Jatana Dehaney
Professor G. Glose
Community Organizing and Development

Assignment # 2

Date: September 16, 2014
Location: P.S. 136Q Roy Wilkins School – Back to School Night

The Roy Wilkins School – P.S. 136Q is located in the heart of Saint Albans, Queens. It is an elementary school that houses pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students. The Back to School Night meeting is an event held at the school every September, to welcome new and returning students, their parents and the community as a whole. The meeting was three hours long and delved into the many different changes at the school, parent involvement, and teacher interaction.
For the first hour of the meeting parents were allowed to visit their child’s classroom, meet with their teachers, see their child’s school work, and observe the overall learning environment. Teachers gave brief presentations on the expectations of each class, and the curriculum as it pertains to each grade level and their daily procedures. The next hour was spent attending grade level workshops held on topics that were of interest to parents. Workshops were held on topics such as the curriculum, homework, community resources, cultural activities, parent involvement and much more.
There were also mini workshops on what students would learn in reading, writing, phonics, social studies, science and math. Both teachers and parents expressed their desire for children to excel in math and science throughout the school year and their educational career. Extra-curricular activities, educational websites, healthy eating habits, and student behavior were also of high importance at the meeting. For the last hour of the meeting parents met the principal, staff members, attend a PTA meeting, elect PTA members, suggests any ideas they might have to make the school community a great experience for their children and voice any concerns and ask questions they might have. The group dynamics at the meeting was superb and exceptional; the majority of parents at the meeting was very involved and hands on, they were prepared with questions and concerns. One major concern for many parents was ways in which they could be more active and involved in their child’s education. The interaction between parents and teachers and parent and parent was full of admiration; no one spoke out of turn and showed each other the respect that they deserved.
When the meeting commenced, parents had a better understanding of what is expected of not only their children but also themselves. Teachers also knew what parents expected of them and it was clear that there must be clear communication between them in order for their children to succeed. Being active and involved is two of the most important tools a parent can use to help their child succeed. Every year this meeting kicks off the start of an exciting and educational school year and paves the ways for students to succeed at P.S. 136Q.

Merie Williams

The condominium building I live in Fort Greene had on going community meetings and I was lucky enough to attend this meeting with my mom. The MAJOR issue is obtaining a proper certificate of occupancy. The investor Joshua Landau failed to get one since the building has been completed in 2009. The 96 Rockwell Place board asked a New York State Supreme Court judge for a lawsuit filed Saturday, claiming a temporary certificate of occupancy expired in July with no permanent approval in place. At the board meeting, the homeowners claimed since there were no certificate of occupancy, it would cause financial havoc on them causing them to have to evacuate. Without the TCO, now the residents can’t sell, refinance or obtain homeowner’s insurance but even worse, has caused some unit owners unable to pay their mortgages.

Landau, of Manhattan-based Integrated Capital and Eric Derector, of Manhattan-based Quest Builders Group, converted the  former piano factory in 2007 into a condo with 37 residential units and one commercial unit.”The sponsor’s interest is, and always has been aligned with the condominium board,” Landau said in an email.“The Department of Buildings has granted numerous TCOs in the past for the premises and we are working diligently to resolve any additional requirements they may have. We expect the matter to be resolved as soon as possible.” Director did not return calls. A Department of Buildings spokesperson did not return calls. In July, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ordered the developers to void buyers’ contracts after the condo board did not meet many construction and financial complaints for the unit owners.

Our community board says that the developers owed $61,000 in unpaid common charges .The developers failed to finish construction on storage units,five years after some residents paid for the units and moved in to the building. Lastly, the developers spent about $37,000 of common charges on expenses they should have covered on their own. However, Landau denied that claim and said that the developers were using money from condo sales to repay the outstanding common charges. The community board meeting was lead by our board President Richard Coolidge. It was indept and informative. Everyone was quite tense on the issues collectively at hand. The meeting helped put into perspective the actions the board took, where it landed them and the necessary steps they will continue to take in order to obtain the certificate of occupancy.

Erica Jenkins

Assignment #2

Attendance at a community meeting

On September 12 I attend the Bronx Community Board Number 8 meeting held in Manhattan College. It was inside the Fischbach Room, it was busy a lot of people, there was a podium and long table with seats for the chair members.The group dynamic was strong, you can tell that many of the people attending knows how meetings like these go. But some of them were agitated, as if their voice wasn’t heard about a certain topic at the last meeting.

Chairman Padernacht opened the meeting at 7:35; he started by welcoming six new appointed Board members: Leonel Baez, Manuel Felix, Daniella Fuchs, Demetrious McCord, Joseph O’Brien, and David Toledo. Some of the new members went around a made their introductions; Fuchs, lives in Riverdale, and is an psychologist, O’Brien a formerly employed at the office of Congressman Eliot Engel; and Toledo, a Kingsbridge resident for 25 years, he’s also an investigator, and offered his assistance to the Board. Then the Chairman talked about the resignation of Board Budget Chair Brendan Contant. Because of his new work schedule he would not be able to continue as before. Chairman announced that there will be an election for a new Budget Chair at the October 14, 2014 Board meeting.

So the first issue to be discussed was dealing in the Parks & Recreation department.  Renee Ehle, who is an advocate for Ewen Park, spoke on behalf of three neighbors concern about the 15 trees in Ewen Park marked for destruction next Friday, some of the trees marked are the oldest in the Park, over 100 years old. The group is asking the Department of Parks to halt the destruction long enough to allow review of the certified Arborist report to justify removal. The Ewen Park Advocacy want to see the Park preserved in its natural state; and there’s a petition that been signed by 200 neighbors opposing destruction of the trees. Assemblyman Dinowitz received complaints about the trees to his office and the Department of Parks claimed that the trees are not structurally sound and have carpenter ants, but was going to replace them.

Roberta Strugger read a letter talking about the overall handling of the construction project in Fort Independence Park dealing with the jogging path and park renovation. Basally to sum up what she said; Ms. Strugger was talking about how the community was not involved in the planning process in the park. The ‘jogging horseshoe’ is barely wide enough for one runner to run on. There is a lack of park worker to keep the park clean so the community has to do their job; they pick up after dogs, and leftover trash. Also a small area in Park that is open has poor maintenance and rodent problems.

Five different votes took place at the meeting in various topics as; traffic & transportation, renaming streets and passing New York State Liquor License for local Bronx businesses. Then there was a report from the Office of the Bronx Borough President, Andy Toledo and discussed different things. Borough President Diaz provided over $9 million to fund Bronx organizations. Some of the projects that were spending on were: $2.75 million to create over 600 new units of housing; $2 million to parks projects which will include construction of a new comfort station at Fort Four Playground. Governor Cuomo announced the launch of the New York Works Office in the Bronx, which is part of the Unemployment Strikeforce and will bring no-cost business services directly to Bronx companies looking to hire.

Kaylena Gonzalez

10/16/14

Community Organizing

Chafe Meeting

Chafe is a group of parents that meet on a monthly bases to talk about problems that are facing in cypress hills community public schools. The meeting started with them discussing agendas for school. CHAFE member leaders and members discussed how to apply the program in schools. They realized to get the program going they needed to capture the attention of parents to educate them about the CHAFE platform and then engage them in their fight for better public schools. Some of the issues the members had were: special education (specifically autism), how to have good afterschool programs, and a better sense of community. Is P.S. 89 ready for special needs students? P.S. 7 has no water in the school. These was some of their concerns with the fight for better public schools. They brainstormed idea of for outreaching to parents. Some of the things they came up with is having general meetings in schools, talking to parents about the platform before talking to principals, and engaging with churches.

To solve the concerns they had earlier in the meeting they decided to have a meeting for special education parents. So that they will feel welcomed and comfortable with the schools. Join PTA Meetings to engage the parents. Have a meeting with the superintendent about the lack of water in P.S 7. They wanted to take a tour of P.S. 89 and PS.7. So they can address anymore concerns they couldn’t see earlier. These were the outreach plans that CHAFE came up with so that they can not only educate parents about CHAFE but make sure that the schools of the community become safer.

Comm. Organizing

After attending the community meeting held in public school 249, I got more of an insight of my community and what others are trying to do in order to build it. During the meeting, topics such as the environment, transportation, education and public safety. Being this was my first opportunity being in such meeting, it was kind of intense to see how much the people were so passionate about what they were asking for and how much they wanted their voices to be heard. Some people had different opinions than others, some felt stronger about one topic while others felt the same for a different one. Like for example, when it came to the environment some people felt that parking was limited and it should be dealt with, they voiced why they felt such way and happily shared their own experiences. There were complaints about not having enough youth programs for kids, which is what I highly agreed with. In my community, there is hardly any programs available for the idle hands compared to other communities and we feel if they were, there would be less crime and less problems on the streets. When it came to the environment, there were many complaints about the noise, and about nothing being done to limit it. There were people who insisted on bringing more greens and garden into the community which I noted as great because they pointed out something to benefit it. Throughout the end of the meeting, it was discussed that there would be additional child care programs being added. There were also discussions about an historic theater called Kings Theater on Flatbush being renovated with restoration of performing arts which will be linked in cultural corridor of the community. My experience of this meeting was positive. It was interesting seeing what people wanted and great to know that I felt the same way. It was powerful to see a community come together in order to build a better environment, not only for them but for the generations to come. The key notes at the end was the most inspiring. Kind of gave up that there’s more to come and that change will eventually happen. Kind of gives us something to look forward too. It was great to know there was a way to use advocacy and a freedom of speech and that you don’t have to be a head leader to see the change you want come to life.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014, Education, Libraries & Cultural Affairs Committee, CB14 District Office, 810 East 16^th Street, 7:00 PM

1. Update on Capital Projects at Brooklyn College – Steven Schechter, Executive Director of Government     and External Affairs, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
2. Other business1. Continued Review of Community Board 14 By-Laws
3. Tuesday, October 28, 2014, Community Environment Committee, CB14 District Office, 810 East 16^th Street, 7:00 PM
4. Monday, October 27, 2014, By-Laws Review Committee, CB14 District Office, 810 East 16^th Street, 7:30 PM

1. Report on Tree Pruning Program and Playground Projects – Stephanie Thayer, Parks and Recreation
2.    Manager; Representatives from Brooklyn Forestry, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
3. Presentation on Green Buffer Zones – Susannah Laskaris, Community Gardening Consultant,      P.S. 217School Garden Manager
4. Other businessplease call the CB14 District Office at 718-859-6357 to register for time or you may register to speak on the evening of the meeting.                                                                                                                      
5.                                                                                                   
6. If you would like to speak during the public hearing or during the public portion of the board meeting,

Wesley Ackley                                                                                                                      Professor Glose

10/22/14                                                                                      Community organizing & Development

Assignment #2: Attendance at a community meeting

Chelsea land use committee

On Monday October 20^th at 6:30pm, I attended the Manhattan community board four (also known as CB four) meeting at 353 W30th Street in Chelsea. The online agenda confirmed a presentation on a West Chelsea resilient neighborhood update, a presentation by a business owner on asking to be granted a special permit for his gym on West 17^th Street, the discussion of old and new business within the community and also two other points that had been crossed out and listed as deferred till November and December meetings.

One man who came to discuss a parking garage on West 21^st street had just been notified upon arriving that his topic of interest on the agenda was in fact deferred from the agenda. The first presentation was given by three representatives from NYC Planning on creating more flood resistant structures to protect residential buildings and art galleries from flood damage caused by storms like hurricane Sandy. One of their ideas was to elevate the street entrances and alter the street scape of these galleries considering 50% of ground floor galleries experienced flood damage from hurricane Sandy. With two hundred and eighty six galleries, Chelsea is the largest gallery district in the city. 100% of upper floor galleries experienced business interruptions because of factors like elevator damage. Flood panels were also mentioned as an alternative to raising the height of the buildings (which would have to meet the flood resiliency regulations) entrance for ground floor galleries. Questions from the committee included how would this project be financed and also how they could seal the streets so that subway elevators were still useable and basements wouldn’t become flooded.

The next presentation was by Jay Goldstein, representing his chain of gyms in the city known as “Fly wheel sports”. Although his gym is already operating he is still looking for a permit to continue operating his gym. His business is located in a twelve story commercial building, the gym holds spin classes of about thirty people a time four to eight classes a day. The board members stated that it’s not considered a “real” gym because there are no weights and that this would mean the issue of noise complaints pertaining to weights being dropped was not plausible. Jay stated that his six other gyms are still also operating without permits and that he is still working on acquiring them. This made members of the board decide to write a letter to the city about these special permits and illegal operating. It was stated his gym’s have received zero complaints this far from neighborhoods or commercials spaces and that the business does not promote foot traffic or loitering on the sidewalk. Nine of the twelve community board four members approved the permit.

Lastly the CB four land use committee discussed the Highline hotel that had presented a bar and outdoor seating to be built (with picture documents) which looks different now that it’s completed. Members stated it looks more like a private enclave when it’s actually a public space accessible from the sidewalk. The hotel also does not have a permit to serve customers from the bar. Questions from the committee included what happens to the outdoor area in the wintertime. CB four decided to write a letter to the hotel about cutting its hedges by the sidewalk to make it a more inviting space to the public.

Bryana Morrison
October, 18, 2014
Professor Glose
Assignment #2 Community Meeting

The Rosedale Civic Association is a community run organization that supports the residents of Rosedale. Once a month, the organization holds their meetings at a local church. The President and his staff inform the residents about upcoming events, needs in the community, and provide valuable information. This organization holds the community together by giving it the support it needs. If the community needs something, this organization is there to gather people together and do something about it.
The meeting started off with the pledge of allegiance to the flag and prayer from the pastor of the church. The President came up and started off by thanking different organizations and people for all of their support and for attending the meeting. He expressed how important it was for the residents to look out for one another. Next the President spoke about the annual election that was coming up for 2014 and all of the offices were open. Very briefly the President touched on the financial issue the organization was facing but they were open to any donations. Before the President sat down he gave a couple updates of events coming up and events that were rescheduled. Many people in the meeting were taking notes. Also the President reminded the residents to look out for the monthly news letter that would be mailed out soon. Next, a representative from FEMA came up and spent a lot of time informing the community about what FEMA’s job is and how they can support the residents of Rosedale. Many people had a lot of questions and a whole team of representatives were there to answer them. Another representative from the SBA Disaster Assistance organization came up and gave a lot of important information. The representatives were able to help all of the residents and even had people ready to help them sign up for FEMA.
I have never been to a community meeting and going to this one was really interesting. I didn’t know so many people were involved in my community. A good amount of people showed up and the staff really provided a lot of help the other residents. Even though Rosedale is a small neighborhood there are so many people willing to offer their time to make Rosedale a decent community. Everyone was kind and ready to help one another. My only complaint would be that I wish the meeting started earlier so that I could have stayed for the whole thing.
I would be interested to come back for more community meetings. Before this project my parents and I didn’t even know there were community meetings in Rosedale. There are many clubs that have a big part in the organization like the tennis club and I didn’t know that existed either. I am curious to see what the organization is involved in all year around. I would like to get to know some of my neighbors better too. This organization has the potential to bring the whole community together and that’s what I like about it most.

Stacy Gaston 10/22/14
Dr. Glose Community Organizing & Development

Assignment #2: Attendance at a community meeting

I attended a community church meeting on Sunday October 5, 2014 in Canarsie, Brooklyn NY. The meeting began after the 11:15 a.m. mass across the street in Holy Family Elementary School’s gymnasium. Everyone gathered around in a large circle because about 15-20 people had attended. The reason for the meeting was to recruit young church members into assembling a youth group. It was led by one of the church directors, Brendan Egonu. He felt that because of all the recent violence that had been occurring in the neighborhood, a good place for young members to be was in a safe environment. He wanted the youth group to be a place where teens discuss peer pressure, drugs, violence, school, and any other issues that affected them on a day to day basis. In addition, more of the youth would attend church masses because youth group was held directly after mass.
The group decision on whether or not they favored having a youth group was split. Half of the group did not like the idea of having a youth group. They felt it was a way to force them into attending mass. They also felt like if they didn’t go to mass, but still attended the youth group, they would be penalized. The other half of the group felt that the youth group was a great idea to meet new teens their age and discuss issues with one another.
Mr. Egonu tried to change the mind of those that did not favor the youth group. He proposed the benefits of having a youth group. He said a few things, such as going on group trips like Six Flags, having church bake sales, planning parties, and also meeting new faces. Mr. Egonu also said that no one would be penalized for not going to church, but it would help because they would briefly discuss the readings. The group would have an age range from 18-25. He stressed that it would be an exciting group that he would be held every Sunday. There would be a given topic and everyone would share their experiences with the topic. He would also recite verses from the Bible that related to the topic. If the overall group did not like the topic and wanted to discuss something different, that was also an option. Mr. Egonu was very flexible about deciding the group topics. He said he would encourage new ideas and voices to speak up about their issues.
Some of the members were persuaded and by the end of the meeting. However, others did not feel comfortable sharing personal experiences with one another, especially in what was a church-setting. Mr.Egonu was pleased that he had at least reached a majority of the youth members. Some of them even said they would bring their family members to the first meeting. At the end of the meeting, everyone helped themselves to refreshments on the table. Some people stayed and continued to discuss the youth group with Mr. Egonu. Overall it was a success and most of us left the meeting excited for what was to come next Sunday.
I was very impressed by the group dynamics. I thought everything was professional and it was a good idea to sit in a circle to hear everyone’s point of view. Mr.Egonu interrupted only when someone had cut someone off or was going off on another tangent unrelated to the youth group discussion. He made sure that everyone said at least something, even the quiet members. He tried to draw the quiet members in and cut off the ones that spoke frequently. When it was voting time, there was a lot of negativity from one girl. She tried to influence the group to be on her side because she did not want the youth group to happen at all. Mr. Egonu noticed this and told her that her negativity was affecting the group. He told her not to interject when someone else was speaking. We noticed by her body language that she was unhappy and wanted the meeting to end.

1)      What is your home zip code? 11208

2)      Does your community have a name? East New York

3)      What is the number if your community board? Community board 5 and the purpose is to create new projects, handles complaints and requests from local agencies.

4)      Who is the president of your community board? Nathan Bradley

5)      Who is the district manager of your community board? Walter Campbell

6)      Who is your current New York City Council Member, what communities does him or her serve, what council committees does he or she serve on? Inez Barron is the current council member and she serve on the aging, alcoholism and drug abuse, health, higher education, housing and social service committees.

7)      Who is your New York State Assembly member? Seat is currently vacant

8)      Who is your New York State Senator? Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer

9)      Who is your U.S Senators? John L. Sampson

10)  Who is your U.S. Congressional Representative? Hakeem Jeffries

11)  What are the basic demographics of your community? Total population is 94,469, it contain many different race, which include Hispanics, American Indians, African Americans, and many other pacific islands. There are a total of about 2,666 and 3,276 females: however, the age group varies depending on which on the families. According to a recent data, the average income as of a few years ago was about 32,942 for a person who lives in this area.

12)  What is the health status of your community? More than half of East New York and New lots residents (53%) report not exercising at all, compared to 43% of New York residents. Fewer than 4 in 10 residents in this community (37%) report exercising at least three days a week. According to the “NYC.gov” website, adults in east New York and new lots have an increasing risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Although death rates due to HIV disease have decreased during the past decade in East New York and New Lots, they remain higher than in Brooklyn and New York City overall. High rates of HIV, East New York and New Lots have elevated rates of other sexually transmitted infection.

13)  What are the crime statistics of your community? Crime declined 70% from 1993 to 2010, with murders dropping to 33 incidents, representing a 74 decline for that category. East New York ranks 66^th with almost 2 murders per 10,000 residents, even though felony assaults dropped 7% in 2010 to 746, robberies went up to 12% and rape spiked by 22% and helping to raise the overall crime rate by 2% of that year.  

14)  Briefly describe the educational/ cultural resources of your community? Throughout my community there are many different school. According to nyc.gov there are 63 schools in my community and around 4 libraries. There are also many different parks surrounding my community.

15)  Briefly describe the recreational resources of your community? There are many different parks which for the most part is clean; however, there are some park in my community where trees cover the exit of it. I also notice many volunteers who would clean up and cut the grass as part of community service. There are parks with tennis space and some even connect to a pool area where young kids and adult is able to take classes.

16)  Briefly describe the religious/ spiritual institution of your community. I’m not too sure about the religious however, there are a lot of Christian and baptism churches.

17)  Briefly describe the financial and business institutions in your community. They have many supermarkets and deli in my community. We also have many hair and nail solons, some clothing stores, sneaker stores and a lot of discount stores.

18)  Briefly describe the infrastructure of your community? Most of the roads in East New York have some time of damage. These include holes, bumps, lack of traffic lights and garbage. Some buildings are in good condition however, there are open lots where trees and brushes are now taller than most kids are. In addition, our street light works occasionally, most of the time people are walking on lonely Dark Street with many potholes.

19)  Three strengths: stores such as supermarket, deli, salons at the end of most blocks. There is a police station right in the area because lighten the danger for most people and finally there are cops on the streets and people around most of the time.

20)  Three issues of concern: there are many holes and bumps on the streets, garbage on the floor, and a lot of smoking occurs.

21)  Human service professionals should care about our community and society because it surround there career path. Once you are, inform about the problems community face, it is most likely you will understand the problem a person may face and their behaviors. After all, our entire environment does influence the person we are and the way we see and understand many things.

1. 11220

2. Sunset Park

3. Community Board 7 – Sunset Park & Windsor Terrace

The purpose of Community Board 7 is to meet once a week to determine the community’s response to citywide issues or make choices on local issues . The board works with local city agencies to direct them to local problem areas and produces an annual report on the neighborhood’s needs and votes to determine our priorities within the city budget. the board has also taken on the redevelopment of the waterfront throughout 197-A Committee and helps coordinate and improve local services through the district service cabinet.

4. President of the Community Board- Daniel Murphy

5.District Manager- Jeremy Laufer

6.New York City Council Member- Carlos Menchaca District 38. Menchaca serves the Redhook , Sunset Park, Gowanus, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Greenwood Heights communities. He serves on the Immigration Committee in the city council and the following committees …Recovery & Resiliency, Small Businesses, Standards & Ethics, General Welfare and the Transportation Committee.

7. New York State Assembly Member- Felix Ortiz

8.New York State Senator- Diane Savino

9. U.S. Senators – Kirsten E. Gillibrand & Charles Schumer

10. U.S Congressional Representative – Democrat Nydia Velazquez

11. Sunset Park Demopgrphics- Population 85,082 , Male population- 43,795, Female population – 41,302, Median Age of Sunset Park- males 30.5 years of age and female 33.6 yrs of age, Race – Hispanic 50%, Asian 25 %, White 19%, Black 2%, Two Races 4%.

Education- Percentage of people 3yrs and older in k-12 schools- Sunset Park 22.7% vs. New York 16.9%.

Perecentage of people 3yrs or older in Undergraduate College –  Sunset Park 6.6 % vs. New York 6.6%.

Graduate school of Professional School – Sunset Park 4.2% vs. New York 1.7%.

Percentage of kids in Private school grades k-12-  Sunset Park 59.8 %.

Household Income- Median household income in 2011- Sunset Park – 39, 650 vs. New York 55,246.

12.Health Status of Sunset Park- Residents- every 1 in 5 adults are obese , Sunset Park 20% Brooklyn 23% New York City 20%.

Cancer screening- low.

Cancer deaths – Sunset Park est. 160 per 100,000 residents vs. New York 180 per 100,000 residents.

Death rate due to HIV – Sunset Park lower than those in Brooklyn and New York.

Immunizations-  Sunset Park falls lower than the TCNY target.

Psychological Distress- Sunset Park –  1 in every 4 adults suffer from serious psychological distress.

Hospitalizations- Mental Illness lower .

HIV –  Sunset Park 1 in every 5 residents has had an HIV test in the past year.

HIV deaths – Sunset Park has decreased dramatically in the past 10 years. 1995 50 deaths per 100,000 people vs. 2008 12 per 100,000 people.

Asthma- Sunset Park 1 in every 20 adults suffers from asthma.

Infant Mortality – deaths per 1000 live births -Sunset Park -7, Brooklyn- 7 , NYC- 7. Still higher than the TCNY target of 5.

Health insurance – Sunset Park residents 38% vs. 73% insured . Leaving the 38 % highly unlikely to having a primary care physician. Foreign Born residents that are uninsured 27%, and foreign residents born in U.S. 13% uninsured.

13.Crime Stats – Sunset Park 1990. Vs. 2013

murder- 24 vs.5

Rape- 22 vs.22

Robbery- 1,035 vs. 232

Fel. Assault – 481 vs. 206

Burglary- 1,645 vs. 177

Gr Larceny- 577 vs. 437

G.L.A – 1,602 vs.127

Total : 1990- 5,386 vs. 2013 -1,206

14. Educational & Cultural resources – Public Schools, Libraries, No museums, Movie theatre easily accessible.

15. Recreational Resources- Parks, Community Pool, YMCA near by, Sports Center, Gyms.

16.Religious and Spiritual Institutions- Churches of different religious backgrounds.

17.Financial and Business Institutions- Multiple banks, drug stores both mom and pop as well as corporations of pharmacies, Supermarkets,Travel Agencies, Real Estate agencies, Convenient stores open late, Check Cashing places open 24 hrs.

18. The Infrastructure of the Community- Sunset Park is mostly occupied by buildings, roads and highways are easily accesible and are in need of re-pavement. Roads and highways are under construction for way too long. There are benches being put in store fronta and in front of banks to engance the community. Traffic lights are in place in high traffic areas. Air quality is poor due to car pollution and environmental pollution as well as industrial pollution .

19. Three of the Community’s strengths :

A. Public Schools

B.Hospitals

C. After school Child Care Centers

20. Three issues of concern :

A. Health

B. Enviromental Cleanliness

C. Food Nutrition

21.Human service professional have a duty to the community in regards to addressing issues of concern , advocating, developing, fortifying and maintaining a healthy community,  deep within and around their commnunities . If your choice is to join this field then it is your responsibility to know what it involves and the duties that come with the profession. If in fact you know what comes with it then you are taking an oath to uphold the needs of others ethically and have a concern for the necessities of the community you serve.