NHS Workshop With SeeClickFix

written by Vishakha Negi

Members of the audience were prompted to
answer a few questions about their community,
the first of which was why they cared about it.

Why do we care about our community? 
The answer may seem obvious. We live there. Some of us work there. It's where we were raised and want to raise our children. At the SeeClickFix workshop co-hosted with NHS on June 23^rd, however, even more answers materialized. People cared about the impact their community could have on the larger environment, the availability of essentials like groceries and jobs, and the implications it could have for future generations. These answers were a result of an activity during the workshop, which prompted a conversation about what it means to improve communities, as well as how one could go about improving them. As the name of the workshop suggests, the solution that was discussed was an app called SeeClickFix.

SeeClickFix members Nadine Herring, Andrew Johnston and Amanda Parr ran through the basics of the app. Users can share images with comments about issues in their community not only with other community members, but also the relevant authorities. As a result of this process, the issue could be quickly fixed. As an audience member aptly pointed out during the workshop, some individuals may not have smartphone access. Luckily, members of SeeClickFix assured the audience that libraries throughout New Haven would be trained to enter the relevant issues through SeeClickFix’s online platform, and so individuals without smartphones could just share their concerns at a local library. A picture would not be necessary at all – just the issue and the location. SeeClickFix is a viable platform for all individuals and a powerful tool for transforming how we see our communities and take charge of them.

The end result of a brainstorming session on why we care about our communities
and what aspects of it could be improved. Members of See Click Fix finally sorted
these responses into relevant categories like Environment, Investment, Local Pride
and Education.

NHS plans to continue with the workshops, especially because this one was so well-received by both participants and facilitators alike. 

Here is an excerpt from a blog post, which SeeClickFix wrote about the workshop:

“At SeeClickFix, we are grateful for the privilege to work alongside Neighborhood Housing Services and the actively engaged residents and governments dedicated to taking pragmatic steps towards improving their towns and cities. We are dedicated to providing a platform where all voices are given a chance to be heard, where respect is shared and communicated, and where education inspires engagement, awareness leads to involvement, and initiative generates change.”

We are truly lucky to have these opportunities to partner with SeeClickFix. By working together, we are able to better address the issues that affect quality of life in the community.

Community Event!

NeighborWorks® Week 2016: Creating Opportunity to Serve

Bike & Build is a nonprofit organization that organizes cross-country cycling trips to benefit affordable housing in the United States. In between their riding days, each group takes the time to "build" and volunteer at different organizations that promote affordable housing.

On Wednesday, June 1, NHS welcomed 30 cyclists at the intersection of Sherman Parkway and West Division Street. Once there, the group joined another 25 volunteers from the Hopkins School in a massive clean-up around Beaver Ponds Park.

The two groups transformed the strip of land by pulling weeds, planting flowers, picking up trash, and distributing mulch around the trees. It was a beautiful transformation and we encourage everyone to drive by Sherman Parkway to see all of the work that has been done!

You can find more photos of our volunteers on our facebook page.

Volunteer Planting Event!

On Saturday, April 9th, there will be a volunteer planting event and celebration of the Pond Lily Dam removal!  
Please contact Annalisa Paltauf (Apaltauf@savethesound.org) with any questions and to RSVP.

Common Ground Community Calendar

Hello NHS Family & Friends!

 We wanted to share with you this calendar of community events from one of our favorite partners, Common Ground CT! Click the photo to find out more information on Common Ground's website.

Common Ground High Schoolers get an Early Spring Start in the Ivy Street Garden

On Wednesday, March 2nd, first-year students from the Common Ground School joined NHS at the Ivy Street Garden in New Haven to help rake leaves, plant bulbs, and bring some life back to the garden!

We thank the students for all their help. View more photos of their hard work on our facebook page.

Apply Today: Resident Leadership Program!

* note: you do not have to be a New Haven resident to participate

Applications for the Spring 2016 Resident Leadership Program are currently being accepted! Click here to download the application.

In March 2010, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven launched its Building Leaders, Building Communities: Resident Leadership Program. The program was an essential element of the training and education component of our Neighborhood Revitalization Institute.

Based on a curriculum developed in conjunction with our national partner, NeighborWorks®America, the program consists of five units. The primary goals of this program are to transfer concrete leadership skills to New Haven residents, create a space for participants to share their experiences with one another and increase their sense of being agents of change. One key to achieving these goals starts with the fundamental belief that participants and the communities they represent are assets. Oftentimes leadership programs are built to fill in the “missing gaps” in emerging leaders rather than to hone the strengths they already possess or allow time to build confidence and skills. This program aims to change that paradigm.

Please contact Stephen Cremin-Endes by email or phone at (203) 562-0598 ext. 222 for details regarding our Spring 2016 series! 

We are excited to be able to offer a new round of workshops for this year's program, and they are:

Building Leaders, Building Communities Curriculum

Unit One: The Art and Science of Leadership

Unit Two: Mapping Community Assets

Unit Three: Understanding Power for Community Change

Unit Four: Planning Successful Campaigns

Unit Five: Leading Great Meetings

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

NHS & Emerge CT

Happy Tuesday!

We wanted to share with you this incredibly powerful video for Emerge CT created by the United Way of Greater New Haven.

NHS of New Haven has been utilizing Emerge as part of our contractor force for nearly four years.  They are adept at gutting buildings, constructing fences, constructing bases for lamposts, installing and maintaining landscapes, and snow removal.

Emerge has been 100% reliable and is a dependable partner in our efforts to revitalize New Haven’s neighborhoods.   It is a well-managed organization that has served NHS’s as well as their core mission very well.  NHS prides itself on the fact that although our focus is on rebuilding houses, we recognize that rebuilding lives also rebuilds neighborhoods.  The people of Emerge CT, both managers and workers, have been a pleasure to work with and are very efficient at performing whatever task we employ them to accomplish.  We hope that this relationship can continue for many years, to the benefit of all involved.

News Coverage -- "Solar For All" Kick-Off Event

On Wednesday, January 20th, NHS of New Haven hosted a press conference brought to New Haven by PosiGen, the CT Green Bank, and the New Haven Energy Task Force. The Press Conference, attended by Governor Dannel Malloy, kicked off PosiGen's dedication to bringing solar energy to homeowners of all income throughout the Greater New Haven area and all of Connecticut.

With an illustrious group of speakers, the Press Conference was a great success! We want to thank everyone who attended the event and support solar energy in New Haven. Here are a few links of our press coverage. Simply click a photo to view the article/video.

If you're interested in Solar Energy for your home, please reach out to PosiGen for more information. 

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!

Planting Along the Farmington Canal Trail!

On Wednesday, November 4th, students from the Sound School joined Lisa Fernandez from the Yale Forestry School, Aaron Goode from Friends of the Farmington Canal, alongside NHS staff to plant over 200 bulbs along the Farmington Canal Trail between Shelton and Thompson streets.

The students arrived bright and early in their bright orange vests. They divided into groups and quickly set to work. One group planted daffodils and tulips at the base of several trees, while some of their classmates raked leaves and cleared litter along the trail.

Another group took on the hard work of digging and planting down by the brick pillars at the entrance to the trail.

The trail was busy with joggers, bikers, and walkers enjoying the last few warm days of autumn. We hope that people using the trail will enjoy our efforts when the flowers bloom in the spring!

After we had all worked up a bit of a sweat in the unseasonably warm weather, the Sound School students went around the corner to the community wall next to Cerda’s Market. They gathered leaves and trash, and even planted a few more bulbs, before packing up and heading to the bus. We were very grateful for the students’ hard work, and are excited to do more planting with them again soon.

Press Conference! Join Save the Sound & the West River Watershed Coalition!

Save the Sound, on behalf of the West River Watershed Coalition, cordially invites you to celebrate the official release of the West River Watershed Plan. To mark the occasion, Save the Sound will be hosting a press conference along the West River in New Haven’s Edgewood Park at 5:15pm on Wednesday, October 21^st.

Show your support for the West River Watershed and commitment to the goals of the West River Watershed Plan!

Arrive for the 5:15pm press conference and stay for Green Drinks at 6pm at Manjares in Westville, where members of the Watershed Coalition will share the major findings and recommendations of the West River Watershed Plan as well as progress we’ve already made to restore and protect the West River and its tributaries.

What: Celebration and Official Release of the West River Watershed Plan

When: 5:15pm, Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Where: Edgewood Park, Entrance at 355 W Rock Ave near the corner of Whalley Ave and W Rock Ave in Westville, New Haven

Who: Save the Sound, the West River Watershed Coalition and YOU!

A Gorgeous Day for a Rain Garden!

On Saturday, September 26th, NHS staff member, Kathy Fay, took part in a rain garden event on Edgewood Avenue, sponsored by Save the Sound. It was a truly fantastic event with many volunteers from the neighborhood helping out. 

Thanks to all of their incredibly hard work, there are now two new bioswales (large rain gardens) on either side of the Edgewood Mall on Ella T. Grasso Blvd, filled with hundreds of plants. 

In case you're wondering why this is important...

When it rains in New Haven, the rain water flows over the streets, sidewalks, and other impervious surfaces, picking up harmful pollutants and causing localized flooding. 

During some storms, this polluted runoff (called stormwater) inundates our storm and sewer pipes, causing raw sewage and polluted stormwater to overflow into the rivers.

The purpose of installing rain gardens is to capture the rainfall and allow it to soak into the ground. This will help to prevent flooding and water pollution, and allow clean water to reach our rivers. 

You can learn more about rain gardens here: 

http://nemo.uconn.edu/raingardens/

One great surprise during the event? Our NHS Board President, Virginia Stevenson, just happened to be driving by and decided to join the volunteers and help out the project.  

Left to Right: Kendall Barbery (Save the Sound), Kathy Fay (NHS Staff), Virginia Stevenson (NHS Board President) 

To stay updated on further Save the Sound projects and events, follow them on facebook here.

NHS Works with Yale Sophomores on Ivy Street

written by Theo Wuest

On the morning of Monday, August 24, a group of about ten Yale students arrived at NHS of New Haven's campus. They were about to begin their week of service through Dwight Hall’s FOCUSon New Haven program, which at the end of every summer sends rising sophomores and upperclassmen group leaders to work with local nonprofits and see the city from a different perspective. 

The students who came were led by Lauren Blonde, an architecture major and a friend of NHS, who was returning for a third consecutive year of working with us through FOCUS. The group was set to work in the community garden on Ivy Street for about twenty hours, Monday-Thursday, with many items lined up for them to do during their time.

First off: the garden needed general upkeep. The students, alongside NHS' Community Building & Organizing team, watered, weeded, and picked up trash. There were tables and chairs that needed painting and staining, as well as a broken umbrella pole that needed to be replaced. 

Our largest project was the construction of a fence adjacent to the greenhouse. The space between the greenhouse and the neighboring property is currently unused and full of weeds, wildflowers, and rocks, a waist-high wilderness we needed to weed-whack to traverse. While having the pleasant appearance of a natural meadow, it needed maintenance and was not a good first impression of the garden when entering from the Shelton Avenue gate.

The solution devised by Lauren and CBO director Stephen Cremin-Endes was to use some wooden pallets leftover in the garden to build a fence. We would dig holes, mix concrete, and erect posts cut from spare four-by-fours. We would then attach, vertically, the newly sanded and oiled pallet. When all was said and done, it would look like a slatted fence, running from the corner of the greenhouse to the edge of the property. Eventually, another will be built on the other side of the wildflower garden. One student even used her Girl Scout expertise to lash together a fence with branches and twine to be attached when a hinge was installed.

I, myself, arrived on Tuesday, as the project started in earnest. A few students sawed fence-posts, others dug holes, and others coated the tables with linseed oil. After digging the holes and cutting two four-by-fours, we played around with concrete until the posts were safely set. The rest of the concrete was used for found-object art. 

The next day, we dug more holes for new posts and started to attach pallet to the ones we installed the preceding day. The wood, however, was treated and well-weathered, and it was almost impossible to drill through the four inches, let alone put in a screw. But throughout all of Wednesday and Thursday, with some experimentation, some frustration, some exasperation, some cooperation, and a great deal of physical exertion, the pallet were up. The front fence was close to finished and the part already constructed was sturdy and visually appropriate. A beautiful handmade gate was made with twine and expertise, soon to be attached.

By the time all of our work was completed, it was Thursday, time for the volunteers to take their leave. We took a group photograph and there plenty of friendly chatter as they helped pack up to go. Speaking with them, I found that the most common sentiment among them was gratefulness for or interest in seeing New Haven from a different perspective. The garden, once again, looked clean and healthy.

That evening, all the FOCUS students met for a large dinner at Dwight Hall. Stephen and I were invited, along with representatives of other non-profits, and were served a menagerie of delicious New Haven takeout. But the most important thing was that we were able to thank our volunteers once more for their dedicated service. We enjoyed working with them and hope to see them again soon.

Update! West River Watershed Plan

A few weeks back, we posted an article on the draft West River Watershed Plan -- here is that post, in case you'd like more information.

We're happy to announce that the West River Watershed Plan is now live and ready to view on Save the Sound's website. You can find information on the plan, as well as all technical memos and appendices there.

Please feel free to share the plan with friends, neighbors, and colleagues!

September 1st! Join the GoNewHavenGo Contest!

Happy September! It is time for the annual goNewHavengo transportation contest!

Last year, the Healthy City Healthy Climate Challenge started goNewHavengo in partnership with NuRide, CT DOT and the City of New Haven.

NHS participated in the contest and won first place among the participating organizations, and many NHS staff were also winners in individual categories!

This year we are thrilled that the City of New Haven has taken the lead on goNewHavengo is running not just the contest, but lots of related events during the entire month of September. The contest involves logging onto NuRide http://www.nuride.com, and tracking any trip you take that includes carpooling, walking, biking, or using transit. In addition to the contest prizes, NuRides awards great coupons for those who log their trips, and you can continue to reap the NuRide rewards even after the September contest ends.

Log on to goNHgo today to join the challenge and support this incredible initiative!

About the Healthy City, Healthy Climate Challenge:

NHS of New Haven is one of the founding organizations of the Healthy City Healthy Climate Challenge, which aims to encourage behavioral change that is healthy for you and the planet, by focusing on five areas where we all make individual choices: transportation, food, electricity, waste management, and communicating to make policy changes. Many of us aren’t even aware of the impact these choices can make on reducing greenhouse gasses, and sometimes we don’t even know we have choices in all these areas that are easy, inexpensive, and impactful. Join us! Take this simple 5-step pledge and you can reduce your personal carbon footprint by 20%!

Save the Sound & Environmental Engineers, Fuss & O'Neill, Present the West River Watershed Plan

On Tuesday, August 18, NHS of New Haven was proud to host the West River Watershed Coalition, Save the Sound, and the environment engineers, Fuss & O'Neill, as they presented their draft of the West River Watershed Management Plan. 

Presentation at the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven

For close to a year, Save the Sound has been working on behalf of the West River Watershed Coalition to gather information about the ecological challenges that the West River faces, and what is needed to make its whole watershed healthier. 

Photo Credit: West River Watershed Management Plan

The 25-mile long West River originates north of Lake Bethany near Route 42 and flows south through Bethany, Woodbridge, New Haven, and West Haven, eventually discharging into New Haven Harbor.

The presented West River Watershed Plan focused on five areas of improvement --

1. Capacity Building -- strengthening and building local capacity to implement the watershed management plan.
2. Water Quality -- improving the water quality of the impaired segments of the West River and its tributaries by reducing loadings of bacteria and other pollutants. Consistently meet water quality standards for creation and aquatic habitat. Protect and enhance high quality and unimpaired waterbodies.
3. Habitat Protection and Restoration -- protect and restore terrestrial, streamside, and aquatic habitat.
4. Sustainable Land Use and Open Space -- promote sustainable land use and appropriate development in the watershed while protecting and improving water quality and natural resources, enhancing public access to and connectivity of waterbodies and open space, and addressing current and future flooding problems.
5. Education and Stewardship -- promote stewardship of the watershed through education and outreach, improved access to the West River and its tributaries, and citizen involvement in science, conservation, and restoration activities.
   

If you would like to read the full West River Watershed Management Plan and/or offer any comments or suggestions, please contact Kendall Barbery, Green Infrastructure Program Manager, CFE/STS at kbarbery@savethesound.org by August 24th, 2015. 

Photo Credit: West River Watershed Management Plan

NeighborWorks Week 2015

Celebrating Community:

NeighborWorks® Week 2015

Every June, NeighborWorks® America and its national network of nonprofits mobilizes tens of thousands of volunteers, business people, neighbors, friends, and local and national elected and civic leaders in a week of neighborhood change and awareness known as NeighborWorks® Week.

Since 1986, NeighborWorks® Week has been an annual, national celebration of neighborhood pride and unity among organizations in more than 4,414 urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country. NeighborWorks® Week celebrates the efforts of local organizations working with partners and volunteers to create healthier, more vibrant communities.

This year, NHS of New Haven celebrated NeighborWorks® Week on Saturday, June 13, in Newhallville! We worked alongside residents to host some amazing volunteers from American Baptist Church, Bike & Build, the Ivy Street Community Garden, and NHS staff. 

We were particularly excited to host volunteers from Bike & Build. Bike & Build organizes cross-country bicycle trips which benefit affordable housing groups. In addition to raising funds for affordable housing projects, Bike & Build garners media and community attention for the affordable housing cause. Bike & Build fosters leadership and lifelong philanthropic service in its participants. This is Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven’s second year hosting volunteers from Bike & Build, who started their adventure in New Haven before biking across the country to Half Moon Bay, California. 

Volunteers worked on landscaping, gardening, community clean-up, and community beautification projects before coming together for a cook-out lunch in the Ivy Street Community Garden. After lunch, NHS Executive Director led volunteers on a tour of Newhallville, focusing on NHS' recently renovated projects.

Photo credit: David Sepulveda, New Haven Independent

The walking tour concluded on Lilac Street, where several new NHS homebuyers gathered for open houses and a ribbon cutting ceremony. Special guests included New Haven's Mayor Toni Harp, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

Photo credit: David Sepulveda, New Haven Independent

The day was a wonderful representation of all of the positive activities taking place in Newhallville. We were happy to share a productive day with volunteers, residents, homebuyers, and elected officials!