Fifth Avenue Committee Incorporated

FIFTH AVENUE COMMITTEE IS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN SOUTH BROOKLYN THAT ADVANCES ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE WHERE RESIDENTS HAVE GENUINE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS, AS WELL AS THE POWER TO SHAPE THE COMMUNITY'S FUTURE.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT: FAC HAS DEVELOPER OVER 1,300 AFFORDABLE HOMES, REVITALIZED MORE THAN 30 STOREFRONTS, AND BUILT OVER 60,000 SQUARE FEET OF COMMUNITY SPACE. FAC CURRENTLY HAS 133 UNITS OF NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN CONSTRUCTION AND A DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE OF OVER 1,700 UNITS REPRESENTING AN INVESTMENT OF MORE THAN $850 MILLION IN BROOKLYN. ALL FAC'S NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE DESIGNED TO LEED, PASSIVE HOUSE OR ENTERPRISE GREEN COMMUNITY STANDARDS. FAC OWNS AND/OR MANAGES 657 UNITS THAT ARE HOME TO OVER 850 LOW AND MODERATE INCOME FAMILIES AND HAS 32 SMALL BUSINESS AND NONPROFIT TENANTS. OVER 85% OF FAC'S COMMERCIAL TENANTS ARE MWBES.

COMMUNITY SERVICES:COMMUNITY SERVICES PROVIDES A RANGE OF FREE SERVICES INCLUDING BENEFITS ACCESS (SNAP, UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE, MEDICARE/AID AND MORE), TAX PREPARATION, FINANCIAL AND LEGAL COUNSELING AND (IN 2020, 2021 AND 2022) EMERGENCY COVID-19 RELIEF (I.E., EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE, VACCINE AND TESTING ACCESS AND INFORMATION) TO OVER 1,000 VERY-LOW AND LOW-INCOME NEW YORKERS ANNUALLY. FAC'S COMMUNITY SERVICES HELPS LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS GAIN ECONOMIC AND HOUSING STABILITY AND BUILD THEIR ASSETS. IN FY22, COMMUNITY SERVICES SCREENED AND CONNECTED 754 NEW HOUSEHOLDS WITH ONE OR MORE BENEFITS SUCH AS FOOD STAMPS, HEALTH INSURANCE, RENTAL SUBSIDIES AND SUPPORTS AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE. THE PROGRAM CONNECTED 118 PEOPLE TO LEGAL SERVICES, PROVIDED 157 WITH FINANCIAL COACHING SERVICES (FIRST TIME SERVICE RECIPIENTS), AND 212 WITH FREE TAX PREPARATION SERVICES. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT:FAC AFFILIATE BWI ASSISTS OVER 900 JOBLESS AND WORKING POOR NEW YORKERS EACH YEAR BY OFFERING SECTOR-BASED JOB TRAINING AND DIRECT PLACEMENT SERVICES. THESE PROGRAMS PROVIDE ACCESS TO LIVING-WAGE EMPLOYMENT AND CAREERS, PLACEMENT AND SUPPORTS (I.E., RESUME DEVELOPMENT, INTERVIEW, AND SOFT SKILL DEVELOPMENT). FAC'S SUNSET PARK BRIDGE PROGRAM SERVED 81 IMMIGRANT STUDENTS WITH BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT AND TOGETHER WITH BWI, HELPED 84 TO SECURE LIVING WAGE EMPLOYMENT AS OF 6/30/22. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:IN 2022, FAC CONTINUED TO ADVANCE OUR EFFORTS TO INSTALL OVER 225,000 KW OF SOLAR POWER ON FAC OWNED AND MANAGED AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY FACILITY BUILDINGS IN PHASE 1 AS PART OF REDUCING OUR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, REDUCING MAINTENANCE EXPENSES TO CONTRIBUTE TO PERMANENT AFFORDABILITY AND REDUCE UTILITY EXPENSES FOR LOW AND MODERATE-INCOME TENANTS LIVING IN FAC PROPERTIES. FAC ALSO LAUNCHED BARRIO SOLAR WITH FAC HUD CERTIFIED HOUSING COUNSELING AFFILIATE, NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS, AND PARTNER SOLAR ONE, TO ASSIST LMI HOMEOWNERS IN NYC TO REDUCE THEIR UTILITY COSTS, REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND INCREASE THE VALUE OF THEIR ASSET BY PROVIDING SUPPORTS AND SOLAR DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE.

ADULT EDUCATION:OFFERING A RANGE OF CLASSES, INCLUDING ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES ("ESOL"), ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (ABE), HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY (HSE), FAMILY LITERACY CLASSES AND BRIDGE PROGRAMMING AT LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES, THIS PROGRAM SERVED OVER 350 STUDENTS IN FY22. PER THE NYS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, THE PROGRAM PERFORMS IN THE TOP QUARTILE OF ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS STATE-WIDE. THE NEW AMERICAN BRIDGE PROGRAM SERVED 81 IMMIGRANT STUDENTS WITH BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT IN FY22, 70 OF WHOM HAVE SUCCESSFULLY SECURED LIVING WAGE EMPLOYMENT THROUGH THE PROGRAM AS OF 6/30/22. THE BRIDGE PROGRAM IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH FAC NONPROFIT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AFFILIATE, BROOKLYN WORKFORCE INNOVATIONS (BWI)'S RED HOOK ON THE ROAD CDL PROGRAM AND BROOKLYN NETWORKS TELE-DATA CABLE INSTALLATION PROGRAMS. ADULT EDUCATION ALSO EXPANDED ITS DIGITAL LITERACY INSTRUCTION IN FY22, HELPING TO SAFELY AND SECURELY CONNECT MORE STUDENTS TO ONLINE TOOLS, RESOURCES AND KNOWLEDGE. ACROSS ALL ADULT EDUCATION'S PROGRAMS IN FY22, 194 STUDENTS SECURED AN INDUSTRY CREDENTIAL TO HELP THEM REACH THEIR EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS; 247 MADE DEMONSTRATED EDUCATIONAL GAINS. FAC ADULT ED ALSO LAUNCHED AN ONLINE BANKING COURSE IN FY22 THAT SERVED 57 STUDENTS. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED TAILORED DIGITAL LITERACY TRAINING DESIGNED TO HELP THEM TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ONLINE BANKING TOOLS TO MANAGE THEIR FINANCES.

ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY: FAC'S ORGANIZING AND ADVOCACY PROGRAMS EMPOWER LOW-INCOME RESIDENTS THROUGH SOCIAL JUSTICE AND TENANT RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS. IN FY22, THESE PROGRAMS HELPED PREVENT OVER 200 EVICTIONS. CAMPAIGNS EMPOWER TRADITIONALLY MARGINALIZED GROUPS, SUCH AS RENT STABILIZED AND PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS, AND IMMIGRANTS. IN FY22 FAC CONTINUED ITS LEADERSHIP OF TURNING THE TIDE, CLIMATE JUSTICE CAMPAIGN WITH LOCAL PARTNERS AS WELL AS THE GOWANUS NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION FOR JUSTICE (GNCJ). GNCJ IS A BROAD-BASED COALITION THAT ADVOCATES FOR EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT AND REZONING OUTCOMES THAT SECURED SIGNIFICANT WINS IN FY22 THROUGH THE POINTS OF AGREEMENT (POA) AS PART OF THE GOWANUS AREA-WIDE REZONING'S PASSAGE INCLUDING OVER $200 MILLION COMMITTED BY THE CITY OF NEW YORK TO ADDRESS CAPITAL NEEDS AT LOCAL PUBLIC HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN ADDITION TO INVESTMENT IN LOCAL SEWAGE INFRASTRUCTURE AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST COMMUNITY LED REZONING OVERSIGHT TASK FORCE.