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- EIN 11-2475743
- 718-237-2017
- 621 Degraw St. Brooklyn NY 11217 USA
- www.fifthave.org
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Nonprofit Overview
Causes: Adult Education, Community & Neighborhood Development, Economic Development, Education, Employment Preparation & Procurement, Homeless & Housing, Housing Development, Construction & Management, Job Training
Mission: Fifth Avenue Committee, Inc. (FAC) is a community organization in South Brooklyn that advances economic and social justice by building vibrant, diverse communities where residents have genuine opportunities to achieve their goals, as well as the power to shape the community’s future. FAC is a nationally-recognized nonprofit community development corporation formed in 1978 that works to transform the lives of over 5,000 low- and moderate-income New Yorkers annually so that we can all live and work with dignity and respect while making our community more equitable, sustainable, inclusive, and just. To achieve our mission, FAC develops and manages affordable housing and community facilities, creates economic opportunities and ensures access to economic stability, organizes residents and workers, offers student-centered adult education, and combats displacement caused by gentrification.
Geographic areas served: South Brooklyn, NY
Programs: Affordable housing and community facilities development:affordable housing and community facilities development has been a cornerstone of fac's work since its inception. Fac has built nearly 900 units of affordable housing. Fac has a current development pipeline of over 800 additional units, representing over $400 million in direct investment in affordable housing throughout south brooklyn. This includes affordable supportive rental housing for adults with special needs, including the formerly homeless, veterans, low-income seniors, and those with a variety of mobility and other impairments; a model project which would result in an expansion of an existing public library with affordable housing above as well as long-term development projects in the neighborhood of gowanus. Fac manages over 500 units of affordable housing in south brooklyn and through our fac renaissance project will be preserving nearly 150 units in 21 buildings for long-term affordability while also making the buildings more sustainable and resilient. Over the past two years, the unit has also been involved in recovery and rebuilding work in the hurricane sandy-impacted communities including red hook and gowanus. Additionally, as a result of hurricane sandy, fac has identified the most vulnerable affordable housing properties in its portfolio and is involved in new resiliency planning and implementation efforts.
adult education:adult education and literacy programs offer a range of classes, including english for speakers of other languages (esol), adult basic education (abe), high school equivalency (hse formerly called ged) and family literacy classes at local public schools. Last year, over 1,000 students from nearly 30 countries of origin attended and improved their grasp of spoken and written english as well as their math skills and access to further education. According to the nys department of education, the program performs in the top quartile of adult education programs state-wide.
organizing and advocacy:organizing and advocacy has also been a cornerstone of fac's work since the organization's inception in 1978. Fac's organizing and advocacy unit fights to ensure that those most adversely impacted by policy become powerful agents of change advocating for justice, inclusion, accountability, sustainability and equity and the unit directly engages hundreds of poor and working classes residents annually while our policy advocacy efforts impact tens of thousands more. Fac's organizing and advocacy unit also prevents over 200 evictions each year and ensures that the voices of traditionally marginalized groups, such as those of new latino immigrants and public housing residents, are heard. In 2014, following nearly a decade of organizing and advocacy, fac and other community partners entered into a settlement with new york state and the developer of the atlantic yards project that will result in the 2,250 units of affordable housing being accelerated by a decade and the creation of an oversight body with local representation.