Grantee Spotlight

The YWCA Brooklyn is a beacon of hope for women in need and the organization is now on the verge of developing its impact even further.

This is the YWCA Brooklyn’s remarkable turnaround story.

The Turnaround Story:

By 2005, this haven on Atlantic Avenue and 3^rd Avenue was mired in debt and the 76-year-old building was in serious disrepair. There was pressure to sell the building - prime real estate - to commercial developers to convert into luxury apartments. But that would have left homeless the 214 women currently living at the YWCA Brooklyn and it also would have forced the YWCA to close its critical health and leadership services provided to women and girls throughout the borough.

With New York City ranked the least affordable housing market for low-income people, homelessness at an all-time high, and rising Brooklyn real estate prices, the YWCA Brooklyn was determined to build on the institution’s rich history of supporting women in need. By cobbling together a combination of federal, state and city funding, grants and private donations, the YWCA devised an innovative plan to save the building and expand services and programs. Under this new strategic plan, the YWCA is currently building 84 new affordable studio apartments, refurbishing the existing 220 single room units and creating a community center for women and girls. When the renovation is complete, the YWCA Brooklyn will be the largest provider of affordable housing in downtown Brooklyn, with more than 300 units for low-income and homeless women.

Because of this we are able to offer unique and diverse community programs:

Women’s Health Promotion

To eliminate racial and gender disparities in health, the YWCA Brooklyn offers community based education, screening and prevention services throughout the borough. Each year thousands of low-income women participate through an array of health promotion services including breast and cervical cancer screening, healthy living workshops aimed at reducing the incidence of heart disease, lung cancer, obesity and diabetes and fitness classes for women recovering from cancer. To further reach communities most in need of these services, the YWCA partners with the women’s outreach network to provide mammogram screenings through a mobile van that travels throughout the borough.

Affordable Housing

The YWCA Brooklyn currently provides 214 units of affordable housing for low income women, many of whom are domestic violence survivors, formerly incarcerated and homeless. The residence also offers advocacy, crisis management, financial literacy, technology, job readiness and referral services. “There is a story behind every door,” states Rolinda Ordonez, Director of Women’s Housing.

Unique Programs and Initiatives

The Women’s Breast health initiative has expanded with mobile community based women’s health services to now serve immigrant women in Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.. This has allowed the YWCA to reach more isolated communities where women are often uninsured or unable to access preventative health services due to language, cultural, and financial barriers.

The YWCA presents breast health information in a manner that is linguistically and culturally appropriate for the populations served. Information regarding the methods used in the early detection of breast cancer is presented in Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Spanish at approximately a sixth grade level to engage women with limited literacy.

The YWCA in collaboration with NYU Cancer Institute will develop an educational video on Breast Cancer for Arab Women. The video will be a linguistically and culturally sensitive approach to breast cancer, early detection, self breast exams, and touch on important cultural issues such as spirituality, marriage, and relationships. Linda Sarsour, Coordinator of Community Initiatives at the YWCA Brooklyn, will be the script supervisor for the video. This video is expected to be completed by November 15^th, 2008. Other collaborating organizations include the Arab American Association of New York, Arab American Family Support Center, and American Cancer Society.

Healthy Living workshops are provided onsite with an array of activities designed to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, hypertension and diabetes. The program includes nutritional cooking classes, community dinners, exercise and yoga classes, stress management and neighborhood walks. Over 50 women attended the May community dinner/celebration. We provide weekly on site blood pressure screenings and an 8 week walking group during the months of May and June.

In collaboration with NYCHA and Councilmember David Yassky’s office the YWCA provides community-based fitness programs for seniors. This initiative supports seniors to maintain full, active and self-sufficient lives. The target population includes Brooklyn’s most underserved and vulnerable elderly, many of whom would have difficulty traveling to off-site locations for fitness classes. Currently our community based sites are: the YWCA Brooklyn, Saratoga Houses, RAICES Senior Center, Farragut Houses, Brownsville Senior Center, the Warren Houses, and the Dodge YMCA. Last year the YWCA of Brooklyn provided 14 classes weekly with an average attendance of 12 participants per class.

The YWCA Brooklyn currently serves women in a diverse cross section of neighborhoods which include Bedford-Stuyvesant, Boerum Hill, Brownsville, Bushwick, Crown Heights, East New York, Flatbush, Fort Greene, Greenpoint, Midwood, Ocean Hill, Williamsburg, Bayridge, Red Hook, and Greenpoint. The women receiving our services are uninsured and/or underinsured; primarily African American, Caribbean American, Latina, Arabic, Polish and Russian women.

The success of the YWCA Brooklyn Health Education and Screening Program is due in large part to the fact that the YWCA of Brooklyn strives to meet the community at its doorstep. The educational programs of the YWCA Brooklyn go into the community where uninsured, underinsured, and low-income women live. The YWCA Brooklyn has participated in various health fairs, faith-based events, ethnic/cultural activities, holiday events and neighborhood celebrations, such as Atlantic Antic, and the Fifth Avenue Fair.