Save the Date! Newhallville Family Gospel Festival!

Christian Community Commission & Newhallville Promise Land Collaboration 

Present

The Family Gospel Festival! 

Free food, vendors, kiddie lands, games, contests, and giveaways! 

Saturday, August 5th, 2017

Lincoln Bassett School Park

Shelton Avenue, New Haven, CT

11:00 AM - 7:30 PM

For more information, call: 203-624-9228

University of New Haven Students Spend Alternative-Spring-Break as NHS Volunteers

The staff in Community Building and Organizing (CBO) had the pleasure of hosting four students from the University of New Haven for four days of community service during their “Alternative Spring Break,” March 13 through March 17.  Although the cold temperatures and Tuesday’s disruptive blizzard created challenging circumstances for outdoor service work, the students persevered.

On Monday afternoon, CBO Specialist Adam Rawlings supervised the crew as they spread wood chips for walking trails in a section of Beaver Pond Park bordered by Sherman Parkway, commonly known as “Sherman Forest.” In doing so, the students chipped into ongoing efforts that have transformed this park space over the last few years, thanks to the joint effort of NHS of New Haven, Urban Resources Initiative, the New HavenDepartment of Parks and Recreation, and the Friends of Beaver Pond Park.   

After Tuesday’s snowstorm brought Greater New Haven to a standstill, the students returned on Wednesday and contributed to snow removal efforts in the Newhallville neighborhood.  Elias Estabrook, AmeriCorps VISTA and Residential Engagement Specialist, coordinated the crew as they joined ten employees of EMERGE CT, Inc. to clear snow and ice from the sidewalks around NHS-owned vacant properties (in NHS’ portfolio for future development). In the afternoon, Adam and Elias led the students in freeing the sidewalk around the Ivy Street Community Garden, a resident-run garden routinely supported by NHS. 

On Thursday, the students got a break from the cold and assisted staff of the CBO department and HomeOwnership Center by preparing attendees’ handouts for upcoming classes. By devising a coordinated “assembly line,” they printed, stapled, hole-punched and compiled the materials in record time.

Over the course of the week, the four volunteers gave a boost to all three NHS’ departments and witnessed the breadth of our organization’s programs. We greatly appreciate their service.

If you or your organization is looking to volunteer with NHS of New Haven, visit our website and submit a volunteer application.

Cleaning up Beaver Ponds Park with Local College Students

Update (3/23/16):
We received this great note this morning:

"Thank you, UNH students, and Neighborhood Housing Services, for your heroic work cleaning up the badly neglected Sherman Avenue side of Beaver Ponds Parks. We, as Friends of Beaver Ponds Park, thank you for your arduous work clearing old bottles and even the kitchen sink out of the park.

Nan Bartow 

Bill Bidwell

Friends of Beaver Ponds Park"

-----

All this week (March 14-18), University of New Haven students have been working with NHS to clean up Beaver Ponds Park, along Sherman Parkway. They were joined on Friday, March 18 with a few more students from Yale, and together they picked up trash and debris from the site.

Stephen Cremin-Endes (NHS) addressing the group

Beaver Ponds Park is owned by the City of New Haven and is an approximately 107-acre park that includes athletic fields (including Bowen Field) and an approximately 86-acre wetland and pond system. Friends of Beaver Ponds Park is a community group active in preserving and enhancing the pond areas for recreational uses.

Trash funneling into the pond.

A trash study was conducted in 2009. The study found that residential waste including plastic bags, bottles, cigarette butts, food wrappers, etc. from the areas surrounding Beaver Pond Park are improperly discarded and are transported by the stormwater system into the pond. Click here to learn more about this issue.

5 trash bags collected in just one morning!

UNH Student, Brianna

University of New Haven student, Brianna, says, 
"I haven't done a ton of community service and wanted some new experiences. We're always learning about other students going to exotic places for spring break to clean up, but sometimes where you really need the help is locally."

LtR: UNH Students Jen & Sarah

Sarah, a sophomore at UNH says, "I chose to volunteer as part of an Alternative Spring Break. I wanted to get more involved. When I first got here, [the Pond] was disgusting. There were bottles everywhere, from one end to the other."

Jen says "I’ve never really done anything like this. So I thought why not? And you have an entire week to do it. I actually enjoy it. It’s nice to feel like you’re making a difference." 

Cleaning up everything -- including the kitchen sink!

Thank you to all our volunteers! 

For more information about this activity, or any of our other volunteer opportunities, feel free to reach out to Stephen Cremin-Endes, Director of Community Building & Organizing at NHS: scremin-endes@nhsofnewhaven.org.

Be In The Know: New Haven Food Policy Council

written by Lucie Prather, NHS staff member

The New Haven Food Policy Council (NHFPC) meets on the third Wednesday of each month at the bright and early time of eight in the morning. The meetings are held in City Hall, which is technically not open until nine. Attendees knock on the door to be let into the building and slip into one of the conference rooms upstairs. Despite the early hour, meetings are very well attended!

The NHFPC is comprised of several working groups, all addressing different food issues. There’s the Food Assistance Working Group (called “fawg” for short), which is working to improve communication between food pantries and track who is using emergency food assistance programs; the City Farm and Garden Working Group, which aims to increase community gardening and access to locally grown food; the Cooking and Food Education Group, which runs cooking demos and also trains people to teach others to cook; and the School Food group, which works to increase access to meals in schools year-round.

These working groups exist because people who care decided to work on the issues they care about. For the last few months, the NHS Community Building & Organizing staff have been working with New Haven Food Policy Council members to address food insecurity in Newhallville. This project, too, arose from people passionate about their neighborhood deciding to improve it. The Sustainable, Organic, Unprocessed, and Local Food (SOUL Food, for short) working group, led by Tennille Murphy of Kidz Kook, developed out of a strong desire to focus specifically on food issues in Newhallville. The SOUL Food coalition aims to increase access to healthy, locally grown food, to create jobs for residents by developing an indoor farm and a community kitchen, and to support working people who want to eat healthier but don’t know how. Through this work, the SOUL Food coalition intends to beautify and revitalize the Shelton-Ivy intersection, turning each of the four corners (The school, the Ivy Street Greenhouse, St Andrew’s Church, and the abandoned lot) into a vibrant hub for community gatherings, learning opportunities, and delicious food.

Why is NHS involved in a food project? Of course, food is a central theme in this work, but it is not the only theme. Healthy food and good jobs are part of healthy neighborhoods, and residents become neighbors when they break bread together. We are excited to be able to support a resident-driven, grassroots project, and we can’t wait to see what comes of this exciting work.

To get involved in the SOUL Food coalition, contact Tennille Murphy at Kidz Kook Association, kidzkooknhct@gmail.com

To learn more about the Food Policy Council and the ways you can help ensure everyone has access to good quality, healthy food, go to http://www.feednewhaven.org/ or email staff@nhfoodpolicycouncil.org

Happy New Year! Upcoming Events at NHS!

Happy 2016!

Now that the new year is upon us, it's a great time to look ahead at all of the upcoming events brought to you by Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven. If you have any questions about any of these events, please feel free to contact us at 203-562-0598.

Winter Garden Series

(January 23 - March 26)
Join Advanced Master Gardener, Rachel Ziesk, for a series of classes that will cover everything you need to be a successful gardener come Spring! Individual classes are just $20 or $100 for the entire 6-session series. Scroll below to see a full description of each class.

Newhallville99

The Newhallville99 project is designed to celebrate the rich and vibrant history of New Haven's Newhallville neighborhood, and to highlight recent initiatives and accomplishments within this community. Newhallville99 is a way for everyone, whether they reside in Newhallville or not, to be inspired to engage with their communities, be proud of where they live, and look forward to a future of never ending possibilities.

NHS is current accepting submissions for the Newhallville99 project. Nominate your favorite person, place, or project in Newhallville! All we need is a photo and a short blurb. To nominate someone, simply email newhallville99@gmail.com

HomeBuyer Education Workshops

When it comes to deciding who to work with when you are in the market for a new home, NHS of New Haven knows that you have lots of options. So why work with us?

We use the information you provide to create a home purchase package that is unique to you. Our housing specialists understand that the process of purchasing a home can be stressful and confusing. When you work with us, you can rest assured that we will arm you with the resources and knowledge to make informed, unbiased decisions. We ensure that you are prepared for the responsibilities of homeownership and are more resistant to default and foreclosure. At NHS, it's our goal to make sure that you're purchasing a home that you can not only afford to buy, but afford to keep.

Click here to begin your journey to homeownership! 

Winter Garden Workshops (full descriptions)
January 23, 10am-12pm: Soil & Garden Planning
The most important component for a successful garden is soil health. Learn how to make and keep your soil healthy, as well as how to plan your garden for the most productive season.

January 30, 10am-12pm: Cool Weather Crops
Learn about starting your garden as soon as the snow is gone! Cool Weather crops don't mind the cold and give you a head start on the season. Most can be planted directly in the ground, saving any space you use for seedlings for other crops.

February 13, 10am-12pm: Warm Weather Crops
Everything you'll need to know about warm weather crops: which ones are best started indoors, or direct seeded into the ground. What fertilizers to use, what conditions each crop prefers, all the information for a productive growing season.

February 27, 10am-12pm: Container Gardening & Seed Starting
Some people have no access to garden space -- that doesn't mean you can't grow your own vegetables. Container gardening can be rewarding and supply you with more food than you thought! Learn the in's and out's of using containers for your growing needs. The class will also go through everything you need to know to start your own seedlings. Everyone attending will get to plant a six pack of seedlings to take home with them.

March 12, 10am-12pm: Edible Landscaping
Attractive plants or food? Why not have both? Lots of edible plants are beautiful additions to even an ornamental garden. Learn which plants will perform well in either a vegetable or ornamental garden, which ones not only produce food but create attractive areas in your garden. Also learn about weeds that are edible and nutritious, and invasive plants and how to get rid of them.

March 26, 10am-12pm: Pests, Diseases and Organic Controls
There are lots of pests and diseases that can affect your garden. Learn about the prevalent ones and what organic controls you can use to combat them for a healthy, productive garden.

Submissions Wanted! Newhallville99

Proud Past. Promising Future.

The Newhallville99 project is designed to celebrate the rich and vibrant history of New Haven's Newhallville neighborhood, and to highlight recent initiatives and accomplishments within this community. Newhallville99 is a way for everyone, whether they reside in Newhallville or not, to be inspired to engage with their communities, be proud of where they live, and look forward to a future of never ending possibilities.

Submit Via Email What do you love about Newhallville? Send a photo and a short blurb toNewhallville99@gmail.com Follow Us on Facebook Visit our facebook page,/Newhallville99 to stay in touch with the project's latest news. Follow Us on Instagram Like our Instagram page,/newhallville99 to potentially see your submission!

Solar Youth at The Ivy Street Garden

The Ivy Street Garden Welcomes Solar Youth

Connecting community groups is one of the Community Building & Organizing team’s favorite ways of contributing to New Haven’s neighborhoods. In Newhallville, we were able to introduce program coordinators and participants of Solar Youth, Inc. to the resident gardeners of the Ivy Street Community Garden. This introduction proved to be rewarding in many ways for everyone involved. The friendship provided welcome help and energy to the gardeners as they began to prepare the garden for new plantings, and gave the young Solar Youthers a space and opportunity to get their hands (and clothing) a little bit dirty. 

Throughout April and May, this particular Solar Youth crew, whose home base is located at King-Robinson Magnet School, walked over to the Ivy Street Community Garden to spend an hour and a half facilitating the garden’s upkeep. Along the way, students had a chance to learn about composting and healthy soil, planting seeds and seedlings, the purpose of a greenhouse, the nurturing process and working together to complete tasks. One occasion even allowed students an opportunity to work alongside two of Newhallville's beat cops. Time was also spent having engaging and fun conversations with the students. We learned that a great way to keep attention was to pass around a daisy as a pretend microphone to allow one speaker at a time. So clever! We’re so appreciative of the great work that Solar Youth does, all around New Haven. We look forward to continuing this collaboration!