Earlier this summer, the Center’s Executive Director Christie Peale and I spent a day in Southeast Queens connecting with homeowners in the neighborhood to talk about the most pressing challenges they’re facing.
Rosedale
We started our day in Rosedale, where we spoke to members of the Southeast Queens faith community at Council Member Donovan Richard’s Clergy Breakfast. We spoke with about 30 representatives from diverse houses of worship about our foreclosure prevention services, AGScamHelp.com and FloodHelpNY.org.
Following the clergy breakfast, we went on a walking tour of this historic neighborhood. Like so many New York neighborhoods, Rosedale is a unique community with a rich history. Until the 1930s, Rosedale was primarily farmland; today, Rosedale is mostly a community of homeowners, generally with two-family properties. During our tour, we saw several abandoned properties, a reminder that we have much more work to do to preserve and protect affordable homeownership in the city.
The Rockaways
After our tour in Rosedale, we headed to the Rockaways, where we visited several neighborhoods, including Arvene, Breezy Point, Belle Harbor, and Far Rockaway — all communities that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy. We shared information about FloodHelpNY.org with local community groups.
Jamaica
Concluding our day in Queens, we joined Rudy Ulin, our Housing Mobility Program Coordinator, in Jamaica at HPD’s Homeowner’s Night at the Central Queens Library. Jamaica, Queens is a diverse middle-class neighborhood home to many African American families, as well as a growing South Asian population. Throughout the foreclosure crisis (continuing to the present), Jamaica has been one of the communities hardest hit — and residents continue to reel from the effects of the crisis. Loan modification scams are prevalent in Jamaica and surrounding areas. We spoke to more than 60 homeowners about our foreclosure prevention services, while helping to put homeowners on high alert of scammers.
We’re always looking to form new partnerships and new ties in all five boroughs. Can we join you in your neighborhood? Get in touch to plan an outreach event or request educational materials for homeowners by contacting us at outreach@staging.cnycn.org or at 646-237-5917.