MSCC, John Mudd, Posted: August 30, 2024, Event Date/Time: Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Time: 9:30 am-11:00 am

SUMMARY

This meeting’s topics:  We’re continuing from last month’s meeting, speaking about our cities development policies; particularly, on the City Of Yes, with Author Tom Angotti, Author and Architect John Massengale, Humanist and Educator Rob Robinson, and others. Also, we will discuss Beth Israel, and the attempts to steal the land it rests upon with Arthur Schwartz, lead attorney in defense.

CHAIR: John Mudd

WELCOME / INTRODUCTIONS

We appreciate all suggestions to help us run this meeting proficiently.

• Housekeeping (Zoom protocols) copying chat, muting, etc.
  • Signing in: Please sign in with your name and organization
• Please email subject and speaker suggestions by the 15th of each month
• Items to Triage: To give time to pressing topics, please forward items at least 24 hours prior to meetings
• Introductions, welcoming new and old members (keeping it short and sweet)
• Need someone to summarize actions and followup

 

PURPOSE

The Homeless and Housing members, attendees, and speakers share knowledge, ideas, and resources to identify problems and find solutions to the homeless and housing crisis.

5 min

POLICY MEETING UPDATES

The prior 8:30 Homeless and Housing Policy meeting wrap-up as presented by attending members.

2 min

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Council’s progress report on actions and initiatives.

• Communities Together: NY Social Justice and Music Fest coming 
• Farms!
• Web
• Need Board and committee members (funding & Finance, Street Sheets) ASAP
• Other

3 min

SPECIAL INTRODUCTION(S) AND OR UPDATES: 

The below list of intros and updates are brief; everyone is welcomed to present for a planned lengthier discussion

• Elected officials/agencies—updates
• Katy Lesell, Right To Counsel
• Alex Yong, WSNA NYC, Member of the End Apartment Warehousing Coalition—Albany tripartite negotiations for Statewide Right To Counsel
• Charisma White
• Saving Public Housing Coalition
• Others
• New attending members?
• Al Edouard | Special Projects Lead, NYC Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, edouarda@hra.nyc.gov|NYC.gov/peu, Sign up for their newsletter: Hear What’s New At PEU!

5 min

CRIMINALIZATION FOR BEING HOMELESS

Supporting folks without housing to organize and the relationship between housing and criminalization.

• Overview
• Action Suggestions

5 min

BETH ISRAEL

The attempted closure of Beth Israel and theft of the land beneath it has been in the making for a while. Public and legal efforts to thwart the efforts of government and private plans for Beth Israel’s demise are underway.

• Overview
• Status
• Actions

Speaker(s): Arthur Schwartz, lead attorney, Principal Attorney Advocates for Justice Chartered Attorneys, President-  Advocates for Justice Legal Foundation, General Counsel – Center for the Independence of the Disabled, Democratic District Leader – Greenwich Village, NYC

5 min

MAIN CHANCE DROP-IN SHELTER IS THREATENED

Main Chance has been serving people who are homeless with excellence in New York for 35 plus years. The Mayor is working to take away funding. 

• Here’s a City Limits recent article
• Overview
• Updates

Speaker(s): Marc Gross, volunteer at Mainchance’s food pantry, invited to join its Board, and then stepped in as pro bono counsel when the City sought to close it down. Otherwise, I am Senior Counsel at Pomerantz LLP, where for 47 years I have represented public employee and union pension funds, in class actions against corporations that lied to investors. www.pomlaw.com

15 min

NYC POOR DEVELOPMENT POLICIES: CITY OF YES, DEMOLITION OF NYCHA, MIDTOWN UPZONING, 

Summations of The City of Yes, Related and NYCHA deal and interest to Demolish Elliot Chelsea and Fulton Houses, Midtown Manhattan up-zoning, and Open New York’s lobbying efforts and efforts to capture the community boards to support the overdevelopment of this city to serve the wealthy and widen the inequality gap.

• Overview of hearings and meetings
• Overview of Policies
• Likely Outcomes
• Better opportunities to reshape city and communities
• Next steps

Speakers: Tom Angotti, Author and Architect John Massengale, Humanist and Educator Rob Robinson, Architect and Resident David Holowka, and others

40 min

PUBLIC CONCERNS

• Immediate needs?

8 min

ACTIONS

• Summary
• Additional Requests
  • Letter writing campaign, press releases

2 min

ANNOUNCEMENTS / EVENTS

• Additional announcements from new attendees, committee members, elected officials, others 
• Last words?

2 min

DEVELOPING INITIATIVES & PROGRAMS

• Communities Together: NYC Social Justice and Music Fest
• One Stop Shop
• Hurt Committee
• Objectives/Mission/Vision: MSCC is busily restructuring to become more effective in accomplishing its goals and making plans for the coming new year to complete their:
  • Mission: Midtown South Community Council strives to dismantle the causes of homelessness by building an equitable, just, and sustainable social infrastructure to ensure dignity, health, and home for all. 
  • Vision: Midtown South Community Council envisions a city where homelessness and poverty are eradicated
• Committees: Managing our overwhelming tasks together with our intersecting network. If anyone wants to be involved with building committees to serve programs and projects of mutual interests (Housing, Urban Farming, Education & Awareness, healthcare, incarceration, workshops, health access, Home Improvement, communications/social media messaging, Midtown Street Sheets…), please let us know
• Street Sheets

4 min

AOB

• Topic Suggests:
  • • Illusion of Choice: How Source of Income Discrimination and Voucher Policies Perpetuate Housing Inequality, UnlockNYC
    • Department of Building’s Office of Tenant Advocate (OTA) advocates for tenant against obtrusive or illegal construction within multi unit residential buildings. Speaker(s): Rakell Washington & Ana Pluchinatta
    • Charisma White (MSCC), what does deeply affordable housing mean
    • Network marketing and communications committee (suggestion)
    • Planning committee with Mount Sinai about their unused wings (suggested)
    • Common Point’s services
    • Prison to shelter and back again
    • Policing the problem away; 50% of the Riker’s Island jail population are mentally ill
• Speaker Suggestions: All suggestions are welcomed
• New Members: Thank you for joining, feel free to tell us your needs, schedule a presentation, and connect with anyone within this network
• NEXT Meeting Homeless and Housing Meeting: 9:30 AM Tuesday, October 1, 2024
  • • Always the 1^st Tuesday of every month

2 min

Contact hello@midtownsouthcc.org or john.mudd@usa.net for more information and Zoom invitations.