Community Voices Heard

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Yonkers Chapter

The Yonkers CVH Chapter was started in Spring of 2006 and has since grown to over 2100 members. Members are low-income families and individuals who see their community suffering while the city invests tax money into developments of luxury apartments and stores that most residents can not afford. The Yonkers chapter is in the process of developing a campaign to save public housing and keep Southwest Yonkers affordable so that low-income residents are not displaced.

CVH Members Meet With Commissioner David Hansell

Submitted by dominique on Wed, 2008-09-17 13:06.

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. 
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CVH Draft Agenda.doc81 KB
denise tesimony sept 11-1.doc26 KB
Brenda Beal Testimony.doc28 KB
Harold Gardner testimony - revised.doc29.5 KB
Johanssis Peralta Long Version.doc28 KB
Jonathan Sawyer Testimony.doc28 KB
Ketny Jean-Francois Testimony.doc26.5 KB
Korrenthea Catts Testimony.doc31 KB
Sandra Killet testimony.doc28 KB
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CVH is Organizing a Housing Forum in Yonkers

Submitted by mike on Tue, 2008-06-24 11:11.

CVH is organizing a housing forum to demand that the city council commit to preserving and creating more low-income housing and jobs for low-income Yonkers residents in the plans for re-development.

Where? Yonkers Riverfront Library, 1 Larkin Center, 2nd Floor Community Room Community

When? On Thursday, June 26, 2008, at 6:30 PM

The flyer is attached below as well as an article in the Yonkers tribune about the upcoming action. If you would like more information about this action call Sarah at 914-751-2641

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2008.06.23 Low-Income Residents of Yonkers Meet with City Council Members to Demand Inclusion in Stuever Fidelco Cappelli Development - Yonkers Tribune.pdf40.34 KB
june 26th 08 - FLYER.pdf3.51 MB
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"Speakers support, fear $1.6B Yonkers project - Unions say jobs are needed; others don't want to be displaced" - Journal News

Submitted by sarah on Fri, 2008-05-02 17:43.

This is a story about the public hearing that CVH members testified at. The press conference CVH members held prior to the hearing is mentioned and CVH member Valerie Pearson is quoted.

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april 30 2008 journal news coverage.pdf151.23 KB
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Low-Income Residents Speak Out Against $159 in Tax Money Spent on Luxury Housing

Submitted by sarah on Fri, 2008-05-02 16:11.

CVH Press Conferance In Front of City HallCVH Press Conferance In Front of City Hall

On Tuesday, April 29th about 40 Community Voices Heard members in Yonkers spoke out against City Hall's plans to use millions of city tax dollars to subsidize the development of luxury apartments and stores. Prior to a public hearing held by the City Council on the Steuver Fidelco Capelli (SFC) development planned for Getty Square, CVH members held a press conference demanding that the project include housing and jobs for low-income families, so that they would not be displaced.

After packing into the crowded hearing, three CVH members gave testimony and asked City Council members to attend a community forum planned for June. CVH members held up signs during the testimonies and at the end chanted "brick by brick, wall by wall, build a city for us all!" The CVH press conference and testimonies were covered by the Journal News and Channel 12 News. Click the links below to see the press release and members' testimonies.


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2008-04-29-Press Release-Public Hearing Action (Yonkers).doc33.5 KB
phyllis testimony april 29.doc25.5 KB
valerie april 29 testimony.doc29.5 KB
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"Rally to call for including low-income in massive SFC development" - Journal News

Submitted by sarah on Fri, 2008-05-02 16:00.

This was an online article posted April 29th, the day of our action at the public hearing on the SFC development.

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008804290440

Yonkers March to City Hall Covered by News 12

Submitted by mike on Fri, 2008-02-22 16:47.

"Yonkers Residents March to Demand Inclusion of Low-Income Housing and Jobs in Development" - Home News & Times

Submitted by sarah on Thu, 2008-02-21 17:35.

This is an article about our recent march to City Hall in Yonkers published in the Home News & Times on Friday, February 22. CVH member and Yonkers resident Adrienne Knight is quoted in the article.

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Home News and Times Feb 22 08 001.jpg200.76 KB
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"Yonkers Affordable Housing Advocates March on City Hall" - Westchester Guardian

Submitted by mike on Thu, 2008-02-21 12:44.

This is an article about the recent march in Yonkers. We were the front page article in this issue of the Westchester Guardian. The article is split into two PDF files that you can see below, the first is the photo from the paper's cover and the second is the article.

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2008.02.21 Yonkers March Westchester Guardian Cover.pdf622.2 KB
2008.02.21 Yonkers March Westchester Guardian Article.pdf471.94 KB
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"Housing group to march in downtown Yonkers tonight" - Journal News

Submitted by mike on Thu, 2008-02-14 18:39.

This is an article that was put in the Journal News about the march that Community Voices Heard held in Yonkers, NY to demand that no more public housing is demolished, and that the city include housing and jobs for low-income families in the plans for development in Getty’s Square. The cold and the snow couldn't stop CVH members from coming out to have their voices heard! CVH member and Yonkers resident Shateema Sherrill is quoted in the article.

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2008.02.12 Housing group to march in downtown Yonkers tonight - LoHUD Journal.pdf27.19 KB
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Long-term Residents March to City Hall to Demand Inclusion of Low-Income Housing and Jobs for Local Residents in Development

Submitted by mike on Tue, 2008-02-12 21:03.

Tonight low-income residents of Yonkers and members of Community Voices Heard marched to City Hall to demand that the city include housing and jobs for low-income families in the plans for development in Getty’s Square, and that no more public housing will be demolished in Yonkers.

Even though the temperature was below freezing and the snow was so bad that many buses stopped running, CVH members still marched to City Hall. We held a press conference where members gave testimony about the need for low-income Yonkers residents to have a say in the decisions affecting their lives. Adrienne Knight, a member of Community Voices Heard and resident of the Schlobohm public housing development explained why the group was out tonight, “We are here today to demand that the city invest in public housing and low-income housing – and not tear any more down. We are dropping keys off today at City Hall because we don’t want to be locked out – we are the residents of Yonkers and we have a say.”

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2008-02-06-Press Release-March to City Hall (Yonkers).doc45 KB
val testimony.doc26 KB
walter testimony.doc25.5 KB
Adrienne Knight testimony.doc25.5 KB
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Low-income Residents Take to the Streets to Demand a Voice in Yonkers Development

Submitted by mike on Tue, 2008-02-12 14:58.

Low-income residents of Yonkers and members of Community Voices Heard will March to City Hall to demand that the city include housing and jobs for low-income families in the plans for development in Getty’s Square, and that no more public housing will be demolished. We are marching because Southwest Yonkers is being rapidly developed and gentrified, displacing low-income people. Mulford Gardens, a public housing development, is set for demolition and the plan to rebuild it does not include enough low-income units for all former residents to return.

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
6:30PM: March begins at Chicken Island, Yonkers
7:00PM: Press Conference at Yonkers City Hall, 40 South Broadway

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2008-02-06-Media Advisory-March to City Hall (Yonkers).doc43.5 KB
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CVH Opens Office In Yonkers!

Submitted by sarah on Thu, 2007-10-18 13:00.

Yonkers CVH Members Cut Ribbon for New OfficeYonkers CVH Members Cut Ribbon for New Office

 

It's been a year since Community Voices Heard members first formed a chapter in Yonkers to fight for low-income housing, jobs, and social services that work. Now we have our very own space! On October 17th, CVH staff and members from around the state came together to celebrate the opening of our new office with a potluck dinner and ribbon cutting ceremony. Missed the party but want to come check out the very first CVH chapter office outside of NYC? Contact Sarah at 914-519-8588 or just stop on by! Here is our new address:

Community Voices Heard

164 Ashburton Ave, 2nd Floor

Yonkers, NY 10701

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"Yonkers' Housing Authority Crafting Security and Rehabilitiation Plan for Schlobohm, Calcagno Complexes" - LoHUD

Submitted by mike on Mon, 2007-07-16 11:35.

This article discusses security in Public Housing in Yonkers. The article also discusses a tour of Yonkers public housing and other community sites that Community Voices Heard Organized for State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins. CVH Member Valerie Pearson is quoted in the article.

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7-16-07 Yonkers Public Housing.pdf81.93 KB
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Long Term Residents of Yonkers Guide State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins on a Day Living in Poverty

Submitted by mike on Thu, 2007-07-12 13:32.

Today, low-income residents of Yonkers who are also members of Community Voices Heard guided State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins through a day of living in poverty. Residents took the Senator to several sites to show her the struggles they face as low-income people and ended the day by proposing solutions that she can take to address the problems presented to her.

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2007-07-12 Press Release ASC Day in the Life.doc34.5 KB
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Long Term Residents of Yonkers Guide State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins on a Day Living in Poverty This Thursday, July 12th

Submitted by mike on Wed, 2007-07-11 13:09.

Low-income residents of Yonkers who are also members of Community Voices Heard will guide State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins on a day living in poverty this Thursday, July 12th. Residents will first take the Senator to the Yonkers Department of Social Services (DSS) office to offer her a glimpse of the service and treatment they receive there. Next they will go to a Public Housing development to show her some of the conditions they must endure and to stress the importance of saving and preserving low-income housing. This will be followed by a stop at Chicken Island, the proposed site of a large scale development project. Here residents will stress the importance of community input in the development process. Finally, residents will end the day with a meeting to propose solutions to the problems to which the Senator has been exposed.

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2007-07-11 Day in the Life ASC Press Advisory.doc31.5 KB
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