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I. Know. That said over their report their ability to be in that part of it that Sarah in the Premier program has express all existence full of easy balance but if you are not going to be an
ascetic in the center of your own mental level and. In it's a wonderful but I must say this Caribbean all of the ballots program of the will be enough that I'll become a community development block grant development grant get a kid in part of the secrecy on the run of the college program of this is serious and I'll fix you on the program as they will be at risk. They present the community as nerd knowledge of the DS brother and I'm beginning to be implemented. Consequently they'll be pushed out unless they can begin the rare when they can set leadership and motivation that will get involved in city politics. But the municipality with the federal government and will get them to make the our program further down to their level. In it's a program that I'm not gonna simply respond.
And I think it's a matter. Of time to get out. You're not taking a number of steps to meet the goals of the coalition at the first of those and we need we need to. Bottom line is that we need to identify community based groups that are in the Housing and Community Development. Are interested in getting the feel we need to build up the capacities. That is we need to improve and expertise in those fields. Are we doing that. We develop a couple of training programs. We go into the whole sites that we selected and do some training. Are we providing technical assistance whether we have a monthly newsletter where we get information. We set up a network among Hispanic groups to help each other provide technical assistance to each other and
also begin developing some kind of political clout because it's all that we have to face the fact. But to get things done in this country you have to have some kind of political muscle to run a distribution among that you kind of Rican American community. We looked at the concentration of populations and the actual needs of the Hispanic population. After we went through that we selected best in Massachusetts New York City New Jersey the Dade County area of Florida Chicago Illinois senator Sanford of South Texas the home state of Colorado New Mexico Arizona and California were regular with her friends and three or four states and decided to go on the road with them without a need any assistance from us other than just technical assistance and they're developing separate postings.
The Reverend speaks of running a chapter of the National Coalition. What we're talking about is we're talking about Atlantic City and you work in the state of New Jersey and other communities Elizabeth. Everybody to make sure that you don't. Have a decent place to live in. Public housing to get rid of this economic situation that we constantly perpetuate because we get into the American mainstream because we have to move. Here and work.
If you want to read in three areas that really fit into your UCLA they've done pretty well. One of the prime purposes of the conference is to get all the people that we identified as we went throughout the country holding the seminar or the orientation sessions together and we call them explain the need for a national organization the need to coalesce and work together. And I think we need a catalyst we need to bring them in so that they meet each other and so that it will be just well I know that doing something in the cyclists but really get people together so that the people in New York can meet the people for Fresnel and can discuss their problems and see how common the problems are and and recognize that we have more clout if we join forces.
That's one of the main purposes. The other purpose is to bring in the 90s spending decision makers you know the city managers mayors state legislators the federal bureaucracy bring them in and say look we are concerned here are problems. And you know to begin median and connecting with the Hispanic community and with the community based groups and help the efforts of building capacity through the coalition is to show individuals and communities that warning there is a program to. Here is how you go about it. And three that. That you know these programs to help the Hispanic community. In fact I'd like to on camera right now because I don't think it's ever been announced announce a program to do that the hut is funded for over a third of a million dollars to a new coalition of Puerto Rican in the jewels on the continent the United States Continental Puerto Ricans like myself have never
been adequately represented here. There is a coalition of groups from around the United States who through our own the initiative in our own sons of this organization together for the last couple of years and I have to take I have to give credit to the people in New York and New Jersey and Philadelphia in particular. And it held together and funded the group precisely to go out and how the Puerto Rican community in this country assess its needs and get into the program and if we can get into those programs and get in those programs we can see our own problems in the running things that they put in their contract was that we have to become self-sustaining very quickly. No group can become self-sustaining in less than 10 or 12 years. But we have made some movements. Just expand a little how we intend to survive is that you know we have to continue to get refunded from heard from the other federal agencies and withdrawn into a general partnership with a private for profit group.
Called the National Resources Development Corporation where we go into syndication. They put up the money and they get 70 percent of our monies are made. We get 30 percent of the monies and those monies were poured back into the coalition so we can begin have been in the in the money to continue to survive the same time we learn how to become developers. And at some point we will have to work with who we become to develop ourselves and we go into a joint venture with the local chapters so that we make some money to stay alive and we get some monies to the local chapters. To stay alive and to grow and to do whatever things need to do the local level. And we're hoping to hit the foundations. I think that the international foundations have an obligation to Hispanic community. Very few of the National foundations very much to assist that has been community and none of them having done anything in the area of housing sewing are going to the Pentagon the reaction of the people in the in our continued existence is going to depend
on the support of the of the local community groups. And without that you know we can survive and I think that if we don't survive they're going to have difficulties surviving because they have no one in this to advocate and assist community based groups. In Jersey City. Why don't. The name of the second born in there. He knows Bill Blanco's And Bill the negatives almost. All money that went around like that in the way they give CCD. I say on a Thursday I know that I mean that it.
And state land me in the necessity that the have Leon with the money says they see it I know I will tell you that. New Jersey housing plan is run into them and. They want the whole going to get back will that handle them. I thought it meant that I don't have any more than I will. What is so that the love messes that I don't see where they could ask
him what that meant though is that it's in my sig. They don't know where this woman is wiling to go you know what I mean. You think one of the whole new daughter you are not the one that's been sort of me emotionally and when I'm not saying you're one of the people you have on your arm with that I shun them you know if you think one of the lucky one with their book will be in love with your but I said they are going to study
when I can borrow the content of a review that key pieces that we can go to create some new Gothic brought up to see her. I think I don't know. I mean I know it but I'm looking in full and I see the leniency then an elbow then that. Meant that I hold on he says you want to get down at the end of this and they will know that I am aware that I was downtown housing urban Corp and I can see only that it is sweat equity in concept the
idea that everybody and. People put in their labor their sway as they're anchored in a building instead of a family that could afford to put down $50000 as a dating down payment on their house. They make up this equity in work and in our project reusing the contractors and sweat. So the people in neighborhood aren't stuck doing the really hard test is putting in plumbing and wiring but just finishing work and initial demolition. We decided that the only way we could really affect housing was to do something ourselves. That fit what we really wanted. And that's when we did a lot of thinking a lot of study a lot of talking on ourselves and we decided to try something that they do in New York which is the home setting concept and taking one of the many abandoned buildings that's in a neighborhood that's in fairly good shape. And we have for ourselves for six of our own families and that's been our most positive response in the three years that we've been
really struggling with this. Are you are you just going to get that one. We're going to give it to.
You. People that forget those represent. The harm that it can move them saw on to shimmy for the shimmy and they should have the ability to participate in them and I think something wrong with you developing skills.
I think the most important skill it develops Aside from learning you know to sheet rock a wall is that it develops leadership in our community. These people have put in a long time in learning the processes that we have to go through learning about how to deal with government institutions and financial institutions and learning to work with each other because the building is run as a co-operative. It's not that I blame him for you. When they came they are still in Hoboken or a coalition of union activists Legal Service Employees Housewives priests nuns and students. You're in the process of acquiring that building for rehabilitation. You know sweat equity type project. Could you explain the situation of the buildings on Willow Avenue and it has eight apartments currently that are unlivable. And what we project to do is invert
those eight apartments that are on the bubble so four or five apartments the housing low or moderate income families with the need for large units large apartments there what are the main problems you're facing in order to make these projects feasible. One that this type of program is new to this area of the country. It's been applied rather successfully. But in this area it's new so the source that we are where we went for the money which is the Korean Development Agency of Hoboken is new to the idea. So they resist resist that a little bit on our part. We're becoming organized we're inexperienced and how to do this. If it's not sort of in that naive yet look at problem of the BBN that be in on this but that is you know not you mean the love if it's you know if you see what they don't yet know the response from the Department of Community Affairs to Hispanic
housing concerns can be most seen in the recent round of demonstration grant awards which Commissioner will find he may last June in Newark. We're finding the same Colomba neighborhood club for $85000. We are funding the Mount Pleasant Community Development Corporation for one hundred twenty five thousand dollars and both these efforts are directed and neighborhoods which have significant Hispanic populations in Jersey City were found in funding the downtown urban housing corporation in a in an Hispanic mixed as many Italian ethnic neighborhood. Because saying there's a nonprofit group called Neighborhood resources and or abraded we're funding them with $50000 again to break new ground in housing rehabilitation programs which will involve members of the Hispanic community at large men and when he cuts you want to get that up he's going to call me if you're not over that but the mental health of the fund that equal what brought that he led the way
and won the War I but I'm a little bit but a mother will he finally I know look at me look only show my lucky one also but I must be if that I found though that if they can see them and buy him a way out of the that to set up the name of the nettle I'll fleecy not us until the final You don't have to be his bannock to understand it has been a problem but it helps. We're putting out lots of publications about who's been in the problems of discrimination problems of conditions of housing report you know press releases. Lots of things we do training programs. We have a major problem. On which I
don't support. I did my would make sure that high interest rates don't come to starts. One of the way to adjust our mortgage is that full impact is graduated and we have a program where we can have a better program. And I think we've proved it in the housing bill that will become law this year that these lower down payments and lower monthly payments in the early stages of the mortgage and then later on the mortgage payments graduate I think that's one of our responses.
Another We do need to make sure that 15 percent interest rate is not fully paid for by developers. Oh you know when the housing is for people of modest income and lower in there we could run a subsidy for part of that interest. This is this is in the process. We can't let housing go into a deep depression because when it comes to mobile mobile of adverse effects you can't find one single culture around the entire world. Why homeownership. It's not a basic bedrock final matter to the people there it's not one. Oh well. Well that's not the case but I thought it.
Was. Fine. The message really is that we need to stay in and hang in and work on our community problems. I went to Newark about a year
ago and I spent a lot of time touring the Hispanic area there my wife and I did and it was an interesting experience on the train coming back. She was kind of the press because you know we had really seen a lot of poverty and a lot of people living in substandard housing. And she said the guys we were talking to she said how is it that you have any feeling of optimism because I was up I was not depressed by the experience that she was and I said the thing that makes me feel good about is that there are still people in that community who care about that and care about the people in that community and are willing to do the neighborhood means in a little living room and organize themselves to deal with the problem the instant that we have. We don't care about ourselves the instant that we we don't organize and then well there's a give up and I don't see that happening in the Hispanic community.
I'm very optimistic. I've seen it all over the country that we are now have a sense of who we are. We have a sense of becoming a people and that we have the capacity to solve our own problems. In the 1980s there are a number of other important steps which the Hispanic community should take. Initially the census which is going to be conducted later this year is going to be critical in terms of the Hispanic community. It's important that as many people report to the census as possible because of the Hispanic communities representation in municipal affairs and in state affairs and as it relates to federal funding levels must be counted. And to the extent that through local churches or through the political structure or neighborhood groups and Hispanic leaders can encourage the participation of Hispanic families in the
census to that extent they will be then well represented at the various levels of government both municipal and at the state and federal levels in terms of housing programs. We're going to be further developing our programs and refining methods of preserving the state's existing housing stock in all of its urban areas. And we intend to do that in cooperation with neighborhood groups so that tenants who are living in neighborhoods now may stay in those neighborhoods and don't need it. Hopefully participation in the management and ownership of those units is more emphasis and more money available for neighborhood organizations that are interested in this and themselves than ever before.
Title
706 Hispanics and Housing III
Title
Images/Imagenes
Contributing Organization
New Jersey Network (Trenton, New Jersey)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/259-5h7bvb0p
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Description
Series Description
"Imagenes (also Images in English) is a Emmy award-winning show that features documentaries and in-depth conversations with panels of experts, focusing on the lives, history, and culture of Latino communities in New Jersey."
Description
No Description
Topics
Race and Ethnicity
Spanish Language
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:28:27
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Credits
AAPB Contributor Holdings
New Jersey Network
Identifier: UC30-966 (NJN ID)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Dub
Duration: 00:30:00?
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Citations
Chicago: “706 Hispanics and Housing III; Images/Imagenes,” New Jersey Network, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 28, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-259-5h7bvb0p.
MLA: “706 Hispanics and Housing III; Images/Imagenes.” New Jersey Network, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 28, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-259-5h7bvb0p>.
APA: 706 Hispanics and Housing III; Images/Imagenes. Boston, MA: New Jersey Network, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-259-5h7bvb0p