Americorps Technical Review Cover Sheet

2021 New York State AmeriCorps Competitive Application Review Process REVIEWER WORKSHEET

(The individual reviewer worksheet does not determine final consensus scoring)

Proposal Name:

Reviewer Name (Print):

Section Totals

Section A Executive Summary: (Required) SUBTOTAL: YES / NO

Section B Program Design: Theory of Change and Logic Model (0-24) ______+ EVIDENCE BASE + Notice Priority (0) + Member Experience (0-6) ______

Note: Evidence Base (20 points) will be reviewed separately by OCFS Strategic Planning and Policy Development staff on 2021 Evidence Review Tool = SUBTOTAL: ______(0-30)

Section C Organizational Capability: Organization Background and Staffing (0-9) ______+ Compliance and Accountability (0-8) ______+ Culture that Values Learning (0-4) ______+ Member Supervision (0-4) ______= SUBTOTAL: ______(0-25)

Section D Cost Effectiveness & Budget Adequacy: Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (0-25) = SUBTOTAL: ______(0-25)

Section E Evaluation Plan: (Required for recompeting grantees only) YES / NO

APPLICATION SCORE: ______(0-80) 1 Section A: Executive Summary Executive Summary (No points) Comments:

• Did the applicant provide an Executive Summary? Yes No

Section B: Program Design (8 subsections) 1.Theory of Change and Logic Model (0-24 points) Comments: The Theory of Change Shall address:

• Did the applicant clearly describe that the proposed intervention is responsive to the Yes No identified community problem?

• Did the applicant clearly describe the proposed intervention is clearly articulated including the design, dosage, target population, and roles of AmeriCorps Yes No members and (if applicable) leveraged volunteers?

• Did the applicant clearly describe how the intervention is likely to lead to the outcomes identified in the applicant’s theory of Yes No change?

2 Section B: Program Design (CONTINUED)

• Did the applicant clearly describe how the expected outcomes articulated in the application narrative and logic model represent meaningful progress in Yes No addressing the community problem identified by the applicant?

• Did the applicant clearly describe the rationale for utilizing AmeriCorps members Yes No to deliver the intervention(s) is reasonable?

• Did the applicant clearly describe the service role of AmeriCorps members will produce significant contributions to existing Yes No efforts to address the stated problem?

Note: The logic model is a visual representation of the applicant’s theory of change. Programs may include short, medium or long-term outcomes in the logic model. Applicants are not required to measure all components of their theory of change. The applicant’s performance measures should be consistent with the program’s theory of change and should represent significant program activities.

In the application narrative, applicants should discuss their rationale for setting output and outcome targets for their performance measures.

Rationales and justifications should be informed by the organization’s performance data (e.g., program data observed over time that suggests targets are reasonable), relevant research (e.g., targets documented by organizations running similar programs with similar populations), or prior program evaluation findings.

Applicants with multiple interventions should complete one Logic Model chart which incorporates each intervention. Logic model content that exceeds three pages will not be reviewed.

3 Section B: Program Design (CONTINUED) The Logic Model shall depict:

• Did the applicant provide a summary of the community problem. Yes No

• The inputs or resources that are necessary to deliver the intervention, including but not limited to: Locations or sites in which members o Yes No will provide services o Number of AmeriCorps members that will deliver the intervention • The core activities that define the intervention or program model that members will implement or deliver, including: o The duration of the intervention (e.g., the total number of weeks, sessions or months of the intervention). o The dosage of the intervention (e.g., Yes No the number of hours per session or sessions per week.) o The target population for the intervention (e.g., disconnected youth, third graders at a certain reading proficiency level). • The measurable outputs that result from delivering the intervention (i.e. number of beneficiaries served types and number of activities conducted.) If applicable, identify Yes No which National Performance Measures will be used as output indicators.

4 • Outcomes that demonstrate changes in knowledge/skill, attitude, behavior, or condition that occur as a result of the intervention. If applicable, identify which Yes No National Performance Measures will be used as outcome indicators. Theory of Change and Logic Model (0-24 points) Total Points Awarded: ______Section B: Program Design (CONTINUED) 2. Evidence Base Note: Evidence Base (20 points) will be reviewed separately by OCFS Strategic Planning and Policy Development staff on 2021 Evidence Review Tool

3. Notice Priority (0 points) Comments: • Did the applicant clearly describe how its proposed program is within one or more of the 2021 AmeriCorps Funding Priorities section of the 2021 Notice of Funding Availability and more fully described in the 2021 Mandatory Yes No Supplemental Guidance and the proposed program meets all of the requirements detailed in the Funding Priorities section and in the 2021 Mandatory Supplemental Guidance. Notice Priority (0 points allowable)

4. Member Experience (0-6 points) Comments: • Did the applicant clearly describe how the AmeriCorps members will gain skills as a result of their training and service that can be utilized and will be valued by future Yes No employers after their service term is completed?

5 • Did the applicant clearly describe how the program will recruit AmeriCorps members from the geographic or demographic Yes No communities in which the program operates?

• Did the applicant clearly describe how the applicant will foster and inclusive service culture where different backgrounds, talents, and capabilities are welcomed and Yes No leveraged for learning and effective service delivery?

Member Experience (0-6 points) Total Points Awarded: ______Section B Program Design (0-30 points allowable for all 5 subsections) TOTAL POINTS AWARD: ______

Section C: Organizational Capacity (4 subsections) 1. Organizational Background and Staffing (0-9) Comments:

• Did the applicant clearly describe the roles, responsibilities, and structure of the staff that will be implementing the AmeriCorps program Yes No as well as providing oversight and monitoring for the program?

Organizational Background and Staffing (0-9 allowable) Total Points Awarded: ______2. Compliance and Accountability (0-8) Comments: • Did the applicant clearly describe a monitoring and oversight plan to prevent and detect non- compliance and enforce compliance with AmeriCorps rules and regulations including those related to prohibited and unallowable Yes No activities and criminal history checks at grantee, subgrantee (if applicable), and service site locations?

6 • Did the applicant provided CNCS-required evaluation report that meets CNCS Yes No requirements (if applicable)?

• Did the applicant provided CNCS-required evaluation report is of satisfactory quality (if Yes No applicable)?

Note: Commission of National and Community Service will provide the reviewers with the CNCS-required evaluation report requirement for each application because the it various based on how many years has program been operational. OCFS subject matter expert will also provide feedback and comment whether if the evaluation reports meet CNCS requirement and/or they are of satisfactory quality. The reviewers the final determination on score based on the information provided above.

Compliance and Accountability (0-8 allowable) Total Points Awarded: ______Section C: Organizational Capacity (CONTINUED) 3. Culture that Values Learning (0-4) Comments:

• Did the applicant clearly describe how the applicant’s board, management, and staff collects and uses information for learning Yes No and decision making?

Culture that Values Learning (0-4 allowable) Total Points Awarded: ______4. Member Supervision (0-4) Comments:

• Did the applicant clearly describe how the AmeriCorps members will receive sufficient guidance and support from their supervisor Yes No to provide effective service?

7 • Did the applicant clearly describe how the AmeriCorps supervisors will be adequately trained/prepared to follow AmeriCorps and Yes No program regulations, priorities, and expectations?

Member Supervision (0-4 allowable) Total Points Awarded: ______Section C Organizational Capability (0-25 points allowable for 4 subsections) TOTAL POINTS AWARD: ______

Section D: Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (1 subsection) Note: Reviewers will assess the quality of the application’s budget to the following criteria below. Do not assume all sub-criteria are of equal value. This criterion will be assessed based on the budget submitted. No narrative should be entered in the narrative box except for “See budget.”

1. Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (0-25 points) Comments:

• Is the budget submitted without mathematical errors and proposed costs are allowable, reasonable, and allocable to the Yes No award?

• Is the budget submitted with adequate information to assess how each line item is Yes No calculated?

• Is the budget submitted in compliance with the budget instructions? Yes No

• Is the match information submitted with adequate information to support the amount Yes No written in the budget?

8 • Is the budgeted match equal to or more than the required match for the given program year? Yes No

• Is the cost per MSY equal or less than the maximum cost per MSY stated in the 2021- Yes No 22 NYS AmeriCorps Competitive RFP?

• Did the applicant clearly provide the current indirect rate cost if used to claim indirect / Yes No administrative costs?

Section D: Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (CONTINUED)

• Did the applicant clearly Identify the non- CNCS funding and resources necessary to support the project, including for Fixed Yes No Amount applicants?

• Did the applicant clearly Indicate the amount of non-CNCS resource commitments, type of commitments (in-kind and/or cash), the sources of these Yes No commitments, and if the commitments are proposed or secured?

Cost Effectiveness (0-25) Total Points Awarded: ______Section D Cost Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy (0-25 points allowable for 1 subsection) TOTAL POINTS AWARD: ______

9 DRAFT PART I - FACE SHEET APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL ASSISTANCE 1. TYPE OF SUBMISSION: Modified Standard Form 424 (Rev.02/07 to confirm to the Corporation's eGrants System) Application X Non-Construction

2a. DATE SUBMITTED TO CORPORATION 3. DATE RECEIVED BY STATE: STATE APPLICATION IDENTIFIER: FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE (CNCS): 24-NOV-20 20ESHNY001

2b. APPLICATION ID: 4. DATE RECEIVED BY FEDERAL AGENCY: FEDERAL IDENTIFIER: 21ES232566

5. APPLICATION INFORMATION LEGAL NAME: Fund for the City of New York NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PROJECT DIRECTOR OR OTHER PERSON TO BE CONTACTED ON MATTERS INVOLVING THIS APPLICATION (give UEI NUMBER: area codes): DUNS NUMBER: 073279945 NAME: Viviana Gordon ADDRESS (give street address, city, state, zip code and county): 520 Eighth Avenue TELEPHONE NUMBER: (718) 923-8274 18th Floor FAX NUMBER: New York NY 10018 - 6551 INTERNET E-MAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] County: New York

6. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (EIN): 7. TYPE OF APPLICANT: 7a. Non-Profit 132612524 7b. Community-Based Organization 8. TYPE OF APPLICATION (Check appropriate box).

X NEW NEW/PREVIOUS GRANTEE

CONTINUATION AMENDMENT If Amendment, enter appropriate letter(s) in box(es):

A. AUGMENTATION B. BUDGET REVISION

C. NO COST EXTENSION D. OTHER (specify below):

9. NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service

10a. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER: 94.006 11.a. DESCRIPTIVE TITLE OF APPLICANT'S PROJECT: 10b. TITLE: AmeriCorps Fixed Amount Grant (State) Red Hook Resilience Corps II

12. AREAS AFFECTED BY PROJECT (List Cities, Counties, States, etc): 11.b. CNCS PROGRAM INITIATIVE (IF ANY): Kings County, New York

13. PROPOSED PROJECT: START DATE: 11/01/21 END DATE: 10/31/24 14. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF: a.Applicant NY 12 b.Program NY 07

15. ESTIMATED FUNDING: Year #: 1 16. IS APPLICATION SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372 PROCESS? a. FEDERAL $ 233,900.00 YES. THIS PREAPPLICATION/APPLICATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE $ 0.00 TO THE STATE EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372 PROCESS FOR b. APPLICANT REVIEW ON: c. STATE $ 0.00 DATE:

d. LOCAL $ 0.00 X NO. PROGRAM IS NOT COVERED BY E.O. 12372

e. OTHER $ 0.00 17. IS THE APPLICANT DELINQUENT ON ANY FEDERAL DEBT? f. PROGRAM INCOME $ 0.00 YES if "Yes," attach an explanation. X NO g. TOTAL $ 233,900.00 18. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF, ALL DATA IN THIS APPLICATION/PREAPPLICATION ARE TRUE AND CORRECT, THE DOCUMENT HAS BEEN DULY AUTHORIZED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE APPLICANT AND THE APPLICANT WILL COMPLY WITH THE ATTACHED ASSURANCES IF THE ASSISTANCE IS AWARDED. a. TYPED NAME OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE: b. TITLE: c. TELEPHONE NUMBER: Peter Napoli (646) 386-3677

d. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE: e. DATE SIGNED: 11/24/20

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Executive Summary

The Red Hook Community Justice Center, a project of the Center for Court Innovation/Fund for the City of New York, proposes to have 38 AmeriCorps members serving as a part of the continued Red Hook Community Resiliency Corps, who will enhance the safety, stability and affordability of public housing in Red Hook, Brooklyn in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and enduring racial inequities. At the end of the first program year, AmeriCorps members will be responsible for improving public housing conditions, preventing evictions and increasing access to justice. In addition, the AmeriCorps members will leverage 100 community residents as volunteers, who will be engaged in tenant education, empowerment, and mobilization activities. This program will focus on the CNCS focus area of Economic Opportunity and funding priority areas of COVID-19 recovery and racial inequity. The CNCS investment will be $233,900. As this is a full-cost fixed amount application, other revenue will total $67,404.

Rationale and Approach/Program Design

Identified Community Problem: Like other Black and brown communities across the United States, residents of Red Hook, Brooklyn have experienced long-standing inequities in income, health, and housing that have only been exacerbated by 2020's "triple pandemic" of COVID-19, economic collapse, and enduring racial injustice. The City Health Dashboard created a COVID Local Risk Index that combines a population's risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 with their risk of more serious outcomes if infected, by taking into account social vulnerability, chronic health conditions, and relevant demographics. Red Hook's COVID Local Risk Index is 10, the highest score possible, and far higher than New York City as a whole. Indeed, during early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Red Hook's public housing became a hotspot due to the housing density, vulnerability of residents who were more likely to be essential workers, and housing conditions that both create and exacerbate health conditions that are comorbidities for COVID-19. This indicator does not even consider the added risks caused by the physical and psychological impact of the uninhabitable living conditions endured by New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents beginning long before the pandemic, including toxic mold, lead, pests, water leaks, and months-long gas and water outages. Moreover, inequity in protection under the law and processes for ensuring safe, habitable housing has created an underclass of public housing tenants who are primarily low-income people of color. In 2016, over 90% of all NYCHA residents were people of color, reflecting the legacy of racially discriminatory housing practices and disinvestment in public housing generally.

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Since the onset of COVID-19, financial needs have been a more pressing concern than ever for Red Hook Houses residents. The threat of eviction looms large for many households that have fallen behind in rent, and recent studies show that New York's black and Latinx renter households face the greatest risks of eviction and housing insecurity as the moratorium expires. 1. Theory of Change AmeriCorps Members at the Red Hook Community Justice Center: The Red Hook Community Justice Center is a multi-jurisdictional community court where Civil, Family, and Criminal cases are heard by a single judge, and where court cases are recognized as symptoms of larger social and neighborhood problems and therefore serves as a hub for resources to address these problems. The Justice Center has hosted AmeriCorps members since the launch of the Red Hook Public Safety Corps in 1995. We have always recruited Red Hook residents as members. Central to our theory of change is the philosophy that those closest to the problem are closest to the solution, and we rely on the expertise and lived experience of our AmeriCorps members to design and deliver effective and culturally appropriate services to community residents. We believe in a peer-to-peer, neighborhood- based empowerment model to facilitate access to justice for people who have historically been disenfranchised in the civil legal system. We believe in the AmeriCorps model as a skill-building opportunity to launch educational and economic opportunities for members. All Justice Center staff who work with Corps members are AmeriCorps alumni. AmeriCorps Service at the Housing Resource Center: Since 2015, AmeriCorps members have supported the Justice Center's Housing Resource Center (HRC). The HRC supports tenants in the Justice Center's housing court, which hears cases arising from the Red Hook Houses. The HRC works with tenants facing eviction or severe home repair needs, helping them navigate the court process and access arrears assistance, legal counsel, and social services. The HRC plays a critical role in improving public housing conditions in Red Hook, where more than 70% of residents live in public housing. The HRC's Help Desk, located in the courthouse, is open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm to any tenant on a walk-in basis. The Justice Center also operates a satellite "Neighborhood Office," located in a Red Hook Houses apartment for evening and weekend hours. AmeriCorps members staff the front desk at both locations, providing familiar faces that foster trust. On a daily basis, AmeriCorps members will support tenants by: (a) assisting with filing court paperwork for repair and non-payment matters in collaboration with the court's Clerk's Office; (b) aiding court attendance by calling tenants prior to their appearance and providing personal organizer folders to store important papers; (c) helping navigate the court process and creating a welcoming

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Narratives environment for families and seniors; and, (d) curating a 'one-stop shop' for all services that can address the underlying or resulting issues of housing instability. AmeriCorps members also engage directly with NYCHA management, the presiding judge, and court attorneys through semi-monthly partnership meetings, as well as the Red Hook community at-large through outreach events, tenant association meetings and regular door knocking. AmeriCorps members will conduct targeted outreach efforts to engage historically underserved sectors of Red Hook's public housing population, including monolingual Spanish, Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking households, and tenants who are elderly, homebound or disabled. Collectively, AmeriCorps service at the Red Hook Community Justice Center will advance the three goals of: 1) ensuring affordability; 2) ensuring safe, habitable housing; and 3) preventing evictions. Ensuring Affordability: A key component of eviction prevention is ensuring affordability. AmeriCorps members help tenants with the annual recertification process, which ensures that rent is fairly calculated based on federal HUD guidelines, and which is required to maintain tenancy in NYCHA housing. Last year, the HRC assisted 786 residents with lease recertifications. AmeriCorps members support residents, especially seniors, residents with disabilities, and those who lack computer access, complete their recertification through the online portal. Facilitating the lease recertification process can reduce the non-payment cases filed in court and prevent holdover proceedings against tenants who failed to recertify their leases. In response to the pandemic's economic impact, AmeriCorps members will support residents' housing stability by helping tenants file for rental adjustments that factor in the household's loss of income, pursuant to NYCHA's Rent Hardship Policy and HUD guidelines. AmeriCorps members will also connect residents with financial support through the New York City Human Resources Administration's (HRA) emergency rental assistance and public benefit applications. Ensuring Safe, Habitable Housing: AmeriCorps members will also support tenants with home repair issues, including assistance filing Housing Part ("HP") Actions. Last year, the Housing Resource Center helped 499 Red Hook Houses tenants with home repair issues, including 212 tenants who filed "HP Actions" in housing court. These tenant-driven court actions allow those facing chronic or unaddressed emergency repairs to take NYCHA to court to restore safe habitability to their apartments. AmeriCorps members screen tenants for issues related to healthy housing, such as mold and lead paint hazards. AmeriCorps members also create and distribute public education materials to help tenants identify potential hazards and take action. Members maintain close contact tenants, helping to monitor the status of repairs, conducting home visits to document repair needs, and

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Narratives assisting with reasonable accommodation requests for tenants with chronic health conditions and disabilities. Preventing Evictions: The most common issues these residents face is the threat of eviction as a result of falling behind on rent, which can occur due to change in income from job loss or reduced hours, balancing other household expenses, or disagreement with the calculated rent amount. AmeriCorps members work with tenants to review their finances and payment histories and identify strategies for addressing arrears and making future payments. Many tenants are vulnerable due to age, physical or mental health conditions, and struggle with substance abuse, domestic violence and poverty. AmeriCorps members will work to address these underlying issues and link tenants with case management and the legal or financial assistance that will help them keep their homes. AmeriCorps members will also promote universal access to legal representation by providing direct referrals to local legal assistance. Leveraging Volunteers: Throughout the service year, AmeriCorps members will leverage 100 community residents as volunteers to respond to the pressing community problems of unsafe and unstable housing, COVID-19 and racial injustice. Volunteers will serve as: resident advocacy council members, court navigators, or summer street outreach team members. AmeriCorps members will support the resident advocacy council in leading campaigns addressing tenants' rights, environmental conditions caused by lack of repairs, mold, and mental health, and other needs. Volunteers will also be trained to provide free civil legal information and referrals to their neighbors in housing, employment, public benefits, disability rights, financial empowerment and other areas. Other volunteers will be leveraged as court navigators to support tenants in the court process. Finally, volunteers recruited to our summer street outreach team will participate in large-scale service projects in Red Hook and conduct door-to-door outreach in the event of a crisis (e.g., utility outages) and organize pop-up resource tables. 3. Evidence Base Our proposed Logic Model and interventions are based on pre-preliminary evidence. An evolving body of research and case studies around eviction prevention across the United States point to the effectiveness of the community-based, court-adjacent, preventive, and holistic services model that we use: Housing Help Program South Bronx HHP: The Justice Center's approach to eviction prevention draws upon lessons learned from other models that have been implemented in New York City. For example, since 2008, the NYC Department of Homeless Services has operated "Housing Help

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Program" offices in the Brooklyn and Queens Borough Civil Courthouses. The model includes social workers and attorneys, and provides clients with access to a wide range of services easily accessed within the court, reducing barriers to resources and the likelihood of eviction. Such an approach is particularly critical in New York City, where approximately 47% of families in homeless shelters became homeless because they were evicted. Center for Evidence-Based Solutions to Homelessness: A 2019 literature review from the Center for Evidence-Based Solutions to Homelessness compared urban eviction prevention policies and assessed the effectiveness of various homelessness prevention. The analysis describes the evidence base for the top three eviction prevention interventions, which are central to the Justice Center's model: 1) Permanent, deep rental housing subsidies that help individuals and families cover housing costs; 2) Eviction prevention programs, which can include financial assistance, legal representation, or mediation services to prevent displacement from rental units; 3) Community-based services, which link clients to an array of supportive services that help them maintain stable housing. This study affirms our work training tenants to claim all eligible deductions and credits in lease recertifications and our approach of preserving affordability in public housing by help maximizing deductions and our model of co-locating with on-site social services alongside legal and financial assistance. Stanford and Yale Legal Design Lab: One of the most comprehensive studies of eviction prevention approaches across the country comes from the Legal Design Lab, a collaboration of Stanford and Yale Law Schools. In 2019, the Legal Design Lab cited the Justice Center as a "collaborative, community-based model of a housing court" that exemplifies many best practices detailed in their assessment. The Lab identifies best practices at every phase of an eviction proceeding, from preventive work around the rental agreement, to the initiation of an eviction action and the downstream and collateral impact on those involved. The Red Hook Community Resilience Corps implements these strategies. For example, as the Lab recommends, in the preventive pre-filing phase, we improve lease agreements, develop campaigns to educate tenants about their rights, and equip tenants with tools to report code violations, document problems and determine risk of eviction. The Lab recommends using technology to document living conditions, gather evidence, and correspond with landlords, which AmeriCorps members assist with daily. In Red Hook, we have seen these efforts improve affordability, ensure habitability and reduce non-payment eviction filings in our court. Once a notice has been filed in court, the Legal Design Lab recommends a "court-based, self-help clinic, with legal navigators that provide free support to tenants." This is precisely the model our AmeriCorps members will support in Red Hook. Other best practices identified by the Legal Design Lab and

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Narratives implemented by the Justice Center include: improving court users' experience by reducing barriers to answer petitions; assisting with answer forms; and supporting tenants to attend their hearing and avoid default. The Legal Design Lab found that the model of having collaborative, co-located social services at the court gives litigants this kind of additional support. In Red Hook, AmeriCorps members make referrals to an onsite team of social workers focused on mental health, trauma, domestic violence, and substance use for immediate screening and referrals. The HRC's co-located emergency rental assistance is also cited as a best practice. Additionally, the Legal Design Lab found that reduced formalities in court allows litigants to speak more freely and achieves better outcomes for litigants needs. AmeriCorps members help to ensure our court is accessible and neighborly, by providing snacks, activities for children, and friendly faces. Columbia Law Community Advocacy Lab: The Advocacy Lab produced a 2020 report, evaluating the HRC's work in the Justice Center's housing court. The report highlighted several key areas of impact including eviction prevention, habitability, and access to justice. It found that the Justice Center's collaborative approach in working with NYCHA management and the court facilitates faster responses to emergency repairs than the traditional court typically sees. Our strong working relationships mean urgent repairs can be brought to NYCHA's attention outside of the court process, which has proven critical during the pandemic-induced closure of courts. In 2019, the HRC served 43% of all NYCHA residents. That same year, Red Hook tenants initiated 34% of housing court actions, compared to only 7% in the rest of Brooklyn, indicating that Red Hook tenants are better able to access court resources. The HRC's court attendance initiatives and local outreach also help to reduce the number of default judgments by minimizing the number of tenants who fail to appear for their court date. While 14% of cases resulted in default judgment during 2019 in Brooklyn, less than 1% resulted in default judgment in Red Hook. AmeriCorps members play an integral role in all of these operations. NYU Langone Community Health Needs Assessment: As a hyper-local, neighborhood-based program, our approach is also informed by the findings of a recent report by New York University Langone as a part of their 2018 Community Health Service Plan, entitled the Red Hook Community Health Needs and Assets Assessment. The assessment included surveys and focus groups with over 600 Red Hook Houses residents on the topic of public health and inequity. The top service needed was identified as public housing repairs. Based on an assessment of existing community strengths and needs, the report proposed three strategies: 1) peer-to-peer programs; 2) holistic strategies; and 3) advocacy and organizing. The Justice Center draw on each of these:

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1) Peer-to-peer programming by recruiting local residents as AmeriCorps members, who can relate and understand local housing challenges and serve as trusted, familiar faces; 2) Holistic, culturally appropriate services co-located onsite at the Justice Center that meet community members' most pressing needs and address other, related needs; and 3) Advocacy and organizing via the resident advisory council to build community capacity to advocate and organize to address longstanding challenges and create long-term change. Notice Priority: The Red Hook Community Resilience Corps will provide service in the Economic Opportunity, towards the goal of enhancing the safety, stability, and affordability of public housing in Red Hook to promote economic mobility, racial equity and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Member Experience: Members will primarily be recruited from Red Hook, allowing them to draw upon their local knowledge and lived experiences to become change-makers. We plan to recruit individuals with demonstrated civic engagement, prior community involvement, and experience as community leaders. Corps members will attend local precinct councils and tenant association meetings, and be introduced to local municipal leaders and elected officials to get familiarized with public systems and gain exposure to public service careers public service. Upon program completion, members will join a vast network of local Corps alumni. All Corps members will undergo a two-week specialized training, covering AmeriCorps enrollment steps, payroll, and gain in-depth knowledge of the community. Training will continue throughout the year at least twice per month. Training will focus on hard and soft skills to help members succeed during their service year and beyond. Training topics will include communication skills, reflection on service activities, leadership, problem-solving, conflict mediation and development of meaningful service opportunities. Program-specific trainings will cover NYCHA-specific processes, community projects/event planning, and public housing tenant rights. We will also educate members on our country's history of redlining and discriminatory housing policies and how it affected low income communities and people of color. Member Training: The Center has nearly 25 years' experience hosting, training, and supervising AmeriCorps members. Before the program year starts, staff will work closely with supervisors to create positions that comply with Corps regulations and ensure site supervisors are aware of prohibited activities. At the beginning of the service year, all Corps members will participate in an orientation during which Corps regulations are carefully reviewed. All Corps members will receive a comprehensive manual, which they are instructed to refer to throughout their service. Program staff regularly review member activities and the work environment to further ensure compliance. Training will be led by Justice Center staff and, when appropriate, specialized training from on-site attorneys,

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social workers, housing specialists, victim services providers, community organizers and program alumni. AmeriCorps program staff and site supervisors have a coordinated approach to addressing member issues. With weekly supervision, along with early response to member challenges, the program has proven very successful in maintaining high retention rates. Corps program staff will regularly meet with members and supervisors to solicit feedback and discuss progress and future goals. Program staff will provide frequent opportunities to earn and make up service hours.

Organizational Capability

1. Organizational Background and Staffing: The Center for Court Innovation is a unique nonprofit dedicated to creating a fair, effective and humane justice system. With more than 25 years of experience in federal grants management (including previous AmeriCorps grants), the Center is well- positioned to successfully manage this grant. The Center has its own administrative departments responsible for fiscal planning, management and oversight, contract compliance, human resources, policy and procedures, and employee relations. An independent certified public accounting firm conducts an annual audit to ensure fiscal accountability, internal controls and contract compliance. The program will be staffed on-site by the following staff members from the Red Hook Community Justice Center. AmeriCorps Program Manager: Leslie Gonzaga is, and will continue to be, the primary staff in charge of planning and running the Corps. Ms. Gonzaga has 10 years' experience in community-based programming. She is an AmeriCorps alum and holds a M.A. and B.S. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Associate Director of Youth Impact & Community Initiatives: Sabrina Carter has over 12 years of experience working at the Red Hook Community Justice Center and currently supervises the Program Manager. Ms. Carter is also an AmeriCorps alum and holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Housing Resource Manager: Ross Joy oversees the Housing Resource Department. Mr. Joy has been at the Justice Center since 2016 and is also an AmeriCorps Alum and holds a B.S. in International Relations and Spanish from Seton Hall University. Deputy Director: Viviana Gordon has worked for the Center since 2008 and is also an AmeriCorps alum. She previously served as the Program Coordinator for the Center's New York Juvenile Justice Corps. She holds a B.A. from Whitman College. Project Director: Amanda Berman has worked in the criminal justice field for over 15 years. She holds a B.A. from Brown University and a J.D. from New York University. 2. Compliance and Accountability: The Justice Center has a monitoring and oversight plan to prevent and detect non-compliance and enforce compliance with AmeriCorps rules and regulations including those related to prohibited and unallowable activities and criminal history checks. The Justice Center

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Narratives will complete the following process for criminal history checks: During the enrollment stage, candidates will be asked to provide a copy of a government-issued photo identification card upon acceptance of their AmeriCorps service offer and sign a background check authorization form. A candidate's name on their government-issued photo ID must be used for all name-based Criminal History Checks. Staff will run the candidates name on the NSOPW and the applicant will schedule an appointment and get fingerprinted at a Fieldprint office. Documentation of clearance will be kept on the member's file. If not cleared, staff will support the applicant to get clearance. The program will ensure members are following rules and regulations by reviewing service activities periodically and requiring new service activities to be approved by program staff. Supervisors will also use AmeriCorps handbook to structure service activities within the guidelines and the Program Manager will meet with supervisors monthly to review member's service activities. Program staff will continue to be up- to-date with CNCS guidelines and make changes to its protocols when necessary. 3. Culture That Values Learning: The Center is committed to an "action research" model, rigorously examining its programs to understand what works, what does not work, and why. Regardless of the program, the approach is always the same: thoughtful planning, an emphasis on creativity, and the rigorous use of data to document results. Justice Center staff regularly conduct the "Operation Data" community survey and attend all local tenant association, police precinct and civic association meetings to gather information about local concerns. Internally, we circulate a quarterly dashboard of client and outcome data, which is reviewed by line staff, management, and researchers to discuss trends and troubleshoot new approaches. Currently, the Justice Center staff undergoing an internal review of policies and procedures to ensure that they are in line with those of the community. Finally, we produce an annual report, shared with local stakeholders and on our website, reporting outcomes. 4. Member Supervision: AmeriCorps on-site supervisors are responsible for members' daily supervision, assigning tasks and activities, ensuring compliance with AmeriCorps regulations, and providing ongoing support and professional development. Each supervisor will manage 1-5 members. All supervisors have experience in supervising staff and/or Corps members and working with the target populations and community. The Program Manager will check in with Supervisors each month and be available whenever needed for additional support. Prior to member recruitment, supervisors will receive an in-depth training on the national service movement, AmeriCorps rules and regulations, prohibited activities, performance measure tracking, timekeeping, performance evaluations, strategies for volunteer engagement, member management and strategies for engaging youth and community members. All supervisors will receive an AmeriCorps Site Supervisor Manual as a reference.

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Narratives

Budget/Cost Effectiveness

Please see budget.

Evaluation Summary or Plan

The Red Hook Community Resilience Corps will benefit from the support of the Center for Court Innovation's research and technology teams in developing data management systems, metrics, and tracking procedures necessary for demonstrating the program impact. The Center is committed to an "action research" model, in which researchers develop performance benchmarks in coordination with frontline staff and provide regular, data-driven feedback to identify successes and challenges that spark changes in practice. Our access to data allows us to be flexible and responsive to emerging needs and use data in real time to deploy staff and AmeriCorps resources where they are most needed. The research team will also ensure systems are in place to establish baseline and comparative data sets against which program impact will be measured, including the integration of relevant data from the Office of Court Administration (OCA), the New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The evaluation of the Red Hook Community Resilience Corps will utilize the Justice Center's current data collection system, the Justice Center Application (JCA), to track performance measure data, and ensure that services provided by AmeriCorps members are being delivered and desired outcomes are achieved. The JCA is a computerized system that tracks all services and interventions provided to tenants to preserve affordability, attain safe habitable housing, and connect to critical services such as emergency rental assistance, legal service or social services. Justice Center staff and AmeriCorps members regularly populate the JCA with information from OCA, NYCHA and HPD about court filings, judicial orders, rental arrears and repairs. The synthesis of data sets will allow the Justice Center to document and track the progress of individual tenants in housing court, in obtaining critical repairs, or in avoiding evictions. The JCA includes demographic information, including age, size of the household, and primary language. This allows us to ensure equitable access for particularly vulnerable public housing populations, such as seniors and non-English speakers. The program will track the following indicators to evaluate the impact of its eviction-prevention services: number of tenants served through the program's annual income recertification (NYCHA lease renewal) assistance; the number of interim lease adjustments made to ensure maximum

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Narratives

affordability; the number of tenants referred for social service supports with a behavioral or mental health need; the number and rate of default judgments issued for non-attendance in court; and the number of tenants referred to our onsite representative from the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) for emergency assistance with rental arrears. Additionally, the Justice Center will track the number and rate of evictions for housing court cases heard at the Justice Center and compare with the numbers from comparably sized public housing developments and the rates from New York City as a whole and Brooklyn Housing Court. For health and habitability services, the Justice Center will track the number of tenants who initiate court proceedings against their landlord by filing HP Actions in court. We will also track the number of repair tickets generated and escalated through our advocacy within the New York City Housing Authority, outside of the court process. By transcribing the New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) code enforcement division inspection reports, we will track the number, type and severity of repair issues identified as building code violations. Correlated with court data, we can track the length of time it takes for repairs to be made and correspond them to repair timelines of the City hazard classes. Unlike other types of housing, the city does not maintain a database of violations found in public housing, nor do they enforce code violations found in NYCHA buildings, which makes the Justice Center's data set uniquely valuable. Aggregated and geo-located, this data will also allow program staff to identify potential failures in building systems, such as roof leaks, corroded gas line pipes, pest infestation, mold and mildew, lead paint hazards, tub stoppages and overflows, and heating and cooling system malfunctions. Lastly, the program will track the number of home visits staff and AmeriCorps member conduct to document severe repair needs in households.

Amendment Justification

N/A

Clarification Summary

N/A

Continuation Changes

N/A Grant Characteristics

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Performance Measures

Table1: MSYs by Focus Areas Table2: MSYs by Objectives Focus Area % MSYs Objectives %MSYs Economic Opportunity 100% Housing 100%

Table3: %MSYs by NPM vs.Applicant vs. Not in ANY NPM Applicant Not in ANY % MSYs 100% 0% 0%

Table4: No of MSY and Members by Objective Objectives No of MSYs No of Members Housing 14.35 38

Total 14.35 38

Primary Focus Area: Economic Opportunity Primary Intervention: Other Secondary Focus Area: Secondary Intervention:

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Performance Measure: Number of economically disadvantaged individuals receiving housing

No of No of Focus Economic Opportunity Objective: Housing 14.35 38 Area: MSY's: Members: Problem Statement: Decades of federal disinvestment, aging housing stock, and a severe repairs backlog have caused an alarming deterioration of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing. The Red Hook Houses is the second largest NYCHA development in New York City, and approximately 7,000 of Red Hook’s 11,000 residents live in the development. In a 2016 survey, respondents identified building repairs as the biggest problem in Red Hook. Selected Interventions: Obtain critical home repairs and prevent eviction Describe Interventions: AmeriCorps Members will advance three goals of: 1) ensuring affordability; 2) ensuring safe, habitable housing; and 3) preventing evictions, through the following interventions: • Conduct weekly outreach in public housing to assess tenant needs such as apartment repairs and eviction issues; • Work with the Housing Resource Center to offer support to clients with cases involving repairs and/or non-payment of rent/evictions for the duration of a case (average duration three months to one year); • Screen all clients for repair needs and home health hazards, document repair requests, and support compliance strategies (including home visits, photo documentation, heat and hot water temperature readers, legal referrals, reasonable accommodation requests, etc.) until all needs have been addressed; • Assist clients with preparation and completion of case documents before monthly/bi-monthly court dates and all other litigant actions; • Support residents’ housing stability by helping tenants file for rental adjustments when there has been any loss of income in the household; • Connect residents with financial support through the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) to help meet their needs with emergency rental assistance and public benefits application; • Support tenants with home repair issues including assistance filing Housing Part (“HP”) Actions; and • Support tenants with reviewing their finances and payment histories and help them identify strategies for addressing arrears and making future payments.

O1A Output:

O1A: Number of individuals served

Target: 1500 Individuals Measured By: Tracking System Described Instrument: Measured By: Client Tracking Database entitled the “Justice System Application (JCA)” (populated by Sign-In Sheets and Case Update Forms). Output measures all clients how have received the minimum dosage. Described Instrument: JCA Client Tracking Database tracks: dates of

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Performance Measure: Number of economically disadvantaged individuals receiving housing

Problem Statement: SelectedObtain criticalInterventions: home repairs and prevent eviction

Described Instrument: service/court involvement, household size, critical repair/arrear needs, and the outcome/resolution of those needs. JCA also assigns unique Interview and Episode ID numbers to ensure non-duplication in counting individuals served. O11 Outcome:

O11: Number of individuals transitioned into safe, healthy, affordable housing

Target: 1000 Individuals Measured By: Other Described Instrument: Measured By: Case closed” designation in the JCA Client Tracking Database (populated by verification from an external agency (i.e., the court system, New York City Housing Authority) or from the tenant themselves providing evidence that the repairs were complete, eviction proceedings were discontinued, or lease recertification completed). Verification instruments include court adjournment calendar (indicating discontinued non-payment and holdover cases), call scripts (prompting tenants with HP Actions to report successful resolution of repair needs), and stipulation agreements (indicating progress toward completing repairs and/or paying arrears). Annual/Interim Lease Recertification completion with tenant ensuring legal calculation of rent, maximizing affordability with all eligible credits and deductions also tracked in the JCA Client Tracking Database. Described Instrument: JCA Client Tracking Database tracks: dates of service/court involvement, household size, critical repair/arrear needs, and the outcome/resolution of those needs. JCA also assigns unique Interview and Episode ID numbers to ensure non-duplication in counting individuals served.

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Program Information AmeriCorps Funding Priorities

*Check any priority area(s) that apply to the proposed program. In order to COVID-19 Recovery, receive priority consideration, applicants must demonstrate that the priority Advancing Racial Equality area is a significant part of the program focus, high quality program design, and outcomes.

Grant Characteristics

*Check any characteristics that are a significant part of the proposed program. None of the above grant characteristics

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Demographics

Other Revenue Funds 67404 Number of episodic volunteers generated by AmeriCorps members 100 Ed Priority: Enter row number (1-13) of intervention in Education Evidence Brief (enter 0 for N/A) 0 EO Priority: Enter row number (1-4) of intervention in Econ Opp Evidence Brief (enter 0 for N/A) 1500 HF Priority: Enter row number (1-5) of intervention in Healthy F. Evidence Brief (enter 0 for N/A) 0

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Evaluation Not Applicable

Labor Union Concurrence Not Applicable