City Limits Magazine, April 1993 Issue

8/3/2019 City Limits Magazine, April 1993 Issue

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Apri l 1993 N ew Y ork 's C om m un ity A ffa irs N e ws M ag az in e $

T H E R E F O R M A T IO N A T H U D 0 C H IN E S E W O R K E R S F IG H T B A C K

T U B E R C U L O S IS S T R IK E S T H E A S IA N -A M E R IC A N C O M M U N IT Y



C i t y L in t i ts

Volume XVID Number 4

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2/APRll..1993/CITY UMITS

Stopping the Flood

Chip Raymond, the commissioner-designate for the city's proposednew agency for overseeing homeless shelters and services, has onhis wall some numbers gathered at the Manhattan EmergencyAssistance Unit, where families go to request placement in a

shelter. They show that on one February day, 32 6 families asked for help,while on another only 70 showed up. Across them, he's written "WHY?"

"I just don't understandwhat is regulating the system," says Raymond.To get the shelter system under control, he adds, the city has to even outthese numbers. "The issue is how you queue people up so that you cankeep it runningsmoothly." From a manager's perspective his pointmakessense, and that's part of the reason why the city is creating new five-dayassessment centers where families stay before being placed in a shelter.That way, the city has a control valve at the entrance.

But simply controlling the flow at the entrance to the shelters is likefixing a collapsed ceiling without repairing the broken pipes tha t did thedamage in the first place.

One of the biggest problems has been the number of homeless familieswho return to the shelters again an d again because they can't get decenthousing or services in their communities.

Our feature article this month, "Home Improvement," explains howdiverse community groups help formerly homeless families adjust topermanent homes in unfamiliar neighborhoods, an d keep them fromreturning to the shelters for another stay. Many of the programs have hadremarkable success.

But the families that get this kind of help are the lucky-and persistent-ones. They are among the minority of shelter families that havefound a new apartment with the help of the city or a nonprofit. In fact,most of he families that leave the shelters eachmonth leave on their own,without any apartment to move into. Studies find that most of themcrowd in with friends and relatives. A study by the Citizens Committeefor Children last year found that more than half of these families endedup back in the shelters within seven months.

Clearly, these are the families that need the most help adjusting todifficult living situations and finding decent homes once they are out of

the shelters. The city's new "diversion teams," set up at welfare offices tohelp prevent people from becoming homeless, are the Band-Aid shortterm solution pointing to a much larger need: access to well-coordinatedsocial services and housing assistance in the communities where peoplelive, so that they can get help over the long haul without coming into theshelters. I f t seems like a tall order, think how much the city spends-asmuch as $35,000 a year per family-to shelter the same families over andover and over again. 0

Cover photograph by Suzanne Tobias.



. ' ~ ' j ' . ' . FEATURE

Home Improvement:Community groups help families adjust from shelter lifeto home life. 14

DEPARl'MENlS

Editorial

Stopping the Flood .................................................. 2

BriefsAgarwal Goes AWOL ............................................... 4Brighton Beach Suit ................................................. 4

Still Burning ............................................................. 5

ProfileBattling the Bosses ...................................................6

Pipelines

The New HOD Shapes Up .......................................9Taking Tenants for a Ride .....................................10

No Breathing Room ................................................ 20

CityviewJobs for the Future .................................................. 22

Review

Miracle in East New York ......................................23

Letters ...................... .............. ....................................24

Job AdsIClassifieds ......................... ............. .............. 26

Battling/Page 6= - - : = - ~ -

Home/Page 14-.--,."....,.....,.-,:-,.-----,....,.."....,

Breathing Room/Page 20

CITY UMM/APRIL 1993



AGARWAL GOES

AWOL

Notorious slumlord AnilAgarwal reportedly skippedtown recently after the Manhattan District Attorney won aconviction against him in state

court for refUsing to cooperatewith the eviction of drug dealersfrom his building at 945 St.Nicholas Avenue in WashingtonHeights. Agarwal was slappedw i ~ a $30,000 ~ n e in the case.

He has since lost control ofthe property through a fore-closure action. The FederalHome Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) nowowns the 22-unit building.

"I had to go in and kickdown the doors," says MichaelMedford, who manages the

building for Freddie Mac. III hadto mop up after Agarwal. ...There were six or sevenapartments occupied by dealersWhen I took over." A ~ r w a l could not be reached forcomment.

Irwin Hirsch, who heads thenarcotics eviction pragram atthe DA's office, says j (s unusualfor a landlord to refuse tocooperate in the eviction ofknown drug dealers. IIClose to100 percent of the landlordsbring the cases when we askthem to," he says.

If a landlord ignoresn o t i ~ c a t i o n by the DA's officeadvising him to bring evictionproceedings against the tenantof an apartment where drugsare being sold, stored ormanufactured, the DA can seeksanctions of $5,000 for eachapartment plus the cost ofattorney's fees in state court.This ~ n e was used for the ~ r s t time in March, 1992, and hassince been used against only ahandful of landlords in upperManhatton.

Agarwal, who was p r o ~ l e d in City Limits' 1991 "Shame ofthe City" investigation of badlandlords, has Oeen suedrepeatedly by the city for failingto make necessary repairs inseveral of his buildings, and forremoving the boiler at 945 St.Nicholas Avenue in an attemptto cut heating costs.

Tenants in the building andneighborhood residents say thatthe drug dealing activity

4/APRIL 1993/CITYUMIR

GraIIp SIIar. Fifty members of the Artists 8' Homeless Collaborative-half of them women from the ParkAvenue Annory Shelter and teens from the Regent FamilyResidence-display their work at the HenryStreet Settlement's Louis Abrons Arts Center on the Lower East Side.

decreased markedly afterAgarwal lost the property."Twelve apartments were sellingdrugs befOre," says one tenantwho refused to be identified forfear of repercussions fromdealers still in the neighborhood. "There were shootings,twa killings. We were all

robbed," she says.Officer Sol Maniscalco ofthe 34th Precinct c o n ~ r m s thatdrug activity is now rare in thebuilaing. He odds that it was outof control before the propertychanged hands.

But some lawyers whorepresent tenants in evictioncases are critical of the DistrictAttorney's eviction policies, andargue fflat simple police arrestsana prosecutions are moreeffective and more fair thanevictions. Martha Rayner, onattorney at the Neigliborhood

Defenders Service of Harlem,says that leaseholders of apartments are often mothers, grandmothers, orjirlfriends of drugdealers, on are not criminals.They become the victims of theDA's efforts, she says.

Rayner odds that sincetenants do not have the legalright to a lawyer in housingcourt, they are at a disadvantage in drug eviction cases. 0au... ..,.,...

BRIGHTON

BEACH SUIT

In a last ditch effort to blocka high-rise development slatedfor Brighton Beach, the project'sopponents recently filed alawsuit in state Supreme Courtcharging that the city didn't

properlY consider the environmental costs when it approvedthe plan last year.

The 1 500 unit Brighton-bythe-Sea complex-four buildings between 24 and 28 storiestall-won approvals from theCity Planning Commission andthe City Council last year. Thelawsuit charges that the city'senvironmental impact statementunderestimated amount oftraffic the project will Q!?nerateand glossed over the effects ofthe more than 500,000 gallons

of sewage it will dump into theoverburdened Coney Islandwater treatment plant every day.It also alleges that the cityillegally granted permits todeveloper Alexander Muss &Sons.

"We're optimistic," saysJudith Baron, head of theCommittee to Preserve BrightonBeach and Manhatton Beach,the lead plaintiff in the suit. "Wethink the city hasn't touched all

the boses they were supposedto ."

Brighton Beach City Council-man Samuel Horwitz andCommunity Boord 13 DistrictManager Herb Eisenberg, bothlong-time supporters of thedevelopment project, say theyare c o n ~ d e n t the lawsuit will be

defeated . Eisenberg delivers aloud Bronx cheer into the phonewhen asked about the lawsuit."They've lost three times andthey're going to lose again," hesays, referring to projectopponents' earlier defeats in thecity's land-use review process.

City attorney Teri Sasanowcontends that the courts haveupheld challenges to environmental impact statements onlywhen the city completelyignored significant issues."The issue is whether the cityagencies took a sufficiently hard

look and hod a rational basisfor their conclusion," she says.

The only similar case the cityhas lost, she says, was in 1986when the Court of Appealsblocked a Chinalown high-riseon the grounds that the city hodfailed to consider displacementof low income neighborhoodresidents.

The primary issue in thelawsuit is whether or not thesewage treatment plant will be



overburdened by the project.Sasanow argues that it will notbe because it is currently notoperating above capacity.

But city Department ofEnvironmental Protection figuresshow that the rlant ran wellabove its lega capacity during

the last six months of 1992,averaging 13 million gallonsabove the permitted 100 milliongallons per day. The city hasapplied to increase its legalcapacity to 110 million gallonsper day.

Kit Kenne<!Y of the NaturalResaurces Defense Council, aplaintiff in the suit, says theimpact statement "basicallyadmitted the project wouldexacerbate sewage violations"at the sewage plant. Yet the citydid not require Muss to build an

on-site sewage treatment plantor storage tanks to temporarilyhold excess waste. If the plantcan't handle the intake, theexcess is dumped untreated intothe harbar.

The city will file its responseto the suit in May, Sasanowsays, and Justice LewisFriedman may rule on it thissummer. 0 SteveWI"'n"

STILL BURNING

Opponents of garbageincineration are wagin9campaigns on several fronts inBrooklyn, proving that thedecade-long effOrt to preventconstruction of the planned

Brooklyn Navy Yard incineratorisn't over yet.

The latest salvo was fired atthe end of February, when acoolition of environmentalactivists from Williamsburg andGreenpoint filed a lawsuit instate Supreme Court chargingthat the city overlooked the FairShare requirements of the CityCharter When it issued its solidwaste management plan lastsummer.

are asking the court tothrow out a nasty anti-Brooklyn

political deal," says WayneSaitto of Brooklyn ~ a l Services, attorney for thealliance.

"Simple logic says that youdon't put all tflree of the city'sincinerators in one borough. It

will have a devastating im?Jcton Brooklyn residents, addsFoster Maar, also of legalservices.

The revised City Charter'sFair Share clause was intendedto force the government todistribute unwelcome facilitiesevenly across the city. But in thetwo years since it took effect, it

has had little impact on theplacement of facilities beyond

provoking lawsuits andcommunity board challenges.

Martin Brennan , an organizer at the New York PuolicInterest Group, says the lawsuitwill be an important delayingaction while further communityand political pressure againstthe incinerator is mabilized. Thecity denies that the Fair Sharecriteria were violated, butCorporation Counsel attorneyElizabeth St. Clair would notcomment.

Environmental activists were

encouraged by a recentdecision to shut down the 43-year-old Betts Avenue incinerator in Maspeth, Queens, twoyears befOre it was slated toclose. The Dinkins administration included no funding for theincinerator's upkeep in itspreliminary bUdget for nextyear. Anne Canty, spokeswoman for the city's Department

of Sanitation, says that fiscalprudence, not politics, motivathe decision to close theincinerator early.

"Since we were going toclose it anyway, doing it earlijust helps us to meet our budgobjectives," she says.

Meanwhile, hundreds ofSauthwest Brooklyn residentsprotested the planned reopenand expansion of the 33-yearold Bensonhurst incinerator ahearings in the neighborhoodlast month. The incinerator wclosed for repairs two yearsago. At one point during theraucous series of hearings,residents roundly booed localCity Councilman Nooch Dearwho voted in favor of the citywaste management plan lastyear. O ...... F ........

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CITY UMITS/APRll..1993



By Christopher Zurawsky

BaUling the BossesThe Chinese Staff and Workers Associationconfronts the exploitation of immigrantsin the garment industry.

Open the door expecting an office,and instead you'll find an air shaftcriss-crossed above and below by fireescapes and catwalks. The office is onthe other side, to the left and downanother staircase. It's a tortuous paththrough an ancient Chinatowntenement-but to the workers who

regularly find their way to CSWAheadquarters, it's a convivial home

Six years ago, Haiyan Wu and in an East Village apartment building. away from home, as much a clubher two children left theirhome And just three months ago, after a long house as a place of business.in the Chinese coastal city of battle against a prominent Chinatown On a recent Sunday, eight women,Guangzhou, headed fo r nonprofit organization, CSWA won a a few men and a handful of children

America and the promise of a better long-awaiteddecisioninfederalcourt congregated there to alternately talk,life. They landed in New York, where ruling that the Chinese American Plan- eat, strategize and play. Sunday is aWu found a job in a Chinatown ningCouncilowed 30 formerconstruc- busy dayforCSWA; there are planninggarment factory working 11 hours a tion employees more than half a sessions for staff members from 8:30day, Monday through Saturday, and million dollars in back wages for to 10:30, followed by English classessometimes on Sundays. taught by volunteerAfter two years, she be- teachers at nearby St.came a shop forewoman James Church. Citizen-earning $400 weekly- ship classes and home-

very good money com- work help for childrenpared to most of he r co- are offered as well. To-workers' earnings. The day, though, the womenonly problem was, she are sitting around a tablefre:quently didn't ge t sharing pastries, plan-prud. ning their activities for

One day she read a International Women'snewspaper article men- Da y and discussingtioningtheChineseStaff CSWA's latest target,an d Workers Associa- CET Fashions andtion (CSWA), a commu- ThomasTam, the factorynity group organizing z ownerwhoowesHaiyangarment workers whose Wu and 12 of her co-bosses weren't paying workers more than

them their full wages. ________

--'§ $50,000, according toShe gave them a call. SIrtet ActIon: Rhoda Wong and other members of the Chinese Staff and claims filed by th eHaiyan Wu and doz- Workers Association organize on the streets of Chinatown, gathering support workers with federal

ens of her colleagues are for their campaign against employers who don't pay fair wages. authorities and the statenow part of a campaign Department of Labor.led by CSWA to help thousands of violations offederallabor laws. Through an interpreter, Wu ex-immigrant workers retrieve money In recent years, CSWA has also plains that she has been out of workowed them by their employers. The represented nearly 200 Chinese since filing a complaint against Tam.group is challenging restaurant and workers in non-payment cases across She was nervous at first about notfactory owners, construction firms, the city, convincing employers like being able to find work, an d she saysnational garment manufacturers and Chan Ming Construction Corporation that she has experienced some repereven the established labor movement and the Fortune Garden Restaurant to cussions from her action. One day,in an effort to ensure the basic rights fork over upwards of a quarter of a while waiting for a friend to finishof Chinese workers-most im por- million dollars in unpaid wages. There work at another garment factory, thetantly, their rights to fair pay and are many more cases underway-and shop owner made her leave; he had

decent working conditions. Haiyan Wu, who has been out of work seen Wu's picture in a ChinatownThe campaign is the latest in a since December, is hoping hers will newspaper reporting on the case. Now

string of successful organizing efforts be one of the successful ones. she won't let journalists take herby the 13-year-old association, which photograph. Still, she says she's sureboasts 700 members, most of them Convivial Clubhouse she did the right thing.employed in the garment, restaurant There's a grimy glass door at 15 "It's a question mark whether weand construction industries. In 1980, Catherine Street ' lartially hidden will get our money back, but you haveCSWA helped form the 318 Restau- behind the stacke crates of a fish to go for it and try," she says.rant Workers Union, the firstindepen- market. Inside, past a scuffed, dimlydent union representing Chinese li t foyer an d two steep staircases,restaurantworkers. In 1986, the group there's a sign with CSWA's namebegan organizing a homesteading printed in English and Chinese, andproject for low income Chinese tenants an arrow pointing to a steel door.


Swanky OperatorTam once ran Swanky Fashions, a

now-defunct Chinatown garmentfactory on Mulberry Street, and,



according to the workers, he didn'tpay them their full wages starting in1991. Tam closed Swanky Fashionsin December, 1992, and moved his

equipment to another space just blocksaway on Lafayette Street. There, heopened a new factory under a differentname.

Three months ago, after severaldozen workers picketed the LafayetteStreet shop, they learned Tam hadsold the factory. In an interview withThe DailyNews, Tam said he sold thebusiness to payoff a debt, andestimated that he owed his formeremployees no more than $15,000. Hecould not be reached for further comment.

So the workers turned theirattention to CET Fashions, a dressmanufacturer based in the midtowngarment district. Tam was a subcon

tractor forCET: of he 64,000 garmentshis workers sewed in 1992, 57,000carried the Kate Warner label, a brandmanufactured by CET. In February,CSWA and Tam's former employeespicketed the company.

Joanne Lum of CSWA charges thatCET continued to contract work withTam-and pay for his services-evenas Tam was relocating his factory.Gerard Lazer, president of CET, saysthat the company took its work awayfrom Tam in January,when he learnedof the complaints about nonpayment

of wages. Additionally,CET

avoidedprosecution for selling garmentsmanufactured by people earning lessthan the minimum wage-"stolen"merchandise according to federal labor law-by paying $10,500 to theformer Swanky workers.

Lazer says the money is being paidas a goodwill gesture, not as a resultof legal responsibility. But RhodaWong, head of CSWA's Women'sProgram, asserts the payment is a"token gesture" showing that CETacknowledges its responsibility.

Tam remains the target of a state

investigation, and CSWA is helpingthe Department of Labor pu t togetherits case against him. The association'sorganizing efforts have made gathering statements and evidence mucheasier, says Thomas Glubiak, thechief investigator for the state labordepartment's Apparel Industry TaskForce.

"We're developing a very goodworking relationship with them,"Glubiakadds, despite complaints fromCSW A that the labor department hasbeen lax in enforcement.

Not a Traditional Union

While CSWA is critical of theDepartment of Labor, it also accusesthe established labor movement offailing to protect workers' rights. The

"The traditional

unions were not

effective in

addressing the

needs of workers."

International Ladies Garment WorkersUnion "does not have the interest orthe will to enforce its contracts or toprotect its workers," says Lum.

"The traditional trade unions werenot being effective in addressing theneeds of workers," she explains. The

vast array of programs coordinaand run by the CSWA illustratepoint that workers' needs go wbeyond the workplace. Immigratissues, language, education, aracism are all topics addressed by association in one way or anothThe group also plans to open a n

organizing office and meeting plin a storefront in the East Village, wnorth of Chinatown, to reach ouLatinos and other workers. "Ourmoof organizing is to bring workers gether across gender and trade."

The problem with the traditiosingle-industry unions, accordingassociation members, is that thbecome secure in their own achiements, and see little value in reachout to workers in other industries ware having problems with manament. Besides, the traditional unio

have become allied too closely wemployers, says CSWA ExecutDirector Wing Lam. "The [ILGWdoesn't want the multinational cporations to be adversaries, they wthem more as a partner," he sa"The union thinks that the only wto get the corporations to stay [in t

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country] is to let them make moreprofits, but once it buys into that wayof hinking that's theend ofit. It's likea person stranded in the desert whodrinks poison to quench his thirst."

Susan Cowell, a vice president ofthe ILGWU, responds that one ofher

union's priorities is to help local firmscompetewith foreign companies. Shesays her union does challenge NewYork garment manufacturerswho failto stick to state labor laws, but suchwork has its limits. "Ifall you did wasenforce [New York Statel standards

~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , CityLimits probes the misguided public policies and inefficient

bureaucracies besetting New York. But we don't think it's good

enough just to bighllght the muck. City Limits looks fo r

a . n s w ~ r s . We uncover th e stories of activists and local organ-

izers fighting to save their neighborhoods. That's why City

Limits has won seven maJor journa.lism awards. Isn't it time

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without addressing trade issues andthe global economy, all you would dis promote jobs moving overseas," shsays. "We have to address all thesthings simultaneously."

Lam sees it differently. "The vernature of he union as an organizatiowas to fight for some improvemenbut now they don't talk about improvement, just maintaining somlousy jobs here," he says. "It's a regressive attitude."

Longing for HomeWhile the big issues are hashed ou

in courtrooms and board roomsHaiyan Wu continues to search fowork. She is 46 years old now, andalthough she came to this countrprimarily for her two children'education, she misses the job she helin her native country training schoo

teachers. She also misses the free timshe used to have for fun and friends

"In China, work was much morcomfortable," she says. "An eight houday was an eight hour day, and we goto sleep for an hour and eat lunch foan hour. Here," she sighs, "it's juswork." O

Christopher Zurowsky is a freelancewriter based in Manhattan.

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By Jon Gertner

The New HUD Shapes UpOutsiders take the helm at the federalhousing department.

Rcent appointments to top

positions at the Department ofHousing and Urban Development have piqued the ironic

sensibilities ofmany longtime activistsand advocates for low income housing: the last decade's vocal outsidersare now being tapped to manage thepowerful but troubled agency fromthe inside.

But the expected nomination ofBarry Zigas, director of the NationalLow Income Housing Coalition, to thetop policy development position at

HUD was scuttled in early Marchbecause of a "Zoe Baird problem"with unpaid social security taxesuncovered in a background check,according to several sources in Washington advocacy and congressionalcircles. Theyadd thatsnipingby homebuilder and mortgage banking groupshelped undermine the Zigas appointment.

Of the 13 assistant-level posit ionsthat require Senate confirmation,seven had been filled as City Limitswent to press. None have yet won

Senate approval.In Zigas' place, HUD SecretaryHenry Cisneros has named MichaelStegman, a professor of city planningat the University of North Carolina atChapel Hill, as head of policydevelopment and research. Stegmanworked at HUD during the Carteradministration, and is well known inNew York City for his work authoringthe triennial Housing and VacancySurvey.

"He has a strong sense of New York'sproblems, and most importantly hehas an urban sensibility," says VictorBach of the Community ServiceSociety of New York.

Zigas, who led lobbying efforts insupport of low income housingdevelopment and rental subsidiesduring the Reagan and Bush years, isreportedly still under considerationfor a lower-ranking HUD posi tion that

does not require Senate approval.

Shuldiner a t Public HousingThe most prominent New Yorker

appointed to HUD is Andrew Cuomo,the governor's son and founder of the

largest homeless shelter provider inNew York State. He wil l be in chargeof community development.

But Clinton chose a lesser knownformer city official to take charge ofpublic housing programs. JosephShuldiner, currently the executivedirector of the Los Angeles HousingAuthority, was general manager of heNew York City Housing Authorityunder Mayor Edward Koch. Beforethat, he served in various positions inthe Department of Housing Preservation and Development from 1978 to

1986.Supporters of/ublic housing say

they are thrille with Shuldiner'sappointment. After David Dinkinsbecame mayor in 1989, a coalition of

Shuldiner is likely

to lead a reversal

of privatizationefforts, some say.

local housing advocates recom-mended Shuldiner for the housingcommissioner's slot,buthe was passedover. They say he is likely to lead areversal of Republican privatizationefforts in his new post. "Instead offeeding into the frenzy for priva

tization in a lot of cities, he'll turn thataround and give people the housingthey deserve," speculates HaroldDeRienzo, director of the ConsumerFarmer Foundation. DeRienzo andothers add that Shuldiner supportedexperimentation in the early stages ofthe community housing movementwhen he was in charge of the housingdepartment's Office of Property

Management.Roberta Achtenberg of San Fran

cisco is Clinton's nominee as assistantsecretary in charge of housing rights

and equal opportun ity programs. Sis the first openly lesbian officnamed by the new administratioand apparently the first in UniStates history at such a high govement rank. Achtenberg, a San Fracisco councilwoman, has been stuby criticism from some establishcivil rights groups thatherbackgrouis not strong enough to merit tappointment. But others are suppoive. "She has exactly the rigsympathies," says Chester Hartmexecutive director of the PovertyRace Research Action CouncilWashington, D.C.

Nicolas Retsinas will be assistsecretary for housing and commsioner of he Federal Housing Admistration (FHA). Before his appoiment, Retsinas was executive direcof the Rhode Island Housing a

Mortgage and Finance Corporationquasi-public agency that acts as tstate's housing department. He wlauded in Providence for his effortclean up what had been a scandridden bureaucracy there, experienthat could prove useful at the FHwhich recently reported billionsdollars in losses in its mortgage insance programs.

Some Rhode Island advocates enthusiastic, but Ray Neirinckxcoordinator for the Rhode IslaCommunity Reinvestment Assoc

tion, a low income hous ing coalitiis less positive. "Clearlyhe turned tagency here around ," Neirinckx sa"But I think some of the accoladbestowed upon him were more for style and the public relations capaign than actual performance."

Public Housing OfficialTerry Duvernay is the nominee

the post ofdeputy director, the secohighest position at HUD. LStegman, Duvernay served in tdepartment during the Carter admistration. From 1983 to 1991, he w

executive director of the MichigHousing Authority. Since theDuvernay has been in chargeGeorgia's Housing and FinanAuthority and an advisor to GoverZell Miller, a close confidant

Clinton.But nominees in line with hous

advocates' agendas maynotbe enou"It's a wonderful set ofappointmensays Hartman, "but there 's going tosome limits on what they can do. Tfact is that it's quite a mess thereHUD." O

CITY UMRSIAPRIL 19



By Lisa Glazer

The TrolleyMusuem ofNew York:

Taking Tenants For ARide?

In search of innovative ways to raise money, an upstate trolleyand rail museum has been wheeling and dealing in New YorkCity real estate-and now it is the target of a lawsuit chargingthat it is riding recklessly over the rights of tenants.

Brought by the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York,the lawsuit claims that museum officials and others illegallyattempted to evict tenants in a string of eight dilapidated brown

stone buildings on Dean Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant.The city is seeking $1 million in that the trolley museum has been in

punitive damages, arguingthattenants volved in real estate transactions in at

have repeatedly gone without heat, least 35 separate properties since 1982.hot water and

cooking gas,and

have Amongthe

mortgages listed,two

been harassed with rent overcharges, are in the name of Keith Outram, aillegal evictions an d threats ofviolence. The buildings currently have more than 1,000housing code violations.

"The conduct of the ownersan d the circumstances are sooutrageous," says LawrenceSpielberg, a city attorney working on the case.

But Frank Voyticky, thechairman of th e TrolleyMuseum of New York's Boardof trustees, counters that the

city's claims are "spurious."Heargues that the museum inKingston has had limitedinvolvement in the buildings andadds, "We will vigorously fight thecity's claims against us."

Nonetheless, in a separate investigation, the state Attorney General'soffice is looking in to the operations of

the trolley museum. "I will confirmwe have an inquiry," says spokesperson Richard Barr, who refuses tocomment further on the nature of theinvestigation.

The spotlight on the trolleymuseum

illuminates more than the specificoccurrences on Dean Street. I t alsoraises larger questions about the lack

of accountability within some nonprofit organizations and offers anunusual glimpse into the internecineworld of real estate transactions inNew York.

Recent tax documents provided toCityLimits by the trolley museum listconsiderable assets) including morethan $850,000 in 16 mortgages. Andthe New York City Register documents

10jAPRll..1993jCITY UMrrs

Brooklyn landlord who was fined

$498,985 for civil contempt in 1991after failing to correct hundreds of

housing code violations in a buildinghe owns. Outram was profiled in"Shame of the City," City Limits'investigation of some of New York'sworst landlords of 1992.

Yet two of the trolley museum's

top officials-Evan Jennings, th epresident of the board, and Roy Ickes,the museum's executivedirector-say

they know next to nothing about themuseum's real estate investments.

And museum treasurer Henry Gallerresponded to information about the

museum's real estate activities with alengthy pause, saying finally, "This isnews to me."

Tax Write-oft'Board chairman Frank Voyticky,

however, knows the details. Voytickyworks full time as a math teacher at

Brooklyn Technical High School. But

he is also vice president of the MaralFunding Corporation, a mortgagelending company, chairman of theCitizens Bank of Appleton City,Missouri, and a shareholder inAbstract Enterprises, a real estate titlesearch company. All three companies

have had financial ties with th emuseum, according to documents.

According to Voyticky, the trolleymuseum often receives property andmortgages as donations from hisfriends, neighbors and associates. Ashe explains, the donations have adouble benefit: the museum canbuild

up its assets to eventually buy newtrolley an d rail exhibits an d thedonor gets a tax write-off. "Ourpurpose is to further the operations of our museum," he says.

Voyticky was an early member of th e trolley museum,which was started in 1955 tosave old trolleys an d restorerail memorabilia. Attempts tosecure a New York City site forthe museum were unsuccessful, and in 1983, the museumfound a permanent home in

Kingston, New York.The museum is now wellestablished an d its exhibits in

cludeaBelgian trolley built in 1910, a1907 BMT subway car an d a diesellocomotive train. One of he museum's

prime attractions is a one-and-a-halfmile excursion from downtownKingston to picnic grounds on theshore of the Hudson River.

Dean Street Buildings

The ride from Kingston to BedfordStuyvesant is considerably longer,about 100 miles, but it could be a

universe away, considering thedifferent ways the trolley museum isperceived. Upstate it's seen as a placeof educational opportunities. Downstate, many tenants on Dean Street saythey see the museum as just one morelousy landlord.

The buildings targeted in the city'slawsuit-1207, 1209, 1237, 1239,1241, 1243, 1247 an d 1249 DeanStreet-are on a well-restored, treelined Brooklyn block. With broken

window panes, rusty gates and crum-



bling exteriors, they stand instark contrast to the carefullytended brownstones acrossthe street and to either side.

"We found that there wno gas service in the buildfor heat, hot water and coing and that there was posed wiring, non-workoutlets, peeling paint, brokbathroom fixtures, crackplaster, walls and floors w

holes in them, inoperatwindows and water lea

throughout the building. MVoyticky seemed quite noyed at the scope of workrequested he perform at premises. After inspect1207 Dean Street, Mr. Voytileft unannounced."

The remaining participathen inspected some ofother buildings and fousimilar conditions, accordto the lawsuit. Then theyw

to 1239 Dean Street, a vac

While many of the buildings used to be under the control of the trolley museum,

some have now been trans

ferred to new owners. But themuseum still owns 1243 DeanStreet, and tenant CharlenPatrick says the only reasonthe heat is on is because thecity's paying the bills. Herneighbor, Wanda Tripp, of1247 Dean Street, adds that

tenants in her building arepaying their own light billsand taking care of maintenance themselves, unsure ofwho the true owner is. "It'sterrible," she says. "We have

no landlord thatwe knowo f -

although several people areclaiming to be in charge-[including] Frank Voyticky andJoe Zirino," who works as amanaging agent for Voytickr'

The situation is weI -known to tenant advocacygroups in the neighborhood.Dr. Dee Moody of the Parkway-Stuyvesant Community

l i t IId Run: The Trolley Museum ofNew York's current andformer tenants on Dean Street complain in court documents ofharassment and neglect. From left to right: Joyce Webster,Clinton Grant, Johnny McCoy, Joyce Potts, Emsee Lewis, andJimmie Thomas.

rooming house where Zirsaid he was fixing upbuilding and planning to liWhen he was told that

u: needed building permits aa certificate of no harassmof tenants before he cobegin construction, hestormed out, according to

and Housing Council says thatVoyticky and Zirino "have figuredouthow to manipulate tenants." AddsDeborah Aiken from the Urban League,

"This could be a wonderful brownstone block but it's not. People feellike they don't know if they're goingto go out and come back and find theirthings on the street. They're not ableto get straight answers."

Voyticky says the trolley museumcan't be ·held responsible for the actions of new landlords or people that

Maral Funding provided mortgagesfor. Indeed, the city's lawsuit casts awide net, targeting not just the trolleymuseum, but new and former owners,managing agents and others going back

to 1988.That was when Victoria Meek

became the landlord of all eight properties by acquiring a first mortgagefrom Mijal Equities. and anothermortgage from Larry Berman andMaral Funding (where Frank Voytickyis vice president).

In a phone interview, Meek saysshe had no money for renovations orbasic services, adding, "It was such anightmare. I went in there with mybig, open heart but the tenants didn'twant me."

Court records show that while shewas in charge of the properties, Meekfailed to provide heat, hot water and

basic services. The situation was sobad that the city's Department ofHousing Preservation and Development took her to court to try and forceher to make repairs.

Unable to fix the buildings or meetmortgage payments, Meek lost controlof the properties by 1991, after thebuildings were foreclosed. Accordingto Voyticky, Larry Berman donatedhis portion of the mortgage to thetrolley museum. After the foreclosure,he says, the buildings were pu t up forsale but there weren't any buyers-so

the properties remained in the handsof the trolley museum.

Decaying HomesAfter the trolley museum took

charge, officials from the city's housing department requested a meetingwith Voyticky, Zirino and others todetail the necessary repair work. In anaffidavit included in the lawsuit,Lamont Headley from the Departmentof Housing Preservation and Development describes a visit to 1207 DeanStreet:

lawsuit.In later months. Head

notes, he was contactedby two tenaof 1207 Dean Street, Johnny McCand Emsee Lewis, who told him t

Zirino ha d threatened them wviolence if they didn't move outtheir apartments. On another ocsion, Headley says, a tenant told hthat electrical wires were being rfrom 1237 Dean Street to the electribox in 1239 Dean Street, the vacrooming house. What's more, the CEdison bill had gone up-and Zirhad been seen entering the buildwith other people at night a"construction-like" sounds wheard. Headley later visited thebuiing and photographed the electri

wire running from 1237 to 1239 DeStreet.Today, a number of the buildin

are no longer under direct trolmuseum control. 1237 Dean Streenow owned by Zirino; 1207 DeStreet has been leased by the trolmuseum to Michael Herry; tmuseum has signed a mortgage nfor 1209 Dean Street with WayGresham; Elspeth King has bou1241 Dean Street; and some tenants1243 Dean Street are negotiating wthe museum to purchase the buildi

CITY UMITS/APRIL 1993



But new ownership doesn't meanthat problems have stopped. In anaffidavit,DaphneBlackman,a65-yearold tenant at 1241 Dean Street, statesthat she received notices from hernew landlords, Elspeth and RobertKing, that her rent jumped $188 to$960 permonth. Later, Blackman camehome and found her possessions inthe hallway and had to get an orderfrom housing court before they werereturned-minus her VCR andjewelry.

The Kings have an unlisted phonenumber in Long Island and could notbe reached. Bret Fertig, a lawyer whoworked briefly for the Kings and wrotea letter to Blackman detailing the rentincrease, decl ined to comment.

At 1243 Dean Street, which is stillowned by the trolley museum, basement tenant Magalene Wilkins has

received an eviction notice explaining that the trolley museum needs herapartment for "personal use." MimiRosenberg, the Legal Aid lawyer representing Wilkins, quips, "Howmany

trolley museums do you know of thatreproduce and take up apartmentspaces?"

Frank Voyticky admits that theeviction attempt is "ridiculous," andsays it was draftedby a lawyer for oneof the tenants trying to buy the building.

Rosenberg observes that events onDeanStreetfitacommonpattemwhen

Puzzling real

estate transactions

and financial

interconnections

rents are low and mortgage paymentshigh. "This is one of the most beautiful blocks in Bedford-Stuyvesant. I fthey canget the rent-stabilized peopleout, then they are free to spend moneyon the building and pu t new tenants

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in at higher rents," she explains. "Th

quality of the housing makes it ripfor this type of action."

The Bigger PictureThe Dean Street buildings are just

few of he scores of properties that thtrolley museum has been involved inDocuments from the New York CitRegister show that there are man

occasions where transactions havoccurred between the trolley museumMaral Funding and the Citizens Banof Appleton City.

In addition, the trolley museum'tax documents show that at one poinAbstract Enterprises and the trollemuseum were involved jointly in reaestate transactions.

Frank Voyticky is adamant tha

these myriad interconnections areentirely legal. Regarding transaction

between the various institutions he iconnected with, he says, "There is noa conflict of interest because these arnot transactions of substance."

Questioned about the trolleymuseum's mortgages with Outramwho was listed in City Limits' 1992tally of bad landlords, Voyticky sayhe is currently battling Outram incourt because he stopped paying himortgage.

In a separate instance, Maral Funding provided a $250,000 mortgage foOutram at 588 Park Place, a 21-unibuilding in Crown Heights. Outramfailed to make repairs to the propertyand ended up with a $498,985 judgment against him for civil contemptHe failed to keep up with mortgagpayments-but Maral' s mortgage hadan interest rate of 24 percent, just onepercent below the maximum ratallowable by law.

Legal experts say the trolleymuseum's real estate transactions andthe financial interconnections between Voyticky's various businesseand the trolley museum may bpuzzling-butuntil further details ar

revealed they appear to be legal.Still, that's not to say that otheraren't taken aback. "The involvemenof a nonprofit educational corporatioin these kinds of activities is verunusual-I 'm not saying there'something wrong, bu t it raises questions," says Dan Kurtz, the formedirector of the charities bureau of thstate Attorney General's office. "I caassure you, much larger museumdon't make loans to small landlordin Brooklyn. My antennae would braised." 0



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Homf mprOVfmfntOut of th. sh.lt.fS and into th. flit: Lift in th. n.iCJhborhoods isn't always .asy

for form.rly hom.l.ss famili.s. But for 10m., th.It's h.lp around th. com.r.

BY ANDREW WHITE

Aew days after Debbie Gibson moved out ofa home

less shelter and into a run-down apartment building on West 116th Street, someone banged on herdoor.

"I thought I was in trouble. I said I didn't donothing," she says now, laughing at her misplaced fear."But they were here to help. They made sure I kept food inthe house. They took my kids shopping. They got my kidssome coats. My daughter still has that coat."

She's been in her apartment now for nearly two years,and she expects to be there a while, partly thanks to thelocal community group that knocked on her door in 1991.

After all, it's of ten the little things that keep a family onsolid ground.

Around .the city, there are at least two dozen programsdesigned to help families adjust to new homes in unfamiliar neighborhoods as they move from homeless shelters topermanent housing. The programs, run by a handful ofcommunity groups, deal with far more daunting tasksthan shopping for clothes and groceries, such as straight-

14/APRIL 1993/CITY UMITS

ening out garbled public assistance cases, counselingvictims of domestic abuse or battling the drug dealers whosometimes control city-owned buildings where manyformerly homeless families live.

The goal is to prevent families from returning to thehomeless shelters once they've left. It's far cheaper toprovide services in the home than to pay for room, board,day care, security and all the other expenses of shelteringa homeless family.

Yet there are only enough programs to help a fraction ofthe families that leave the homeless shelters and welfarehotels every month. Most of them are funded by the state,or by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Otherscobble together funding from a wide range of governmentagencies and foundations, or they use rental income fromapartments they manage.

That's set to change now. The city is current ly negotiating $5 million in contracts with several communitygroups in a plan to help every family that leaves theshelters and moves into permanent housing.

"Finally the city is recognizing that they have to lookbeyond the shelters," says Elizabeth Darguste of the Citi-



No .... a.dI: Neighborhood Gold in Harlem meshes it s program for formerly homeless families with tenant organizing in an effort to make

run-down, city-owned buildings livable. Above, Joel Thervil and Letraicia Frazier outside her home on West 116th Street.

zens Committee for Children. "At this point, it's better latethan never."

Discussion among policy makers is focusing on whatkinds of programs can best help these families learn theirway around their new neighborhoods, find social services

and fight for their rights as tenants. No one is sure ywhich programs work best. "Are we able to stabilfamilies in the time we work with them?" asks SarGreenblattof the Center for the Research of Family Polat Hunter College. "Will they stay out of the shelters? C




we connect them with health care from a clinic, not froman emergency room? Can we keep their kids out of fostercare? They're all lofty goals. But they all speak to costsavings in the long run," she says.

It's a complicated task. A large number of formerlyhomeless families live in decrepitbuildings and in neighborhoods traumatized by drugs and violence. They oftenhave small children and health prob-

lems, or speak a different language

into a wide variety of housing-some public, some prvate, some owned by community groups and some in thworst city-owned apartment buildings. In many placelike the city's housing projects, they find no social servicat all.

Essentially, there are four different routes to housingThe Emergency Assistance Rehousing Progra

(EARP) is the fastest -growing housin

program for homeless familiethan their neighbors. Many of themhave never had their ownhome before,and have no idea how to get help forthe most basic repairs.

Yet at the same time, "many ofthem have been social-worked todeath," adds Greenblatt. It's a difficultcombination. Creativity is often thekey to getting it right. As the profileson these pages illustrate, some of the

groups approach their work with the

"Finally, the city

is recognizing they

have to look beyond

the shelters."

Through EARP, the city gives hefbonuses to landlords for signing homeless family with a federal resubsidy to a 32-month lease. The ciplans to place at least 2,600 familiein private apartments through the prgram this year. Many of them will breferred to community groups fsocial services.

families like community organizers;others tr y politicized education about rights and respon

sibilities, and still others take a therapy-style approach.There are many types of programs, and many differentphilosophies.

Moving OnEach month, on average, nearly 900 families leave the

shelter system according to the city. About 60 percent ofthem leave on their own, disappearing into the streets tostay with friends, relatives or in transient hotels. Many of

them return to the shelters eventually.But the other 40 percent move into permanent apart

ments found by the city or by nonprofit groups. They move


In recent years,the most commoplacement for homeless families hbeen in city-owned, in rem apartme

buildings-that is, buildings that landlords abandoned,

that the city claimed in place of unpaid property taxeMore than 7,000 homeless families have been placed

city-owned buildings since mid-1990. While the indvidual apartments are often fixed up before they move imany of the buildings are in terrible shape and havproblems with drug dealers. Social services ca n be hardfind for many of hese families, bu t during the last year ana half the city has referred the most troubled families community groups for help.

Hundreds of homeless families have been place

each year in completely rehabilitated, city-owned builings. For the most part, these buildings are managed b



community groupswho are ing in from the sheltersusually required to provide about 400 a year. The asocial services to their ten- thority also started checants. Th e community ing families' backgroundgroups tend to do exten- screening out anyone wisive interviews and back- a criminal record, a curreground checks before al- drug problem, or questiolowing homeless families able problems with pri

into their apartments. landlords.Early on, some of the But those who make

buildings were filled ex- into public housing fielusively with homeless little help from the cityfamilies. Others ineluded adjusting to their nea mix of people. Since homes. The Housing A1991, the number ofapart- thority has only 16 sociments open to shelter fami- workers to serve its 592,0lies in these buildings has tenants says AminaAbdubeen reduced because of Rahman, a deputy generattempts to provide homes manager at the authoritfor families doubled up and they are only availabwith friends and relatives. for crisis situations. Whi

About 4,200 families some of he formerly hom

have moved into publicl2

less families in the housihousing from the shelters Q projects participate in statsince mid-1990. Last year, funded programs ru n btenants in public housing :5 neighborhood groups, fraised complaints about :IIlIiQO""::':"'.oJ U most of them there's nev

I h I f Is.r. ... Sec:we: Sylvia Viera (center), a tenant of the rehabilitated b h I all

former y orne ess ami ies buildings run by the Mid Bronx Senior Citizens Council in Highbridge. een any e p at . T using drugs and failing to The community group did extensive interviews and background checks reason for the void in asscontrol their children in before renting each apartment. tance programs, Rahmthe projects. Advocates for explains, is that the federthe homeless argued that the families were becoming government, whichprovides most of he authority's budgscapegoats for all the ills of public housing, but the outcry "has had very rigid rules about not spending its fundswas so vehement that Housing Authority chairwoman social services."Sally Hernandez-Pinero cut the number of families mov-

Help On The WayAt most, only about one-third of he families leaving th

shelters and moving into permanent apartments get ouside help dealing with whatever problems arise in thenew homes, whetherit's finding health care or day care fa child, combatting drug dealers or getting basic repairs fa run-down apartment.

Research in the late 1980s showed that about 10 perceof the families moving into permanent housing from thshelters ended up back in the shelters "roughly withinyear," says Beth Weitzman, a professor at New YoUniversity who does research on homeless families.

To tr y and reduce that number, the city now writesreport on almost every family moving into an apartmefrom the homeless shelters, checking computer recordstheir welfare cases and speaking with shelter worke

Based on that report, they decide what kind of services tfamily might need. I f here's a community group that'sa position to serve them, the city sends them the repor

The main funder for the various community groupsthe state's Homeless Rehousing Assistance Program, ruby the Department of Social Services (DSS). The agenspends about $1.6 million a year to fund 18 differenonprofit organizations, many of them based in the SouBronx, Harlem and Central Brooklyn, where most sheltfamilies find apartments. The groups work with familifor a year, helping them get children enrolled in schotransfer their welfare cases, and deal with more serioproblems like domestic violence. "The idea is to gfamilies stabilized and acclimated within a new comm

CITY UMITS/APRIL 1993/



nity," says Kathy NapoliofDSS.

families. I t will coroughly $1,400 per fami ly-half th e cost housing a family for omonth in many shelteand hotels. Combinwith the existing prgrams, that should cov

every family leaving tsheltersandmoving inpermanent housing.

The Other 60 Percent

A much smaller program, Intensive CaseManagement, is overseen by the Center forthe Research of FamilyPolicy at Hunter College

and funded with$962,000 from the EdnaMcConnell Clark Foundation and the state Office of Mental Health.Four community groupstake part-two in Harlem, one in the Bronxand one on the Lower

~ _ I I o i t : - ~ . Still, all ofthese prTI"OIIbIed . . . . . . . John Weed of the Citizens Advice Bureau with a tenant grams may only makeoutside one offour Hunts Point buildings, where hundreds offormerly small dent l'n the numhomeless families have lived since 1989.

ber of families returnito the shelters again and again. That's because there'smuch larger group of homeless families-about 500 famlies each month-who leave the shelter system on theown without finding permanent apartments. When rsearchers from the Citizens Committee for Children s

out to find what happens to these families, they discoered that most "were confined to single rooms or ovecrowded, substandard apartments," doubled up with othfamilies or staying in transien t hotels. Morethan halfweback in the shelters within seven months.

East Side. They target only those families at highest risk ofreturning to the shelters. "We wanted to show you couldhave an impact even on families with many problems andmany needs," says Sarah Greenblatt, the project director.

Because of the new contracts, there should be more

programs ready to take the city's referrals starting July 1,according to Kenneth Murphy, assistant commissioner ofCrisis Intervention Services in the Human ResourcesAdministration (HRA), the agency that runs the sheltersystem. Some wil l offer six months of casework and helppeople with basic services. Others will try a more intensive approach for families who have major problems.

Murphy says the city-funded programs will reach 3,500

18/APRIL 1993/CITYUMIfS

So far, the assistance programs funded by the state anfoundations are unable to reach them, and few of thfoundations or agencies involved are looking for a way



KnowInI5nIIe: At the Forest Hills Community House, Betty Bailey (left) learned how to fight for her rights as a tenant.

do it. The answer, advocates say, may be a redesign of theway the city's social services agency provides its services.A growing group of advocates and former city officials has

signed on to a rough concept paper, called the HRARoundtable, that would establish a network of neighborhood assistance offices run by the city. Every family onpublic assistance in New York, all 28 6 236 of hem, would

have a locally-based worker who could coordinate whaever services they need.

Some of the nonprofit-run programs described in th

profiles here may represent a first step toward that kindsystem. Altogether, they describe the legacy of the last feyears of homelessness and housing policy in New Yorand shed some light on what's to come. D

CITY UMITSIAPRIL 1993



By Farhan Haq and Steve Mitra

No Breathing RoomThe Asian-American Community Struggles with TB.

As New York City struggles withan outbreak ofHIV-related anddrug-resistant tuberculosis, thedisease in its more traditional

form is making rapid inroads in anunexpected corner: the AsianAmerican community. Thenumber of cases amongAsians in New York Cityjumped bymore than 55 percent last year-the highestfor any ethnic group.

Unlike other groups hardhit by TB-young andmiddle-aged New Yorkers

most Asian-Americans coming down with the diseaseare elderly. "We're seeingmore and more of that," saysDr. Grace Wang of he Chinatown Health Clinic. "Thehighest numbers are amongthe elderly."

City health officials saythey are concerned, but noone is certain what the numbers mean. "The numbers relating to the increase are impressive," says Dr. ThomasFrieden, director of th e

Department of Health's TB

bureau. "Why [the numbers]would have increased, I don'tknow."

disease as those 65 years old or older.The reverse is true for Asians.

The Lower East Side, where a largeportion of the city's Asians live, hasthe second highest rate of tuberculosis in the city, according to the health

Ethnic IncubatorSome of the clues to the sharp i

crease in TB among Asian-Americacan be found in Chinatown. Durithe 1980s, about 26,000 immigranfrom China came to the neighborhooEven as these immigrants became paof the cultural mosaic of New Yorthey also may have carried tuberculsis here with them.

"The rate ofTB in Asia is far greathan the rest of he world. That's whmakes a difference," says Ron Bay

professor of public healthColumbia-Presbyterian Hopital. Statistics releasedthe World Health Organiztion show thatAsia accounfor 69 percent of all TB casworldwide.

Bayer points out thpeople can be infected wi

TB for years without becoming sick. In fact, a perscarrying the TB bacteria honly a one-in-ten chanceever getting sick from tdisease. But as people agBayer explains, their immune systems often bredown. That'swhenmanytberculosis carriers becomill. Just like younger peopwith the HIV virus, the elerly can sometimes no longfight off the infection. Itusto be the most frequent ptern ofTB, before new AIDrelated cases appeared.

Experts say there areclues, however, includingthe explosive increase oftuberculosis in Asia itself.The frequency with whichelderly Asian-Americans aregetting the disease-thoughstill low in actual numbersof cases-indicates thatmany of them may have

carried the infection fromtheir homelands overseas.

A survey done by tInternational Ladies Gament Workers Union in tsummer of 1992Chinatown backs up Bayetheory: the study found thtwo-fifths of all garmeworkers-a high percentaof them Chinese-carry t____ --______ -'v tuberculosis bacteria. Th

Linlnc Up: Last year, tuberculosis cases jumped 55 percent among d' hAsian-Americans-the highest for any ethnic group. Above, recent oesn t mean t ey W

immigrants wait their turn at the crowded Chinatown Health Clinic. spread the disease. Tube

The crowded living conditions inChinatown and other Asian neighborhoods add another element of concern, pointing to a classic pattern ofexposure.

Among other ethnic groups in NewYork, TB is most common in the agegroups most susceptible to HIV,homelessness and drug-use. AmongAfrican-Americans, for instance, menand women aged 35 to 44 are morethan four times as likely to have the

2O/APRIL 1993/CITY UMITS

department. Bu t reports of thedisease's growth within the Asiancommunity have been fairly quiet, inpart because the actual number ofcases remains relatively low comparedto other ethnic groups. In 1991, themost recent year for which data isavailable, there were 249 TB casesreported among Asian residents, upfrom 160 the year before. That sameyear, there were more than 2,000 casesamong African-Americans.

culosis can be spread onby someone who is alrea

symptomatic, an d even then, healtpeople are susceptible only aftprolonged exposure.

Uncomfortably CloseOnce the infection breaks out, how

ever, it's easy for it to spreadChinatown, where apartments anworking conditions are overcrowdeexperts say. After the massive inflof immigrants during the 1980s, tdistrict had the second highest pe



centage of overcrowded housing inManhattan after Washington Heights,according to the 1990 census.

"It's hard to keep sanitary livingconditions when you're living withthree other families and people areliving with strangers," says FlorenceEng ofIt's Time, a housing and advo

cacy organization on the Lower EastSide.

Chinatown activists say unscrupulous landlords sometimes take advantage of the lack of affordable housingin the neighborhood and divide upapartments into dormitories, in which

several people live in one or morerooms and share a common bathrooman d kitchen.

"In Chinatown, there is no landthat is not developed," adds ElaineChan of the Lower East Side JointPlanning Council. "Some [landlords]even rent out basements, where thereis no light and ai r doesn't circulatevery we1l."

It's not just living conditions thatare deficient. A largepartof he neighborhood's workforce is employed inthe area's restaurants or in the garmentindustry. "They are all pretty muchcrowded in small spaces and workclose to each other, so the contagionmay spread," says Giray Vuptala ofthe Heal th Systems Agency, an independenthealth research organization."That's a large exacerbating factor,when you consider that many people

work all day and into the night."And even when residents of

Chinatown get sick, Wang at theChinatown Health Clinic says thatthey don't rush to get treated. "We'retalking about people who really haveto work to get a roof over their heads,"she says.

Debbie Leung, an organizer whohas worked with It's Time inChinatown since 1977, agrees. Shesays immigrants to the area follow afairly standard pattern. When theyfirst become permanent residents,

their incomes are usually very low,and they aren't eligible for any government benefits for three years. So,regardless of their age, they workbetween 12 and 15 hours a day in poorconditions to make ends meet.

As a result, "many (residents) haveno time to go to a doctor," she says."When would they go? They are working all the time."

No MobilizationThe last time New York dealt with

a tuberculosis epidemic was in the

1960s, and the city had the benefit ofa nationwidemobilization against the

disease. With help from the federalgovernment, 1,000 hospital beds wereset aside in municipal hospitals and22 full-time clinics tested for andtreated the disease. But today, thereare only 85 beds in Bellevue Hospital

Some landlords

even rent out

basements where

there is no light

and air doesn't

circulate.

Center and 10 chest clinics citywide,and the federal government spends

less on TB in the entire nation thanthe city government does locally.

These losses complicate an alreadydifficult situation: containing a diseaseas troublesome as TB, which requirestaking drugs for a year or more to getrid of the infection. When patients

don't complete their treatment, thebacteria in their bodies mutate to formdrug resistant strains that areexpensive to treat.

Currently one of he main prioritiesof the city's Health Department is expanding a costly, labor-intensive pro-

L i \ ~ [ 1 r n ~ ®M@: ! ? @ ~ £ l D ~ @ o

gram called Directly ObserveTherapy-in which employees baseat the city's 10 clinics go out to TB

patients ' homes every day for severamonths and watch them take themedicine. Elaborate as it sounds, PeteLynn of the Health Department saythis method "is the most cost effectiv

solut ion for the city-even one hospitalization costs thousands of dollars.The city is in the process of expandinthe number ofworkers from 70 to 220In addition, the city's Health anHospitals Corporation plans to hav295 more beds for TB patients by thend of 1994.

But few of the city's efforts ardirected specifically at the AsianAmerican community. Only three othe city's Directly Observed Therapstaff speak Cantonese: two are basein lower Manhattan; one is based iFlushing. For Chinatown residentsthe nearest city health clinic equippeto test for and treat TB is located iChelsea. For them, the treatmencenter of choice remains thChinatown HealthClinic-whichha40,000 visits last year-and privatdoctors in Chinatown.

"That's a resource problem," sayPeter Lynn of the Department oHealth. "We're trying to build ainfrastructure that was allowed tdeteriorate. "

But Dominic Yip of the ChineseAmerican Planning Council warn

that as young immigrants age, thnumber of cases could increassignificantly. "This kind of thing ihidden now," he says. "Butitcouldba real problem ... As more and morpeople grow older, more and morwill be facing the disease." 0

SUPPORT SERVICES FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Writing 0 Reports 0 Proposals 0 Newsletters 0 Manuals 0 Program

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CITY UMIfS/APRIL 1993/2



By Josephine Nieves

Jobs for the Future

The recession has many victims,bu t few who have been hi t ashard as teenagers trying to findjobs in New York City.

The odds of finding work are lowwhen you are 16 and you lack experience and skills; they plummet whendouble-digitunemploymentrates pit yo uagainst skilled,laid-off workers who arecompeting for ashrinking poolof jobs.

But thissummer, we

hope to changethat. PresidentClinton hasproposeda vastexpansion ofth e federallyfunded Summer Youth EmploymentProgram (SYEP), and i f Congressapproves the plan, New York Citystands to receive enough funding toemploy as many as 65,000 youngpeople before school opens again nextSeptember.

Sisyphean Task

New York teens, who know thatfinding a summer job is a Sisypheantask, can certainly use the opportunities. In 1992, only 15.3 percent of allNew York City teenagers aged 16to 19had jobs of any kind, full-time or parttime, at some point during the year.For African-American youth, thatnumber shrinks to only 9.5 percent.With our 16- to 19-year-old population numbering about 412,000, thatleaves hundreds of housands ofyoungNew Yorkers jobless.

A chorus of conservative critics areespecially vehement in their denunciations of the SYEP program thisyear because of the expected fundingincrease. They dispute whethergovernment-funded summer jobs haveany impact on young people's futurejob prospects, or that the program has

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

22/APRIL 1993/CITY UMITS

long-term benefits for society as awhole. It's a point of view I disagreewith strongly.

Last year, my agency-the DepartmentofEmployment clearly saw theenormity of teenage unemployment.After filling 30,000 positions thoughSYEP, we still had more than 18,000eager-to-work young people on our

waiting list. The federal emergencyurban aid bill, approved in the wakeof the Los Angeles riots, gave us the

money we needed to employ themall-and more. But without the emergency funds, most of these youngpeople would have had a long, joblesssummer.

Conservative CriticsI've talked with many of theseyoung people, and I've heard the desperation in their voices when they askfor help in finding work. I know theywould be incredulous at some of theoutlandish statements bandied aboutby conservative critics who opposePresident Clinton's plan.

James Bovard, writing in the WallStreet Journal, charges that the sum-

If we don't helpyoung people

enter the work-

force, we all pay.

mer jobs programs" sabotage the workethic"; another pundit alleges that

summer youth workers "get such astrong message of cynicism andcorruption that it cannot fail to carryover into their attitude about work,crime and society."

But how can you sustain a workethic ifyou can't find a job? Unemployment rates among teens prove that theprivate sectorcan't pu t enough of hem

to work. For many of our young people,the option is federally sponsoredjobs-or just another summer on thestreets.

I fwe don't help our young men and

women enter the workforce, wepay for it. One study by INTERFACan independent research group, fouthat in one year the city spent $2million on welfare for unemploy16- to 21-year-olds, and lost anoth$300 million in tax revenues and otheconomic benefits.

Contrary to the naysayers, summjobs do prepare young peoplecareers. As one University of Chicastudy pointed out, part-time woduring high school has a strong ipact on future wage-earning abiliThe researchers traced 23,000 youmen and women as they entered t

work force in the late 1970s, findithat high school jobs helped bofuture wages by as much as 30 to percent.

And here's what the real expehave to say on the subject: in a surv

of youths who worked in our summjobs program, most cited the primabenefits as learning a skill, develoing good work habits and learningwork with others. They also saw firhand the connect ion between eduction and the ability to move aheada job.

Forging a LinkAgain this summer, our you

people will be working in goverment offices, hospitals, museums aday care centers. They will tutorliteracy programs, help new imm

grants apply for citizenship and pform hundreds of other worthwhjobs.

Moreover, they will help forgeimportant link between governmeand communities. Critics decry tfederal summer jobs program as a giabureaucracy, bu t our program is opated by a network of more thancommunity-based, nonprofit agenciThese groups enroll kids in eveneighborhood in New York City afind them well-supervised jobusually in their own communities

For young people, working wineighborhood groups helps ease ttransition to the working world. Juas important, it strengthens their tito their neighborhoods and encouages them to become active citizeand advocates.I f the private sector could empl

every teenager in a "charactebuilding" job, we wouldn't need thinjection of emergency funding. Bthe unhappy fact is that orecessionary economy has hi t low icome urban youth below the belt.



By Eric Weinstock

Miracle in East New York"Upon This Rock: The Miracles of aBlack Church," by Samuel G. Freed-man, Harper Collins Publishers, 1993,373 pages, $22.50, hardcover.

Rligion is the foundry that has

forged many African-Americanleaders, from Martin Luther

King,Jr.,andMalcolrnXtoJesseJackson an d Al Sharpton. But this

source of strength has weakened overthe years in communities ravaged bycrime, drugs, an d neglect. "Upon This

Rock: The M i r a c l ~ ofa Black Church"chronicles the struggle against theseodds by Reverend Johnny RayYoungblood, pastor of the Saint Paul

Community Baptist Church in EastNew York, Brooklyn, as he reinterpretsthe gospel to make it relevant to the

lives of his congregants.Samuel G. Freedman, a former

reporter for The New York Times,spent a year with the minister, and hisbook gives us an in depth portrait ofth13 demons, drives and desires of one

of NewYork's most important leaders.By managing to build a community

of strength in a neighborhood whererandom gunfire claims childrens lives

with horrible regularity, Youngbloodhas provided a safe haven for hun

dreds of youngsters involved in church

activities and attending its schoolsan d has helped send numerous children to college.

The biggest undertaking of Youngblood's careerhas beenhis leadershipin the Nehemiah plan to build singlefamily homes for low- an d moderateincome people in Brownsville an dEast New York. The housing plan has

longbeenthe chieffocus ofEast Brooklyn Congregations (EBC), a group ofchurches and one synagogue that isan offshoot of the Chicago-based

Industrial Areas Foundation. Youngblood joined the fledgling EBC in 1980,

and, after community residents decided that housing was their numberone priority, the Nehemiah plan was

born.

Overcoming IndifferenceBut before it got off the ground,

EBC had to overcome the indifferenceof politicians. Freedman writes about

a meeting in 1981 between 20 EBC

ministersan dBrooklyn BoroughPresident Howard Golden. At the start ofthe meeting, Reverend Youngblood

asked Golden, "What is your vision

for Brooklyn?" Golden, unable torespond, said, "You want to talkabout

services? .. You want some garbage

cans?" Youngblood askedhis questionagain. This time Golden answered: "Idon't have a vision." The ministersstood up and left. Despite such poorrelationships with elected officialsincluding then-Mayor Edward Koch,EBC prevailed. Today, 2,300 homes

have been built under the Nehemiah

plan.

But there are many aspects of thehousing program that Freedman failsto explore, reflecting a general lack of

A portrait of the

demons, drives

and desires of

one of New York's

most important

leaders.

analysis throughout the book. Advocates who favored similar housing

efforts have found fault with Nehemiah's poor construction quality,

EBC's willingness to d isplace current

residents of otherwise dismal blocks,an d the organization's general highhandedness. Freedman does notdiscuss these issues at any length, an davoids discussing the political implications of many of Youngblood's

actions. Elected officials and rightwing conservatives who ha d opposedthe plan claimed credit for the successof he Nehemiahhousing. To the right,it represents a win for the virtues ofprivate property ownership andchurch values, a judgment which hascaused the left to view it with distrust.

Conspiracy TheoriesFreedman's writing style is to take

his first-hand experiences, combinethem with stories told by others, andweave them into novelistic prose. He

leaves himself an d his reactionentirely out of the picture. Foinstance, the author downplays thracial tensions he encountered whil

wo:rking on the book. At one fundraising meeting he hears a churcleader say: "The war goes on. Becausthere is an ongoing conspiracy t

destroy black people in this countrystarting with children." Yet Freedman does not comment on or explorthis troubling statement.

In an attempt to address the lack o

church-goingand communityinvolvement among African-American men

Youngblood's church is ruled by aall-maleboard ofelders. At one poinYoungblood even has a potentiasexual molestation case tried by thi

all-male board under the rubric ofcommunity court. Would we toleratsuch exclusion in a cause not aworthy? Clearly, Youngblood's concern for African-American males anfather-son relationships is heartfelBut are father-daughter relationship

any less important in the AfricanAmerican community, or any other?

Since Youngblood's actions defpolitical typecasting, an d Freedma

declines to give a clear frame oreference or analysis, "Upon thiRock" is in some ways a frustratinbook. Yet, despite the book's flawan d any shortcomings ReverenYoungblood might have, one beginto wish that the man was not s

extraordinary. One wishes that oucity, state and nation had many mor

leaders of his caliber. D

Eric Weinstock is an economist an dformer city housing official.

CITYUMITS/APRll.. 1993/2



Commend and CorTeCt

To the Editor:I want to commend you for your

article (UNoVacancy") in the February1993 issue. The article is an excellentdescription of the shocking problemof homeless ness amongst persons with

AIDS in New York City. I commendyou for your thorough treatment ofthe subject.

I have one question about yourarticle's reference to "53 beds incongregate facilities." This count mustnot have included the HighbridgeWoodycrest Center and St. Mary'sCenter, which together have 14 0 bedsin congregate, home-like settings.These residences, licensed as Residential Health Care Facilities, aretransitional treatment residencesoffering on-site primary health care,substance abuse treatment, independent skills training,and a host of otherservices. Our goal with both of thesecenters is to help the residents stabilizetheir health so that they may return toindependent living in the community.

Claire HaagaPresident, Housing and Services, Inc.Manhattan

Community Control?!

To the Editor:I read with great interest your ar

ticle "MakingConnections" (February1993) covering the work carried out inthe Bronxby the SurdnaFoundation'sCCRP (Comprehensive Community

Revitalization Program).The Fordham Bedford Housing

Corporation (FBHC) was the only

CCRP finalist in January, 1992, not toreceive funding. We were firstapproached byAnita Miller ofSurdnain the spring of 1991, as were severalother Northwest Bronx communitybased organizations. We explainedmany of our community and organizational needs and provided extensive information on our work. Thesenumbers were used to develop theconcept paper that served as the basis

for obtainingthe

$6 millionCCRP

eventually had to play with.However, the application process

described in the concept paper disappeared, and CCRP hand-picked the

groups in late 1991. A phone call gotus back in the running but furtherdiscussions still left us with manyquestions aboutwhatCCRP was goingto mean for our organization andneighborhood. We had apparently

been selected for the program whAnita Miller asked us for a "100 pcent commitment" to what was stilvery vague concept. When we contued to express concerns, we wequickly and quietly removed. As wwrote to Ed Skloot at the time, trejection actually came as a relief.

The entire process was an extremdisturbing one which needed furthexamination in your article. Througout the process, communitygroupsthe Bronx were looked on as "lsouls" too busy and confused to thi

for ourselves. It was as though tgreat successes in our Bronx neigborhoods during the past decade hbeen a series of fortunate accident

This attitude was tough to bebecause our programs are very wthought-out and our current objetives are quite clear. The Bronx is o

home.It

isnot

a laboratory of socills to be experimented with. Our pgrams and activities were designedour own community to meet its owneeds and not primarily those of ofunders. But when we told CCRP thwe had very well defined goals aobjectives and would like additionfinancial resources to help carry theout, it was clear we were not goingbe selected.

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As you stated in your article, foundations can and will fund whom they

please for whatever reasons theyselect. It is a terrible injustice, however, to dangle funds in front of organizations desperately trying to financeprograms and then dictate terms. Itcan lead organizations to change

missions, methods, and ultimate ly failto meet their community'S needs.The selection process was not the

only problem with CCRP. While weare community based, an organization such as ours is not-and should

not be -a community organizingeffort. While we are fortunate to havea number of people on our staff withstrong community organizing backgrounds, we know all too well thedifference between community organizing and community improvements.There are times when the two cancome into direct conflict an d one

organization should not tr y to do both.Writing to you no w may sound like

sour grapes an d could ultimatelyjeopardize future funding from otherfoundations. There are however,important issues that need to bee ~ a m i n e d by funders an d the fundedalike. Foundations should be wary ofjoining up with "model concepts"

simply because they are large and willgenerate interesting reports afterward.Community organizations should notbe asked to change their activities atthe whim of funders. They should not

be pitted against one another in orderto show a foundation who is ready tocooperate the most. We should befunded to do the work our communityneeds done, and be treated as equalpartners in the process.

The top-down approach is tempting and we see it more an d morefrequently as outside experts decide

what kind of help we receive. Millerstated, "If someone wants to designsomethingwhere they raise $6 millionan d give it to community groups todecide where it goes, well, I wishthem luck." Community control over

resources? What a concept!

John M. ReillyExecutive Director, FBHCThe Bronx

Wony and Confusion

To the Editor:I was dismayed by your article

entitled "St. Luke's Lawsuit" (Briefs,January 1993) in which City Limits

needlessly adds to the worry and

confusion surrounding this issue.St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital

Center is committed-and has beenfor decades-to serving the entireHarlem and northern Manhattancommunity. We have never "refused

to invite the community to the negoti

ating table" as stated in your article,but, quite to the contrary, it has beenthe community representatives whohave refused to accept our invitation

to engage in an open, constructivedialogue to resolve this difficult situation. We have always welcomed theopportunity to work together with allmembers of our community.

This hospital has never discriminated in the provision of health careservices. We are the largest voluntary

health care provider to Medicaid an dAIDS patients in New York State. Infact, over the past several years we

have provided over $60 million annually in care to the medically indigent,of which only approximately 40 percent was reimbursed by New YorkState's Bad Debt an d Charity Pool.

The community coalition chargesthat St. Luke's-Roosevelt HospitalCenter plans to leave the residents of

Harlem "without essential hospitalservices for pregnant women." They

are perpetuating a harmful mistruth.I cannot emphasize enough that

any woman who wishes to deliver herbaby at the St. Luke's Hospital will beable to do so. Prenatal care servicesand outpatient pediatric services,

including primary an d emergencypediatric services will be expanded at

St. Luke's.

Gary Gambuti.PresidentSt. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital

SPACE FOR RENT. Nonprofit organization

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CITY UMIJS/APRIL 1993/25



PROFE S S I ONAL D IRECTORY

ASHOKMENON

Attorney at Law

Representation of HDFC Coop Boards •

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875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 800New York, NY 10001

Tel: (212) 695-2929 Fax: (212) 695-1489

DEBRA BECHTEL - Attorney

Concentrating in Real Estate & Non-Proftt Law

Title and loan closings 0 All city housing programsMutual housing associations 0 Cooperative conversions

Advice to low income co-op boards of directors

100 Remsen Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, (718) 624-6850

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Attorney at Law

Meeting the challenges of affordable housing for 20 years.Providing legal services in the areas of General Real Estate,

Business, Trust & Estates, and Elder Law.

217 Broadway. Suite 610

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WILLIAM JACOBSCERnFIED PUBUC ACCOUNTANT

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TURF COMPANIES

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AIDS GRAIT/FUIDlIG RESOURCES COORDIIATOR. Extensive background in grant-writing and funding for housing programs w/experience in health services or HIV/AIDS programming area. Topwriting and communication skills;ability to work collaboratively withservice provider agencies. Salary: $32K-$35K. Resume to: MiamiCoalition for the Homeless, 227 NE 17 St. Miami FL 33132. Fax:(305) 539 9212.

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PROPERTY IUIAGER. Manage 150 units, scattered-site, low-incomehousing projects. Min. 2 yr. expowith NFP housing management.Strong building management and supervisory skills; self-starter,organized and detailed;Chinese/Spanish speaking a plus. Resume/cover letterw/ salary req :AAFE Management Co., 180 Eldridge St.,

NY, NY 10002. Attn: PM

SOCIAL WOIIIERICASE WORKER for LES/Chinatown CBO. Developintervention strategies, pro\9de ongoing support to ensure integration of formerly homeless individuals into our hotlsing community.Responsibilities: Advocate for SRO tenants with various agencies;work with management company; hold workshops. Requirements:BS or MSW; min. one year's experience working with homelessand/or substance abuse elderly individuals; organized, detailed,patient. Salary commens w/ experience. Excellent health benefits.EOE. resume/cover letter: AAFE, 176-180 Eldridge St., New York,NY 10002. Attn: SW Search.

EXEGUnVE DIRECTOR. North Star Fund, a small foundation fundingNYC grass roots groups working for progressive social change.Responsibilities: administration, fundraising, development, programming , staff supervision. EOE. Send cover letter and resumeto: North Star Fund, 666 Broadway, Fifth Floor, New York, NY10012. Attn: Search Committee.

IIOUSIIG PUllER. To coordinate citywide nonprofit development oftransitional and permanent housing for special needs populations,including victims of domestic violence. Will serve as project managerfor specific projects. Responsibilities include financial packaging,developing social service programs, supervising construction,coordinating rent-up. M.A. in urban planning, public policy, or

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SI-.usE. Office space available for $2,000 a month, no extras.Great location in downtown Manhattan near Pace, City Hall, allsubways. Three private offices, reception area, plus a large roomthat could be a conference room or 4th large office. Three roomswith a view. For information, call Ollie at (212) 791 3660.

CITY UMITS/APRIL 1993/27



The American Instibde of Architects

New York Chapter Housing Committee presents:

.HOUSING NEW YORK:Supportive And Affordable Solutions

How does affordable housing in New York City get built?

What programs and processes work?

How does innovative architectural design benefit the project?

Two evenings of panel discussions about the development, finance,

and design of supportive and affordable housing. Panels represent-

ing the non-profit developer, the funding agency, and the architectwill present each project.

Monday, April 12 at 6 pmSupportive Housing by Design

Case Studies: Brooklyn Gardens and West H.E.L.P. Greenburgh

Wednesday, April 21 at 6 pmAffordable Housing by Design

Case Studies: Highbridge Heights Unity Apartments

and Melrose Court

The American Institute of ArchitectsNew York Chapter Office

200 Lexington Avenue, 16th Floor

(between 32nd and 33rd Street)

An admission of $5 will be charged at the door.

For more infonnation, call (212) 683-0023