Senior Property
Manager. Responsibilities: involved in all
aspects of building management for PACC's
portfolio of over 50 properties. Oversee mar-
keting, leasing, rent collection, and compli-
ance, supervise maintenance staff, conduct
inspections, prepare budgets and reports.
Qualifications: Minimum of 5 years Property
Management experience, with at least 3
supervisory; excellent writing, communication,
organizational and problem solving skills;
knowledge of rental subsidies, HOME and
LlHTC compliance, and building systems;
Bachelors Degree and RAM a plus. Mail or fax
cover letter including salary requirements and
resume to PACC- JOB SEARCH, 201 Dekalb
Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11205, Fax: (718) 422-
0213. emaillori_cottrell@prattarea.org.
SINGLE STOP COORDINATOR - Northem Man-
hattan Improvement Corporation: NMIC seeks a
FT Coordinator for our new Single Stop initiative,
an intake, assessment and screening program
that provides assistance applying for public ben-
efits, counseling, and referral services. The Coor-
dinator will manage all project activities includ-
ing I} linking with existing NMIC programs, 2}
conducting community outreach, 3} developing
referral mechanisms with other agencies, 4}
supervising graduate social work interns, and 5}
creating client tracking systems. Qualifications:
I} MSW with 3+ years post graduate experience,
2} excellent written and oral communication
skills, 3} previous intake and assessment experi-
ence, 4} experience working with low-income
immigrant populations, 5} bilingual
(English/Spanish), and 6} ability to work a flexi-
ble schedule with evening and weekend hours.
Excellent salary and fringe benefits. Please fax or
email your resumeto Andrea Vaghy at (212) 928-
4180 or andreavaghY@nmic.org.
SITE COORDINATOR - ESR Metro: Seeking
Site Coordinator for After-School Program in
Sunset Park Brooklyn. 400 children - Staff of
40 - Full-time, excellent benefits, salary
$45,000+ depending on experience. Must be
bilingual (Spanish). Send resume and cover
letter by January 19th. ESR Metro, 475 River-
side Drive, Rm 550, New York, NY 10115 or
Lcastro@esrmetro.org. Details:
www.esrmetro.org.
49
ILL U S T RAT E .D M E MaS
om CE OFTIIE CITY VISIONARY:
.'
The MTA estimates it would have to raise
$17 billion to finally build the Second Ave.
Subway, but no one seriously believes the
project will be completed by the year 2020,
if ever, without cost overruns.
However, if groups of eight Manhattanites
were to share a $40 rides downtown in style,
$17 billion would put East Side commuters
in 425 million limousines over the next 15
years - that's more than 600,000 passengers
a day 1
Why not use the money to subsidize a
more immediate solution to the problem of
overerowding on the Lexington Avenue
Subway line?
GOT AN IMPRACTICAL SOLUTION
TO AN INTRACTABLE PROBLEM?
SEND IN
50
OFFICE OF THE CITY VISIONARY
CITY LIMiTS MAGAZINE .
120 WALL ST., 20
T
H-FLOORNY NY 10005
ootcv@citylimits.org
CITY LIMITS
SOCIAL SERVICES - Director of Access to
Long Term Care Program: The NYC Dept.
for the Aging seeks experienced profes-
sional to oversee programmatic and fiscal
management of DFTA funded case man-
agement agencies in the 5 boros to ensure
compliance w/federal, state and city stan-
dards; work w/other units to ensure full
utilization of EISEP programs; collaborate
w/ in-house staff and community partners
to develop single point of entry; define
goals, develop annual work plans, assess-
ment tools to evaluate quality of service.
Prefer MSW, min. 3 years expo in case man-
agement, program development; Must
have 1 year exp.i n aging, 1 admin. expo
Deputy Director: Seek candidate with
administrative, case management experi-
ence; strong skills in budgeting, problem
solving, staff development, to assist Direc-
tor in all aspects of Access to Long Term
Care Program. BA + 4 years experience in
social services/I year in aging. New York
City residency required. Send resumes to
Jean Weber, NYC Dept for the Aging, 2
Lafayette St. 9th FI , NY, NY 10007 FAX 212-
442-1153 EOE MlFNID
SOCIAL WORKER - Goddard Riverside
Community Center: MSW, fluent in English
and Spanish, min 5 yrs experience, to work
with elders in Upper West Side community
center; case management and group work
skills a plus. FAX letter of interest and
resume to 212-595-6498, or email to
vtaison@goddard.org.
SOCIAL WORKER LMSW. - DC 37
M.E.L.S: A Union-based innovative legal
services program seeks LMSW. Social work
staff provides individual & group services,
crisis intervention, Short Term counseling,
information & referral , advocacy, individ-
ual family assessment. Some court
appearances & home visits. Req: LMSW;
exp working with groups and welfare
advocacy Bi-lingual , Spanish/English pre-
ferred. Sal: $33,360/ $50,362, depending
on expo Excel fringe benefits. Send
resume/letter: DC 37 Municipal Employees
Legal Services, 125 Barclay St. Rm 1008.
NY 10007. EOE
SOCIAL WORKER SUPERVISOR - The
Children's Village, a nationally renowned
Childcare Agency, is seeking a Social
Worker Supervisor to be part of our multi-
disciplinary management team, to provide
clinical and administrative supervision of
Caseworkers and Social Workers in our
Adoption/Foster Care program. MSW, 3yrs
paid SW experience, in child welfare,
preferably in foster care and supervisory
experience required. Must have a valid dri-
ver's license. Position located in Harlem,
NY. We offer a comprehensive benefits
package, (medical effective 1st of month
following employment), day care, excellent
training. Bilinguals (Spanish) a plus. Send
resume w/salary req to: HR, TCV, Dobbs
MARCHI APRIL 200S
Ferry, NY 10522. Fax: 914-674-4512,
email: recruiter@childrensvillage.org.
Visit our website: www.childrenvillage.org.
EOE. Encouraging a diverse workforce.
SOCIAL WORKERS (MSW/CSW REQUIRED)
- LSNY -Bronx is presently seeking 2
MSW/CSW social workers experienced in
conducting interviews, making diagnostic
assessments and providing direct services.
They should also have excellent organiza-
tional and communication skills. Prefer-
ence will be given to applicants that have
fluency in Spanish, experience working with
low-income communities, and/or prior
experience with various governmental
housing program eligibility requirements.
For further information regarding this posi-
tion please go to our website - LSNYorg. We
are an equal opportunity employer.
STAFF ATTORNEY - ACLU Reproductive
Freedom Project: Attorney will work on repro-
ductive rights issues: litigate, write/review
briefs, motion papers/affidavits, prepare wit-
nesses, take/defend depositions, participate
in all aspects of Project's cases; 6 years expe-
rience; excellent research, writing, and com-
munication skills; interest in reproductive
rights, racial/social justice, issues affecting
low-income women; self-motivated; hard
working; ability to work with wide range of
people; Letter of interest, resume,
address/phone three references, minimum
one recent writing sample to: Staff Attomey
Search, Reproductive Freedom Project, ACLU,
125 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004
TECHNOLOGY & LEARNING RESOURCES
COORDINATOR (YOUTH SERVICES) - Les-
bian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Com-
munity Center: Seeking an experienced
Program Specialist to implement comput-
er skills training and activity-based work-
shops for youth, as well as administer the
college assistance resources and job
readiness resources of the Youth Enrich-
ment Services program. Requirements
include experience working with LGBT
youth, superior computer proficiency and
hardware/software expertise, ability to
instruct youth in computer literacy and
computer skills, excellent organizational
skills, excellent group facilitation and
interpersonal communication skills and
an ability to interact with a wide variety of
individuals. Knowledge of, and commit-
ment to, LGBT issues and communities
required. BA and experience in creative
arts a plus. Qualified candidates should
submit a cover letter (stating desired
position and salary requirements) and
resume by mail or fax to: Center Human
Resources 208 West 13th Street, New York,
NY 10011 FAX (212) 924-2657 No phone
calls, please. The Center is an Equal
Opportunity Employer.
TRAINER - HOME BUYER EDUCATION AND
FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAMS - The
Mount Hope Housing Company, Inc. is hiring
trainers for its adult financial literacy and
home buyer education workshops. The ideal
candidate will have a Bachelor's Degree,
experience with basic financial concepts and
financial institutions, and knowledge of
adult learning theory. Spanish language
skills (written and verbal), certification in
home buyer education or financial literacy,
and prior teaching experience are a plus.
Mount Hope will provide training forthe posi-
tion and curriculum. Trainers will be paid on
an hourly basis. This is a part-time position -
requiring hours on Tuesday and Thursday
evenings and Saturdays. Please fax or e-mail
resumes to Zuleika DeJesus at 718-299-5623
or Zuleika_DeJesus@mounthopehousing.org.
WEBMASTER (PART-TIME)- Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual & Transgender Community Center:
Seeking an experienced HTML professional
to provide support in the maintenance and
enhancement of our website. Required
areas of expertise include raw HTML,
including HTML forms; JavaScript; CSS
(Cascaded Style Sheets;) web content man-
agement systems; image editing; video
compression and encoding (Quicklime
encoding preferred;) streaming media and
embedding video objects in a web page;
and PDF document creation and manipula-
tion. Experience with MSWord and Excel
(including macros) preferred. Knowledge of
LGBT communiti es and issues also pre-
ferred. Qualified candidates should submit
a cover letter (stating desired position and
salary requirements) and resume by mail or
fax to: Center Human Resources 208 West
13th Street, New York, NY 10011 FAX (212)
924-2657 No phone calls, please. The Cen-
ter is an Equal Dpportunity Employer.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COORDINA-
TOR - South Williamsburg Brooklyn
community organization seeks an experi-
enced person to run its workforce devel-
opment program. Responsible for the day
to day operations including recruiting
and screening students, liaison with ESL
and computer literacy instructors, con-
ducting one to one career counseling and
job preparedness skills sessions, orga-
nizing professional led workshops, set-
ting up new career track training classes
and ensuring contract compliance for
government funded training programs.
Competitive salary and benefits pack-
age. Qualifications: at least three years
prior professional experience in workforce
development. Please e-mail resume to:
hkohn@unitedjewish.org
YOUTH ORGANIZER - NY ACDRN is cur-
rently seeking a youth organizer to mobilize
city teens to improve public schools.
Responsibilities include recruiting mem-
bers, identifying and researching educa-
tion issues, and organizing meetings,
protests and rallies. Send cover letter and
resume to nyacorned2@acorn.org
FOR UP-TO-THE-MINUTE JOB POSTINGS, GO TO WWW.CITYLIMITS.ORG
JOB ADS
SAVE
THE
DATE
City
Futures
Annual
Benefit
Thursday,
May 12, 2005
For more information
contact
iennifer@citylimits.org
,"
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