ITY

LIMITS
COMMUNITY HOUSING NEWS

Association of Neighborhood
April 1976
I I HoUsing Developers Inc ..
29" . .st 22nd Street New York. N.Y. 10010 2126747610
.... _____ __ """"'" ......
Vol. I No.3
HARLEM GROUP ASSISTANCE
A Member Profile
by Kathy Sanden
That there is a critical need for housing preservation and
rehabilitation in West Harlem is immediately evident as one
walks the streets north of 125th. The need is evident not
only because there is visible and serious deterioration but
also because one cannot help but be struck by the
architecture and building design, that by today's standards
is both structurally and artistically irreplaceable. Most
importantly, perhaps, West Harlem is the Black Capital of
the nation and as an area rich in the culture and history of
Black America, should be preserved and restored.
As in many other parts of the City, a number of
grass-roots organizations are developing programs to address
the housing problems of the area. One such nqn-profit
community-based organization is West Harlem Group As-
sistance, Inc., which concentrates its housing improvement
and preservation activities in the area between West 125th
and West 155th Streets from Eighth Avenue to Riverside
Drive, St. Nicholas Avenue and Edgecombe Avenu,
Founded in 1970 by a group of Columbia University law
students, some of whom were residents of West Harlem,
WHGA originally attempted to provide professional assist-
ance to neighborhood residents. During WHGA's formative
months it was determined that housing was, by far, the
most common and critical need of the neighborhodd.
WHGA immediately began to explore ways in which
tenants could be assisted in obtaining the housing services
they needed and had been paying for. Since that time,
WHGA has continuously expanded its scope of work.
The staff, once pnmarily Columbia University slUdent-
volunteers, is now made up almost entirely by West Harlem
residents. Mrs. Virginia Thomas is the Director of WHGA,
and coordinates the organization's activities from a large
building on West 126th Street, which is shared by a number
of other social service agencies. Mrs. Thomas first heard of
WHGA from a fellow-tenant who had read an article
describing WHGA in the Amsterdam ."ews. Her building,
abandoned by the owner, was without heat and hot water.
She sought help from WHGA and soon became a volunteer
tenant .organizer herself. Along the way, she also acquired
management skills, which .Ied to her appointment as
I)irector in 1974.
(WHGA Staff) Robert Harmon, Virginia Thomas, Unda
Sanders, Glenda Wright,
WHGA concentrates its efforts on the management of five
buildings, which contain 79 apartments, now in Receiver
ship and part . of the Community Management Program,
administered by HDA's Office of Evaluation and Compli-
ance. WHGA finances its operations through Community
Management fees and small grants. At present, Mrs. Thomas
is ably assisted by an energetic and committed staff. Serving
as administrative assistants to the Director are part-time
college students, Tom Federer, Albert Smith III and Donay
Queenan. Unda Sanders and Glenda Wright work long
hours as Bookkeeper and Secretary, respectively. Bob
Harmon, a graduate of Columbia University's Graduate
School of Architecture and Planning, supervises a staff of
handymen and is responsible for negotiations with the City
and the tenants on repairs and maintenance. Having
experience managing both 7 A and Receivership buildings,
Mr. Harmon feels that although the Community Manage-
ment Program is somewhat restrictive, it has been compara-
tively successful and he looks forward to its expansion.
-7 9
2
OCEANHI LL-BROWNSVI LLE TENANTS ASSOCIATION
-by Members of OHBT A
(Some Basic Principles and Programs of the Organization)
(A) BASIC PRINCIPLES
(I) OHB Tenants Association exists to SERVE THE
PEOPLE - salaries of employees, good relations with the
city and private bureaucratic agencies, popularity with local
politicians and poverty programs are all secondary to the
service of the people.
(2) We believe that a local agency serving the people
should not try to isolate the problems of the people. We
begin with a family's housing problem, but then help them
to solve their other social problems of 551, welfare,
education, employment, health care, etc. We try not to
refer people to other agencies; we attempt to deal with the
overall situation of the family.
(3) We are opposed to the private ownership of prop-
erty. We believe that the very means of production should
be put into the hands of the people. In the area of housing,
we are opposed to landlord ownership and we believe
strongly in cooperative tenant ownership.
(4) We oppose racism in any form_ We are equally
opposed to all forms of white racism, black racism and
Spanish-speaking racism. We will work with anyone who
serves the people.
(5) We believe that workers and volunteers of the OHB
Tenants Association should not only initiate and direct .
housing programs, but should also share in the physical
labor that is involved in the program.
(B) PRESENT PROGRAMS
(I) Our office is visited every day by many, many
tenants. One staff worker and one volunteer man the office
every day. We deal with whatever problem the tenant
presents us with. These problems include housing com-
plaints; dispossesses, eviction notices, Housing Authority
referrals, fires, relocation, welfare, social security, employ-
ment, etc. Once a month we conduct a general tenant
meeting which is attended by 100 to 300 tenants.
(2) Organization of tenant groups in buildings: Our
major work is the organization of tenant groups in the
various buildings. When a group of tenants come into our
office, we arrange to meet with them and the other tenants
of the building some evening in the building. At the
meeting, we help the tenants organize and explain to them
the various approaches that they might follow. Sometimes
the tenant group will pressure the landlord to give better
service; sometimes the landlord is dismissed in favor of a 7A
Administrator; in the case of abandoned buildings, the
tenants band together, open their own bank account, put
the rent money into the bank and then purchase their own
fuel and services. In effect, this results in the formation of a
tenant - controlled cooperative. In all these situations, we
work with the tenant group just long enough to permit
them to elect their own officers and take over the
management of their own building. Then we step back.
(3) HOA Community Management Program: We man-
age buildings for the HOA Office of Evaluation and .
Compliance. Philosophically, we feel out of place taking the
role of the landlord and seeking the rents from the tenants.
However, we have also observed some positive aspects of .
the Receivership Program. It is a good program to create
greater organization of tenants in a building; the use of
community persons as handymen in the program creates
jobs for some residents arid assures real interest in the tyPe .
of work performed in rehabilitating and maintaining the
buildings. Most importantly, we find that this program
makes good, decent housing available for families of our
community.
(4) New Construction: We are the designated sponsors
of sites 115, 1I0C, 1100 and 67M here in Central Brooklyn.
We have insisted with all the city and federal agencies that
these sites must be developed as 100% low-income sites. We
have also insisted on the concept that high-rise, box-shaped
buildings are not acceptable to us on these sites. Our
architects have prepared drawings for low-rise, high-density
duplexes. We are now negotiating with HUO on the package
we submitted to them. At the completion of this housing,
OHB Tenants Association will manage the development.
(5) CETA Sweat Equity Rehabilitation Program: We
have now launched a program of rehabilitation for 2149
2151,2153 and 2185 Pacific Street using paid labar by CETA
and sweat equity labor for prospective tenants. These
buildings. will all become tenant-owned cooperatives at the
completion of renovation. Besides getting rehabilitated
housing, the program also pays the salary of seven
community trainers and twenty young men trainees who
will be taught construction skills over the course of the
next 12 months. The trainees will have top priority for the
rehabilitated apartments. They will also be required to do
three hours of unpaid labor each Saturday for theii
We hope to finish the first building, 2149 Pacific
Street, by July 15th.
(Ed. Note: This article was written and contributed by
We welcome contributions from other organiza-
tions at any time.)
END
STAFF PROFILES
STAFF PROFILE: ADRIENNE STOLLER
by Kathy Sanders
My dour image of the "company bookkeeper" was
forever shattered when Adrienne Stoller joined ANHD's
last summer as Fiscal Officer. Adrienne is a study in
.>ntrasts.
On the one hand she exhibits all of the work habits of
the stereotypical fiscal manager; she's terribly organized,
tight with the buck and, by her own admission, a fiscal
conservative who definitely does not believe in deficit
spending, at least at the Association. On the other hand, she
has a kooky star-quality about her. Perhaps a residue of her
long training as a dancer, primarily received at the High
School of Performing Arts.
She feels that her two may be merging at the
Association. Her credentials as a fiscal wizard are solid.
After a tour of duty at Encounter, a drug rehabilitation
program, as fiscal manager, Adrienne went on to serve in a
similar capacity at the Fortune Society's headquarters.
Although her involvement in the community housing
movement is recent, it did not take her very long to
understand and adopt the philosophy of the movement.
She hopes to contribute to the movement both as being the
"back-bone" of the office at ANHD, and also by developing
some special events fund-raising for Members. She is
currently toying with the idea of a "Disco PartY." Thus, the
merging of the theatrical and the fiscal!
Finding the time will be difficult, however. Since the
CET A Job Training and Rehabilitation Project has begun,
me weekly payroll for which Adrienne is responsible has
jumped from 6 to 56. And, since this is a
funded program there are the regular and recurrmg ava-
lanches of forms and reports. Through it all, Adrienne
continues to keep smiling and keeps us smiling (and, so far,
has kept the auditors smiling).
END
ADRIENNE STOLLER: A SELF-PORTRAIT
by Adrienne Stoller
ed.note: In our continuing efforts to close the communi-
cations gap and, as always, with the best interests of our
IJ"oups in mind, we bring you another exciting and
invigorating PERTINENT PROFILE of a member of the
Association staff. Her name is Adrienne and she's our
humble fiscal officer ...
I always wanted to be a star, ever since I was a child
taking ballet lessons every Saturday. They really meant
more to me than I realized. The once-a-week dance lessons
at the neighbothood Y soon became twice-weekly trips' by
bus and subway to the Metropolitan Opera Ballet school
which eventually became daily roundtrips from Queens to
the High School of Performing Arts, in Manhattan, as a
dance major. Essentially, between the ages of 4 and 19, I
had 15 years of artful, cultural and personal DISCIPLINE.
More often than not, I've been asked, "What's a nice girl
like you doing in a place like this?" I never really
understood what was until just recently . last
summer - when I joined the Association staff. When you
have talent and personality, what better way to direct your
energies? Be a bookkeeper for the movementl I was told at
the agency, before I had my audition, that this would
probably be the most important role of my career, the most
important rung on the ladder to success. "Probably" was
more accurate than I care to admit. When I got the part of
fiscal manager for the run of the show, my thoughts went
haywire - the lights, the glitter, the excitement, the crowds,
the partY at Sardi's ... Oy-vayl 4 9
4
MEET THE OFFICERS
Roberto Nazario
- An interview with Kathy Sanders
leaders of movements usually insist on delivering an
historical introduction before launching into a discussion of
present activities. Happily, "Rabbit" Nazario is no excep-'
tion. "It is important," he stressed, "to know the history of
my relationship to the lower East Side and the oommunity
housing movement in order to understand how I see my
role as President of the Association of Neighborhood
Housing Developers."
Born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rioo, in 1947, Rabbit moved
with his family to New York's Lower East Side in 1954 and
with few exceptions his childhood memories are rooted in
the lower East Side's streets, stoops . and schools. Along
with many friends, he decided at the age of 17, to save the
lower East Side.
His first serious involvement waS as a oo-founder of the .
Real Great Society, Inc., a non-profit oommunity organiza-
tion which plunged into an endless number of projects and
business enterprises. Among its most note- worthy ventures
was the establishment of the University of the Streets - the
first alternative school to exist in New York City.
In 1968, during the height of the oonvulsions which were
shaking the City, Rabbit was removed from the local scene
and drafted into the army. Two years later he returned to
find efforts for the Real Great Society enmeshed and
almost strangled in a tangle lawsuits.
'.'This period marked a real turning point for me,"
Rabbit said. "I spent close to a year working on a
day-to-day basis with some of the best. lawyers and
acoountants in this City. I learned the power of the law
every day and began to think about using professional
skills, such as law, management, oonstruction, etc. to dea;
with the problems on the Lower East Side."
"At that time," he went on, "I was living in a building
on East Jrd Street in the winter of '71 and our landlord was
one of the worst. I researched tenants' rights and began to '.
teach other tenants .. That's when I joined AdoptA-
Building." t
t
As Adopt-A-Building grew, Rabbit grew with it. Al-
though Rabbit feels strongly that tenant organizing must be
the back-bone of any effort to improve housing oonditions,
the activities which he and Adopt-A- Building have under-
taken during the past . few years include sweat-equity
rehabilitation, tenant ownership and management, pioneer-
ing efforts in the use of solar energy, job training programs,
and many others. These activities called for new technical
skills and necessitated a good deal of negotiating and
interaction 'with various government agencies.
It was at this juncture that Rabbit and ' several other
of the Association began to see the need for a
City-wide organization that would facilitate the sharing of
information among housing groups, work for progressive
changes in government housing policy and provide technical
assistance, particularly to the newly emerging groups. In
fact, on this last point, several of the founders of the
Association had been spe!1ding greater and greater amounts
of their time helping new community housing groups.
After a lengthy series of meetings, the Association of
Developers, Inc. finally emerged in
mld-1974 and Rabbit was elected its first - and so far only _
President.
''Taking on the role as President of a City-wi
organization, as as my work at Adopt-A-Building, hl
been . a chall,engmg but extremely rewarding task," said
Rabbit. "On the selfish side," he pointed out, "I've gained a
lot of knowledge that has helped our efforts on the Lower
East Side. For instance, through getting to know the
ABRAMS AND HOUSING ACTIVISTS
5
SEEK BILLIONS IN SAVINGS BANK INVESTMENTS
AS PRICE FOR NEW CHECKING ACCOUNT PRIVILEGES
by Robert Schur and Kathy Sanden
Bronx Borough President, ROBERT ABRAMS and a
group of community housing leaders, including RAMON
RUEDA of Peoples' Development Corporation, ROGER
HA YES of Morris Heights Neighborhood Improvement
<;sociation, RON SHIFFMAN and BRIAN SULLIVAN of
. (att Center, and ROBERT SCHUR of ANHD, called on
the State legislature to refuse to allow Savings Banks to
issue checking accounts "unless the bill contains tough
provisions compelling the banks to halt their practice of
exporting billions in mortgage capital to other states and
begin reinvesting in New York's urban and suburban
neigh borhoods."
The statement was issued at a press conference held
Monday, March 22nd, outside of the New York State
Mutual Savings Bank Association's Park Avenue office. Mr.
Abrams outlined legislation he is proposing that would
include I) a ban on all investments, noting that
it will take decades before a proper balance is restored
between in-state and investments, 2) the
creation of a $5 billion' shared risk pool of capital for
investment in redlined neighborhoods, and 3) the exten-
sion of democratic protections to depositors by establishing
elected boards of directors of savings banks.
The action taken by Abrams and community housing
leaders represent the latest development in an issue that has
been brewing for years.' For several years, legislation to
extend checking account privileges for savings banks has
been routinely introduced and routinely rejected. last year, .
however, the savings banks conducted a strong lobbying
effort and were met, for the first time, by counter
'oposals from some Democratj.c leaders. They felt that if
(he privilege were granted to the savings banks they should
be compelled to do something about the well-known
practice of red-lining and taking local depositors' money
out of the state. By the end of session last year, a bill had
been negotiated, known as the Nicolosi Bill.
to right:) Bertha Hellman, West Side Tenants
UOIon, Manhattan; Roger Hayes, Morris Heights Neighbor
Improvement Association; Kathy Sanders, Associa-
tion of Housing Developers; lawrence Burr,
Commu,OIty Planning Board No.3, Bronx; Ramon Rueda,
Development Corporation; Philip Snider, Com-
Planning Board No.7, Bronx; Bronx Borough
Robert Abrams; Andrew Heath, Morris Heights
Neighborhood Improvement Association; Ron Shiffman,
Pratt Center; Father Thomas McNulty, Our lady of Mercy
Church, Gerald Esposito, St. Nicholas Neighbor-
hood Preservation and Housing Rehabilitation Corporation
Brooklyn; Brian Sullivan, Pratt Center, Brooklyn. '
Briefly, this bill would create a fund to be administered
by a Board of Directors, appointed by the Governor, a
majority . of whom would be bankers. The fund could
require savings banks to contribute amounts equal to 15% of
all new loans that they make; with a $3 billion ceiling. The
fund would make mortgage loans in "community devel-
opment areas" defined as ""areas of the state, designated by
the Superin.tendent of Banks in which a significant portion
of real property is in need of repair, improvement,
rehabilitation, reconstruction, redevelopment, preservation
or stabilization; or which is underdeveloped or developing;
or in which there exists chronic. unemployment or under-
employment." Further provisions, which we feel further
weaken the possible effectiveness of the. law, would require
that designated areas be considered to have "investment
opportunities" and that all loans made be considered
"reasonably prudent." This definition is so broad as to
make it possible, if not probable, that no funds wouid go to
. needy neighborhoods.
The Nicolosi Bill was quietly slipped through the
Assembly by the Democratic Majority. When the bill
arrived in the Senate, ANHD pointed out the obvious
defects in the bill and urged that it be strengthened.
Finally, a 24-hour "powerhouse" lobbying effort by the
commercial banks resulted in the Nicolosi Bill's defeat in
that chamber.
In the meantime, the Savings Banks have re-doubled
their efforts. First, they convinced the Superintendent of
Banks to permit the savings banks to offer "Negotiable
Order of Withdrawal Accounts," which are actually the
same thing\as checking aCcounts, only better because you
receive interest on your money while it is on deposit. In a
few short months, the Savings Banks opened over 150,000
NOW accounts. Trust our commercial bank friends not to
be asleep, however. They promptly went to court and got a
ruling that NOW accounts are illegal. The court ordered the
savings banks to phase out all NOW accounts by April I,
1976. t-4owever, the Superintendent of Banks has extended
that to May I, 1976. . -4 6
6
Abrams and Housing Activists (continued)
Not coincidentally, this has allowed the savings banks to
mount what one veteran State Senator has called "the most
powerful letter-writing campaign I have seen in all my years
in the Legislature." Bills, which are now pending and seem
to have very strong support, will give savings banks
checking account privileges without their giving up any-
thing in return.
Once again, ANHD has taken a firm position. We do not
oppose savings banks checking accounts as such. In fact, we
think that the increased competition will probably be of
benefit to consumers all over the state. But make no
mistake, the savings banks 'stand to make
financial profit and since savings banks are SUPPOSED to
exist solely for the benefit of their depositors, it seems
entirely appropriate that they begin to make investments
that serve the interest of their depositors. For instance, I
what benefit is it to a depositor in Brooklyn if his savi.,.
and that of his neighbors go toward the financing of a "R
Rancho" development in Arizona, when at the same tin
loan applications for mortgages and home improvemen
are automatically rejected because the neighborhood
rc;!d-lined?
ANHD is suggesting to the legislature that it require
savings banks which want the checking account business to
agree to advance to a state-operated fund an amount equal
to one-tenth of one percent (_01%) of their total deposits
each for ten years. This would generate at least $50 million
per year or a total of $500 million after ten years. This
state fund could be used exdusively for making low-interest
rehabilitation loans in tru<ly needy areas of the state. 'By
means of a small subsidy, the state would guarantee the
banks against any losses of principal and interest, which
would amount to the average interest paid to their
depositors. ANHD is also urging that priority be given in
the making of loans to non-profit coops and non-profit,
community-based housing organizations. <
We urge all of our readers to communicate with their
elected state representatives about this issue. Letters are
good, and face-to-face meetings are even better. If you
would like our help in setting up an appointment with your
Senator or Assembly member, either in New York or in
Albany, don't hesitate to call on us. If you plan to write a
letter, you can find your representative's address in
ANHD's "Directory of Local Decision Makers."
END
BROOKLYN COMPREHENSIVE
PLANS BENEFIT CONCERT

Dizzy Gillespie and Joe Farrell
to Headline
(left to right:) Valerie Malcolm of New York Urban
Coalition; Garrett, President of BCC; Dizzy
Gillespie; Miriam Allen and Hannah < Roberts, student-
interns.
On Saturday, May 1st, DIZZY GILLESPIE, the acknow-
ledged master of the jazz-tr umpet and JOE FARRELL,
equally reknowned on tenor-sax, will give a concert to
benefit the BROOKLYN COMPREHENSIVE CORPORA-
TION. In order to make it convenient for you and your
friends to attend, two performances will be held; the first at
7:30 p.m. and the second at 10:30 p.m.
The proceeds of the Concert, which is being sponsored
by Brooklyn Comprehensive and the New York Urban
Coalition, will go toward the support of Brooklyn Compre-
hensive's non-profit housing rehabilitation and tenant assist
ance programs. In addition, a portion of the proceeds will
be set aside to be used as a revolving seed-money fund for
fellow ANHD member groups' fundraising events.
FRANKLIN GARRETT, President of Brooklyn Compre-
hensive, is quite enthusiastic about the evening's program.
He told us, "In addition to the sweet sounds of jazz, we
also <plan a special screening of GOD BLESS THE CHILD, a
film on the tenant movement produced by the New York
Urban Coalition. Also, we to have some surprise guests
and speakers." Garrett hopes for a strong turn-out from
ANHD members and affiliates.
Tickets < the performances are available at the
Brooklyn Academy of Music Box Office (30 Lafayette
Street, one block from Flatbush Avenue), the ANHD's
22nd Street office and all TIcketron locations. "Special
Contributor" tickets are available for $25.00 -and are
tax-deductible. Regular tickets will sell for $7.50, $6.50
and $5.50. See you Saturdav, May 1st!
BIRD LIVES!
NEW YORK CITY'S 312 LOAN PROGRAM
Rehabilitating What For Whom?
7
by Robert Schur
One of the better kept secrets at H DA has been the
quiet revival , for a select few, or what is known as thE! 312
Rehabil itat ion Loan Program. Once again the City has
perverted the process of citizen participation and has
miserably failed to max imize the effect iveness of the scarce
312 dollars. While we strongly support those organizations
designated as sponsors (which include organizations in St.
Nicholas Park, Atlantic Termina l, Brownsville and Fulton
Park Urban Renewal Areas, the Marcus Garvey Neighbor-
hood Development Project Area and Tompkins Park ,
Bushwick, East New York, Sunset Park, Crown Heights ,
Coney Island , South Ozone Park and New Brighton) and
believe that these organizations serve well the needs of their
neighborhoods, we are obliged to criticize the manner in
which they were designated. While no one in the City
bureaucracy can be accused of deliberately hiding the facts
(this reporter was spoken to candidly and openly by an
H DA representative l. the agency has nevertheless quietly
gone about committing some 53 million of very scarce
federal loan money in a manner very different from what
would seem to be the public policy expressed in the City's
Community Development Plans and which strongly suggests
t hat some very private, and perhaps questionable, deals
have been made .
First , let's take a quick look at what the 312 program is
all about and how it normally operates. Then we'll contrast
it with what HDA is actually doing to channel a lot of
federal dollars into a min imum and highly selective number
of buildings and neighborhoods.
The program' s name comes from Section 312 of the
Federal Housing Act. First enacted in 1964, it is the ONLY
federal program which provides direct loans of government
money to owners of buildings who want to rehabilitate
them. The loans are on extremely easy and inexpensive
terms: they run for 20 years and bear interest at only 3%.
When you compare a 20 year, 3% loan with a City
Municipal rehab loan or an FHA insured loan for 30 years
at the latest interest rate of 8%% (plus a ~ % to %% annual
service or insurance charge) the importance of the low
interest rate is at once apparent . If you borrow $10,000
under 312, the annual debt service is 5555, or 546.25 per
month. At 8%% plus service or insurance charge the yearly
cost is $945-$960 per year, or 578.75-580.00 per month
- and you will have fully repaid the 312 loan ten years
ahead of the other kinds .
312 loans are also extremely flexible. You can borrow
for anything from removal of code violations all the way up
to a very substantial renovation . The only limit is that you
can't borrow more than $17,400 per dwelling unit. You
may borrow for commercial as well as residential renova-
tion. And you do not have to refinance existing indebted- .
ness. If you have a mortgage on your building, the feds will
take back a second mortgage to secure a 312 loan. Under
certain circumstances , if you are an owner-occupant and by
borrowing for rehabilitation, on top of an existing mort -
gage, your total debt service will eat up too large a
percentage of your gross income, HUD will include refin-
ancing at 3% as part of your 312 loan .
Sounds like a good program_ Why hasn't it worked for
New York City residents? Well , as with virtually every
housing program that starts off sounding like it can do
some good, when you look further you find the jokers -
either hidden away in the law itself or in the way it gets
administered
312, unfortunately, is no exception .
First off , the law limits its applicability to certain
specified areas of the City. It is available to owners of I to 4
family dwellings in federally-assisted Urban Renewal Areas.
It is also available to repair or rehab ilitate any kind of
building in "designated Federally-assisted code enforcement
areas." I n. the entire history of the Act, there have been
only three such "designated" (by HUD) areas within the
City of New York - the last designation expired in
mid-1972.
Under the 1974 federal Housing and Community Devel -
opment Act , however, 312 loans may be made in "cert ified .
community development areas." There are neighborhoods
where the City, under its Community Development Plan ,
has some other C.D. activities planned or in operat ion and
which the City says it "designates" for 312 loans . In its C.D.'
Plans, the City has so designated some 13 neighborhoods .
So, at least any "owner" in any of these areas ought to be
able to get a direct 3% federal loan to fix up his building.
If only it were that simple. Joker Number Two is the
limit on the federal dollars available for the program. The
Ford Administration in Washington (like its Nixon prede-
cessor) opposes the 312 program. It feels that the block
grants and housing assistance allowances under C.D. are all
the federal monies ' that should be spent for housing.
Fortunately, Congress disagrees and has insisted that 312 be
continued. But in order to escape Presidential vetoes, it has
had to agree to limit the overall size of the program. 312
therefore has only $75 million available nationwide. That
sum is parceled out by HUD among its twelve regional
offices, which in turn subdivide their shares among the area
offices. The New York Area thus has about $7 million, but
not all of that is avai lab Ie for loans withi n New York City.
The Area includes Long Island and upstate suburbs as far
north as Poughkeepsie and beyond.
Traditionally, HUD has not been too friendly to our
City and at this writing they aren't even telling us how
much of the $7 million we may be allowed to spend . HDA
officials say that it will be "at least" $2 million and
"maybe" as much as $5 million - even the higher figure is
distressingly small.
BESIDES, THE WHOLE $75 MILLION NATIONWIDE
IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO AUGUST 22, 1976 - when the
authority to spend expires . Congress can, and we hope will,
renew the 312 program and appropriate additional funds.
But until it does so, we have very little to go on .
-4 12
8
NEWS UPDATES
New York City's Community Development
Plan Stalled in Board of Estimate
Hassles Over Who Gets
What Delays Action
Remember when we all testified at the City Planning and
Board of Estimate Hearings on the proposed C.D. Year One
Amendments and the C.D. Two Draft Plan? That was way
back in January and .early February. So what has happened
since? Officially, nothing, as the Board of Estimate which
has the final word before the Plans go to HUD, keeps
"laying over" the matter from session to session .
While nothing is being said in public, we hear that the
Board of Estimate's executive sessions have produced some
hot fights . Seems that Donald Manes, Queens Borough
President, thinks his Borough is being shortchanged by the
C.D. One Amendment and he wants more . Not for housing
preservation or E RP or rehab, naturally. Manes wants more
sewers, libraries and whatever else ' his middle- and higher
income supporters think their communities ought to get.
Seems also that other Borough Presidents have caught on to
the idea and C.D. is now becoming another name for
scratchmy-back-and-I'II-scratch-yours .. And, we may ask,
what about citizen participation in all of this?
Latest rumor is that C.D. One will finally be voted on, as
submitted (probably before we go to press). but C.D. Two
may get some further revision in favor of sewers, etc.,
before it gets the Mayor's signature and goes to Washington .
.*******
C.D. Lawsuit Heating Up
Ad Hoc Committee Hard at Work
Even without more tinkering by the Board of Estimate,
community groups are fed up with the discrimination and
tokenism rampant in the City's Plan for Community
Development Year Two.
Representatives from the Association have been meeting
with people from the Pratt Coalition, Operation Open City,
the PAC Coalition and Model Cities to firm up issues for a
lawsuit to bar HUD from giving C.D. Two funds to the City
unless a better Plan is developed, including more attention
to the housing needs of low- and moderate-income residents
and minorities, less money for HDA Administration and a
meaningful Citizen's Participation program. The group is
also starting to contact public-interest lawyers and law
firms to get the strongest possible legal representation.
Better watch out Abe,John and Carla. We'll be seeing
you in court before you pour our dough down a Queens or
Staten Island manhole!
********
TRAINING FOR ORGANIZERS
The National Training and Information Center is cur
rently offering PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIPS to their train
ing school , located in Chicago, Illinois. Courses range in
length from one week to one year , and cover technical
assistance, community organizing, fundraising, coalition
building, video politics, health politics, issues of Senior
Citizens, redlining/reinvestment, etc. For information, write
to Mr. Shel Trapp, Training Director , National Training and
Information Center, 121 West Superior Street , Chicago,
Illinois 60610 (Tel. 3127511601) .
*.* _.
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR
INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS INTERESTED
IN CONSTRUCTION TRADES SKILLS AND TRAINING
The United Government has published several
Manuals designed to assist high school students interested in
careers in the construction industry as well as an Instructors
Manual outlining a course curriculum for 7 specific trades .
The publications are available at nominal prices
should be of interest to groups and individuals involved or
planning housing repair or rehabilitation activities.
The manuals are:
99M INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL. Offers a suggested
course outline and curriculum for seven specific trades.
Punched for a three-ring binder. 1975. 106 pages. $4.15
100M STUDENT MANUAL. The student complement to
the instructor's manual, it gives general information about
each of seven types of jobs available in the construction
field. These are wood working, finishing, heavy equipment,
metal working, masonry, electricity, and engineering, sup-
port, and management services (including draftsmen). 1975.
97 pages. $1.'35
Each of the following student manuals discusses all the
characteristics of and duties involved in one of the
particular construction trades mentioned above. The man-
uals for heavy equipment, finishing, and engineering,
support, and management services will be listed in a future
issue.
101M MASONRY. 1975.66 pages. $.90
102M E LECTR ICITY. 1975. 53 pages. $.85
103M WOOD. 1975. 82 pages. $1.15
104M METAL. 1975.120 pages $1.55
To order forms for the above-listed publications,
call or wnte to the Association.
END
'. West Harlem (continued)
The Board of Directors of WHGA, chaired by Thomas F.
Cunningham, Esq., is made up of both local residents and
professionals. " One advantage," Mrs. Thomas pointed out,
"is that we have never been without legal and architectural
assistance since we started - a problem many groups
cont inuously face . As well as shaping policy, our Board of
Directors is also a constant, much-needed source of
technical assistance."
regard to future plans, Mrs. Thomas hopes to
obtain the necessary funds with which to bring on a
full-time tenant organizer. She also looks forward to a
positive outcome in the fight for C.D. funds , so that groups
li ke WHGA can move out of their present "holding
pattern " and get on with the job of rehabilitation.
END
Adr ienne Stoller (continued)
The ledgers, the budgets, the payroll, the meetings, the
phone calls, the auditors, the taxes, the checkbook balance,
the I RS, the accounts payable, the creditors, the bank
managers, THE FISCAL CRISIS, the chicken soup ...
This all may be very lighthearted, but it's only because I
take my job so seriously that I am able to make fun of it. In
these times, when there are so many obstacles we must
overcome, it is important to be able to relax and laugh and
with each goal we reach, enjoy the fruits of our labor .
It's as if the curtain has come down on Act I and the
crowd leaps to its feet ; the applause fills the theatre; they
know there's more to come. The show is a hit! Suddenly,
you know the hours of blood, sweat and tears were not all
in vain and just one more time the effort was worth it.
Sure, there were re-writes; sure, there were budget cuts;
sure, there were character changes, rehearsals till three
o'clock in the morning, bended backs, broken bones,
broken hearts, but with'the drive and determination of our
troops, it was destiny! There's no keeping us down! You
can take the star out of the greaspaint but you can't take
the greasepaint out of the star.
On with the show!
END
Roberto Nazario (continued)
Renigades, I've learned a lot about sweat -equity construc-
tion. The ANHD staff have also helped a great deal : Bob
Schur has assisted us in many ways like helping on the
building Seal-up Contracts; Ernie Winston has taught us a
lot about construction and management ; and Judy Flynn
has helped us survive with Joint Fundraising. Also, we've
taken advantage of HCC's Home Repair Training Course."
Asked to describe his style of leadership, Rabbit
answered, "I serve as President because the members asked
me. I feel very fortunate in helping to steer a City-wide
movement and helping strengthen our weaknesses . I'm not
a 'rubber stamp,' and I've always been aware of my role as a
negotiator that is obviously needed in an organization made
up of so many people from different neighborhoods."
"I think, as President, I've ' helped to develop a structure
that on the one hand ensures broad-based decision-making
on important issues and, on the other , concentrates
responsibility in a representative Operations Committee
that can spend the time necessary to monitor the day-to-
day operations of the Association and its staff . For
instance, the other day at an Operat ions Committee
meeting we made some decisions on budget and staff t ime
but referred several other items to the general membership
since they were issues about which everyone should be
informed and have an opportunity to voice an opinion on
and vote on."
Rabbit is very conscious of the problems that occur
when decision-making power is concentrated with too few
people_ "Sometimes," he continued, "we'll just have to
wait to hear from the general membership. Speed cannot be
our goal. There must be understanding and cooperation.
Finally, we must be constantly training new leaders so that
the housing movement does not rely solely upon a few
individuals."
As we walked in the freezing rain, back to the unheated
sweat-equity construction site on East 11th Street, Rabbit
summed up his role as President as that of a "problem
solver. "
"The City is in deep trouble. We have some answers.
Right now we' re training unemployed people and rehabili -
tating housing at the same time for a fract'ion of the cost
the City or a private developer would spend. What we have
to do in 1976 is get our solutions heard and accepted. We
have to turn around our politicians; we've got to make sure
that C.D. money is spent on rebuilding our neighborhoods.
Yes, it's going to be a challenging
END
9
10
ENERGY CONSERVATION AND THE
COMMUNITY HOUSING MOVEMENT
*.
Let's Get In On The Ground Floor
by Robert Schur
For the past few years, we have been hearing a lot about
energy conservation. It may even replace Motherhood and
Apple Pie as symbols of patriotism. Rather than discuss the
pros and cons of why we should not be for or against this
or that idea or proposal because it is good or bad for
conserving our energy resources, let's examine a couple of
very concrete ways that we may be able to relate
energy-saving systems to help us deal with housing prob-
lems and costs in our own neighborhoods here in New York
City .
Right now, there appear to be two rather novel but
relatively simple ideas that we ought to be at least thinking
about - and maybe doing something about. The first is
using solar energy; the other is developing systems to use
waste materials to create fuel and saleable fertilizer.
Solar energy is a very easy concept to understand.
Basically, it involves using the sun' s rays to provide heat
and hot water for home use. One basic system is to install
"solar co"ectors" on the roof. These collectors capture the
heat from the sun, use it to warm water which is then
circulated in insulated pipes throughout the building.
Such a system has been installed by Adopt-a-Building
and the sweat equity tenant-cooperators at 519 East lith
Street in Manhattan. Three rows of brightly-colored glass
panels have been set up on the roof of this S-story IS unit
tenement. While only just completed, the system works -
even in the wintertime, it produces enough heat from the
sun to provide the entire building with a constant,
round-the-clock supply of hot water .
Less simple and less developed technologica"y, so far at
least , are waste handling systems, the most interesting of
which are called "methane digesters _" In this system,
human wastes are combined with other organic materials
(such as ordinary garbage, old newspapers, wood chips,
etc.) in a storage tank to produce methane gas. Methane is
very similar to the gas which we buy from Con Edison and
can be used for all home purposes, as an acceptable
substitute. As a by-product, the solid material that remains
after the gas is generated makes extremely good fertilizer
and soil conditioner and might readily be sold to plant
nurseries and farms, or used to help grow grass and flowers
in a favorite empty lot.
While some investigators claim that methane gas "cook-
ers" are not adaptable to urban environments, others
disagree (until very recently, almost everyone believed that
solar collectors would be useless in New York City because
we don't get enough sunshine - they seem to have been
quite wrong) .
A major point to be made about these energy-producing
schemes is that they may be able to produce significant
savings in the costs of buying ordinary fuels (coal, oil, gas,
or electricity) for heating and cooking. While installation
costs, especially where cheap, mass-produced units are
unavailable , may be high, substantial savings can be effected
over time. For instance, at 519 East lith Street, the solar
collector is expected to supply year-round hot water for the
entire building. This ought to save not only a lot of heating
oil but wi" also permit the main boiler and oil boiler to be
shut down completely during the warm weather months,
thereby saving on maintenance costs and greatly prolonging
its useful life .
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Furthermore, there may be excellent opportunities, right
now, for obtaining government or private assistance to help
pay for initial installation costs. 519 got its system paid for
by a federal grant (which included engineering expertise
and lots of insulation that will further reduce heating bills) .
There are also very good possibilities for other benefits,
such as tax abatements, to come along in the near future .
At least one bill is pending in Congress to give tax
deductions or credits for equipment purchases or energy-
saving equipment to homeowners.
And once you get "energy conscious," you can save in
other ways. More careful planning for insulating materials,
room layouts, placement of windows and doors a" can
reduce heat loss and save lots of dollars on fuel bills - not
only in winter, but in the hot weather too, by making
air-conditioning units operate more efficiently. You can
even change your "lifestyle" in terms of the clothing you
wear and how much heat you "need" at different times of
the year. Or, how about the idea of a windmill on the roof
to generate electricity .... ?
With fuel running about 20% of building maintenance
and operating costs, there are lots of possibilities. As
housing developers for low- and moderate-income people,
we ought to keep a sharp eye out for cost savings
opportunities. Energy conservation may be a good place to
begin.
led. note : for interested readers there are lots of ideas
and how-to-do-it advice in a stimulating book called "Other
Homes and Garbage" by Leckie, Masters, Whitehorse and
Young, published by Sierra Club Books of San Francisco,
California, at $9.95.)
END
...
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.....
UNSUNG HEROES OF THE CETAlCJCC
JOB TRAINING PROGRAM
CORRECTIONS AND APOLOGIES
In our March issue, the art icle on the CETA/CJCC Job
Training and Rehabilitation Program made mention of
several organizations whose part icipation and assistance
were vital to the s.uccessful launching of the first projects.
We neglected to mention others whose contributions
were equally vital and without which the Program could
not have proceeded. We hasten to correct this oversight and
to complete the record .
- The ConsumerFarmer Foundation, Inc. provided seed
money loans and advances to keep the projects "alive"
during the long, organizing months of negotiations and
processing. To Meyer Parodneck and Martin Young of that
organization belong special appreciation for their faith and
beli ef that, despite gloomy predictions and against tremen-
dous odds , the Program would somehow come to fruition .
- The Ford Foundation, The Fund For the City of New
York and The Chemical Bank furnished a total of $40,000
in guaranty funds against possible cost overruns, without
which our friends at HDA would not have proceeded. Ms .
Anita Miller of Ford , Messrs. Gregory Farrell and Jack
Newsom at the Fund and Messrs. Doug Ades and Juan
Villanueva at Chemical - all of them' old and dear friends
of community housing groups and their efforts - are also
heroes and their contributions cannot go un-noted.
"City Limits" is pleased to include them on the roster of
contributors to the CET A/CJCC Program and regrets the
inadvertent omissions in the eariip.r story.
JOBS
The Association of Neighborhood Housing Developers,
Inc. has been awarded a Summer Internship Grant from
First National City Bank. The grant will pay a student
enrolled in college or graduate school $140 per week for an
eight-week period, commencing on or about July 1,1976.
The position will require the intern, under ANHD staff
supervision, to write a manual (which will be printed in
English and in Spanish) telling tenants of newly-abandoned
buildings what to do and how to operate and manage their
building. The way things are going, this should have a lot of
use In the coming fall and winter.
Applications will be accepted until April 30, 1976. Se.nd
a written resume and, if possible, a sample of something
you have written, to Kathy Sanders at the Association, or
call Kathy (674-7610) for further information.
Immediate:
Job Opening in Brooklyn for Secretary. Must speak
fluent Spanish and take shorthand. Salary is $170 per week,
plus benefits. If interested, call Kathy at ANHD, 674-7610.
APRILI
APRil 6
APRll7
APRil 8-9
Pratt Conference Coalition Meeting
Thursday,l:OO p.m.
. II
Amalgamated Clothing Workers of
America Building
33 West 14th Street (between 5th and
6th Avenues)
Primary Day _. Polls Open
from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p. m.
ANHD General Membership Meeting
6:00 p.m., 105 East 22nd Street Room
~ 6 '
SPRING SPRUCE-UP at ANHD
ThursdjlY and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m.
APRil 15 Deadline for filing Income Taxes
APRll23,24,25 Third National Alliance For
Neighborhood Government Conference
Friday, Saturday and Sunday '
Hartranft Community Corporation
2415 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
For more information: write to Alliance
for Neighborhood Government 226
Capitol Street, Washington, D.C. 20003
APRIL 29 Catholic Interracial Council
Housing Forum
Commodore Hotel (42nd and Lexing-
ton)
5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
For more information call Peter Gar-
della, 751-9445
MA Y I Benefit Concert for
Brooklyn Comprehensive Corporation
(See our story in this issue for details)
12
312 Loan Program (continued)
Which brings us to Joker Number Three. Because there
isn't a lot of money available and because what little there
is has to be committed by mid-summer, our own City
agency, HDA, (which, under the federal regulations does all
of the preliminary loan packaging for HUD) has quietly
decided to limit the 312 program even further. Without any
public consultation or even announcement, they have
negotiated deals with Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration and
with their own Atlantic Terminal and St. Nicholas Park
Urban Renewal office to commit just about the entire $2
million they feel sure will be the least the feds will give the
City, for rehabilitation loans in these three communities.
They have also made contingency plans to commit an
additional $530,000 (if they get it) to assist its Urban
Homesteading Program which is limited to two small areas
in Baisley Park, Queens and New Brighton, Staten Island
and further funds to "packaged projects" in Bushwick and
Sunset Park.
Furthermore, all of the loans will be exclusively for "gut
rehab" jobs - each loan will therefore be for the maximum
statutory limit of $17,400 per dwelling unit. This, of course,
assures that the FEWEST possible number of housing units
will benefit and that any occupied building which needs
repairs to remain habitable is totally excluded. In addition,
the loans for each of the two areas will be packaged as
single projects (to improve processing efficiency and speed,
says HDA). This means that only large, well-heeled contrac-
tors will be engaged to do the rehab work since bids will be
entertained only for contracts to rehab all of the buildings
in each area.
What is most distressing about the City's program to use
Section 312 rehab loan monies is that, like so much else that
goes on at HDA these days, it has been done without
advance notice to the public and without giving the citizens
any opportunity to be heard or to express their ideas as to
how the program should be operated and where the money
ought to be spent. And after all is said and done - it IS our
money.
[In the next issue of "City Limits" we shall describe the
specific projects which the City has designed for its 312
program - together with some suggestions as to how we
think the program ought to be developed.]
END
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