Community Voices Heard
Community Voices Heard Uses Multi-Pronged Strategy in New York City
Community Voices Heard is a new organization of low-income
individuals, mostly women on welfare, working together to improve the lives of our
families, our communities and low-income people throughout New York City. We are working
to accomplish this through a multi-pronged strategy which includes public education,
community and legislative organizing, leadership development, training low-income people
about their rights, political education and direct-action issue campaigns. We are one of
the few membership organizations working on welfare issues in New York City that is led,
directed, run and being built by low-income people themselves. While we have been focusing
on the issue of welfare reform, we broadly define welfare "activities" to be
multi-issue, and thus must include issues such as education, training, jobs, housing,
economic development, and other important community issues.
Community Voices Heard's members are predominately women on welfare with children. Many
of our members are formerly homeless and dependent on emergency services, with few ties to
community and neighborhood institutions. We have less access than traditional
organizations to information and support around anti-poverty and welfare issues, or
training in community organizing skills. Thus the challenge Community Voices Heard faces
is to enable ourselves and our low-income neighbors to acquire the experience, skills, and
resources necessary to improve our neighborhoods and impact public policy, while we work
to improve the lives of our families and children. Therefore, we address issues of
self-determination, family preservation, and economic opportunity.
History. CVH was started as an independent project of the Hunger
Action Network of New York State (HANNYS) two years ago as a way to increase the number of
low-income people directly involved in organizing on the issues of welfare reform. Since
then, Community Voices Heard has been expanding its grassroots organizing network and
increasing its ability to bring key legislators and public officials to the negotiating
table with low-income people. By educating our communities about proposed legislation and
organizing responsive actions, we have been able to play a crucial role in stopping the
most draconian of the welfare cuts, including proposals to reduce the level of benefits in
New York State and ending the general assistance program Home Relief. We have trained and
mobilized thousands of people to get involved in the fight to preserve welfare in New
York, as well as to advance real programs to improve the lives of low-income New Yorkers.
CVH is working on a number of different fronts to improve the lives of low-income
people in New York City. Following is a description of some of our activities.
Leadership Development: CVH provides intensive training in leadership
skills to our members. These trainings enable our members to plan and execute organizing
campaigns in their neighborhoods and communities, as well as to assume leadership roles in
activating citywide and broader campaigns around public policy issues. We are also working
to educate our communities about the political process, different political ideas and
models, as well as the history of political movements.
Community Organizing: Over the next year, CVH will initiate local
neighborhood-based organizing campaigns chosen by our members. Staff will provide support
and technical assistance to our members who will assume the lead in organizing these
campaigns.
Citywide Public Policy Organizing: CVH membership will choose at least
one major public policy organizing campaign which we will participate in at the citywide
level. CVH has previously worked on welfare reform as the issue which it sought to impact
on in both the federal and state level. We are presently focusing on the Work Experience
Program (workfare) to force the City to provide real jobs at real wages for people on
welfare.
Local Economic Development and Job Creation: Our members are very
concerned about expanding economic opportunity for ourselves and our neighbors. Over the
next year, CVH will explore innovative models of economic development to provide jobs for
our members and the community at large.
Speakers Bureau: CVH members have spoken to thousands of people across
New York City at rallies, demonstrations, events and dinners, as well as at conferences
and other engagements. Our members have appeared in multiple national and international
press and media stories about welfare and poverty. CVH uses our speakers bureau not only
to educate the general public about what is going on, but also as a way to get people to
take on action and to recruit new members.
Community Organizing and Internship Institute: Community Voices Heard
will work to provide an on-going annual community organizing institute to it members and
other interested low-income individuals from organizations throughout New York City. In
1995, we trained over 20 individuals in community organizing skills in an intensive
three-day retreat. These individuals brought their skills back to their communities and
are working to build CVH with the skills they learned.
This profile was provided by Community Voices Heard.
-- from the December 1997 issue of Welfare News
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