Senate Resolution No. 4845

BY: Senator MONTGOMERY

COMMEMORATING the 40th Anniversary of Fifth Avenue
Committee, Inc. to be celebrated on May 22, 2018

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to commend those
illustrious organizations of the State of New York whose focus and
intent have made a substantial impact on the quality of life in their
communities; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long- standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc. to
be celebrated at its Benefit and Awards Reception on Tuesday, May 22,
2018, at the Brooklyn Museum; and

WHEREAS, Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) was established in 1978,
during which time Lower Park Slope was full of vacant lots and abandoned
buildings; businesses and residents were fleeing the community, taking
jobs and hope with them; and

WHEREAS, A comprehensive community development corporation and
NeighborWorks America chartered member organization, FAC advances
economic and social justice by building vibrant, diverse communities
where residents have opportunities to achieve their goals; and

WHEREAS, FAC develops and manages affordable housing and community
facilities, creates economic opportunities, ensures access to economic
stability, provides adult education and literacy classes, organizes
residents and workers, and combats displacement caused by
gentrification; and

WHEREAS, This vital organization, which represents over 500 million
in investment in South Brooklyn, has produced nearly 900 units of
affordable housing in more than 100 buildings, revitalized more than two
dozen commercial storefronts, and has over 310 units in development with
a pipeline of an additional 775 units in the South Brooklyn community;
and

WHEREAS, Beyond providing support and services to Brooklyn
residents, Fifth Avenue Committee also serves low-income residents from
throughout the surrounding boroughs who seek its adult education and
literacy, workforce development, tenant advocacy, benefits access, legal
and financial counseling programs; and

WHEREAS, Community Organizing & Advocacy at FAC combines grassroots
organizing, popular education, leadership development and policy
advocacy to engage and serve thousands of low and moderate income
residents annually to combat displacement and so we can all live with
dignity and respect; through this program area, FAC provides Tenant
Advocacy & Eviction Prevention Counseling for over 200 low-income
residents; and

WHEREAS, FAC also fights for justice through Families United for
Racial and Economic Equality (FUREE) which is a member led,

Brooklyn-based, multiracial grassroots organizing program at FAC that is
led primarily by women of color who live in Brooklyn NYCHA public
housing developments; FUREE works to ensure that those directly impacted
by policies have a say in making them; and

WHEREAS, In response to the announced rezoning of Gowanus, FAC
launched the Gowanus Neighborhood Coalition for Justice (GNCJ) with more
than a dozen local stakeholders to advance racial, economic and climate
justice as part of the multiple public and private land use actions that
will impact the community; and

WHEREAS, FAC's Neighborhood Employment Services (NES) program
provides direct job placement and counseling to low-income New Yorkers;
in addition, it cultivates employer relationships, makes careful
placements, and provides ongoing supportive services to as many as 250
participants annually; and

WHEREAS, NES works closely with FAC's workforce development
affiliate, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, which provides over 800
individuals with sector-based, targeted skills training programs rooted
in employer demand; Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) is also a
workforce development affiliate; and

WHEREAS, Each of these programs serves people with significant
barriers to employment, such as low levels of education, histories of
homelessness, long-term employment or unemployment, and those with
histories of court involvement; and

WHEREAS, Adult Education and Literacy programs at FAC offer a range
of classes, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL),
Adult Basic Education (ABE), High School Equivalency Diploma (HSE/GED),
and family literacy to more than 1,000 students from 30 countries of
origin annually; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Education ranks FAC's adult education and
literacy programs at the top quartile of adult education programs
state-wide; and

WHEREAS, Community Services programs at FAC offer benefits access
assistance as well as financial and legal counseling services to poor
and low-income residents; in addition FAC also integrated the Stronger
Together initiative, a community-based, poverty-fighting program focused
on helping break the cycle of poverty among residents of South
Brooklyn's public housing developments; and

WHEREAS, The success of Fifth Avenue Committee is in direct
correlation to the efforts of its board of directors and staff, whose
involvement is, and always has been, characterized by an impressive
commitment, an unbridled enthusiasm, and an uncompromising standard of
excellence in all endeavors on behalf of the organization and the
community it serves; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc. to be
celebrated on May 22, 2018; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc.