city limits magazine, april 1990 issue

8/3/2019 City Limits Magazine, April 1990 Issue

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April 1990 New York 's C ommunity Affa irs News Magazine

B IG M O N E Y , F E W J O B S 0 E A S T H A R L E M C O A L IT IO NA B U S IN E S S A P P R O A C H T O H E L P IN G T H E H O M E L E S S


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2 CITY LIMITS

CitJ/ L i m i ~ s Volume XV Number 4

City Limits is published ten times per year.monthly excep t double issu es in JunelJulyand August/September. by th e City LimitsCommunity Information Service. Inc . a nonprofit organization devoted to disseminatinginformation concerni ng neighborhoodrevitalization.SponsorsAssociation for Neighborhood an dHousing Development. Inc .New York Urban CoalitionPratt Institute Center for Community an dEnvironmental Deve lopmentUrban Homesteading Assistance BoardBoa rd of Directors'Eddie Bautista. NYLPI/Charter Right s ProjectBeverly Cheuvront. Community ServiceSocietyRebecca ReichAndrew Re icher. UHABRichard Rivera. Puerto Rican LegalDefe ns e an d Education FundTom RobbinsRon Shiffman. Pratt CenterJay Small, ANHDWa lter Stafford. New York University'Affiliations [01' id p.nti[ica tion o;,ly.Subscription rates are: for individuals an dcommunity groups. $15/0ne Year. $25/TwoYears; for busin esses. foundations. banks.government agencies an d librari es. S35/0neYear. $50/Two Years. Low incom e. un employed. $10 /0ne Year.City Limits welcomes co mments and articlecontributions. Please include a stamped. selfaddressed envelope for re turn manuscripts .Material in City Limits does not necessarilyreflect th e opinion of th e sponsoring organizations . Send co rrespo ndence to: CITY LIMITS.40 Prince St.. New York. NY 10012 .

Second class postage paidNew York. NY 10001City Limits (ISSN 01 99-0330)(212) 925-9820FAX (212) 966-3407

Editor: Doug TuretskyAssociate Editor: Lisa GlazerBusi ness Director: Harry GadarigianCon trib u ting Editors: Peter Marcuse. Jenni ferSternPro duction: Chip CliffePhotographer: Isa BritoIntern: Daniel ZaleskiCopyright 1990. All Rights Reserved. Noportion or portions of this journa l mav be reprinted without th e express perm ission of thepublishers.City Limits is indexed in th e Alternative PressIndex an d the Avery Index to ArchitecturalPeriodicals and is available on microfilm fromUniversity Microfilms Int ernational, An nArbor . MI 48106.

Cover photograph by Sion Roderick.

EDITORIAL

Changing Times?Nearly three months after taking the oath of office, Mayor David Dinkins

has named his new housing commissioner-and he never even had to leavehome. Felice Michetti, the new commissioner, has worked for the city'shousing department since 1979 an d been its first deputy commissioner forthe past four years . .With Michetti's extensive experience comes strong ties to the Kochadministration's housing policies. One of the principle architects of thecity's 10-year housing plan, Michetti was promoted to first deputy by formerhousing commissioner Paul Crotty, the manager of Koch's last campaign.While many housing activists charge the 10-year plan fails to provideenough assistance to the city's lowest income households, Michetti also hasa reputation as a strong backer of some community-based nonprofit housingproviders. The selection of Michetti appears to send a message that theDinkins administration does not want to alter the basic priorities of Koch'shousing plan . But given her relationship to some nonprofit developers andhousing activists, Michetti may be more open to negotiations than he rpredecessor.I f Michetti wants to signal glasnost-if not perestroika-she can begin byhalting the city's appeal of a state Supreme Court judge's ruling that the 10-year plan is subject to community review.

Speaking of the 10-year plan: During last year's mayoral primary, formerhousing commissioner Abraham Biderman escorted reporters from thecity's dailies to see the Koch administration's h andiwork in Harlem an d theSouth Bronx: whole blocks of derelict buildings under renovation in aprogram known as Construction Management. The reporters came back dulyimp ressed, penning articles that echoed the administration's claim that thisrenovation effort was akin to the building of the pyramids.Some of the most fawning articles appeared in the New York Times . Butnow the Times tells us the program is running some 50 percent over budgetan d there was little management in the Construction Management Program.What 's the surprise? The initial phase of the program literally' offereddevelopers a blank check. You build , the city pays-no matter how muchover budget.Now, with Koch gone, and in the midst of the city's budget crunch, theTimes chooses to take a swack at the very same program-which justhappens to be the largest housing production program currently underwayfor the poor. Makes you wonder about "objective" reporting. 0

X . 5 2 3


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INSIDE

FEATURESRebels With a Cause? 12A challenging look at the squatter movement in NewYork City.Whose Job Is It, Anyway? 16Don't expect many job placement or job-trainingprograms from companies that receive tax breaks andcity subsidies.DEPARTMENTSEditorialChanging Times? ................................................... 2Short Term NotesVacate Order ..........................................................4Archives Fight ...... .................................................4

Adult-Home Death ................................................ 5Cross-Subsidy Progress ................................. ....... 5Harlem Struggle .................................................. .5Reinspection Regs ................................................. 6Neighborhood Notes ............. ....................................7ProfilePride and Progress: The East HarlemCommunity Coalition for Fair Banking .............. 8PipelineFor Some of the Homeless,Membership Has Its Privileges .......................... 10City ViewConsider This: Housing Activists for Council 20Letters ....................................................................... 22

April 1990 3

Membership/Page 10

Rebels/Page 12

Whose Job?/Page 16


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4 CITY LIMITS

SHORT TERM NOTESVACATE ORDER

Four families were recentlyplaced by city offic ials in theBelleclaire Hotel on the UpperWest Side of Manhattanbecause of hazardousconditions within the threestory brick building theyoccupied in Borough Park,Brooklyn . The building, runby Benjamin Eisner, is one ofat least two ramshackleproperties he manages in theneighborhood .The city' s Department ofHousing Preservation andDevelopment (HPD) orderedthe families to vacate 581613th Avenue in late February.The building has 20 housingcode violations, 10 classifiedas immediately hazardous."The building was unfit forliving and there were a lot ofchildren involved," explainsGreg King , an HPD spokesperson . "There was an illegalsubdivision of two apartmentsinto four , there was norunning water throughout thebuilding and sewage was allover the cellar."The building' s manager,Benjamin Eisner, says that thedamage to 5816 13th Avenuewas intentionally done by theresidents, most of whom hedescribes as illegal squattersand drug users .This contention was deniedby tenants contacted by CityLimits, as well as advocatesfrom the Council of Neighborhood Organizations (CONO)and a Human ResourcesAdministration (HRA) caseworker, Antonio Valderrama.Annette Chaparro, 25 , isone of the tenants who wasliving at 5816 13th Avenue.She says, "These accusationsare not true. He ' s the one atfault." Chaparro and her fourdaughters-one of them anewborn baby-had beenliving in a cramped apartmentwith a six-foot window withouta pane . On a recent visit tothe apartment, which still contains the Chaparro's possessions, three layers of heavyplastic an d a flowery bedsheetwere placed over the windowin an attempt to fend off thecold.

Lourdes Chaparro,Annette' s sister, was living onanother floor of the buildingwith three children in a oneand a half room apartment.

lot," says Correa.King from HPD saysinspectors recently called foran emergency oil delivery forthe building's boiler.

Wall-to-wall damages:A young resident of J02 8 39th Street in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Conditions in the apartmentinclude a cracked windowand a portable showersqueezed in the kitchen .Nicholas, ag e 1 2, recalls,"We had to heat up the waterto take a shower . Youcouldn't sleep it was so coldand there were big rats . Mysister has bad dreams aboutthat place ."Before the building wasvacated , HRA delivered 26blankets to the residents to tryand keep them warm,according to Valderrama .A two-story woodenbuilding at 1028 39th Street isanother Eisner property. Housing department records indi cate the four-unit building has69 housing code violations.Elizabeth Correa, amother of three children underthe ag e of 10 , was paying$400 a month for herapartment until she went onrent strike recently. Thebuilding has a broken windowin the front, no lock on thefront door and the hallwaysand bathrooms have foot-longholes and cracks. Tenants saythey have barely received heatthrough the winter. "If we hadheat for two days it was a

In a telephone interview,Eisner counters that leaks,holes and broken windows inboth buildings were caused bytenants. "Squatters and evenregular tenants' sometimesdon ' t know how to behave,"he says. "A lot of tenantsbreak things so they don ' thave to pay the rent."After extensive negotiations, some improvements maybe underway. At a March 14meeting, Eisner made an oralcommitment to make repairson both buildings, amongother agreements , accordingto CONO's Terri Cinar. DLisa Glazer

ARCHIVES FIGHTCommunity groups inGreenwich Village arebattling the deve loper of theArchives Building, claimingthe developer is reneging on apromise to provide low-costspace to local nonprofits.Located at 154 ChristopherStreet, the Archives Building iscontrolled by RockroseDevelopment Corporation .

Rockrose acquired thebuilding from the TeitlebaumGroup, which paid $1 0 tolease the publicly ownedbuilding . A Board of Estimateresolution gave the developerthe right to convert thestructure into luxury housingand commercial real estateas long as a significantportion of the space wasallocated to community groupsat a below-market rate .The Archives Building wasconverted to luxury housing ayear ago and is now morethan 90 percent occupied. Yetonly three of the 10 nonprofitorganizations selected by thecommunity board to use thecommunity space have signedleases. The groups thathaven't signed their leases saythe space they have beenallocated has not beenrenovated adequately for theiruse, and they ar e unable tofoot the bill for setting upoffice space. Although theys ~ y the basic rental price isaffordable, they are disputingadditional maintenance costsand the developer's refusal toprovide renewable leases .The nonprofit groups areexpected to move into thebasement of the building. Ona recent visit, the cavernousspace-nearly as large as acity block-had exposedwiring and plumbing, fewlights and was not divided intoseparate offices ."We had hoped that theArchive would be the answerto our prayers. Now itdoesn' t seem to be, " saysJanet Weinberg , executivedirector of The CommunityCares, a social service agencyfor senior citizens. Weinbergs ~ y s her organization cannotafford to upgrade the basement space they wereallocated.Other community groupsstill negotiating with thedeveloper include VillageVisiting Neighbors, the AsianAmerican Arts Center and theFederation to Preserve theGreenwich Village Waterfrontand Great Port.John West, director ofplanning for Rockrose, arguesthat the building is "com-


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pletely renovated." He deniesthat Rockrose has anyobligation to provide partitions, to install duct work forventilation, or to put in dropceilings to hide pipework. Headds that maintenance feesare not frozen becauseinflation may lead to risingcosts.Community Board 2 andthe nonprofit groups involvedhave organized severalmeetings over the past year totry and reach an agreementwith the developer. EdwardGold, chairman of CommunityBoard 2, is concerned that ifan agreement is not reachedsoon, the opportunity to usethe space as a communityresource may be lost. According to the Board of Estimateresolution, if the space isunoccupied for three yearsafter renovation, it may beturned over for commercial orresidential use . 0 DanielZaleski

ADULT-HOMEDEATHOn the morning of March

14, a resident of Leben Homefor Adults in Elmhurst plungedto his death from the facility'sroof, according to pol ice . "Heeither fell or jumped ," saysLieutenant Michael McAuliffe,of the 11 Oth Precinct inQueens. McAuliffe says thiswas the third Leben Homedeath in the past year.Israel Gombo, administrator of the adult home, says heis filing a report regarding therecent death with tile stateDepartment of Social Services-the agency that admini sters the home-and wouldnot comment further on thedeath.George Gitlitz, an advocate from the Coalition ofInstitutionalized Aged andDisabled (ClAD), says,"Residents have complainedthat safety in the homes is abig problem. ClAD believesthat their fears are justifiedand that the homes andgovernment have to do moreto ensure that residents are

protected, whether it be fromthemselves or the outsideenvironment ."City officials are increasingly using adult homes toshelter the homeless. LebenHome was highlighted in arecent City Limits article, "Noplace Like Home" (March1990), which raised questionsabout conditions within adulthomes in New York City. Thearticle included informationfrom state investigators whoexpressed concern for thecondition of many LebenHome residents.

Adult homes provide boardand housing to some 30,000frail elderly and deinstitutionalized mentally-ill residents in44 7 adult homes statewide.The city has 9,000 adult homeresidents in 58 facilities. Theindustry has been the subjectof four investigations in thelast 13 years regardingallegations of abuse ofresidents' rights, decrepitbuildings and poor mentalhealth and medical care. 0Marguerite Holloway

CROSS-SUBSIDYPROGRESSTwo and a half years afterthe city's housing department

and Community Board 3 inManhattan reached anagreement to go forward withthe cross-subsidy plan to fundaffordable housing in theLower East Side, the programis about to move forward .Construction on the first 66units of housing within theplan is scheduled to begin inJune or July."It's terrific to get something concrete out of this,"says Lisa Kaplan, a memberof Community Board 3 whohas been advocating for thecross-subsidy plan to r the pastsix years. "We're gratifiedthat the ground is literallybreaking-but we 've still got along way to go."The intent of the crosssubsidy program is to use theproceeds from the sale ofvacant city-owned buildings

April 1990 5

Policy pushers:At 0 City Holl press conference, the NYC Ad Hoc Housing Coolitioncoiled for substontive chonges in the city's housing progrom. Fromleft, Horry DeRienzo, from the Consumer-Former Foundotion ondCouncil Member Miriom Friedlonder.for market-rate housing tosubsidize the construction oflower income units. If theprogram succeeds , eventually1 000 units of subsidizedhousing will be built, for1,000 market-rate units.The Department of HousingPreservation and Development(HPD) and Community Board3 are working to complete thefirst phase of the program,which aims to build 192 lowerincome units, subsidized byan equal number of marketrate units. The communityboard has established amutual housing association toown and operate the lowerincome housing. Currentlybeing run by the board, theassociation will have residents, community membersand others on its board ofdirectors .Catie Marshall , a formerspokesperson for HPD whonow works for the mayor, saysthree sites have been selectedand put out to bid for marketrate housing and only one hasbeen awarded-for 66 units.The other two are being rebid,one because no high enoughbids were received, the otherbecause the winning bidderwithdrew from the process.The sale of the properties mustgo through the city's lengthyland use approval processbefore they are transferred tothe winning bidders.Marshall says the design

for the low and moderateincome buildings is almostcomplete . The contractors forthese units will be chosenjointly by HPD and the mutualhousing association; Marshallsays the requests for bids iscurrently being prepared andwill go out "as soon aspossible."In addition to the proceedsfrom the market-rate housing,HPD has set aside another $5million for the lower incomeunits. 0 Jennifer Stern

HARLEMSTRUGGLEChild welfare workersrecently took a six-month-old

baby from her motherbecause of the dangerousconditions in a derelict cityowned building in Harlem.Government agencies arefooting the bill for foster careuntil tile city' s Department ofHousing Preservation andDevelopment (HPD) makesrepairs.The mother, who requestedanonymity, lives in one ofthree adjacent buildings-3601 , 3603 and 3605Broadway-that have longbeen a local eyesore. Littlemore than shells, the buildingshave been inhabited by 35residents, some of themsquatters. Conditions within


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6 CITY LIMITS

the buildings included norunning water, exposed wiringand holes in ceilings andwalls, according to advocates.But after extensive organiz-ing efforts, some improvements are now in the pipeline.The city is promising leases forsome of the tenants, thebuildings are in a specialprogram for acceleratedrepairs and some of thetenants are working togetherto eventually gain control ofthe buildings.The Riverside-EdgecombeNeighborhood Association(RENA) helped organ ize thebuildings along with ProBase,a social service agency thataims to prevent the break-upof families. Jeanie Dubnau, aRENA advocate, says, "Wefought very hard . There arelots of other buildings ownedby HPD that are just as bad ,we just got attention becauseof the constant pressure weput on them ."

Now that some of thetenants have been promisedleases, they hope to beaccepted into the city' s TenantInterim Lease program so theycan eventually buy theirbu i lding.The main battle betweenthe tenants and the city hasbeen over leases. Accord ingto Annie Rakovic, a socialworker from ProBase, the cityagreed to provide leases forsome of the 35 tenants aftermore than two years ofnegotiations.Last year, the buildingswere nearly sold to a privatelandlord. The city was readyto sell all three buildings toArtha Management for $1even though Abram Gin, theowner of Artha management,had a growing reputation forhousing code vio lations,shoddy repairs and questionable rent increases. After aseries of protests by the ArthaManagement Coalition, HPDreversed its decision to sell toArtha and announced that theHPD inspector general wouldbe investigating the companyfor fraudulent tax abatementfilings (see City Limits,August/September 1989) .

Now the city has placed

the buildings in the "crisismanagement" program withinthe Division of PropertyManagement of the housingdepartment. The boiler andthe roof are expected to berepaired this year andimprovements for individualapartments are in the pipeline.Diana Concannon, a spokesperson for HPD, says the cityis still hiring contractors to doapartment repairs so thoseimprovements will not evenbegin for "a couple of monthsat best." The tenants and theiradvocates say priority shouldbe placed on these repairs .As Rakovic emphasizes, themother of the six-month oldbaby cannot have her ch i ldreturned until her apartment ishabitable. D Cory JohnsonREINSPECTIONREGS

The city' s Department ofHousing Preservation andDevelopment (HPD) isplanning a new program thatwould guarantee reinspectionreports for building owners atthe same time that the numberof housing code inspectors isdeclining.The Dismissal RequestProgram, which was discussedat a public hearing last month,provides a mechanism ofviolation dismissal for building

owners who have failed to getofficial certification that theirviolations would be removed .The reinspection is donewithin 45 days of the owner' srequest and costs $135 .Housing officials say thatthe Dismissal Reql!est Programwill not affect staffing of HPDinspections, or the budget,since the $135 fee coverscosts involved . They sayinspection of tenants' compla ints w i ll remain higherprio ri ty than owner-reguestedreinspections. Still , budget cutshave already lowered thenumber of housing inspectionteams, from 226 to 215,accord ing to the most recentMayor' s Management Report,and further staffing cuts areexpected .Under current procedure,owners file certification formsto claim that a violation hasbeen corrected . Under the1972 state Housing Court Act ,according to HPD spokesperson Greg King , violations aresupposed to be deemedcorrected w ithin 70 days ofcertification . Sixty days later,the violations are removed .But because of allegedlyinefficient record-keeping ,"Corrected violations simplystayed on the record," saysDan Margulies, executivedirector of the CommunityHousing Improvement

Association (CHIP), an ownerlobbying group . "Very fewowners bothered to certify ."Especially in a buildinginvolving a sale, refinancingor loan, where officialbuilding records play animportant role, owners whofailed to certify, or certifiedwithout getting a new report,would otten request areinspection .But " it was up to thed iscretion of the borough chiefto decide when he has staff todo it," says another HPDspokesperson . "The newregulations provide a mechanism for a more orderlyreinspection ."

Under the new regulations,the certification process wouldcontinue . But owners wouldalso have the option to fill outthe Dismissal Request, underwhich HPD would refund the$135 if it fails to issue aninspection report within 45days.But some tenant organizerscharge that the programaddresses the wrong problem ."The problem is not inaccuraterecords ," says Tom DeMott ofthe West Harlem Coalition . " Itis enforcement. Most of thetime, violations remain onrecord because they remain inthe building, inspection afte rinspection ." D LairdTownsend

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NEIGHBORNOTES

BronxLast year, City Limits intervieweda number of families who movedfrom the city 's welfare hotels intopermanent housing in the SouthBronx. Although they were pleasedto be settled, most families expresseddire fear for their children's safety incrime-saturated neighborhoods.Hope for change came from a promise that a new police academy wouldbe built on a 10-acre site at 153rdStreet and Park Avenue. Now there'sa budget crisis and the Dinkinsadministration is considering putting the police academy on hold. Somuch for hopeful promises ....Genevieve Brooks, head of theMid-Bronx Desperadoes housinggroup, was recently appointed deputy borough president. Althoughthe Desperadoes started off buildinglow income housing they now do amixture oflow , moderate and middleincome housing development. (Theydid the final work on Charlotte Gardens, the South Bronx's suburbanstyle homes.) Brooks is co-chair ofthe housing task force of the BronxDevelopment Council , which hasbeen promoting mostly middle income housing for the borough.BrooklynThe feisty ATURA coalition iscontinuing its battle against RoseAssociates' Atlantic Terminal project, highlighting the massive government subsidy the project is slatedto receive in this era of supposedfiscal prudence . According to a recent fact sheet from the coalition,subsidies amount to a whopping$161.1 million. All this for a projectthat coalition members say will lead

to the displacement of local residents . The subsidies are comingfrom the city's budget , the Municipal Assistance Corporation and thefederal housing department , amongother sources .ManhattanDespite deep rifts between community activists, squatters and yuppie residents, the various Lower EastSide factions united-briefly-for aprotest outside Peter Kalikow's NewYork Post recently. Organized by theJoint Planning Council , the actionfocused attention on the large number of empty, warehoused apartmen sin buildings owned by Peter's relative, Richard Kalikow, on the LowerEast Side. According to JPC, Kalikow buildings in the Lower EastSide include approximately 30 emptybu t habitable apartments that are notbeing rented. Peter 's own City &Suburban complex uptown contains650 warehoused units ...Just a few months in office an dManhattan Borough President RuthMessinger has already voted in favorof a major development effort-inher old Upper West Side neighborhood, no less! The Manhattan Westproject will bring almost 1,000 newluxury units to the already crowdedneighborhood , bu t Messinger an devery other Board of Estimate member voted in favor of developer DanBrodsky's project. How come?Mostly because the proposal that wasapproved was a compromise-not as

small as the community boardwanted, bu t significantly scaleddown from the original proposal.Still, some local advocates are no texactly mollified. Ron Millican, cochairman of Community Board 7'sPenn West committee, resigned inprotest after the Board of Estimatedecision. He says that the Department of City Planning inserted specifications for a road that is going tohelp pave the way for progress on theTrump City site, which is across fromthe Manhattan West site.QueensBorough President Claire Shulmanand the state's Urban DevelopmentCorporation are racing ahead withthe controversial Hunters Pointwaterfront plan, attempting to greasethe wheels of th e massive , $1.5 billion development project before theBoard of Estimate is disbanded.They're moving so fast, in fact, thatat one point the amenities the localcommunity board is calling for wereoverlooked in the rush. CouncilMember Walter McCaffrey, formerchairman of the local board, is raising the issue loud and clear. In arecent interview, he says, "I haveseen no commitment made by city,state or port authority officials tomeet the needs of this community."He continues,"They have tur:led theirbacks on the people of Hunters Pointan d western Queens. All they'redoing is providing lipservice on theissues." 0

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8 CITY LIMITSPROFILE

Pride and Progress: The East HarlemCommunity Coalition for Fair BankingBY ERROL T. LOUISEAST HARLEM HAS ALWAYSbeen a neighborhood full of pride.Other New Yorkers knew it long ago,when a fier y politician namedLaGuardia represented the districtwith both fists swinging-and, asmayor,chose to keep living thereinstead of moving downtown.Today, East Harlem is AfricanAmerican an d Latino and "theneighborhood"-El Barrio-isstill a place that people are proudof. Yes, there 's widespread decay, bu t street life is active onthe main boulevards , with storesblaring salsa and merengue; menhunched over games of dominoes; and children racing, shouting and climbing everywhere.Now El Barrio 's got somethingnew to boast about. In the lastthree years, th e East HarlemCommunity Coalition for FairBanking has accomplishedsomething no other neighborhood group in New York Cityhas managed to do: pressure amajor commercial bank intokeeping open a branch that itha d already decided to close.In the winter of 1 987, at a timewhen working-class neighborhoods all over New York City

ing its 118th Street branch. After thedouble whammy announcements aseries of community meetings led tothe creation of the Coalition for FairBanking.Vaughn , a Baptist minister, hadrecently come from a year at Riverside Church, where he worked on

had already seen dozens of bankbranches close their doors ,ChaseManhattan announced it would Jasmine Hopper an d Madelaine Marquez:be shutting down its branch on Empowering community-based organizations withinformation about credit.the corner of 106th Street an dSecond Avenue. The site is on one ofEast Harlem's main commercialstrips, and directl y across the streetfrom two large public housing projects."It was really going to leave uswithout a commercial bank in EastHarlem south of 115th Street, " recalls Rev. John Vaughn , the executive director of East Harlem Interfaith, a consortium of 40 churchesan d religious organizations that ishalf a block from the Chase branch.Shortly after the Chase announcement, East Harlem residents receivedanother blow: Chemical Bank notified customers that it would be clos-

social issues ranging from apartheidto the status of gays and lesbians inChristianity. His new assignmentdirecting East Harlem Interfaith andchairing the coalition-was in keeping with the same brand of activism.The 28-year-old Vaughn insists hiscommitment is simply an expression of his religious beliefs: "I neverreally consider myself a traditionalsocial action person, " he says. "Iconsider myself a person of faithfirst. "For longtime East Harlem residentslike Michael Morrell, an insuranceworker, th e potential impact ofbranch closings concerned neither

politics nor religion, bu t an all toofamiliar reality. In the mid-1980s,Manufacturers Hanover Trust hadpulled out of El Barrio, leaving Morrell unable to cash his disabilitychecks during a period of illness."I had nowhere to cash the checks,"he recalls. "When I would go to abranch on 86th Street, theywould send me to a machine.And if I was having this problem as a working person, I couldsee what the problem would befor retired people, people whoare on a fixed income, even thefood stamp services-we werereally being underserved in thecommunity."The banking coalition's firstorder of business was to try andget a meeting with bank officials-real bankers with clout,not the community affairs staff.East Harlemites marched in frontof their local Chase branch andthey ventured downtown todemonstrate at Chemical's glittering Park Avenue headquarters. A local hearing on th esubject drew hundreds of residents. But the closing dates forthe Chemical and Chasebranches kept getting closer,with no breakthrough.Finally, somebody came upwith the phone number of thepr ivate line to the president ofChase, Willard Butcher. A manin charge of a multi-billion-dollar financial empire suddenlybegan getting messages from neighborhood people wanting to talk abouta tiny office in El Barrio. Eventually,th e coalition got th e meetings i twanted, negotiating directly withTherese Molloy, Chase 's New YorkCity regional executive."I wanted to close the bank because it made business sense," recalls Molloy , now retired. "But thebank is a community business andth e community voices that wereraised made me rethink."With Chemical as well as Chase,the coalition expanded their discussions to include a wide range ofreinvestment issues. In the course of


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studying the economics of bank dis-investment, coalition members haddiscovered the advantages of neigh-borhood-controlled financial institutions, such as community devel-opment credit unions and community revolving loan funds. Now, innegotiations, the banks were pressedto provide support for such institutions.In the end, the banks agreed tohelp fund several community reinvestment projects. Union SettlementFederal Credit Union got equipmentand a $36,000 grant. Hope Communi ty-which had been fightingChemical Bank for years, tying to getfinancing for housing-was promised $2 million worth ofloans. Fundswere also provided to launch acommunity revolving loan fund, an dto hire a finance professional to as-sist local businesses and neighborhood groups prepare loan applications. Chemical did close its EastHarlem branch, but Chase agreed todelay closing-a delay that eventually led to an agreement to stay open.How was Molloy persuaded tochange her mind by a group of EastHarlem activists? "They were hardworking, sincere an d knowledgeable," declares the veteran banker."They did their homework and theycertainly wo n my respect. When you

have a community where there arecoalitions being formed and leaderssuch as Rev. Vaughn-people whoare rather selfless in their dedication-then you have a good show ofpreserving an d improving the com-munity. "These are exactly the goals thatthe coalition continues to strivetowards. "We are trying to empowercommunity-based organizations,andto make credit available within thecommunity," says Madelaine Mar-quez, a former loan officer fromChemical Bank who now works forthe coalition an d helps neighborhoodpeople with the nuts and bolts ofspreadsheets an d business projec-tions. Marquez has vivid memoriesof requests for loans from African-American an d Latino communitiesbeing routinely turned down whenshe started in banking. Now she of-ten turns up in neighborhood reinvestment meetings with an armful oftables showing how banks have red-lined East Harlem .For the moment , the coalition hastraded phone-ins an d street demonstrations for the every day tasks ofcommunity-building . Jasmine Hop-per , the coalition 's program director ,has plans to build membership forongoing education on reinvestmentissues . The coalition is positioning

April 1990 9

itself as a place to link communitygroups and small businesses withthe financial lifeline of credit."Someone has to be in the middle.Someone has to help get the folkswho need the funding to the banks,in such a way that the banks can'tturn them down. " says Morrell , whois a vice-chair of the coalition. "Asmall merchant may no t need a m il -lion dollars. But they may need 30 ,40 or 50 ,00 0 dollars. And sometimesthat's hard to get in this community ."A truly progressive movement,they say, transforms people as it trans-forms society. By that test, the EastHarlem Community Coalit ion for FairBanking has already passed withflying colors. A former banker hasbecome a community advocate; acitizen has been turned into an activ-ist; and an activist minister is be-coming a seasoned communityleader . The kind of people that makeEI Barrio proud. "I live here, I wa ntto see my community do well," saysMorrell. "Folks like myself reallyhave no other place to go." 0Errol T. Louis, a frequent contributorto City Limits, is National ProgramOfficer of he National Federation ofCommunity Development CreditUnions.

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10 CITY LIMITS

PIPELINE

For Some of the Homeless,Membership Has Its PrivilegesBY MARGO SCHNEIDMANTWO YEARS AGO BUSINESS REPresentatives from the area surrounding Grand Central Station decided itwas time to tackle the homelessproblem in their midst. The GrandCentral Partnership was born, complete with heavy hitting boardmembers from Trump Associates,Olympia & York an d other real estateconcerns. Now the organization hasestablished a center with supportservices, and they 're borrowing thebuzz words of the corporate world tohelp the homeless ..help themselves.All that personal transformationrequires is "upward mobility ,""incentive" and a realization that"membership has its privileges."This "motivational " approach tohelping the homeless is drawingcriticism from advocates who chargethe center is no t easily accessiblean d is not helping the frail an d vulnerable homeless most in need ofservices.Funded with $1 million from thecity 's Human Resources Administration an d $500,000 from the localbusiness consortium, the GrandCentral Partnership Multi-ServiceCenter is taking a uniquely businesslike approach to the homeless. Located in what was formerly the St.Agnes High School for Boys at 15East 44th Street, the center is open tothe homeless on a membership-onlybasis and has created a highly structured program for those who are ableto use it.The partnership's program consists of four tiers, which clients passthrough by making use ofthe center'ssocial services an d job resources, an dby attending required meetings. Onceclients make it to the fourth tier ,according to the center's director,Dr. Ronald Steward , they are placedin YMCA's an d single-room-occupancy (SRO) housing an d are relatively self-sufficient."Our goal is to get th e homelessinterested in upward mobility," saysJeff Grunberg, vice president forsocial services for the Grand CentralPartnership, who designed the pro-

gram. "Homeless people have become so passive, they are almosttaught not to think for themselves."Evidence of SuccessAccording to Steward, the program has ha d success. Since opening in September 1989, it has placed80 once-homeless people in YMCAand SRO housing and has foundjobs-both within th e center an doutside i t-for 30 clients. Using thepartnership's connection with thebusiness community, the centerhopes to start placing people in entry-level corporate jobs. One jobpossibility is a slot in the mailroomat Forbes magazine.The program gives a ' client twomonths to pass through each tier, inother words, six months to becomeindependent. I f clients take longer

U Our goal is toget the homelessinterested inupward mobility, "says Grunberg.

than the allotted time , says Steward,they should be in another program."If it takes longer than two months[to pass through a tier] then thatclient really doesn't want to moveup ...has no self motivation."The reaction of homeless peopleto the program is mixed. StevenMoss, formerly homeless and nowliving in his ow n apartment an d onstaff at the center, praises its methods. "If I didn't go through the program I'd probably still be out thereon the street," says Moss .Others are less enthusiastic. Tranie Hall, currently a member, is critical of the pressure of the program."You can't expect people to get theirIives together in a few months," he

says. "It's not like that. I've ha d todeal with the problem of homelessness for 23 years."Although partnership officialsdescribe their space as a multi-service center, their program receivesfunding from the city as a drop-incenter. Traditionally, drop-in centers have been an undemandingsanctuary for the homeless , wherethey ca n drop in at any hour of theday or night and stay for as manydays as they like, rece i ving hot meals,clothing, showers an d social services in an unstructured setting. Alsoat these centers they can board nightlybuses that take them to beds in ch urchand synagogue shelters provided bythe Partnership for the Homeless.Homeless people who want to jointhe Grand Central Partnership's program must wait until membershipenrollment, held on the first day ofevery month at 4 p.m. Even afterenrolling, however, they must waitone or two weeks until the next orientation meeting to be able to use thecenter's most basic services, including the bus to the shelters. Whilewaiting to become part ofthe center,they can receive food an d shelter inthe center's downstairs gym an y evening after 7:30 p.m., when the Coalition for the Homeless provides sandwiches an d fruit to some 450 of thearea 's homeless. Here, anyone is freeto spend the night-sitting uprightin metal chairs."Membership has its privileges,"says Steward. "Every day we getpeople coming here who are eager tojoin. Membership becomes an incentive for them." Steward says thatby waiting until the first ofthe monthclients show that they are aggressively trying to get out of their situation. According to Frank Schiazza,the center's housing director, about40 percent of those who sign up onmembership day end up droppingout.But even for those determined tojoin the program, th e wait is discouraging. One middle-aged homelesswoman who signed up for membership but has to wait until orientationto board a bu s to acquire shelter in a


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April 1990 11

they too become helpless. In fact, hecriticizes the drop-in centers wherepeople come an d "do absolutelynothing." "To me ," he says, "that'swarehousing ."HRA officials recently admittedthey were unaware of the membership requirements at the partnership 'S center. When informed ofthese policies , HRA spokespersonJohn Beckman said, "We were awarethat they were attempting to deliverservices in some sort of organizedfashion, bu t we are not entirely clearwha,t precisely they are doing. " HRA,he says, no w has some questionsabout the program and is going to betalking with the center's staff "tomake sure they are delivering the

services we contracted them to de-Hard reality: _...&._____ -.;...;:a ... liver in a proper fashion."Homeless people wh o do not belong to the Grand Central Partnership programspend the night on chairs in the St. Agnes gym.church or synagogue , says , clearlydismayed, "I thought last night wouldbe my last night sleeping in a chair inthis gym, bu t I guess not. "A Restrictive Approach?With some 400 active members,the partnership sees its program asgoing a long way to help the homeless of Grand Central Station , butsome advocates disagree. Accordingto Peter Smith, president ofthe Partnership for the Homeless, drop-incenters have traditionally been thecity 's front line service for th e homeless , making contact an d then drawing them into the mainstream of socialservices . In his opinion , "Th erecertainly is some question as towhether the wa y the Grand CentralPartnership is operating their cen teris in keeping with the princip almission of drop-in centers. " It isunreasonable, he adds , to expectpeople who have been living on thestreets or the subways for years tomold themselves to a structuredprogram overnight. "You must takethe homeless population as you findthem and work with them accordingto their needs ," says Smith.Most of the cit y' s seven HRAfunded centers are geared specificall y to a certain segment of the morevulnerable homeless populationthe elderly , women or the mentallyill. According to a state Departmentof Health definition of drop-in cen ters, their objective should be to

" identify and engage persons whomay choose not to participate in morestructured programs or who mightnot otherwise avail themselves ofmental health services ..these programs are low-demand, flexible andrelatively unstructured, an d responsible to individual need and circumstance. "It is precisely this mandate, sayson e drop-in center director, whodeclined to be identified, that thepartnership program is no t fulfilling. "Their mandate was to clear outGrand Central Station an d help asmany people as possible ," he says."But th e center has failed to differentiate the segment of the homeless population which is frail andvulnerable, and as a result these arethe people that remain in the station ."According to this advocate, limited resources are no t being directed

toward those most in need becausethe frail homeless are intimidated bythe young, aggressive homeless thepartnership 's center attracts.But the center's operators makeno apologies for the way their program is run or for the fact that most oftheir clients are motivated, ablebodied adults who have been homeless for less than a year, rather thanchronically homeless or mentally ill."These people," says Steward, "arenot asking for a hand out, but a handup. " And, like the mentally il l an dfrail, they deserve assistance before

Some Benefit, Other WaryOn a recent evening, members ofthe program were in the upstairslounge. Some were reading , otherswatching TV, and still others sleeping on standard-issue metal chairs.Victor Smith, a recovering alcoholican d one of the first to join the program, says he has benefitted from itsself-help approach . "It's not theprogram, it's the person," he explains."The program is here but I've got toutilize what they have ."When a staff member announcesthat the buses for the shelters havearrived, most in the room rush out toboard them. Downstairs , however,th e gym is packed with severalhundred homeless people, nonmembers who have come to receive foodfrom the Coalition for the Homelessan d to spend the night on chairs.Some were once members of thecenter but dropped out because itdidn 't work for them. Others likeWilliam Andrew Card ,a middle- agedhomeless man , are skeptical of thecenter and want no part of it. "Businessmen are interested in business,no t the homeless," he says.But Ray Novella , who has beencoming to the food line regularly,says he has made up his mind to jointhe program. Still, Novella adds, "Iwish membership was every daybecause it is rough for me to si t up ina chair until next month. But I haveno other choice." 0Margo Schneidman is a freelancewriter living in New York City.


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12 CITY LIMITS

FEATURE

Rebels With ACause?The city is renovating thousands of apartments for homelessand poor New Yorkers. So why do squatters keep taking buildings?

BY DOUG TURETSKYPolice sirens pierce the warm August afternoon. Aphalanx of uniformed officers, joined by plainclothes cops, surround a decrepit city-owned building. Officers escort two squatters from the building. Television news cameras roll as a crowd of localresidents shout their support for the two squatters nowunder arrest.Another day ofconfrontation atTompkins SquarePark on the LowerEast Side? Hardly.Welcome to EastNew York, Brooklyn, circa 1985,where a determinedgroup of squatterssquared off againstthe city-and eventually won controlofthe buildings theyseized as well asmany others .Squatting-in thesimplest terms, theact of illegally occupying an otherwise vacant apartment or buildingoccurs in neighborhoods all across thecity. No one knows how many New York apartments areoccupied by squatters. But it is likely that the Lower EastSide has more buildings occupied by squatters than anywhere else in the city. And in the wake of the protestsstemming from Tompkins Square last summer, and themore recent confrontation over the occupation of P.S.104 this past winter, the Lower East Side's band oficonoclastic squatters have become representative of squatting in the public mind.But squatters on the Lower East Side are as diverse asanywhere else in the city. For some, the decision to squatstems plainly from a desperate need for housing. Othersuse squatting as a tool to prod city officials into dealingwith the lack of affordable housing in their community.And for others, it's a chance for youthful rebellion, analternative lifestyle or an attempt at practicing anarchistideology.Confrontation and CompromiseWith such different approaches come a variety ofresults. While some squats may remain mired in con-

frontation, others, like the East New Yorkers', nowknown as the Mutual Housing Association of New York,have gained legal title to the buildings they occupiedand $2.7 million in city funding. And some function foryears bu t are never fully equipped with basic necessitieslike heat and running water.When the Banana Kelly Community ImprovementAssociation seized three South Bronx buildings in the1970s, they werehailed as a goodgovernment group.Nobody . elseseemed to caremuch about thecity's abandonedreal estate. Today,with the city's ownplans for renovating these long-derelict buildings moving ahead, the situation is not quite sosimple.There's anenormous amountof bitterness anddistrust amongcommunity-basedhousing groups, thecity's housing department and thesquatters. In th eLower East Side,longtime commJnity activists who have battled the cityfor years have reached a tenuous agreement for community development-but local squatters have branded it asell out. Behind the rhetoric is naked self-interest: someof the sites for housing are no w occupied by the samesquatters who are protesting the plan.These squatters, who consider governments and bureaucracy untrustworthy by nature, are reluctant to evennegotiate with local and city leaders. Their actions maybe in keeping with anarchist ideology, bu t they are rejecting the will of a broad-based local coalition thatincludes minority, tenant and labor groups that back thecommunity development plan. And while many of thesesquatters may chant a robust "No Housing, No Peace,"they've done little more than carve out rudimentaryshelter. It's the coalition that's created some 3,000 apartments in the area.But it's a mistake to judge all squatters-and theirmotivations-by looking at only the most vociferous.They represent just one segment of those who make the

decision to illegally seize a building.


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Foundation for ActionFor some squatters, occupying a building may involvelittle more than pushing asidethe rubble in a few apartments, pirating electricityfrom a neighboring structureand declaring the spacehome. But for the folks whoseized more than 30 buildings in East New York, thefoundation for their actionstarted three years before theypried away the wood sealingthe buildings' entrances.

Home bodies:

April 1990 13

of their neighbors, stateSenator Thomas Bartosciewicz not only backed thesquatters bu t was arrestedwith them. And while thenmayorEdward Koch brandedthem criminals , Carol Bellamy,locked in a Democrat icprimary campaign againstKoch, voiced her support forthe squatters. Even th e staidNew York Times lent its editorial support , urging th e.Koch administration to givethe East New Yorkers achance.nder the auspices ofACORN (Association of Community Organizations forReform Now), East New York

residents pushed city officials to renovate the approximately 2,000 abandoned,city-owned buildings in thedevastated community. Theissue was safety as much asthe community's desperateneed for affordable housing.The vacant buildings were ahaven for junkies, drug dealers and muggers. Largelybecause of this, ACORN'sinitial base of support camefrom local homeowners, saysFran Streich, who led the organizing effort. East New Yorkers seizing a city-owned building in J985.

Ron Shiffman, executivedirector of the Pratt InstituteCenter , stepped into themiddle of he fray and helpedconvince Felice Michetti,now the commissioner of theDepartment of Housing Preservation an d Development(HPD), togotoEastNewYorkand meet with the squatters.From that meeting the Mutual Housing Association ofNew York was soon born (cityofficials still refused to negotiate with ACORN) andabout a year and a half laterthe Board of Estimate turned58 city-owned buildings over

Dissatisfied with the city's response to their pleas tofix-up-or demolish-the vacant buildings, ACORNmembers decided to try to force the Koch administrationinto action . Members willing to squat in the buildingsand face arrest-were recruited and meetings held withlocal block associations. To develop a strong foundationof community support, the squatters would only occupybuildings on blocks where they had the backing ofneighbors. They also had architects from the Pratt Institute Center come and check that the buildings theyplanned to enter were structurally sound.With this groundwork complete, the squatters beganto seize the buildings in the summer of 1985. From theoutset the ACORN squatters goal was different than thatof many others who illegally occupy a building or apartment: The East New Yorkers sought city assistance. "Wewent in hoping we'd be able to negotiate with the city,"says Avril Walters, a Mutual Housing Association ofNew York (MHANY) board member who was one ofthose arrested. "But it was quite the opposite," Waltersrecalls.HeadlinesThe confrontations an d arrests became headline stories-much like the more recent ones on the Lower EastSide. But there was one major difference: an outpouringof public support. The East New Yorkers had done theirorganizing work well. In addition to the support of many

to the housing association.Squatters no more, the city gave them legal status ashomesteaders."At first the city wouldn't talk to us. Then the city wasarresting us," recalls Gene Wright, a MHANY boardmember who lives in Boulevard Houses, an East NewYork public housing project, and was one of thosearrested during the confrontations. Now city officials domore than just talk with them-HPD is currently negotiating the final details to turn more abandoned cityowned buildings in the area over to MHANY. "I thinkthat's quite an improvement," marvels Wright.No Deal in the BronxThe two banners hanging from the side of the buildings at 1724-8 Crotona Park Easttroclaim to the streetsbelow: "Power to the People" an "Self-Help Housing."As a flurry o f construction activity on a recent Saturdaysuggests, this message is more than idle rhetoric. Formerly homeless occupants of the buildings haul sheetsof plywood six flights up a decrepit stairwell. Plans arediscussed for fixing the buildings' electrical systemwhile some occupants patch a hole in the roof from arecent fire.Despite such diligence, the buildings are barely habitable. It's been two and a half years since the groupknown as Inner City Press/Community on the Movebegan the renovation work an d the buildings still haveno heat, running water in only a handful of units an d


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14 CITY LIMITS

some apartments remain rubble filled, with gaping holesin floors and ceilings.But for the 12 families, several with young children,who live there and the others who come to work on theweekends , this housing is the best they can do, betterthan the streets , the shelters or their overcrowded apartments. Among the homesteaders, as they call themselves , are a substantial number of Latin Americanimmigrants and families doubled-up in nearby publichousing.Beyond their dire need for shelter, the reclamation ofthese formerl y abandoned city-owned buildings is anexpression of their ability to provide for themselves."It's as much howyou do the unit as doing the unit, " saysMatthew Lee , the charismatic leader of the Bronx group.In the vast majority of city-sponsored programs, thetenants have little stake or control in the housing beingcreated. Here , Lee says , "low income people are swinging their hammers an d building homes."

Fritz Jean Jacques moved from City Hall Park to theCrotona Park East buildings. To him, the most import antfactor in the renovation effort is that it was sparked bythe people themselves. He is unimpressed by the spiffyenovation work by the city in a still unoccupied building across the wa y. "The families are here," he proclaims. "What 's missing?"o RightsAccording to ci ty officials, what's missing ishe group's legal title to the building . In Decemer 1988, HPD designated the site for its Speial Initiatives Program (SIP), which renovatesity-owned buildings for the homeless from

hotels and shelters and other low inome families. Catie Marshall, a former HPDfficial who is now a spokesperson for Mayorargues that if it weren 't for theon the Move group, 40 units offor the poor would be nearing comple"As it is, we now have a half-gutted build" says Marshall.Even though th ese Bronxites may be as poord housing needy as those the city plans tounder its SIP program, officials don 'tthat means Lee 's group should retain"Just taking a building doesn't guarane your right to ownership ," says Marshall.e likens the seizure of a building or an apartto someone who cuts ahea d of the line insupermarket : everyone may be hungry andtheir groceries home but someoneout more quickly because they muscleto the cashier.

is large enough for a variety of rehab efforts. From thebuildings'rooftop he gazes at the Bronx skyline, andsweeping his arm across the panorama , says , "There area whole lot of buildings here to fix up ."While a strong dose of pragmatism may be missingfrom many squats, Lee, for one, recognizes that to complete their project the Bronxites will most likely needcity assistance. There's only so far you can go withrecycled and donated materials, an d the $45 a monthdues paid by each household will never afford them thenew heating system the buildings need.Even as work inches forward here, Inner City Press/Community on the Move has started a third project-butthis time they're going" straight." They are seeking thesupport of Catholic Charities and plan to apply for stateHousing Trust Fund money to rehab a building on 146thStreet.Rubble and Rebels

On East 13th Street in the Lower East Side, a forbidding black metal door opens into a tidy basement hallway. Construction materials are stacked and well-organized. Notes on a bulletin board remind occupants tosweep the hallways and recycle newspapers, bottles andcans .Six years ago, says Rolando , who was among thebuilding 'S original group of squatters , the structure wasa rubble-fil led shooting gallery for junkies. Now ,much ofthebuildings ' systemshave been replacedby dint of the squatters sweat an d theinvestment of theirow n money .In a neighborhood where upscalecondos stand toe-totoe with dere li ctbuildings ,one wouldthink the efforts ofsquatters like Rolando would beroundl y supportedby community residents . But in th eLower East Side ,which could be considered the capital ofthe city' s squattingmovement , the rela tionship between th eThis argument neglects an important point:t all of the housing needy are accepted ontoe city's waiting line. Those who are doubledor refuse to enter the city's notorious shelter

Hammers an d hope: ......._-""____ -J< squatters and most ofthe rest of th e community is highly con-Talcing maHer. into their ow n hands in the Bronx.aren 't eligible for the units under renovation for.Lee also notes that when his group took over the, they weren 't in the SIP program. He acknowl

the city's growing role as a housing rehabilitator ,t says the supply of abandoned buildings in the Bronx

frontational.Nowhere in the city is the situation as complex as inthe Lower East Side. The squatters themselves run th egamut, from those who seek to join city-sponsored renovation programs to those who 've showered urine oncops and protested the construction of housing for senior citizens. Many of the squatters are also mired in a


15/24

bitter dispute withthe neighborhood 'slongtime low incomehousing activists ,wh o negotiated theth e community ' scross-subsidy planwith the city. Thesedisputes are as muchabout turf as politics.

MOHhew Lee (Ioreground):

April 1990 1 5

Committee has been fighting for low incomehousing in the area for more than 20 yearscharge that many squatters are more interestedin a rebellious lifestyle than in creating permanent housing. Orselli calls many of the neighborhood squatters "anarchists in style, not inideology."This appears to be true for a hard-core contingent. But other squatters are clearly brandishing more than rhetoric. After four years oworking on his squat , one East Third Streesquatter says the once-derelict city-ownedbUilding has been cleared of rubble, rottedbeams replaced and crumbled walls rebuilwith sheetrock. "In the same time, in those fouryears, ho w many of the [neighborhood's] 200[vacant, city-owned buildings] have been renovated?" he argues. "We 're here creating hous-ing now."No Choice

The confrontationover the occupationof P.S. 104, an aban-doned public schoolon East Fourth Street,is only the most re-cent example of theextreme polarizationbetween some of thesquatters an d otherarea residents. Amidrhetoric and arrests,the occupants of theschool ignored a keypoint: the buildinghad already beenapproved as a site for

"There ore 0 whole lo t 01 buildings here to lix up."

To Ronaldo Casanova, who led the TenCity encampment at the United Nations andnow is president ofthe New York branch of theUnion of the Homeless, the neighborhood'ssquatting movement is the only alternative forthose who reject the city's shelter system. "Mytransitional housing for homeless senior citizens. Evenmany of the homeless from Tompkins Square Park quitthe squat when they learned of the planned use for P .S.104. That the squatters disregarded t h i ~ came as nosurprise to some: one "radical" squatter once commen tedthat there 's no need to build housing f the elderl ybecause they 're just going to die soon.Father George S. Kuhn of st. Brigid 's Church defendsthe most radical squatters and echoes their distrust ofthe city 's plans. Kuhn says that government officials aretrying to marginalize those who present the strongest po-litical an d economic questions about the city 's housingcrisis. "It's part of the conspiracy of the power structureto isolate those who are raising the deepest questions,"he says.Double-Crossed?At the heart of the neighborhood dispute lies thecross-subsidy plan negotiated between the longtimeactivists operating under the banner of the Joint Planning Council and city officials. In the most straightfor-ward terms, th e plan aims to sell some city-ownedbuildings for market-rate housing units as a way tosubsidize an equal number of low income units.An extremely vocal contingent of local squatters dis-miss th e plan as a sell-out because all of the city-ownedproperty isn 't being used for low income housing . Theyignore the fact that the plan is a hard-won compromise ,a significant improvement over the Koch administration'sdesire to sell nearly all ofthe city-owned property in thecommunity to private developers.Behind the charge of sell-out lies a more pertinentfact: as the cross-subsidy plan proceeds it will eventually ru n smack into the squats , which are in the verybuildings that the plan covers (see Short Term Notes).Local activists like Val Orsell i, whose Cooper Square

whole crew is squatting," says Casanova. "We have noother choice or we're out on the streets."Despite disagreements fueled by the competition forresources, there is much common ground between thesquatters and other neighborhood activists. Both groupsshare a strong sense of grassroots activism and areresolutely opposed to the gentrification of the neighborhood . In the Lower East Side, squatters an d other activ-ists recently marched together to protest landlord Rich-ard Kalikow's warehousing ofapartments around Tompkins Square Park.The neighborhood 's squatter movement will not beeasily displaced, an d as past events have shown, evic-tion attempts only heighten the confrontational climate.Phillip Thompson, director of housing under DeputyMayor Barbara Fife, recognizes that some sort of accommodation will need to be worked out. He talks aboutoptions like expanding the city 's urban homesteadingprogram to include some of the squats. But the radicalism that fuels many of the squatter groups will not beeasily harnessed into a city program .Joel Meyers, a 15-year resident of the Lower East Sidean d vociferous squatter supporter, says any "normalization" proposals will simply be used as a device to drivea wedge between the different squats. These divisions,he postulates, will then be used to rationalize the evic-tion of all the neighborhood's squatters.But for those committed to squatting as a means torebuild housing, some compromise will be necessary.As th e squatters in East New York proved , officialintransigence can be reversed. And while squatting ishardly an ideal way to build housing, there are innumerable New Yorkers who have no better option. No advocate can offer a stronger response to the city's housingcrisis than needy New Yorkers who pick up hammersan d take matters into their own hands. 0


16/24

6 CITY LIMITS

Job Is It, Anyway?do we get in return for the tax breaks and subsidiesout to business and industry? When it comes to much-needed

programs for minorities and youth, the answer is precious little.MARY KEEFEhanks to millions of dollars inpublic subsidies, there's asnazzy new 19-story officeon Pierrepont Street inHeights. The lobby is solidin an elegant shade of grey

t the promises city agencies madetie job programs to the developapparently were not engravedstone.One Pierrepont Plaza was builta financial-aid package thatlure the investment firmsStanley and Goldman, Sachsthe primary tenants. The publicincluded a $5 million fed$12.4 million from thebudget and Municipal Assistancea 22-year package ofx breaks and a 30 percent reducin energy costs. The deal wasMay 1986 and the buildingin 1988.In its 1988 annual report, the city'sServices Corporation (FSC)the employment office negotias part of the subsidy deal forPlaza. The office, toset up by the Private Industry(PIC), a federally fundedtraining program,.....provide access to employto those most inof jobs," according to FSC's

But the project fizzled and noe ever got a job. Antonio Young,PIC's business developthe employmentwas only an experiment.Still, there was nothing experi about the public fundinghanded ou t with few stringscity economicagencies say they conprograms to pubsubsidized development , theree no employment or job trainingwith businesses or inas a condition for gettingor tax breaks. The prothat are in place are small and

Hard at work?:last year th e Financial Services Corporation placed a grand total of 166 workers in iobs withcompanies that received subsidies.under- funded and almost all of themfail to help the city 's long-term unemployed.Young and JoblessIn New York City , thousands ofpeople want to work but don 't havethe skills for the available jobs.Samuel Ehrenhalt , who heads theregional office of the federal Bureauof Labor Statistics , describes "thework experience deficit of youngpeople " as one of the most criticalissues for the future of the city 'sworkforce. Even during the city' s economic boom times ofthe 1980s, only25 percent of New Yorkers age 15-24were in the labor market. Nationally,55 percent of people in this age grouphold jobs. New York's rate is significantly lower than other major metropolitan areas.Young people unable to find jobslose hope for the future and nevergain much understanding of the demands of the workplace. They eventually join a growing pool of adults

who have a low level of basic skillsand little work experience. And theyface an increasingly crowded jobmarket,bloated by workers displacedby ne w technology or company shutdowns and repeated waves of immigrant laborers.At the same time, ever more complex technology raises the lev,el ofskill needed for many entry-leveljobs , and the large number of relatively unskilled "burger-flipping"jobs pay extremely low wages. Theresult: So many people have stoppedlooking for work in New York that tolift the job participation rate to thenational average, more than 400,000residents would have to find workover night, says Ehrenhalt.Some critics also point to the federal Job Training Partnership ActOTPA), authored by then-Sen. DanQuayle , as a source of additionalpressure on unskilled workers. JTPA,which replaced the ComprehensiveEmployment and Training Act, hasbeen criticized for "creaming" the


17/24

most easily employed and quicklyplacing them in jobs but ignoring theneeds of a large pool of less skilledworkers.It's almost become a cliche thateducation and training for the workforce is critical to the future of thecity's business climate. In spite ofthat, linkages between economicdevelopment and job training areminimal and seemingly done as anafterthought. Al Miller, who headsFederation Employment and Guidance Service, a New York-basedsocial service and job-training organization , says, "Nobody should geteconomic development money without a training component being builtin."No Questions AskedThe prevailing attitude in the Kochadministration was a refusal to askanything of businesses in exchangefor subsidies . These subsidies flowto developers and businesses fromseveral often-intersecting streams.The Financial Services Corporationacts as the city's business financier.In Fiscal Year 1988 FSC assisted 241projects with a variety of loan, grantand incentive programs as well asIndustrial Development Bonds thattallied more than $159 million dollars.The Public Development Corporation (PDC), created 22 years ago tohelp plug the hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs, the traditional sourceof employment for semi- or unskilledworkers, has become the city's ow nland baron, independently wheelingand dealing city-owned land. Thehigh-profile mayoral agency has ahand in most of the city 's majorproje,cts, including MetroTech andthe Atlantic Terminal projects inBrooklyn, 42nd Street redevelopmentin Manhattan and the Citicorp building in Queens-all of which have orwill receive multi-million dollarsubsidy packages PDC helps arrange.Another PDC purview is the development and maintenance of sixIn-Place Industrial Parks (IPIPs)two each in the Bronx , Brooklyn andQueens. The IPIPs are home to 2 ,440small and medium-sized companiesemploying 103 ,000 workers. Butaccording to a study done by stateSen. Franz Leichter, "The budget forthis program has been decimated andstaff resources have not been com-

April 1990 1

Money fo r nothing?:One Pierrepont PlclZa received millions in taJ( breaks an d subsidies. The single job placemenprogram fizzled out.

mitted ." Instead, PDC's investmentin high-profile commercial projectshas increased , the study charges.Perhaps the biggest public giveaway flows from the city's Industrialand Commercial Incentive Program,administered by the finance department. Tax breaks are given "as ofright" to any business constructionor renovation projects located above96th Street in Manhattan or anywherein the other four boroughs (see CityLimits , April 1986). Leichter hasestimated that between 1988 and2000, $750 million in taxes will beforgiven under this program.Of course, city officials have often

argued that their hands are tied be cause other localities offer similar

tax breaks and subsidies and if wedon 't want to see all our jobs-andtax base-flee to New Jersey or theSun Belt ,New York must match thesedeals. But what do New York Citytaxpayers get for their multi-milliondollar investments? When it comesto jobs, city econom ic developmentsuccess is measured by often-disputed figures-computed by FSC andPDC-of jobs created and retained(see City Limits , April 1988).Rhetoric an d RealityAs well as job creation and retention, both FSC and PDC see the creation of job programs as part of theirpurpose and they trumpet impressive-sounding efforts in their annual


18/24

CITY LIMITS

reports. FSCit "markets jobs to dispeople" and is aone-stop resource " for aof employment servAccording to PDC'shave set-upl training programs ..for a large numbercompanies. "

Warren Abrams:

nities." She wants to developanother legislative proposalthat could be introduced tothe council and backed bythe mayor.Rosemary Kuropat, chiefof staff to Hernandez-Pinero,says, "What you will findearly in the administrationwill be a comprehensive planfor employment and trainingprograms that responds asfully to the needs of businessas those ofworkers. "Kuropatcontinues, "I doubt verymuch that the deputy mayorwould create a statutory requirement [for businessesthat get city money] to hire.

Bu t there may well be amemorandum of understanding between companies an dthe training programs , an d itwon't be so loose that any-

But the job placement refall one Private Industry Counwhich is generally calledafter the other agenciestheir deals. A grandof four people in threeagencies are responsibletrying to place workersby PIC. So what didrecently? InYear 1988 (the mostperiod for which figare currently available),placed just 166 workersn jobs at companies receivg public subsidies. Last

Finding jabs lor roo people a month-but the retention rate isNhorrible. " body can walk in and out ofit."PDC found job placements forworkers an d the city's Office ofDevelopment added an66.Even these jobs come with ancarrot for the companies

tied to the federal On-theTraining Program (OJT). Whilepeople get jobs who need them ,the proverbial drop in a verybucket. PIC says it screens fourapplicants for every personin an OJT job, and there's nofor those who are not "work."While multi-million dollar citystruggle to place a fewworkers in a year, Warrenthe Southwest BrooklynCorporation,contracts with PDC to managee local in-place industrial park , isto find jobs for 100 people ais the first tothat many job seekers areaway an d among those whojobs the retention rate is"Southwest Brooklyn park directorsays many job seeks need extensive work skills trainBut there's little money to desuch programs. PDC continuesslash the park's budget , cutting its

to the in-place industrialby 25 percent between fiscal

years 1986 an d 1989. Under suchconstraints, efforts to offer job training and placement run smack intosanitation, security and other parkneeds.First SourceTwo years ago, a coa lition calledJobs 2000 lobbied for "first source"legislation that was introduced bythen-Council Memb er Ruth Messinger. The bill, mod eled after legislation in other municipalities, wouldhave required that companies benefitting from city development andbusiness subsidies sign an agreementto make a "good faith" effort to hirecity residents and certain percentages of minority, women and lowincome workers.

The bill didn 't get far , an d somp, ofits most vociferous opponents werethe heads of the city's econom icdevelopment agencies. Then-Manhattan Borough Presiden t DavidDinkins supported the legislation,bu t Sally Hernandez-Pinero , who hepicked as his deputy mayor for economi c development , opposed th emeasure.Messinger, now th e borough president of Manhattan, says she is " infavor of any kind of effective linkageprogram that increases the requirements for those doing business withthe city to help open up job opportu-

As City Limits goes topress, FSC and Hernandez-Pinero areplanning to announce another experimental job-training program, according to Kuropat. This one wouldretrain older displaced workers todo airline reservation work. But theneed for job training clearly extendsbeyond such pilot programs.Miller of Federation Employmentand Guidance Service says that training programs must be built aroundthe actual needs of compan ies. Thenpeople who complete the traininghave a serious shot at a job. Suchtraining must be more than rudimentary-i t often "requires almost sixmonths of training to be able to get[people ready for] the entry-leveljobs," says Miller.In the broadest sense, job trainingis one of th e most tangible ways tohelp people turn their lives aroundand when this happens, the benefitsreach beyond the individual, to theiremployer, their community and thecity. But a real turnaround rarelyoccurs unless there's meaningful jobtraining. As Miller says, corporationshave to look beyond adopting a schooland sponsoring T-shirts. The requirement is nothing less than asubstantive , long-term commitmentto the city and its residents. DMary Keefe is a freelance writerfocusing on community issues.


19/24

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20/24

0 CITY LIMITSVIEW This: Housingfor City Council With elections scheduled for 1991,and then again in 1993, the time tostart thinking about this possibilityis now. The redistricting commis

sion that draws the new lines is beingappointed now. Potential candidatesneed to monitor that process, beginraising money and meeting votersand activists soon; they can not waituntil next year when the lines are an-

FRANK LLEWELLYNMOVEMENT FOR AFFORD-housing is one of the most po-in our city. That is because po-decisions in Washington,and here in New York haveenormous impact on the housingis constructed and the condiin which its inhabitants live.lobbiedand worked to elect can-good positionson a range

issues.Of course no candidate seems toagainst affordable housing. Everypolitician points to the ten-they have represented. Even taxto developers of luxury housg are sometimes justified becauseey're linked to additional low in-housing. No one wants to createmelessness yet the streets of Neware filled with the homeless tothat appears to equal orlevels of the Great De-At one point, the majorityNew York's City Council membersco-sponsors of anti-warehousg legislation, yet it never got out of. Clearly, there is in oura gap between rhetoric and ac-It is no wonder, then, that some inmovement have a certain cyniabout the elected leadership ofr city, state and country . Yetg is affected by these politi-to an extraordinary degree. Itno t just a question of allocatingor setting rent rates; it is

question of political leader-OpportunityThere is a unique opportunity toce new leadership to NewCity in the next few years. They Charter-mandated expansion ofe City Council means that 16 newmembers will be elected inWhere is it written in stoneall 16 must be leaders produced

City View is a forum for opinionand does not necessarily reflectthe views of City Limits .

by the regular or reform clubhouses?Why can't one or even two be leadersof the movement for affordable housing or some other social movement,or even, God forbid , a leader of a union?I am no t advocatingsome third party effortwith a housing spin; acampaign only makessense in the Democraticprimaries because of thecity's overwhelminglyDemocratic registration.And not every housingactivist is a fit candidate.A successful candidatewill have to satisfy voterson a number of issues andwill have to be preparedto deal with all of he prob-lems of constituent serv-ice. With 16 open seats and new,smaller districts for all ofthe incumbents there is a sense in which thingsare up for grabs. Certainly there willbe multi-candidate primaries in dis-tricts without incumbents where avictory could be obtained with a thirdof the vote or less. A candidatecoming ou t of the housing move-ment could have a leg up because itsactivists are in touch with th eircommunities and the question ofaffordable housing is a central concern across th e city.

nounced . There are al-ready several groups ofpolitical activists , tradeunions and good govern-ment organizations focus-ing on this opportunityfor change; the movementfor affordable housingshould be a part of thatprocess. It can providepotential candidates whoca n bring perspective andan agenda beyond personal power to the CityCouncil. It is preciselythis kind of person weneed in elected office.Housing movement activistsshould not let a healthy skepticismabout the limitations of electoralpolitics prevent them from seekingpositions of visible leadership in our

city. Of course simply winning anelection for City Council can't by it-self change the sources of politicalpower in our city. But the promotionof articulate spokespersons, whobring a housing agenda to City Hallevery day, can move us closer torealizing our goals. 0

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21/24

LETTERS

Charter ChangesTo th e Editor:There were several misstatementsabout the new City Charter in yourarticle, "A User 's Guide to CharterProcess ," February, 1990. I wouldlike to clarify a few points . Under the ne w charter, the CityPlanning Commission will issueregulations determining "leadagency" status . The lead agency willdetermine whether an environmentalreview is necessary with the assistance of the new Office of Environmental Coordination. At the scoping session for an En-vironmental Impact Statement (themeeting between the applicant andthe environmental reviewers). onerepresentative from the communityboard an d one from the boroughpresident of the pertinent boroughare invited to attend. The purpose ofthe meeting is to determine th e"scope ," or outline, of the environmental impact statement . Th e closing of a city facility isnot subject to ULURP. 197 A plans are not subject toULURP, bu t to a different procedure ,which, although somewhat likeULURP, does not have the sametimetble requirements. City Planning will be responsible for preparing the en vironmentalreview for 197 A plans initiated by

community boards , but not for thosesubmitted by a borough president.I hope these corrections will beuseful to your readers.Martha RitterNYC Department of City PlanningEditor's Note : The planning depart-ment's clarifications are most wel-come, and are also illustrat ive of thecomplexity of some of the changes .Even the Charter Revision Com-mission's own summary of its pro-posals says, for example, "BoroughPresidents and community boardrepresentatives wou ld be invited to'scoping ' sessions."

Green HorizonsTo the Editor:Earth Day-April 22, 1990-willofficially usher in the 1990s as theDecade of the En vironment. On thisday millions of people al l around theworld will make a personal affirma-tion of their environmenta l concernand commitment. Here in our cityEarth Day will succeed in educatingthousands of New Yorkers about ho wthey ca n help create a more livablecity.

April 1990 2

New York's primary landfill, FresKills on Staten Island, receives 24,00tons of garbage each day and wisoon be full. What should we bdoing with our garbage? Recycling th e most environmentally sounproposal.Last year a mandatory recyclinprogram was adopted with a modegoal-25 percent of al l garbage to brecycled by 1994. I t is being introduced one neighborhood at a timand will be coming to SoutherBrooklyn this spring. We will brequired to separate ou t our trashbottles , cans and newspapers .mammoth education campaign wibe undertaken to explain why anhow we must prepare and put ouour campaign. Efforts will be madto reach every individual becausthis program can no t succeed without universal participation .We al l need to alter our habits anbegin to recycle. We have no choiceour future depends on it.Adele CohenBrooklyn

Editor's note: City Limits wel-comes letters from our readers.But we ask that yo u try to keepyour letters to 300 words inlength.

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WORKSHOPADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS/HUMAN RIGHTS. Prestigious international research & grantmaking organization , dedicated to thebetterment of the human condition, seeks indivs to assist program directors w/grant applications & research proposals, answer inquiries, contact w/int'l scholars, attend seminars & arrange meetings. Diverse/interesting positions. Good typing .Excellent bnfts incld 4 wks vac, tuition refund & all med/dental.Salary $28-$32,000. Call Ms. Cohan. 212/661 -3520.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. For Capitol Hill Improvement Corporation,a community design center in Albany, NY, providing real estatedevelopment , housing counseling, repair program, planningservices, architectural design, advocacy & education svcs tononprofit organizations & low/mod income persons. Applicantshould have min 5yrs exp in real estate dev & cmmty dev,fundraising, financing, planning , not-for-profit & housing expoResume: CHIC, 260 Lark Street, Albany, NY 12210. EOE.EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/COMMUNITY ORGANIZER. Prove yourself inneighborhood organization in Newark's South Ward. The DonaldJackson Neighborhood Corporation (DJNC) of Newark, NJ, seeksa person to fill the position of Executive Director. The position willinvolve both community organizing & administrative work. Salaryin $30's + bnfts. Resume/Refs: DJNC, 15 Van Ness Place,Newark, NJ 07108. Reply by April 20th. DJNC is an EOE .COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR. The National Housing Institute (NHI),a nonprofit publication & research center, seeks an individualdedicated to social change to serve as the communicationsdirector to develop and implement short/long range communications strategy. Responsibilities include encouraging journalists &scholars to develop research & organizing projects sponsored byNHI, developing other NHI programs & fundraising. Exp in mediarelations or publication , nonprofit admin, and fundraising is helpful. Send resume, cover letter & refs to: David Steinglass, NHI,439 Main St., Orange, NJ 07050. People of color & women encouraged to apply. For further info call 201/678-3-110.

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April 1990 23

LEGALADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT. Growing law office specializinin nonprofit housing development seeks assistant to work closelw/supervising attorney to manage office . General office dutieincldg billing, coordinating production & management of documents. Self-starter w/good verbal & written abilities. Office mgmclerical & word processing skills reqd. Salary: hi teens to mid 20'based on expo Resume: Dellapa & Lewis, 150 Nassau St., Suit1630, NYC 10038. 212/732-2700.

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city limits magazine, april 1990 issue

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