2011 Annual Report

A Case Study of Success

Putting Our Community First

A Message from Our Founder

Dear Friends of PA’LANTE Harlem,

Six years ago, 55 vulnerable families living in three dilapidated buildings in Harlem took their landlord to court for emergency repairs and demanded inclusion in the City’s 7A Administrative Program. This program, which had been granted to only 37 other buildings citywide, removes the landlord from management control and sets up a system where the landlord is billed for costs of repairing and managing the property. After countless days in court and numerous delay tactics, the landlord was stripped of his management rights; a 7A Administrator was installed and all three building were rehabilitated.

Thus in 2009 PA’LANTE Harlem was born and since then, we have assisted thousands of families and senior citizens with their housing concerns and legal representation in Housing Court. Our programs have a recognized track record of success. We have touched the lives of thousands of people both young and old. We also focus on helping our youth succeed in school and achieve their educational goals. We believe that this is the only way to permanently break the cycle of homelessness and tenant exploitation. Simply put, PA’LANTE’s efforts have resulted in thousands of positive outcomes, from habitable apartments, increased number of New York City’s affordable housing stock to stable employment and stronger families.

Our reputation is built on helping local residents with their housing concerns and mediating with landlords to achieve satisfactory outcomes.

To further assist our constituents, we developed a long-­‐range plan that involves the continuation of our current suite of services and the expansion of our legal program and community education efforts (youth tutoring program and adult education).

As we continue to fulfill our mission, we are faced with the challenge to enhance and expand our programs. We need to evolve from a solely volunteer-­‐driven organization to one that includes paid staff. Consequently, over the next five years, we plan to incorporate salaries by ramping up our fundraising and board engagement efforts. By developing stability and continuity, PA’LANTE can be even more effective in serving our constituents. Our programs are described herein. I encourage you to read, reflect and reach out with your questions and ideas. If we have learned anything from our experience since our founding, it is simply that it takes a community to end homelessness. With your support, we shall achieve these worthy goals.

Elsia Vasquez President/Founder

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Putting Our Community First

About PA’LANTE Harlem

PA’LANTE Harlem began informally in September 2006 when nearly 100

PA’LANTE Harlem

community residents, living in three dilapidated buildings in West Harlem, banded together to form a tenant association to address the neglect and property abandonment at the hands of their landlord. We succeeded in achieving the first tenant-­‐initiated 7A transfer in eight years.

Since its inception and with an entirely volunteer staff, PA’LANTE Harlem has evolved from a tenant association to a sophisticated 501 (c)(3) tenant advocacy community-­‐based organization.

Our Core Programs Tenant Organizing & Leadership Development We help residents to organize formal tenant associations and empower community residents to hold landlords accountable.

Mediation, Legal and Referral Services We provide direct legal and mediation assistance to residents of Northern Manhattan by acting as a tenant or tenant association representative.

PA’LANTE Kids We support the development of academic and social skills of the children residing in the buildings we represent.

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Putting Our Community First

PA’LANTE Harlem organizes and empowers residents of Harlem and Upper Manhattan to hold negligent landlords accountable for unsafe living conditions through community advocacy, outreach, organizing effective tenant associations, providing long-­‐term technical assistance, and connecting individuals and tenant groups to free or reduced-­‐rate legal services and housing benefits.

PA’LANTE’s goal is to end tenant exploitation in order to enable low-­‐income community residents to remain in their homes and to ensure that those homes are safe and affordable.

Grassroots Since September of 2006

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Vision

A just and inclusive society and a healthy democracy of active citizens and vibrant communities.

Mission

To reduce poverty and advocate for safe housing by organizing, educating and empowering residents. We are committed to supporting each other and to preserving our quality of life, our health, and our personal safety by assisting tenants when their rights

have been violated and by holding unresponsive landlords accountable.

Values

• An obligation to Pay it Forward: PA’LANTE • A demand to live in safe and habitable homes • The right to advocacy, group assembly and freedom of speech • A commitment to promote and protect the underrepresented and seniors • A responsibility to inspire greatness in our youth _____

• Productive cooperation between tenants, property owners, and the many different City, State and federal agencies • Effective collaboration between funders and community residents _____

• Effective programs and activities that meet meaningful needs • Maximizing the use of all of resources available

Putting Our Community First

Tenant Organizing PA’LANTE Harlem helps residents form tenant associations and empowers community residents to hold landlords accountable for housing code violations, illegal evictions and tenant harassment.

PA'LANTE Harlem also engages a team of community volunteers to go directly into buildings, visiting apartments door-­‐to-­‐door to document and file housing code violations.

We provide long-­‐term technical assistance and training to community residents on tenant association formation, management and development in areas including: establishing by-­‐ laws, fiduciary responsibility, field inspections, landlord negotiations, and tenants’ legal rights and responsibilities.

The goal of this program is to empower vulnerable tenants, enable them to remain in their homes, and ensure that those homes are affordable and habitable.

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Putting Our Community First

My name is Rosa Williams. I’m 84 years old and a volunteer at PA’LANTE Harlem. The reason I became a volunteer is that I am a shareholder in an HDFC building. I witnessed firsthand the greed, selfishness and mismanagement by the board and shareholders of our HDFC. Working at PA’LANTE I see people of various ages each day come to seek help from being evicted or losing their buildings again due to greed and mismanagement.

PA’LANTE unites and trains tenants and shareholders to maintain and keep their apartments. I see senior citizens my age that come to PA’LANTE begging for help to keep a roof over their heads.

I volunteer my time because it is so rewarding to see how Elsia Vasquez and PA’LANTE save homes for the parents of small children and seniors alike. Just the other day, three tenants from a TIL building were seeking help after being pushed out without a reason and this is going on around us everyday. Wake up Harlem! We are really facing a housing crisis. Come to PA’LANTE so that we can come together and work as a people to bring about a win-­‐win situation.

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Putting Our Community First

PA’LANTE’s Legal Partners OVER 200 FAMILIES REPRESENTED IN HOUSING AND STATE SUPREME COURT MORE THAN 50 FAMILIES REPRESENTED PRO BONO

Mediation, Legal and Referral Services PA’LANTE provides legal and mediation assistance to residents acting as a tenant or tenant association representative, in order to help tenants: remain in their apartments, overturn illegal rent increases, identify unhealthy hazardous conditions, file housing code violations with the appropriate government agencies, present findings to the landlord, and engage the landlord in renovating apartments with housing code violations and unsafe living conditions.

If the landlord is non-­‐responsive, PA’LANTE represents individual tenants and tenant associations in Housing Court, and/or connects the tenants to free or reduced-­‐rate legal services through its legal 7

providers.

In collaboration with our legal partners Tim Collins of Collins, Dobkin & Miller, John Gorman, Esq., Jose Cotto and Mark J. Weinstein, Esq., PA’LANTE delivers a series of tenant clinics in buildings lobbies, community meetings and at its offices.

PA’LANTE has also developed a Community Resource Center for housing issues which helps connect residents to government and non-­‐government housing benefits that can meet tenants’ direct needs – whether that means finding shelter for an elderly woman who has been evicted, or providing tenant-­‐landlord mediation to keep a family in their home.

Putting Our Community First

My name is Antonio and I recently

traded my old hat for a PA’LANTE hat.

Looking for someone to mediate with my landlord, I visited PA’LANTE at the recommendation of Council Member Rodriguez’s office. Although I have been living in my apartment since the 1970’s, my new landlord has taken a special interest in my rent-­‐controlled apartment.

For months, I provided the property manager with proof of rent payments but they were not interested in accepting my proofs. Instead, they harassed me. Days after visiting PA’LANTE Harlem, the landlord initiated a non-­‐payment proceeding against me.

When I visited PA’LANTE’s office, I immediately got the results that I expected; however what I did not expect was how fast my case would be resolved.

PA’LANTE mediated with the landlord and also provided pro bono legal representation. Mark Weinstein from Cotto Law Offices got my case dismissed immediately in court.

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Putting Our Community First

PA’LANTE Kids Building Communities in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods PA’LANTE Harlem recognizes the urgent need to help develop the academic and social skills of children residing in run-­‐down buildings. Today we train, educate and inspire youth to fullful their potential.

Every year, a select group of teens intern at PA’LANTE Harlem. They work in a professional office setting where they learn tenant advocacy and marketing and segmentation strategies.

But most importantly, they engage in community service.

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During and after the time they complete their internships, PA’LANTE monitors their progress in school, advocates on their behalf when they are confronted with roadblocks that include, but are not limited to, school financial aid benefits and shelter, and connects them to scholarship and employment opportunities.

Putting Our Community First

Training Adults and Youth PA’LANTE provides internship opportunities for local residents enrolled in the Greater Coney Island Jewish Community Council, FEGS We Care Work Experience Program, as well as DYCD Summer Youth Internship and the Externship Program from ASA College. 45 interns have contributed over 3,712 hours between 8/1/11 – 3/31/12. Our intern population is about 55% African American, 40% Latino, and 5% Caucasian and 85% women and 15% men.

The skill set that they acquire working at PA’LANTE Harlem allows them to seek long-­‐term employment and become more independent. They can thereby reduce their dependence on government subsidies and are better able to maintain their families, pay rent and establish self-­‐sufficiency and improve their sense of self-­‐respect.

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Putting Our Community First

My name is Evelyn Perez. My experience as an intern for PA'LANTE Harlem has been a very rewarding one.

I've worked closely with residents both young and old in our community and have become fully engaged during this period of change in my life.

PA'LANTE has positioned me to further understand the needs of others, and helped me achieve personal growth since I joined the organization a year ago. I have gained strategic management and communication skills in our diverse organization. I have also met many warm wonderful people during my journey.

PA’LANTE is a rich and valuable resource for Harlem and I think that all who walk through its doors to contribute their time will gain a sense of appreciation such as I have.

PA'LANTE Harlem is a committed organization with a dynamic leadership. Its mission has made it an obvious choice to those such as myself to carry on and become fully engaged in what we have come here to do. I believe that with our strong and dedicated leadership in place we are poised for continued success and will enthusiastically "Move Forward." ¡Sí se puede!

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Putting Our Community First

Remarkable s uccess •

The owner of 1131-­‐1133 Ogden Avenue, formerly a Mitchell Lama building with 400 low-­‐to-­‐middle income families, has continually tried to illegally increase rents. In 2010, the owner submitted an application for hallway renovations (cosmetic repairs) through the NYS Office of Homes and Community Renewal. His request for reimbursement in the amount of $1,050,000.00 was partially denied and would have raised the rents of each family by $8.00 per room.

PA’LANTE assisted the families in their response to the State agency and, as a result, the owner was able to collect only $89,000 instead of the $1,050,000 he sought. The rents were increased by 70 cents per room. In addition, based on a building-­‐ wide service complaint submitted by the tenants, the families saved a total of $210,000 because the landlord made illegal changes to the public areas. The tenants received a credit of $210,000 and access to the community room was restored. In August 2011, the owner was denied another Major Capital Increase (MCI) application totaling $3,458,100, which if approved, would have increased the rents by $28.00 per room.

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•

22 families living at 772 Saint Nicholas Avenue have been saving $1,000 in rent per month since December 2011 due to the owner’s lack of repairs. The owner will not be able to collect rents until he restores all of the services.

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19 families living at 540 Manhattan Avenue are saving $3,000 on their monthly rents due to lack of repairs in the public areas. The owner has been unable to collect rents for a period of 13 months. The owner will not be able to collect the maximum rent until he restores services.

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31 families living at 900 Riverside Drive, who initiated their battle for repairs in 2007, have saved $840,000 in rents as of June 2012. The owner is unable to collect $15,000 on a monthly basis due to a Rent Reduction Order and his refusal to make the necessary repairs.

•

Delivered a workshop in collaboration with the Department of Youth & Community Development to assist our youth with securing a job during the summer. Over 300 attended.

Putting Our Community First

(2) New boilers purchased with the $400,000 that the tenants association held in escrow;

(3) Rehabilitation of the properties (under NYC HPD's 7A Program) cost over $3.7 million;

(4) Tenant attorneys openly dismissed in housing court and immediately replaced with Tim Collins, former Executive Director of the Rent Guidelines Board and tenant attorney from Collins, Dobkin & Miller;

(5) Landlord abuse & tenant exploitation effectively ended;

(6) Legal rents have been established. The landlord’s illegal rent registrations with Homes & Community Renewal, in an effort to remove the apartments from Rent Stabilization, were corrected for all 98 apartments;

Remarkable s uccess

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Coordinated the inspection and renovation of over 1,000 rental units, providing safe, lead-­‐free homes for 1,000 residents and their families.

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New o ffice-­‐space a t 4 23 W est 1 27 th S treet w ith 1 0 workstations a nd a t raining r oom.

Succeeded in challenging three frivolous property owners’ applications for Major Capital Improvements, totaling close to $5 million, through the NYS Agency HCR (NYS Homes & Community Renewal). Our expertise in challenging frivolous applications using the Rent Stabilization Law has protected over 1,000 families in maintaining legal rents for their apartment.

•

•

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Our grassroots case (225 West 146th Street, 235 West 146th Street, 301 West 141st Street) that began in September 2006 was settled in the State Supreme Court in September 2011. Together, we successfully enrolled three decaying buildings, including 98 rent-­‐ stabilized apartments, in the NYC HPD 7A Program.

This was the first successful tenant-­‐initiated transfer in eight years. 55 families that were part of the tenants association recently settled their claims. Following is a recap:

(1) Removed over 3,500 violations. 98 rent regulated units were fully rehabilitated;

(7) A new landlord purchased the buildings.

Putting Our Community First

Families Assisted Since Inception

572

326

312

2010

2011

117 2009

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2012

Putting Our Community First

Tenant E mpowerment

Maria Fuentes came to this country seeking better education and living conditions for her family. Unfortunately, she lives in an apartment building belonging to a negligent landlord. Her apartment was riddled with over 30 violations, including lead-­‐ based paint, leaks, mold, sagging floors, and vermin infestation.

Her monthly rent today is $1,624.

PA’LANTE assisted the family by sending the owner a letter detailing the repairs that needed to be made in her apartment.

The owner ignored the letter as well as the many violation notices he received from Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) after Ms. Fuentes reported the violations by calling 311.

PA’LANTE then assisted Ms. Fuentes with completing a service complaint with New York State Homes & Community Renewal and a few months later, after the owner was once again told of the repairs and a second apartment inspection was conducted, Ms. Fuentes received a rent reduction order from the State agency. Her rent was reduced to the level that she paid before her most recent lease renewal.

Instead of making repairs to restore the rent, the owner initiated two separate court actions against the family. The first was a non-­‐payment petition because Ms. Fuentes was paying the reduced rent. The case was promptly dismissed as Ms. Fuentes provided her rent reduction order to the court and a list of the repairs that needed to be made.

Weeks later, the owner initiated a holdover proceeding.

PA’LANTE assisted Ms. Fuentes with additional coaching and the paperwork to present to the court. The landlord’s second petition was dismissed.

That afternoon, Ms. Fuentes immediately called PA’LANTE’s office to share the wonderful news and ask for additional advice.

PA’LANTE instructed her to sue her landlord for harassment.

The proceeding is now pending in court and the owner must repair her apartment in order to restore the legal rent. Since March 1, 2011, the Fuentes family has been paying a reduced rent of $1,554.

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Putting Our Community First

PA’LANTE H arlem a nd a ll i ts p rograms b enefit t remendously f rom t he s upport o f d onors, community o rganizations, a nd v olunteers. T his a nnual r eport r ecognizes t he g enerosity o f those w ho p rovided v ital s upport t o t he f amilies a nd c hildren d uring t he F Y 2 011. E very e ffort has b een m ade t o p rovide a n a ccurate l isting. W e a pologize i n a dvance f or a ny i nadvertent

Keonna Lo Blanca Estrada Program Partners and Volunteers Natalie Adams Amadi Ageomah Caprice Alves Curtis Archer Elyse Atkins Juana Baez Zhanice Battle Julio Batista Sanata Berte Leroy Bolden Tanya Bowers Emma Brea George F. Campbell Sharizar Cancel Joseph Carlo Richard Chaleff Tanisha Cobb Eduardo Constanza Tim Collins, Esq. Jose Cotto, Esq. Alex Cruz Carlos Cruz Edwin de la Cruz Hon. Inez Dickens Alva Dwenlingham Carlos Escudero Hon. Adriano Espaillat 16

Maleisha Evans Bernard Garret Latricia Farmer Carol Flores Victor Franco Maria Fuentes Paul Gentles Louise Green Alejandro Guerrero Hon. Vanessa L. Gibson Maria & Alvaro Gonzalez Tiffany Hiero Larry & Evilla Holmes Giovanna Gilliotti William Hammer Edsely Harding Sandra Harris George Henry Jose & Juana R. Hernandez Estela Hidalgo Charlie Hilario Doryne Isle Hon. Robert Jackson Judy John Prudence Lafayette Luis Alejandro Larrarte Edgar Lawrence

Virginia Lomax Tiffany Logan Joe Lopez Megan Lopez Maria & Juana Luna Mikhail Mamedov George Mack Pedro Marin Antonio Martinez Cynthia McKnight Gloria McNeal Zenaida Mendez Miguelina Morel Tiffany Moses Rev. Georgette Morgan-­‐Thomas Felix Ortiz Sara Ostolaza Michael Pacheco Antone Pagan Jose Perdoza Carmen Perez Evelyn Perez Belinda Perry Eutha Prince Stephanie Ramos Hon. Charles B. Rangel Walter Reid Nicole Rivera Christine Rosa

Putting Our Community First

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Gabriela Rosa Carlos Rodriguez Chrisley Rodriguez Gabriela Rodriguez Janet Rodriguez Pedro Roman Neyda de la Rosa Grisel Rosario Abbott Ruskin Olga Salcedo Katherine Samuels, MD Megan Settles Abukarriem Shabazz Geraldine Smalls Martina Sosa Evita Sumpter Nairee Taveras Meki Tate Asiah Thomas Edna Thomas Joann Torres Joan Valentine L. Amir Varick Edward Veracruz Latesha Vargas Raybblin Vargas Margarito Vega Edgar Vera Ben Weissbourd Glendora Walker Gwen Weekes Rosa Williams Vernadette Williams

Hon. Keith L. T. Wright Lakeisha York Deba Young Syed Zaidi

Corporations 900 Riverside Tenant Assoc.

Affordable Apartments Art Guild Awards Artimus Construction Citibank Columbia University Community Service

Columbia University

Medical Center Government & Community Affairs

Gateway Properties L.P. Imani Management Janus Management Janus Partners Ken Haron Family Group L&M Partners MiKissack & MiKissack MSSquare Systems Mustard Seed Associates Inc. New York Homes & Community Renewal Spoonbread

Vintage Ventures United Hispanic Construction Workers

Gov’t NYC Council

In-­‐Kind

Kofi Boateng J. Myztico Campo Ariel Ferreira Tamara Frere John Gorman, Esq Antone Pagan, Actor Jacqueline Ramos Rick Reid Rick “MusicMan” Rivera Shamsuddin Riza David Rodriguez Julian Rosado Sandra S Smith bar Marion Geraldine Smalls A-­‐Jay Sphinx L. Amir Varick Mark J. Weinstein, Esq. ___ Art Guild Awards Collins, Dobkin & Miller Columbia University Medical Center Government & Community Affairs Columbia University Coogan’s NYC Cotto Law Offices Janus Partners MNN New York Homes & Community Renewal New York State Democratic Committee Spoonbread United Hispanic Construction Workers

Annual Funding Sources

Memberships

Corporate Donations

Annual Event

In-Kind Donations

Putting Our Community First

PA’LANTE H arlem S trengths

:: G rassroots

: : U nique m odel o f p rogram s ervice :: E xtensive k nowledge b ase

: : S upport f rom c ommunity l eaders a nd e lected o fficials :: H ighly e ffective l egal t eam

: : H igh l evel o f s taff/volunteer c ommitment :: E xcellent r eputation i n t he c ommunity : : T rack r ecord o f a ccomplishment

"...Since 2006, the organization has stressed the fact that the driving force behind their zeal and relentlessness is what kind of home children should live in."

"...When people did not know they had the Law on their side, PA'LANTE has been at their side, fighting for them."

“Under the guidance of and benefitting from the boundless energy of Elsia Vasquez, PA’LANTE has become a model tenant advocacy organization, one that makes efficient use of interns and volunteers, leverages community resources and leaves educated, informed tenants in its wake.”

– Charles B. Rangel, U.S. Congressman

“…Since the organization’s beginning as a group of perturbed and informed tenants living in three dilapidated buildings with a negligent landlord, PA’LANTE Harlem has become an influential and cohesive organization dedicated to tenant rights. Their dedication to targeting abusive landlords, demanding up-­‐to-­‐code standards for building residents and educating and organizing tenants makes them an essential organization to Harlem. Their tireless efforts are true miracles for the people they help in our community and I cannot thank them enough for all of their kind work in our neighborhoods!”

– Keith L.T. Wright, NYS Assembly Member

“PA’LANTE Harlem has worked tirelessly as a leading ally for low income New Yorkers who have been impacted by landlord abuse and dangerous housing conditions. Your work strengthens New York City as a whole.”

– Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President

– Adriano Espaillat, NYS Senator

– Robert Jackson, NYC Council Member

"Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our fellow New Yorkers… You have been very instrumental in helping tenants and tenant leaders within the Highbridge community by enhancing tenant rights.”

– Vanessa Gibson, NYS Assembly Member

“…PA’LANTE Harlem has been a grassroots organization that has collected the voices of the marginalized into a powerful entity for change.”

– Inez Dickens, NYC Council Member

“…PA’LANTE has helped the residents in our own community and by doing so you have made a mark in their social economic development.”

– Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC Council Member

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Putting Our Community First

OVER 400 TENANT WORKSHOPS DELIVERED PA’LANTE DELIVERS ITS WORKSHOPS IN BUILDING LOBBIES TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE GETS A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE

OVER 30 TENANT LEGAL WORKSHOPS DELIVERED PA’LANTE PARTNERS WITH ATTORNEYS FROM PRIVATE LAW FIRMS. ATTORNEYS HAVE ACCEPTED MORE THAN 50 COURT CASES PRO BONO

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Putting Our Community First

DEMYSTIFYING HOUSING ROADSHOW 2011

A TWO-­‐PART HOUSING ROADSHOW, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL DEVELOPERS, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION & DEVELOPMENT (HPD), NYS HOMES & COMMUNITY RENEWAL (HCR), DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (DYCD), NYCHA, HUD, AND TENANT ATTORNEYS TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO 53,000 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS. EACH CLINIC WAS FOLLOWED BY A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH HOUSING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS. IN PERSON OUTREACH CONDUCTED TO OVER 5,000 RESIDENTS WHILE OTHERS RECEIVED PHONE CALLS AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS TO INVITE THEM TO THE EVENT.

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Putting Our Community First

“PA’LANTE has been more than a job these past few weeks. It is also family.”

- Denilde Peña Summer Youth Employment Program

…SUPPORTING OUR YOUTH’S SUCCESS …WITH A FOCUS ON EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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Putting Our Community First

I am Chelsee Sutherland and I don’t take “No” for an answer. Why? Because I don’t have much of a choice.

My family is far from the kind you read about in children’s books. Even so, I learned life lessons from them that will always be with me, and for that, I thank them.

I have lived in numerous homes because my parents weren’t able to provide a home for me. My mother and I didn’t get along so when I was 14, I was sent to live with my father. That didn’t work out, so I ended up moving to my aunt’s house. I stayed with my aunt until my relatives came to town and needed a place to stay. So I was again sent looking for another place to stay. My closest friend’s mother took me in but four months later she moved to Colorado. Then I lived with her daughter but left after five months because there was a lot of miscommunication between us. I rented a room and enjoyed having my own space, but when my internship ended that June, I fell behind in my rent and was evicted. I then became a resident at the Covenant House.

While my living situation never seemed to be stable, neither were school and my behavior. I was in and out of detention facilities from the ages of 14 to 16. When I was 15 I was placed on probation. I didn’t like to ask anyone for things and I was constantly told I would never have a future. When I was supposed to be in school, I was looking for my next meal or a place to sleep for the night. I didn’t think school was more important than surviving. I hit rock bottom when I turned to my family and they said that I would never amount to anything. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I truly felt alone in the world, and felt like giving up on myself.

I was 16 and sitting in a detention facility when it dawned on me that I didn’t want my life to be this way. I wanted more for myself and a better life than I was living. My first step was going back to school. I began attending Aspirations Diploma Plus High School in September 2009.

I started to understand why school was so important and that I was depriving myself by not attending regularly.

It seems pretty obvious now, but I discovered that learning how to read and write is a necessity in today’s world. I’ve been taught that if I changed how I view the world, that everything I’ll ever need or want is possible!

A year later I graduated high school a year ahead of schedule and was named salutatorian: It was one of the proudest days of my life. I also got off probation in July 2010, and right after that received a citizen award for my remarkable behavior on probation.

I went to college in the spring of 2011, but didn’t do so well. On top of that I had an outstanding tuition bill I couldn’t pay. This caused me to miss the fall semester. At that time I was residing in the shelter but then I was offered a scholarship to pay my school debt. Covenant House paid for me to go to college and I was able to go back in the spring of 2012.

I am now 19 years old and working at the Covenant House as an assistant and at PA’LANTE Harlem as a community liaison. I thought working PA’LANTE would be just a summer job. But I’ve been able to save money and meet new people, which I hope will lead to new opportunities. I am working hard to become the person I want to be. I’ve learned how to find and keep a job and how to network and make connections with other people. I’m also on a youth advisory council dedicated to helping improve the experience for youth on probation.

I am grateful for the love and support I get at PA’LANTE because I would not be at this point in my life otherwise. Now it’s my turn to offer that same support. I love the feeling I get when I help someone else. It’s a way to give back to the community and a real accomplishment.

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Board of Directors Elsia Vasquez

Tony Hasbun

Founder

Basil Smikle

Carmen L. Perez

Alex Cruz

423 West 127 Street :: New York, NY 10027 Tel.: (212) 491 2541 :: Fax: (212) 491 2542 www.palanteharlem.org

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Putting Our Community First

PA’LANTE Harlem, Inc. 423 West 127 Street New York, NY 10027 Tel.: (212) 491 2541 Fax: (212) 491 2542

palante@palanteharlem.org www.palanteharlem.org www.facebook.com/palanteharlem