2010 CENSUS INFORMATION

Since its inception in 1990, the Hispanic Federation has developed an extensive track record of fighting for the rights of the Latino community and ensuring that Latinos are fully engaged and participate in the American political process. An example of our effectiveness is our civic participation campaign, which has helped register more than 100,000 new voters over the past decade.

The ultimate goal is for Latinos to take charge of their political future. Our 2010 Census Campaign is an extension of this work. The Federation’s Census initiative will drive Latino participation in the 2010 Census through a comprehensive public education outreach, community mobilization and a multimedia campaign focused on:

• Promoting awareness of the Census and why participation is critical to Hispanics
• Increasing awareness of the importance of mailing back Census forms and encourage cooperation with Census takers
• Dispelling fears and misconceptions about the Census, especially among vulnerable populations
  

To that end, the Federation is partnering with a large number of its member agencies to establish Census Leadership Centers (CLCs) in communities throughout the entire state of New York, from Rochester to Suffolk County, and New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.These "one stop" census assistance and resource centers will serve as the foundation for our community education and mobilization efforts.

How You Can Take Action and Help Make A Difference

In addition to making sure you fill out you census questionnaire form and turn it in by April 1, 2010, you can get involved and help us make sure that Latinos say “presente” and get counted.

Here are just a few ideas….

• Educate your family and loved ones about the importance of the census to them, their families and our community. Remember, billions of dollars and our political voice is dependent on whether we fill out those ten easy questions on the census questionnaire form.
• Messaging is important, so please let everyone know that the census does not ask about a person's immigration status and the information people provide on their census forms is completely confidential and cannot be disclosed for 72 years.
• Now that you’ve talked to your friends and loved ones, have them talk to their friends, compadres, mothers, vecinos and abuelitos about the Census. Together, we can make sure that everyone gets it.
• If anyone needs help filling out their census questionnaire form, have them call us toll-free at 1-866 HF AYUDA.
• Partner with your church, neighborhood association, school PTA or a community organization to organize a local census awareness campaign. This can be a fun way of building community cohesion and making sure that everyone is educated and motivated to fill out the census form.  
  

• The census counts every person in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam.
• People are counted at the location where they live and sleep most of the time.
• The census counts both citizens and non-citizens, including undocumented immigrants. It does not ask any questions about legal status.
• Even people without traditional "homes" are counted, including people who are homeless, prison inmates, and residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
• Military personnel and federal civilian government employees stationed overseas and their dependents are counted as part of the "overseas population" for purposes of congressional apportionment only.
  

• The Constitution requires that a census be taken every ten years. The next census will take place on April 1, 2010.
• Although the census provides a snapshot of the population on one day, the Census Bureau will work throughout the year to make sure everyone is counted.
  

• Census questionnaires will be mailed to most U.S. households in March 2010, and people will be asked to provide information that is accurate as of April 1, 2010.
• Census workers will visit some addresses to verify the location and drop off a questionnaire.
• Households that do not respond by mail will be sent a second form.
• Census takers will visit households that do not respond to the second form to collect the household's information or determine if an address is vacant.
  

• The questionnaire asks only a few basic questions for each person in the household: name, relationship, gender, age, date of birth, race, and whether the respondent owns or rents his or her home. The census does not ask about a person's immigration status.
• In areas where there are likely to be a large number of Spanish speakers, the census form will be bilingual in English and Spanish. You can call a phone number on the back of the English form to request a questionnaire in Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, or Russian. Federal law requires that everyone participate in the census - you cannot "opt out."
  

• Federal law mandates that information you provide on your census form is completely confidential and cannot be disclosed for 72 years. Only aggregate statistics, providing a profile of our population and housing, are published.
• The Census Bureau does not share your personal information with courts, the police, or other federal departments such as the Internal Revenue Service or the Department of Homeland Security.
• All Census Bureau employees take a lifetime oath to protect confidentiality and if they violate this oath, face prison time, a hefty fine, or both.
  

• Census data directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education, transportation and much more. That's more than $4 trillion over a 10-year period.
• States allocate billions of dollars of their own funds to localities and nonprofit organizations using census data.
• Businesses use census information to decide where to make job-creating investments.
• Census data are used to redistribute congressional seats to each state based on population and to draw state legislative districts.
• Census data are used to evaluate and assist with enforcement of civil rights laws.
• The census is like a snapshot that helps define who we are as a nation. Data about changes in your community are crucial to many planning decisions, such as where to provide services for the elderly, where to build new roads and schools, or where to locate job training centers.
  

East Harlem Census Leadership Center
East Harlem Council for Human Services, Inc.
2253 Third Ave., 3rd Fl
New York, NY 10035
(212) 289-6650

For More Information:

East Harlem Council for Human Services/ Boriken Neighborhood Health Center
www.boriken.org
212-289-6650

Hispanic Federation
www.hispanicfederation.org
212-233-8955

U.S. Census Bureau
www.2010census.gov
Telephone (Spanish): 1-866-928-2010
Telephone (English):1-866-872-6868

Download this fact sheet.

EMPLOYMENT/JOB TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Community Voices Heard (CVH)

Organizer Training Program Participant

Community Voices Heard (CVH) is seeking individuals interested in participating in a paid Organizer Training Program at one of the most successful New York grassroots economic justice organizations.

Trainees learn the craft of organizing through taking on real responsibilities to help advance an actual campaign. This cycle of trainees will be integrated into CVH’s successful Public Housing Preservation & Improvement Campaign and will focus their outreach efforts in public housing developments around the five boroughs of NYC. Trainees will be trained, and mentored by a combination of CVH staff with overall supervision coming from the Public Housing Campaign Director. The program will include on-the-job training and field practice in the following basics of community organizing (and more!):

• Recruitment: bringing new people into an organization through door knocking, surveying, etc.
• One-on-Ones: learning about people’s self-interest and why they might get involved
• Mobilization: moving people to action – to come to a meeting, a workshop, a demonstration, etc.
• Meeting Facilitation: keeping to an agenda and accomplishing goals set forth
• Direct Action: confronting power in a non-violent way (e.g. marches, rallies, etc.)
• Campaign Strategy: figuring out the best ways to move power figures to make changes
• Campaign Development: planning out a series of actions and activities to accomplish your goals

The program is four months initially with a possibility of an extension. Trainees will learn by doing; they will be instructed in the basics at the office, sent to the field to practice daily, and return to reflect on their experiences.

Organizing requires long and late hours. An average day starts at 11AM and goes until 9PM, but might start earlier or end later when necessary for the work. Some weekend work is also required – occasional Saturdays and Sunday evenings.

During the final weeks of the program, trainees will be assisted in crafting their resumes and cover letters to properly reflect the experience and skills gained, and will be given guidance at seeking out other organizing and/ or outreach jobs for application for long-term employment.

Organizational Background:

CVH is a 15 year-old membership organization of low-income people based in NYC and also working in other NY areas. We work on economic justice, job creation, welfare, public housing, economic development, and access to education and training services. CVH uses base-building, direct-action, grassroots-driven research, voter education & mobilization, and coalition building to lead campaigns to win benefits for our membership of low-income families.

CVH’s Public Housing Preservation & Improvement Campaign is about 3 years old. In 2007, the campaign won $3.5 million in operating subsidies from the state government for NYC public housing and got the Governor to sign a law that will ultimately bring another $47 million into the NYC Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) budget. In 2008 - 09, the campaign again secured $3.5 million from the state, $18 million from the City to help save community centers, met with various NYCHA and HUD officials and did effective media work to help keep public housing issues and concerns in the news. In 2010, we will be continuing the battle for increased resources to public housing, looking at how HUD changes will affect public housing and work on improvements to the resident participation structures.

Over the years, CVH has run multiple Organizer Training Programs. Graduates of the program have gone on to become organizers at other organizing groups in New York City, gotten jobs as outreach workers with social service organizations, or been hired as full-time organizers at CVH.

Qualifications:

• Current or recent past residency in public housing is required for this program!
• Interest in building community power & fostering the leadership of others.
• Comfort in talking to strangers and engaging them in dialogue about community issues.
• Hard worker with interest in rolling up ones sleeves and diving in!
• Eager to learn new things and apply them immediately.
• Ready to go door-to-door in public housing, knocking on doors, and recruiting members.
• Ability to work independently, yet take direction, according to goals of the organization.
• Spanish language skills are strongly desired, but not required.

To Apply:

Please send or drop off resume and cover letter (including a statement of why you are interested in the program and why you believe you are a good candidate for it) to Mo George – Public Housing Campaign cvh@cvhaction.org. If emailing, make sure to put “Organizer Training Program” in the subject line. If you have any questions please contact Mo George at (212) 860-6001 ext 27.

CVH is an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, LGBTQ individuals, and people with current or past experience receiving public assistance or residing in public housing are strongly encouraged to apply. For more information please check out our web page at: www.CVHaction.org.

Interview Process:

The interview process will last about 3 hours and include a personal interview and simulated outreach experience (e.g. quick training in outreach and subsequent exercise surveying people in the streets, knocking on doors to speak to residents, etc.).

Submit resumes no later than – Wednesday March 10th, 2010. Interviews will take place on the following dates. You will only need to attend ONE session

1) Monday - March 15th - 12pm – 3pm
2) Tuesday – March 16th - 12pm – 3pm
3) Tuesday – March 16th -  5pm – 8pm

Please select a session and state your selection in your cover letter. The program will start April 5th, 2010, and will last through the end of July, with a possibility for longer.

Salary / Benefits:

Trainees will receive a Salary of $543 weekly before taxes (the equivalent to approximately $14/ hour) on an every other week schedule. Healthcare (medical, dental and vision) premiums will be covered in-full by the organization during employment. Trainee benefits include two personal days; sick days accrued at a rate of one per month; and major holidays off (as outlined in CVH’s Personnel Policies). Trainees will also be provided with full reimbursement for monthly metro cards to cover transportation costs.

Monique "Mo" George
Public Housing Campaign Director
Community Voices Heard
115 East 106th St., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10029
Tel: (212) 860-6001
Cell: (718) 612-0922
Fax: (212) 996-9481
http://www.CVHaction.org

Community Board 11

Assistant District Manager - full time

Compensation: $35,000 or commensurate with experience; excellent benefits.

Start Date: Immediately

Manhattan Community Board No. 11 is a City of New York government agency, covering East Harlem/El Barrio, an area between 96th to 142nd Streets, from the east side of Fifth Avenue to the East River, Randall and Wards Islands. Through its 50 member volunteer Board and three (3) City paid staff members, the Community Board engages in various outreach activities and advocates for resident needs in a gentrifying community. With a focus on preserving and developing affordable housing, creating jobs opportunities and improving education, we have an advisory role in the City’s land use review process, annual budget, delivery of municipal services and are an active participant in most large-scale development proposals and planning activities.

Position: Working under the supervision of the District Manager, the Assistant District Manager serves as a constituent consultant, a municipal manger, information source, community organizer, mediator and an advocate. Works to develop and implement procedures to improve the delivery of City services to the district. The main responsibilities of the District office are to support the Board’s planning and advocacy initiatives and receive and resolve complaints from community residents.

Responsibilities:

• •Organize monthly meetings of the board and its committees, participating in all full board meetings and in committee meetings as needed, including evening meetings;
• Develop relationships with community partners and foster collaborations to further the board’s mission
• Represent the board as needed at public meetings, hearings, and at working sessions with City agencies and elected officials;
• Write letters and resolutions in support of CB11 positions; maintain communication among board members, community members and others using postal mailings and email, and administer the CB11 website/newsletter;
• Monitor community conditions and supervise the preparation of monthly status reports, supervise business license and landmarks applications, and handle citizen complaints from intake to resolution;
• Assist the District Manager in supervising board office staff and interns, directing office operations and administering the office budget;
• Conduct topical research on planning issues and other matters of concern to the Board and to the community.

Qualifications: Bachelors degree required (Masters degree preferred); excellent communication, interpersonal and organizational skills; experience supervising staff; professional experience in urban planning and/or other urban disciplines desirable; working knowledge of City government, and experience managing community development projects helpful; proficiency in MS office applications essential, other computer skills desirable. Bilingual is a plus. The Assistant District Manager must be a New York City or Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Orange County resident.

Contact: Only candidates submitting a resume and an appropriate cover letter will be considered. Resume and cover letter must be received by email at jlawson@cb.nyc.gov or mailed/hand delivered sealed no later than March 8, 2010 by 5:00PM. Please mail resume and cover letter to:

Community Board 11
c/o Chair of the Office Oversight Committee
1664 Park Avenue, Ground Floor
New York, NY 10035

Manhattan Community Board No. 11 is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

New York Academy of Medicine

Policy Organizer

New York Academy of Medicine has a temporary, consulting position through April 2010 for an organizer who can mobilize community groups, health professionals, elected officials, and others to support a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in New York State. Previous campaign or organizing experience on local issues in New York State is essential. Applicant must be knowledgeable about New York State politics, both upstate and downstate. Experience with the public health or health care community desirable. Hours are flexible. Job will require in-state travel. Position starts ASAP. Send resume to Ana Garcia agarcia@nyam.org.

EDUCATIONAL, HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES

East Harlem Affordable Housing Agencies