Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation Inc

Programs: Youth and human services - we served 1,730 young people in high quality afterschool, extended learning time and summer camp programs. Our organization is supporting the development of literacy skills in the early grades in our after-school programs and using evidence-based strategies to build the social and emotional competencies of our young people in all of our programs. We engaged over 1,000 youth and adult residents in recreation, education and leadership development programs at the cypress hills/east new york beacon school-based community center. In fy17, 3,500 young people participated in our early college awareness activities, high school articulation programs and our college and career counseling services which included researching and guiding college searches, completing college applications and financial aid forms, joining in college trips and early career planning and supporting students once in college to succeed there. Chldc also runs a family counseling center which helped 240 residents last year.

housing and community development - our organization continued to develop two new affordable housing developments: cypress hills senior housing and the pitkin-berriman projects which will bring 114 units of permanently affordable housing and a new supermarket to the neighborhood. Chldc is also providing grants to homeowners for major repairs and retrofits. We assisted 135 homeowners to prevent foreclosure and worked with 340 tenants to secure apartment repairs, avoid eviction and obtain renter benefits. Chldc also educated 1,400 residents about nutrition topics, engaged residents in cooking demonstrations and created access to healthier and fresher food through two agency sponsored farmers markets and work with merchants to sell more fresh produce and offer meatless options at local restaurants. We helped 296 residents secure and renew their snap benefits and encouraged their use of the farmers markets.

economic development and community organizing - chldc served 897 teenagers and young adults through the summer youth employment and work, learn and grow programs, giving low income young people a meaningful first work experience. 300 young adults participated in our job training and internship programs and 350 adults studied english as a second language in our adult education courses provided throughout the community. We mobilized residents to express their views on land use and public policy issues related to a major rezoning of the community and engaged young people in advocacy related to ending the school to prison pipeline.