A. 2010 Census Tract – Manhattan Community District 3: Lower East Side

Zip codes 10002, 10003, and 10009

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/neigh_info/census_tract/mn03_census_tract.pdf

http://www1.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/neigh_info/nta/mn03_nta_map.pdf

http://www.manhattancc.org/external/wcpages/wcmedia/documents/Zip%20Code%20DataNewFolder/10003.pdf

http://web.mta.info/maps/neighborhoods/mn/M03_LowerEastSide_2015.pdf

Manhattan Community District 3 Profile

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/mn3profile.pdf

Community Health Profiles 2015 Lower East Side and Chinatown

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2015chp-mn3.pdf

B. Summary Statements/ Paragraphs of the community

Lower East Side (LES), the oldest neighborhood in Manhattan and home to vast waves of immigrants over several centuries is constantly going through many transformations. The changing landscape and strong enduring community organizations provide a wide array of services to meet the needs of its growing mobile population.

Located on the southern and eastern side of Manhattan, the LES, approximately 1.7 sq. mi. is bordered on its west by Allen Street, on its east from Bowery to the East River, on its north by Houston Street and on its south by Canal Street and East Broadway.

MTA Transportation:

http://web.mta.info/maps/lower_Manh_map.pdf http://web.mta.info/nyct/maps/manbus2.pdf

Subway: B, D to Grand; F, V to 2nd Ave; J, M to Bowery; 6 to Broadway/Lafayette

Bus: M9 downtown on Essex Street. M15 uptown and downtown on Allen Street. M103 travels along Bowery and M21 cross-town along Houston Street.

Historically, the LES was once a fertile landscape of farms and woods and was settled by the Europeans in the 1600. Before the American Revolution, Dutch and British settlers owned the land in the area. Delancy Street is dedicated to the well-known farmer James Delancy and the orchards he grew inspired the name for Orchard Street. These flourishing farms were soon replaced by tenements (Krucoff, 2012).

During the late 18th century, other immigrant groups began to settle in the LES however, the first large immigrant group to settle in the LES were the Germans (political refugees). The influx of Germans concentrated in one area, caused the LES to become an ethnic neighborhood also known as Little Germany (Haberstroh, 2012). The Germans later relocated to northern parts of Manhattan after gaining financial success through prosperous businesses (Haberstroh, 2012).

To fulfill dreams of freedom, opportunity and equality, by the late 19th century Irish and Italian immigrants arrived, but the next large wave of immigrants to settle on the LES, were the German, Austrian, Hungarian and Russian Jews (Tutela, 2008). Economic burden, political cruelty and religious pogrom in Europe were principal motivations for migration to the United States. Sadly, most Jewish immigrants who settled in the LES faced biased stereotypes and harsh living conditions; they were packed into tenement apartments that faced dirty streets. On the other hand, they too began to reform the LES with distinguished marketplaces for kosher food and synagogues to facilitate religious observance (Krucoff, 2012).

Despite harsh living conditions, immigrants including Chinese and Hispanics continued to pour into the LES in search of work and affordable housing. Overcrowding and the rampant spread of diseases led to poverty and the LES became an infamous slum (Tutela, 2008).

Fortunately, social reform groups existed such as the Education Alliance and the Henry Street Settlement. These groups provided education to newcomers and hosted social activities for children.

By the mid-20th century the city began to rapidly change, small wooden tenements were replaced by taller brick ones, subways, parks and highways were erected. A method known as “slum clearance” instigated these changes to provide a better standard of living. Real estate developers targeted the LES for commercial and residential development and constructed high rental luxury apartments to lure college-educated individuals in the 20-40 age range (Tutela, 2008). Low income families were displaced to make way for the construction of modern facilities. This technique is one of the early examples of gentrification in the LES (Krucoff, 2012).

Young professional students and hipsters began to move in causing a change in demographics. Gentrification gave the LES the reputation of being chic with the establishment of trendy restaurants, bars, expensive boutiques, art galleries and new condominiums (Tutela, 2008).

Today the LES is known for being a diverse and trendy community. To support the conversion to an upper-class neighborhood, it has become so expensive that many cannot afford to live there.

Although lower Manhattan as a whole has a relatively low poverty rate, Community District 3 (CD3) has 28% of residents who live below the Federal Poverty Level. Nearly half of all

residents spend more than 30% of their monthly gross income on rent (Community Health Profiles 2015). The growing need to provide for lower income residents in a gentrifying district under a constraint budget creates a challenge for the LES’ community board members.

Of the 168,298 residents in CD 3 34% Asians and 25% Latinos are more likely to be poor with limited English proficiency. These groups may experience disparities in many health outcomes.

Mental Health Services: Community Access

Mission: Community Access assists people with psychiatric disabilities in making the transition from shelters and institutions to independent living.  We provide safe, affordable housing and support services, and we advocate for the rights of people to live without fear or stigma.

Values:

We believe that people who have experienced homelessness, poverty, social isolation, and prejudice should have access to housing, healing, and recovery opportunities.

We are committed to eliminating discrimination that restricts opportunities for people with disabilities to live and work in the community

We believe that people with psychiatric disabilities should have a voice for promoting social justice and positive change within the mental health community.

Description of Service:

We focus on creating pathways to meaningful and successful community life. Through engagement with the whole person, rather than with the diagnosis or disability, we build trust over time, attend to the person’s stated goals and needs, and, directly or indirectly, provide a range of services that enable the person with a psychiatric disability to achieve his or her full potential.

Every day, 1,600 consumers are given the opportunity to live independently in one of our transitional or permanent housing programs, to connect with a community at East Village Access, or to resume their education and pursue a new career at the Howie the Harp Advocacy Center. Our work demonstrates that people with psychiatric disabilities can lead productive, dignified, and valued lives in the community

Community Access strives to be a place where individuals and families can come together for learning, support and opportunity. The people we help—those with psychiatric disabilities and the working poor—too often lack access to decent housing, healthcare, education, employment, counselling, and recovery.

Community Access is an Equal Opportunity Employer. CA is committed to the hiring of at least 51% consumer staff, in all of its departments and programs, and at all levels of management.

C. Supplemental data (I will take pictures over the weekend and make a slide show)

Tenement Museum set in the centre of the LES “a gateway to America” exposes immigrant life and culture and the challenges they face as they worked to achieve the American Dream.

Community Access. (2012). http://www.communityaccess.org/index.php

Haberstroh, Richard. (2012). Development of Klein Deutschland or Little Germany. Lower East Side Preservation Initiative. Retrieved from

http://www.lespi-nyc.org/history/kleindeutschland-little-germany-in-the-lower-east-side.html

Tutela, Joelle. (2008). Becoming American: A Case Study of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. CUNY Urban Education.

Krucoff, Rebecca. (2012) New York Neighborhoods the Lower East Side. New York Public Library https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/lowereastsideguide-final.pdf

New York City Department of City Planning. (2010). Manhattan Community District 3 http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/lucds/mn3profile.pdf

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2015) Manhattan Community District 3: Lower East Side and Chinatown. http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2015chp-mn3.pdf