Community Voices Heard

Newburgh Chapter Leads 12 Elected Officials on "A Day in Our Shoes"

Submitted by talia on Tue, 2009-03-31 14:40.

Saturday, March 28th, CVH Newburgh members led 12 of their elected officials on a tour of their neighborhoods to demonstrate how the economic crisis is playing out in their world.  The officials, including Congressman Maurice Hinchey and State Assemblyman Frank Skartados, walked on broken sidewalks down Lander St. where almost half of the buildings are abandoned, into an apartment with numerous code violations, visited a motel where Social Services pays thousands to house homeless families.  A each stop they heard testimony from the members.

The City of Newburgh is suffering one of the highest forclosure rates in New York State--many families live in dilapidated buildings with numerous health hazards, and all the shelters and temporary motel housing for homeless families in the area are full.  The "Day in Our Shoes" tour aimed to create both transparency of the crisis, and hold officials accountable.  CVH members led ten officials, including Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), NY State Assemblyman Frank Skartados, Newburgh Mayor Nick Valentine, as well as Newburgh City Council members, Orange County officials.  To read and hear press coverage of the tour, click on the link or attachments below.

WAMC - Northeast Public Radio 

Attachment	Size
2009.3.29 Times Herald-Record - Officials Walk in Others' Shoes in Newburgh.pdf	41.19 KB
2009.3.30 Mid Hudson News - Public Officials Tour Newburgh's Low-Income Housing.pdf	138.25 KB
Final Press Release 3.28.09.doc	235 KB

Beyond Statistics: CVH Members call on Newburgh City Officials to Address Poverty Head-On

Submitted by jenny on Tue, 2008-12-09 18:55.

On Tuesday, December 9th, the Census Bureau released statistics from the American Communities Survey that were compiled for areas with less than 65,000 residents.  

CVH members held a holiday-themed press conference to announce the poverty statistics and call on City Officials to stop ignoring the widespread poverty that they and their families live through every day.  Their message was: you can't ignore poverty anymore!

CVH member Susan Smith announced that poverty had risen since the 2000 Census - now more than 28% of Newburgh residents live in poverty.  She also pointed out that the median rent had grown from $614 to $926 in only 5 years!  More than 61% of Newburgh residents now spend more than 30% of their income on rent.  Susan explained that as a disabled widow, the government assistance she receives is barely enough to cover her rent, let alone utility and food costs.

Leader Yusuf Belford, who is currently homeless, talked about the  hypocrisy of Social Services spending $1500 per month to house him in a motel but only giving him $300 towards rent.

Leader Maretta Melvin, a 50 year Newburgh resident who lived through Urban Renewal, spoke about the importance of saving low-income housing.  "We pay taxes, we vote, and we deserve a voice in the future of our city too!" she exclaimed. You can read the members' testimonies below.

Our ally Jim McElhinney from the Newburgh Ministry spoke about the dramatic increase in families needing a free Thanksgiving meal this year.  As the director of a resource center for homeless and low-income people, he added, "We all have a right to affordable housing."

CVH members draw attention to City's practice of spending money meant for low-income residents in ways that fail to benefit our communities.  Singing carols like "Where's the Dough?" to the tune of "Let it Snow" and "Deck the Halls with Grant Money," members entertained people passing by and Councilwoman Angelo who also stopped by.  Check out the CVH Holiday Carols below!

Brenda McPhail, who MC'd the event, invited City, County, and State officials to "walk a day in our shoes."  

The Times Herald Record, the Mid-Hudson News, the Sentinel, Hudson Valley Press, and Cable 6 News covered the event.  

 

Attachment	Size
Susan Testimony.doc	26.5 KB
Yusuf Testimony.doc	24.5 KB
Maretta Testimony.doc	25 KB
CVH Holiday Carols.doc	90 KB

CVH Members Meet With Commissioner David Hansell

Submitted by dominique on Wed, 2008-09-17 13:09.

CVH members from all four chapters across the state met with Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner David Hansell on Thursday September 11th in Yonkers. Members shared there stories with Commissioner Hansell. Some of the topics of discussion at this meeting were Career Pathways and Transistional Job programs.

Members asked talked about the need to Raise the Welfare Grant and to reform the Sanctioning process as well as improvements that could be made with Transitional Benefits. 

Attachment	Size
CVH Draft Agenda.doc	81 KB
Brenda Beal Testimony.doc	28 KB
denise tesimony sept 11-1.doc	26 KB
Harold Gardner testimony - revised.doc	29.5 KB
Johanssis Peralta Long Version.doc	28 KB
Jonathan Sawyer Testimony.doc	28 KB
Ketny Jean-Francois Testimony.doc	26.5 KB
Korrenthea Catts Testimony.doc	31 KB
Sandra Killet testimony.doc	28 KB

CVH Puts Pressure on Newburgh City Officials to Address Low Income Housing Crisis in Upcoming Development Plans

Submitted by jenny on Tue, 2008-07-29 15:22.

 

On Tuesday, July 29th, CVH members met face to face with 3 of the most powerful Newburgh City Officials. Mayor Nick Valentine, City Manager Jean-Ann McGrane, and Director of Planning and Development Bob McKenna came to the Forum to answer to CVH's concerns about housing policies in the Master Plan and the planned Waterfront Development. 6 CVH members gave testimony about their experiences with housing living as a low income resident of Newburgh, and then asked a specific question to each of the City Officials. Some of the questions were: Will you include housing that Newburgh residents can afford in the proposed development? Will you require everything new that is built to include some housing that we can afford? Will you hire and train Newburgh residents for all new jobs?

Despite all of the research and work CVH members had done to come up with these questions, the City Officials were hesitant to answer many of the questions directly. They also strongly fought the format of the meeting, but became more comfortable as it went on.

Some of the highlights: Director of Planning and Development Bob McKenna agreed to push for some housing units in the Development that will be affordable for households making 25-125% of the Newburgh Household Median Income. Mayor Nick Valentine committed to hiring Newburgh residents for 100% of the jobs created by the proposed Waterfront Development, as well as setting aside money for a training program. All three agreed to put rent stabilization back in the Master Plan. They also agreed to adjust the definitions of low income, moderate income, and workforce housing in the Master Plan to better reflect Newburgh's income levels rather than the Area's.

The meeting was covered in 4 local papers, on cable news, and on the local NPR affiliate.

Mid Hudson News Coverage

CVH Leader Brenda McPhail is interviewed for a segment on affordable housing on WAMC, the local NPR affiliate

Earlier that day, the City Manager held a meeting with Newburgh-based affordable housing providers and advocates, which she planned to replace CVH's meeting, although she eventually agreed to attend. CVH attended the "Housing Task Force" meeting, and it was decided that the meetings would continue monthly and that CVH would have a place at the table!

Below you can read two of the testimonies, by CVH members Maretta Melvin and Linda Ballinger.

Attachment	Size
Maretta Melvin Testimony.doc	27 KB
Linda Ballinger Testimony.doc	25.5 KB

CVH Stands Out at Event Celebrating State Funds Coming to Support Waterfront Development

Submitted by jenny on Mon, 2008-06-30 22:50.

 

On Monday, June 30th, the City of Newburgh held a small, exclusive press event announcing $1.25 million in state funds coming to support the proposed waterfront development. State Senator Bill Larkin and Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez were the invited guests, and Congressman Maurice Hinchey made a surprise appearance. Although the event was announced only days before, and was held under a tent set up to accommodate about 25 people, 5 CVH members made our way there. While the politicians were speaking, a few members stood silently with signs that said, "Jobs and Housing for All," "Newburgh Residents First," and "Can I live here too?" Congressman Hinchey even mentioned they would be sure to address the issues our signs raised.

After the event, members got the chance to speak directly with and present letters to the State Senator, Secretary of State, and Congressman. The Times Herald Record covered the event, which you can read here. They also took pictures for an online photo gallery, which you can see below.

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Brenda Grass.jpg	27.56 KB
Yusuf Sign.jpg	30.07 KB
Bill Larkin Lorraine Cortes.jpg	27.49 KB

CVH Marches to City Hall and Disrupt Council Meeting Demanding Real Affordable Housing in Future Plans

Submitted by mike on Mon, 2008-06-16 13:58.

 

On June 16th, Community Voices Heard members marched to Newburgh's City Hall and into the Council meeting that was happening that night. Even getting caught in a thunderstorm didn't stop almost 50 members from marching from our office on Lander St. to City Hall, where we held a press conference outside. CVH leaders Maretta Melvin, Anne Dehaney, and Brenda McPhail spoke at the press conference, and were interviewed for Cable 6 news!

City officials had originally hoped to vote on the Master Plan that night, but had postponed the vote. Even though it was not on the agenda, CVH leader Brenda McPhail spoke at the microphone and made it clear why CVH was there - explaining that our voices are being excluded from the planning for Newburgh's future and we want the Master Plan changed before it comes to a vote.

Brenda is quoted in the Times Herald-Record article below about how she feels that her community is being left out of the redevelopment plans. You can see the original article on the Record's website here. The Record also wrote another article about this event which can be seen here or by clicking the PDF of the article below. We were also covered in the Times Community Newspaper and Hudson Valley Press. The full articles are below or you can see the original here and here. Stories were also written in local papers the Sentinel and the online Mid-Hudson News. There is a video that was posted on YouTube that shows CVH inside the Council meeting.

 

 

Attachment	Size
2008.06.16 Better housing in Newburgh Group appeals for affordable housing - Times Community Newspapers of the Hudson Valley.pdf	141.77 KB
2008.06.17 Voices heard on housing in Newburgh - Times Herald-Record.pdf	1.24 MB
2008.06.25 - Hudson Confidential Maybe they can sing to a solution - Times Herald-Record.pdf	20.41 KB
2008.06.25 Low-income residents demand action - Hudson Valley Press.pdf	51.55 KB
2008.06.13 Protesters March Despite Storm County Could Get Tax Before Town Of Newburgh - The Sentinel.pdf	351.93 KB

CVH Members Meet with City Planner to Demand that Affordable Housing is Included in the Master Plan

Submitted by jenny on Thu, 2008-03-20 11:53.

 

On March 20, CVH members met with Newburgh's City Planner Ian MacDougall and Assistant Planner Garrett Duquesne. We invited him to meet with us so we could present our 6 recommendations for the City's Master Plan. The housing section of the Master Plan includes very little protections for low-income housing and very little direction to ensure affordable housing in the future. CVH members Jennifer Smith, Cleo McKinney, and Cleveland gave testimony about how their lives are impacted by the lack of good low-income housing and how the City could improve it with their Master Plan. After each testimony, we asked Mr. MacDougall if he would include that recommendation in the Master Plan, writing his "yes" or "no" answer on a scorecard. Our 6 demands included adding an Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance to require new development to include housing affordable to Newburgh residents, using Newburgh's Median Income rather than the Area's, and developing programs to rehabilitate abandoned buildings for affordable housing. Of the 6, Mr. MacDougall agreed to only one, but he did agree to mandate the inclusion of low-income residents and residents of public and subsidized housing on any Housing Boards or Commissions the City creates!

 

 

Attachment	Size
Jennifer Smith Testimony.doc	37.5 KB
Cleo McKinney Testimony.doc	108 KB
Cleveland Testimony.doc	107 KB