Vol. 39, No. 5 www.nyc.gov/nycha MAY 2009

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PAGE 72010 DRAFT AGENCYANNUAL PLAN NOTICE

By Eileen Elliott

CM Sanders Allocates $2M forCCTV at Redfern HousesCITY COUNCIL MEMBER JAMES SANDERS, JR. ANNOUNCED ANALLOCATION OF $2 MILLION FOR CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION(CCTV) AT THE REDFERN HOUSES IN FAR ROCKAWAY AT A PRESSCONFERENCE HELD IN THE DEVELOPMENT’S COMMUNITY CENTERON MARCH 23RD. The Council Member was joined by CongressMember Gregory Meeks, New York City Housing Authority(NYCHA) Chairman Ricardo Elías Morales and Redfern ResidentAssociation President Doris Jacobs. The money will be used toinstall 141 cameras in the development’s nine buildings. Redfern willbe the first NYCHA development in the Rockaways to receive theCCTV system.“This site, Redfern Houses,

has a lot of historical pain,” theCouncil Member said in hisopening remarks, referring to15-year-old Brandon Bethea,who was killed by a stray bulletlast May, and other shootings.“But none of us have given up.None of us have said there isn’tmore to the story.”The Council Member thanked

State Senator Malcolm Smithfor helping to focus all concernedafter Ms. Bethea’s murder,and for allocating money tokeep the Community Centeropen after it had been closedbecause of NYCHA’s budgetdeficit. (The Center is now asponsored site, run by the PoliceAthletic League.)

Since 1997, 5,000 camerashave been installed in over365 buildings in 60 NYCHAdevelopments. The strategicallyplaced cameras act as a deterrentto prevent crime as well asserving the valuable function ofrecording incidents of crime,which can then be reviewed bythe police.

Special Gunshot TechnologyRedfern will be the very first

NYCHA development to havecameras with the special abilityto pinpoint gunshots. NYCHAwill be taking guidance from theNYPD with regard to whichgunshot system to use.

(Continued on page 6)

IMPROVED SAFETY THROUGH CCTV NYCHA ChairmanRicardo Elías Morales, Redfern Houses Resident AssociationPresident Doris Jacobs and City Council Member JamesSanders, Jr., in front of the development’s Community Center.

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) held its 39th Annual Talent Show Competition onMarch 28th at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. This year’s show was aspecial tribute to the Housing Authority’s 75th Anniversary. Residents competed for first-,second- and third-place prizes in four age categories, working under the direction and with theguidance of show biz professionals. Shown above are some of the dancers in “Tanima,” fromUniversity Avenue Rehab in the Bronx, who won 1st Prize in the 6 to 12 Age Category. See“Deb’s Diary,” page 3, for more.

39th ANNUAL TALENT SHOW!

Tree Plantings Kick Off Earth WeekOn Saturday, April 18th, 300 community volunteers and invited New York CityHousing Authority (NYCHA) residents gathered at Pomonok Houses in Flushing,Queens to plant trees on the grounds of the 56-year-old development.This initiative was the first of several tree planting volunteer events that are sched-uled to occur throughout the spring. The event was a collaboration betweenMillionTreesNYC, the New York Restoration Project and NYCHA. AdditionalTree Plantings took place or are scheduled for East Harlem at Washington,Lexington, East River, Carver, Lehman and Clinton Houses; Brooklyn atBushwick, Hylan, Williamsburg, Red Hook Houses and Borinquen Plaza, and atSouth Jamaica Houses in Queens.

ESTABLISHED 1970 • CIRCULATION 200,000

Published monthly by the NewYork City Housing AuthorityDepartment of Communications

250 Broadway, NewYork, N.Y. 10007Tel (212) 306-3322 • Fax (212) 577-1358

nyc.gov/nycha

Michael R. Bloomberg...........................................Mayor

Ricardo Elías Morales ..............................................................ChairmanEarl Andrews, Jr. ..............................................................Vice-ChairmanMargarita López ...............................................................Board MemberVilma Huertas............................................................................SecretaryDouglas Apple ..............................................................General ManagerSheila Greene ........................Director, Department of CommunicationsEileen Elliott ...................................................................................EditorHeidi Morales......................................................Editor, Spanish EditionHoward Silver ....................................................Editor, NYCHA BulletinTischelle George.......................................................Online News EditorDeborah Williams..................................................................Staff WriterPeter Mikoleski, Leticia Barboza.........................................Photography

If you are interested in placing an advertisement in the Journal, please callour marketing representatives in the Office of Business and RevenueDevelopment at (212) 306-6616.The inclusion of any advertisement in thisJournal does not constitute any endorsement by the Housing Authority ofthe advertiser or its products or services or any other representation by theHousing Authority with respect to such products or services.

2 THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNALMAY 2009

The Housing AuthorityJournal

Let’s Make Sure All NewYorkCity Residents are Counted in the

2010 CensusNEW YORK CITY IS DOING EVERY-THING POSSIBLE TO ENSURE A FULL

AND ACCURATE ACCOUNT OF ALL

CITY RESIDENTS FOR THE 2010CENSUS, AND THAT INCLUDES NEWYORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY(NYCHA) RESIDENTS.Last month I signed an executive

order establishing the NYC 2010Census Office, headed by newlyappointed City Census Coordinator(and former NYCHA Chief ofStaff) Stacey Cumberbatch. Thenew City Census office will workcloselywith theU.S. CensusBureau

Regional Office to coordinate efforts among City agencies and formpartnerships across the City with community organizations, culturaland educational institutions, faith-based organizations, labor unions,immigrant advocacy groups and others.More than $20 billion of annual federal funds are distributed to New

York City based on the decennial (ten-year) Census, including funding forschools, counter-terrorism and security efforts, and social service organi-zations. Elected representation at the federal, state and local levels is alsodetermined by the Census.The Census response rate in New York City has traditionally lagged

well behind the national average due to a combination of factors,including the large population of immigrants who may have privacyconcerns, a fear or mistrust of government, or language barriers. NewYork City has the highest percentage of "hard-to-count" residents, whichalso includes low-income households, renters and singlemen andwomen.We are kicking off a new effort to get the message out that

there's nothing to fear by filling out a Census survey, and that weneed every New York City resident counted. We're targeting the lowresponse rate areas and hard-to-count groups and will be working withcommunity groups across the City to break down the barriers that preventparticipation in the Census.The NYC 2010 Census Office has four key missions:—Helping the U.S. Census Bureau’s regional office to identify the

populations and neighborhoods in NewYork City that have been hard tocount in the past. The Census Office will work together with atleast 20 City agencies including the Department of City Planning, theMayor's Community Affairs Unit, the Office of Immigrant Affairs, theMayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, and the City Commission onHuman Rights.—Collaborating with the federal government to raise public awareness

and encourage greater participation in the 2010 Census.The focus will beon populations that have traditionally been hard to count, including,immigrants, communities of color, low-income households and singleNewYorkers.—A key component to the City's effort will be informing the public

that under federal law, the personal information collected by theCensus is entirely confidential, and cannot be shared with any federal,state, or city agency.—Using the City's existing communication networks to distribute

information about the Census. NYC&Company, for example, is alreadyworking to develop a public outreach campaign and NYCHA hasassigned a staff person to the NYC 2010 Census Office to develop andimplement a communications plan to reach NYCHA residents.NYCHA residents, whether living in conventional housing develop-

ments or Section 8 Leased Housing, make up a full 7.9% of the City’spopulation and so your participation is particularly important. I encourageall 633,637 NYCHA residents and voucher holders to participate bycompleting and returning the Census form. The 2010 Census is easy, it’ssafe, it’s important, and this will be the shortest questionnaire ever.The partnership and collaboration taking place now with the Census

Bureau and the City’s new Census Office will prove to be invaluable inreaching our goal of getting the most accurate count in 2010 for NewYork City. Since the year 2000, New York City's population hasincreased by 4.4 percent. The City's population stands at 8,363,710according the July 2008 Census Bureau estimate.

Michael R. Bloomberg

MAYOR’S MESSAGE THE FACES OF NYCHA

TO LEARN ABOUT A DEVELOPMENT

IN THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING

CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISIONSYSTEMS, OR CCTV, AND FORMING

TENANT PATROLS, WE TURN TO

SOLOMON LIESER, WHO HAS

BEEN THE RESIDENT ASSOCIATIONPRESIDENT OF INDEPENDENCETOWERS

IN WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN FOR

THE PAST 11 YEARS.Mr. Lieser has many roles. In

addition to being IndependenceTowers Resident AssociationPresident, he is also controllerfor Godinger Silver, a Queens-based crystal and silver giftwareimport company, where he hasworked for 21 years. He is thefather of six children, with fourdaughters and twin sons,ranging in age from 15 to 36,and he has 22 grandchildren.Mr. Lieser moved into

Independence Towers with hisparents when he was only 15,the year the developmentopened—1965. He moved outfor a few years when he gotmarried and then movedback. “In a way my heartis in this development,” Mr.Lieser said.According to Mr. Lieser, his

job as Tenant Associationpresident was easier whenhe first started than it istoday, because of the HousingAuthority’s underfunding. “I’vereally been at the forefront ofthe resident effort to lobby forfunding,” Mr. Lieser said. Hewent to Washington, DC lastyear, and other residents ofIndependence Towers havebeen to Albany to meetwith officials. He plans toreturn to Washington andAlbany this year.As far as safety concerns,

half of the development’ssix buildings already haveClosed Circuit Television(CCTV) systems. Mr. Lieserthanks Brooklyn BoroughPresident Marty Markowitz,Council Member David Yasskyand Assembly Member JosephLentol for the support andfunding. “We’re working ongetting cameras in the otherthree buildings,” he said.Mr. Lieser speaks highly of the

Independence Towers programsfor seniors, which includeaerobics classes and hot mealsonce a week. Local groups aretrying to get hot meals forseniors more often.When asked if the develop-

ment does anything specialto celebrate Jewish-American

Meet Independence Towers ResidentAssociation President Solomon Lieser

By Ashley GrossoIntern

Heritage Month, Mr. Lieserreplied that related eventsare more often held atthe local synagogue. “TheResident Association holdsvery successful HispanicHeritage and Black HistoryMonth events,” he added.A former social worker, Mr.

Lieser said that one veryvaluable aspect of his experi-ence living in a multi-ethnicpublic housing developmentis that, “It has sensitized meto the different needs ofpeople and has given me avery strong perspective onwhat is important in life.”He views his biggest

challenge as ResidentAssociation president as“keeping our various ethnicgroups working in unison,and to make sure peoplewho are new to the commu-nity especially, understandthat we’re there for everyone.”

Another big challenge,“Making sure that housinggets the funding it needs.”

Independence TowersResident Association

President Solomon Lieser

May isJewish-AmericanHeritage Month

NYCHA’s Got Talent — Once again NewYorkCity Housing Authority (NYCHA) residentstook over the stage at the Gerald W. LynchTheater of the John Jay College of CriminalJustice in Manhattan to perform in the annualtalent show competition. NYCHA’s 39thAnnual

Talent Show Competition was a special tribute tothe Housing Authority’s 75th Anniversary. A complete

list of winners follows:

6 to 12Age Category1st Prize: Tanima, Dancers, University Avenue Rehab

2nd Prize: Idja and Ethiopia Ferguson, Dancer and Drummer,Tremont Houses

3rd Prize: PDM, Dancers, Van Dyke Houses

13 to 17Age Category1st Prize: Judea Hill, Flautist, Bushwick Houses

2nd Prize: BK Express Drumline, Drummers, Van Dyke Houses3rd Prize: April Marie, Singer, Glenwood Houses

18 to 54Age Category1st Prize: Unstoppable, Dancers, East River Houses

2nd Prize: E. Ro. Contemporary Dance Company, Dancers,Riis Houses

3rd Prize: Aaron Harris, Dancer, Ingersoll Houses

54 and Up1st Prize: Kendell Lide, Spoken Word, Forest Houses2nd Prize: Edward Waiters & Ronnie Marks, Singers,

Marcus Garvey Houses3rd Prize: Sheila Wheeler, Singer, Gompers Houses

I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of the winnersand to those of you who didn’t win as well. You represent the verybest of what NYCHA residents have to offer.

NYCHA Residents Should Make TheirVoices Heard at Our Annual Town Hall

Meetings and Public Hearing

SINCE MY APPOINTMENT AS

CHAIRMAN LAST DECEMBER, I HAVEBEENWORKING HARDWITH THE NEWYORK CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY’S(NYCHA’S) STAFF TO MAKE SURE

THAT RESIDENTS, AS WELL AS THE

GENERAL PUBLIC, STAY INFORMED

ABOUT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY’SOPERATIONS. Transparency is key toconstructive dialogue.One great way to learn about

NYCHA’s goals and objectives isto review our draft Agency AnnualPlan, which we are required tosubmit to the U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development(HUD) each year. The Plan is

drafted in consultation with the 54-member ResidentAdvisory Board, orRAB. The RAB consists of 45 elected residents of conventionalpublic housing and nine residents from the Section 8 Leased HousingProgram. The RAB provides crucial input as NYCHA works toformulate a Plan that addresses issues such as public safety, capitalimprovements, and resident employment opportunities.Once NYCHA publishes a draft Agency Annual Plan it is sent to all

Resident Association presidents and made available online at NYCHA’sWebsite: nyc.gov/nycha. The Plan is also available for inspection atNYCHA’s Department of Research and Management Analysis on the11th floor of 250 Broadway, from May 4th through June 23rd, betweenthe hours of 9:30AM and 4:30PM. It is also available for inspection at allpublic housing development Management Offices during regular busi-ness hours and at the Community Centers listed in the announcement onpage 7 of this Journal, between the hours of 9:00AM and 7:30PM.NYCHA will host a town hall-style meeting in each borough to hearand respond to comments from the public about the Plan, beginningthis month in Manhattan on May 18th. Key NYCHA executive staffattend these meetings and are available to address concerns.NYCHA will then hold a Public Hearing for residents as well as

the general public on June 23rd at the Manhattan Center, Grand Ball-room, 311 West 34th Street, from 5:30PM to 8:00PM. To ensure thatas many people as possible get a chance to speak, all speakers at thepublic hearing—residents, members of the general public, housingadvocates, elected officials and their representatives— registerbeforehand and are given the floor for three minutes.After the public hearing, NYCHA meets with the RAB again to

obtain its final comments. The Plan is then finalized by NYCHAbased on comments made by the RAB and at the Public Hearing.The final Plan is sent to HUD for review and if NYCHA does notreceive a response in 75 days, the Plan is considered approved.I urge all residents who feel they have something to contribute to

attend the Town Halls and the Public Hearing. You can view a list ofthe dates and times on page 7 of this Journal.This year, NYCHA celebrates its 75th Anniversary. We need your

help to continue to provide the best service possible for the next 75years and beyond. Come out to the Town Hall meeting in yourborough and the Public Hearing, and make your voices heard! I’ll seeyou there!

Ricardo Elías Morales

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNAL 3MAY 2009

DEBORAH’S DIARY By Deborah Williams

Join the more than 18,000subscribers who receive theNYCHA Journal online eachmonth by signing up at

www.nyc.gov, or by visitingNYCHA’s Web site atnyc.gov/nycha.

NYCHA’s 2009Summer YouthEmployment

Program

NYCHA is seekingyouth between theages of 14 and 21 forthe 2009 SummerYouth EmploymentProgram (SYEP). SYEPis sponsored by theDepartment of Youthand CommunityDevelopment (DYCD),and the 2009 programwill run from July 1,2009 through August14, 2009. Participantswill work 25 hours aweek, Mondaythrough Friday.NYCHA residency isnot required to qualifyfor the program.

NYCHA’s SYEPparticipants gainvaluable employmentexperience working inCommunity Centers asCounselors-in-Training(16 and 17 year oldsonly), or on NYCHAdevelopment grounds.Starting April 1st,interested youth canapply on-line ordownload anapplication from theCity’s Web Site:www.nyc.gov/dycd.Starting April 2nd,SYEP applications willalso be available atNYCHA developmentManagement Offices,Community Centersand at the Departmentof ResidentEmployment Services,located at 350Livingston Street inBrooklyn. Completedapplications may bereturned to anyNYCHA developmentManagement Office.The deadline tosubmit an applicationis May 15, 2009.

For more informationabout SYEP, pleasevisit DYCD’s Web siteor contact NYCHA’sSYEP ProgramDirector, KatrinaPorter at212-306-3969.

1st Prize Winners: Kendell Lide of Forest Houses won in the54 and Up category and Judea Hill of Bushwick Houses won inthe 13 to 17 category. East River Houses’ “Unstoppable” alsowon 1st Prize, in the 18 to 54 age category.

In this issue we continue publishing the names of individuals who havebeen permanently excluded from our public housing developments.The purpose of this list is to keep residents informed of the HousingAuthority’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life for all NewYorkers in public housing and to allow for the peaceful and safe useof our facilities. What follows is a partial list of the people excludedafter hearings were held on February 18 and 25 and March 4, 2009.For a full list of the “Not Wanted” visit NYCHA’s website atnyc.gov/residentscorner. Please note: These exclusions are basedon NYCHA’s Administrative Hearing Process and should not beconfused with the Trespass Notice Program under MayorBloomberg’s Operation Safe Housing Initiative.

REMEMBER,IF YOU SEE ANY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS ON

HOUSING AUTHORITY PROPERTY, PLEASE CALLYOUR MANAGEMENT OFFICE OR NYCHA’S

SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT AT (212) 306-8595.

Prohibited as of February 18, 2009Marcus Munnlyn Case 2069/08 formerly associated with the second floor

of 54-09 Almeda Avenue, Ocean Bay Apartments,Queens.

Anthony Case 8014/08 formerly associated with the first floor ofMcFarland 572 Warren Street, Wyckoff Gardens, Brooklyn.

Prohibited as of February 25, 2009Michael Yates Case 909/09 formerly associated with the sixth floor of

127 Kingsborough 1st Walk, Kingsborough Houses,Brooklyn.

Kirk Allen Rasnick Case 3628/08 formerly associated with the fifth floor of466 W. 26th Street, Elliott-Chelsea Houses, Manhattan.

Noel Kane Case 1020/09 formerly associated with the fifth floor ofFrankie Kane 1-20 Astoria Boulevard, Astoria Houses, Long Island City.Edgardo Perez

Jasmin Carroway Case 1005/09 formerly associated with the first floor of82-02 Rockaway Beach, Hammel Houses, Far Rockaway.

Rodney Harrison Case 7538/08 formerly associated with the twelfth floorof 50 Amsterdam Avenue, Amsterdam Houses,Manhattan.

Marc Livingston Case 7799/08 formerly associated with the twelfth floorof 1350 Fifth Avenue, King Towers, Manhattan.

Prince Sage Case 1719/08 formerly associated with the first floor ofJewel Sage 1307 Loring Avenue, Pink Houses, Brooklyn.

Steven Griffin Case 947/09 formerly associated with the first floor of340 Georgia Avenue, Unity Plaza, Brooklyn.

Kewan Butts Case 1068/09 formerly associated with the fifth floor of476 Richmond Terrace, Richmond Terrace Houses,Staten Island.

Prohibited as of March 4, 2009David Rolon Case 1089/09 formerly associated with the ninth floor of

90 Amsterdam Avenue, Amsterdam Houses, Manhattan.

Dashawn Best Case 9756/07 formerly associated with the second floorof 495 Fountain Avenue, Cypress Hills Houses,Brooklyn.

Brandon Powell Case 1195/09 formerly associated with the nineteenthfloor of 1385 Fifth Avenue, Taft Houses, Manhattan.

Edwin Luna Case 1232/09 formerly associated with the fifth floor of31-07 49th Street, Woodside Houses, Woodside.

Anthony Bailey Case 1255/09 formerly associated with the eleventh floorof 159-30 Harlem River Drive, Rangel Houses,Manhattan.

Matthew Blow Case 7874/08 formerly associated with the third floor of264 10th Avenue, Elliott-Chelsea Houses, Manhattan.

Timothy MellansonCase 1282/09 formerly associated with the fourth floorShawn Mellanson of 34-05 12th Street, Ravenswood Houses, Queens.Theodore Stephen

For a full list of the “NotWanted”visit NYCHA’s website atnyc.gov/residentscorner.

THENYCHANOT WANTED LIST

4 THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNALMAY 2009

AccessibleHousingUpdateIN 1996, THE NEW YORKCITY HOUSING AUTHORITY(NYCHA) SIGNED THE

VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE AGREE-MENT (VCA) WITH THE U.S.DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT. Under theagreement 5% of our totalhousing stock, or 9,100 apart-mentsmust be fully converted andmade fully accessible to peoplewith mobility impairments andother disabilities.That was 13 years ago! So, how

are we doing now?With a total of7,646 fully converted apartments,we’re closing in on our goal.And of those 7,646 convertedapartments, 7,505 are nowoccupied. A total of 2,973 of theoccupants transferred into theirnew apartments either fromwithin their development or fromanother NYCHA development.The VCA governs NYCHA’s

compliance with Section 504 ofthe 1973 Rehabilitation Act andrelated federal law, which statesthat “no otherwise qualified indi-vidual with a disability shall,solely by reason of his or herdisability, be excluded from theparticipation in, be denied thebenefit of, or be subjectedto discrimination under anyprogram or activity receivingfederal financial assistance.”To meet the requirements

of accessibility, a NYCHAresident with a mobilityimpairment or other physicaldisabilitymust be able to reach hisor her apartment from the streetwithout any obstruction.This often requires renovatingthe entrances of buildings tomake them accessible. Thereare currently 2,858 accessiblebuilding entrances at NYCHA,like the one shown in the photo tothe right.

ReasonableAccommodationsThe VCA also requires

NYCHA to make “reasonableaccommodations” for individualswith mobility impairments orother physical disabilities. Theseare non-structural or partial modi-fications to apartments, orchanges in policies, procedures orpractices so that all residents,regardless of any physical disabil-ities, have the same opportunitiesto participate in and benefit fromhousing programs. Examples ofsuch apartment modificationsmay include widened doorways,lowered kitchen cabinets andhandheld showers. Ramps leading to the entrance of Boulevard Houses in Brooklyn

make it accessible to people with mobility impairments.(Continued on page 10)

This is the fourth article in a special series designed to commemorate the New York City HousingAuthority’s (NYCHA) 75th Anniversary. In honor of Memorial Day, which is celebrated on May 25th, wetake a look at the role NYCHA played housing military personnel and veterans during and after World WarII. The photos and captions below are from the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives’ online exhibit entitled,“National Security and Housing.” Captions were written by Joel Shwartz.

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNAL 5MAY 2009

75 Years of Public Housing

Are You a NYCHAResident With

Fond Memoriesto Share?

To commemorate our 75th

Anniversary, the New YorkCity Housing Authority iscollecting photos andstories from residentsabout your experiencesliving in public housing.How has being part of aNYCHA community had apositive impact on your life

or the life of a familymember? Perhaps you

attended a NYCHA-led jobtraining workshop that

launched your career; ormaybe a caretaker,

development manager orneighbor was instrumentalin getting you help when

you needed it most; maybeyou bonded with a

Housing Bureau PoliceOfficer as a child anddecided to become an

officer yourself when yougrew up? If you have fondmemories to share, we

want to hear them! We willpost selected stories onthe Residents’ Corner of

our Web site atwww.nyc.gov/nycha andpublish one story eachmonth in the NYCHA

Journal. Please e-mailstories and photos to:

NYCHA75@nycha.nyc.gov. If you don’t have

electronic files to send,you canmail to:

THE NYCHA JournalDepartment of

Communications250 Broadway,

12th FloorNew York,

New York 10007

Don’t forget to include yourfull name, age, the name ofyour NYCHA developmentand the number of years

you’ve been living in publichousing. Also please makesure your return address is

on the envelope if youwould like us to mail your

Bunk beds were set up in the newly built Fort Greene Houses, inFort Greene, Brooklyn to house military personnel and civiliansengaged in war work, January 19, 1944.

Mrs. J.E. Watson and her baby at Wallabout Houses, February25, 1944. Wallabout was built for U.S. Navy personnel andcivilian employees of the Navy— it was located opposite theBrooklyn Navy Yard, and was built and operated by NYCHA.

Military personnel leaving Fort Greene Houses on February 28,1946, where they had been bivouacked during World WarII. The development is located near the U.S. Navy Yardin Brooklyn.

Veterans returning from overseas duty in World War II were metwith a huge housing shortage. Here, Mr. John Larson and hiswife enjoy civilian life in their brand new Quonset hut set up inJamaica Bay, Queens, as temporary housing for returningveterans, March 27, 1946. Sergeant Larson of the Army SignalCorps spent six years abroad during the war.

The barracks-like community center at the temporary housingcompound in Rego Park, Queens, for returned World War IIveterans and their growing families, October 21, 1947.

World War II veteran George Blaurie and his family moving fromtheir barracks-like temporary housing in East New York,Brooklyn (site of the future Linden Houses), to the newSheepshead Bay Houses in Brooklyn, circa January 1950.

6 THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNALMAY 2009

CCTVs at Redfern Houses“This technology is straight out

of Iraq,” the Council Membersaid. “If you fire a gun, thecamera will come on and takeyour picture in two seconds.No more hiding for thosepeople who want to endangerthe lives of their neighbors.”“This is something I have

been praying for for a lotof years,” said ResidentAssociation President DorisJacobs, who has been livingin the development sincethe early eighties. “When Iwas re-elected [as TenantAssociation President] threeyears ago, I promised I wouldkeep working with politiciansuntil we got the cameras.”Despite the spate of shootingsat the development, Ms.Jacobs said she has never feltunsafe there.

Safeguarding the Future“This is turning dreams into

reality,” said Congress MemberMeeks. “Thank you CouncilMember Sanders for deliveringfor the people of Redfern, thepeople of the Rockaways.”The Congress Member, who

said he spent nearly half his lifeliving in public housing,commented that by savingNYCHA residents we are safe-

guarding the future of ourcountry. “Because the future ofour country relies on the talentthat is in public housing.”“This is a great event,”

said Chairman Morales. TheChairman went on to say thatwithout the CCTVs, residentswere prisoners in their ownhomes. “The ability for usto advance begins with a social-ization process that allows us tonot only develop leaders, but todevelop a sense of communitybased in trust.”The Chairman promised

another 1200 cameras by theend of next year.He thanked the Council

Member and the New YorkCongressional delegation forNYCHA’s share of the secondstimulus package.“The image of NYCHA in

the media is not the realNYCHA,” the Chairman said inconclusion. “We’ve been hometo hundreds of thousands ofpeople for 75 years. Let’s makethat the impression that stays inpeople’s minds.”Installation of the CCTV

system is slated to begin inJuly 2009 with completion inAugust 2010.

(Continued from page 1)

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNAL 7MAY 2009

NEW YORK CITY HOUSINGAUTHORITY

Board Meeting ScheduleNotice is hereby given that the New York City HousingAuthority’s Board Meetings take place every other Wednesdayat 10:00 A.M. (unless otherwise noted) in the Board Room onthe 12th Floor of 250 Broadway, New York, New York. Themeetings for Calendar Year 2009 are as follows:

May 13, 2009May 27, 2009June 10, 2009June 24, 2009July 8, 2009July 22, 2009August 5, 2009August 19, 2009September 2, 2009September 16, 2009September 30, 2009October 14, 2009October 28, 2009November 10, 2009 (Tuesday)November 25, 2009December 9, 2009December 23, 2009January 6, 2010

Please note that these dates are subject to change. Anychanges to the schedule above will be posted on NYCHA’sWebsite at nyc.gov/nycha and in the NYCHA Journal to theextent practicable at a reasonable time before the meeting.These meetings are open to the public. Pre-registration ofspeakers is required. Those who wish to register must do soat least forty-five (45) minutes before the scheduled BoardMeeting. Comments are limited to the items on the agenda.Speakers will be heard in the order of registration. Speakingtime will be limited to three (3) minutes. The public commentperiod will conclude upon all speakers being heard or at theexpiration of thirty (30) minutes allotted by law for publiccomment, whichever occurs first. For Board Meeting datesand times, and/or additional information, please visit ourwebsite at nyc.gov/nycha or contact us at (212) 306-6088.Copies of the agenda can be picked up at the Office of theSecretary at 250 Broadway, 12th floor, New York, New York,no earlier than 3:00 P.M. on the Friday before the upcomingWednesday Board Meeting. Any person requiring areasonable accommodation in order to participate in theBoard Meeting, should contact the Office of the Secretary at(212) 306-6088 no later than five (5) business days beforethe Board Meeting.

New York Drug Discount Card

If you are 50 to 64 years old OR disabled,this new free card may lower the cost of yourprescriptions by as much as 60% on genericsand 30% on brand name drugs. This card isaccepted at over 80% of pharmacies. Peoplewith Medicaid are not eligible. Apply onlineat www.nyprescriptionssaver.fhsc.com or call800-788-6917. Participating pharmacies,and the discounted prices for drugs, can befound on the website.

8 THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNALMAY 2009

WINDOW GUARDS SAVE CHILDREN'SLIVES. NYCHA provides, installsand maintains window guardsin all residential apartmentand public hallway windows.Because the safety ofchildren is of utmost impor-tance, NYCHA strictly enforcesthe City's window guard law. Ifyou have children age tenor younger living in yourapartment, you must havewindow guards installed.To further ensure the safetyof young children, NYCHAhas expanded its policyto install and maintainwindow guards in everyapartment, even in apart-ments where windowguards are not requiredunder City law. The onlyexception is a window thatopens onto fire escapes.During your annual apart-

ment inspection, NYCHAstaff are required to deter-mine if all required windowguards are properly installed.This includes a check

of any air conditioner todetermine if the installa-tion is permanent and thewindow is secured. Ifthe air conditioner is notinstalled correctly, theresident must install theair conditioner accordingto the manufacturer'sinstallation specificationsor remove the airconditioner. NYCHA willinstall the guards at no costto you. Please call theCentralized Call Center at(718) 707-7771 to requestimmediate installation orrepair of window guards.

Are Your WindowGuards in Place?

West Nile VirusMosquito TreatmentThe New York City Housing Authority will be treatingall of the catch basins located on Housing Authoritydevelopments to reduce the mosquito populationin an effort to minimize the transmission of theWest Nile Virus. These applications will take placebetween May and October of 2009. One or more ofthe following pesticides will be used:

-Vectolex CG, EPA Reg. No. 73049-20, ToxicityCategory– ”Caution”

-Summit B.t.i. Briquets, EPA Reg. No. 6218-47,Toxicity Category– ”Caution”

-Altosid XR, EPA Reg. No. 2724-421, ToxicityCategory– ”Caution”

Contact names and numbers for this application are:

NYC Housing Authority:

-Cal Bruno, Deputy Director, 718-707-5281available from 9:00AM - 5:00PM

-Jamal Rashid, Technical Resource Advisor,718-707-5808 available from 8:00AM–4:00PM

-NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation,Region 2, Bureau of Pesticide Management –718-482-4994

-National Pesticide Telecommunications Network–1-800-858-PEST

Inquiries concerning symptoms of pesticidepoisoning should be directed to the Poison ControlCenter –1-800-222-1222.

NEW YORK CITYPOLICE DEPARTMENT

TOLL-FREE TERRORISM HOTLINE

Reports May Be Made To:1-888-NYC-SAFE 1-888-692-7233

CelebrateMother’s Day

May 10, 2009

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNAL 9MAY 2009

10 THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNALMAY 2009

HowYou Can RequestA ReasonableAccommodation

If you have a disability that prevents you from getting full use and enjoyment of your apartment or ofany other Authority facility or program and you do not wish to move from your current apartment,you may request a reasonable accommodation by completing the form in your annual recertificationpackage or by speaking with a housing assistant. If the modification cannot be made, your ManagementOffice will work with you to find an alternative solution. If you have a mobility impairment and wouldlike to transfer to a fully converted apartment, call or visit your Management Office and fill out aTenant Request for Transfer Form.NYCHA is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have access to our programs and

services. So much so that a Unit in NYCHA’s Department of Equal Opportunity called Services forPeople with Disabilities was created exclusively to assist residents and applicants with disabilities. Ifyou have any questions, please contact your Housing Assistant or Management Office, or call theDepartment of Equal Opportunity’s Services for People with Disabilities at (212) 306-4652 or TDD(212) 206-4445.

Accessible Housing Update(Continued from page 4)