If you live or work in the Cooper We’re the people Square area, join ! CALL US The Cooper Square Committee has over 600 members, a who make this dedicated staff and an elected Steering Committee. You can become a voting member if you live between East and COOPER and between the and . a neighborhood Help us fight to preserve rent regulated housing; to promote new affordable housing; and increase the greening and accessibility in SQUARE our neighborhood. Community Development Committee Become involved in one of our committees, such as Housing, And Businessmen’s Association Latino Polish Fundraising, Publicity. African American It’s just $1 per year Join the fight to preserve rent regulated housing, promote new Italian Jewish affordable housing, and contextual rezoning of the community. Become involved in one of our committees, such as Housing, Demonstrators outside Rent Guidelines Board hearing, 2008 Chinese Ukrainian Fundraising, Publicity. s The Cooper Square Committee is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 Tenants Artists organization. All donations are tax deductible. Cooper Square Community Blue Collar and Development Committee and White Collar Workers Businessmen’s Association 61 East , NY 10003 Shopkeepers Phone: (212) 228-8210 Fax: (646) 602-2260 Families Seniors [email protected] Gays and Lesbians www.coopersquare.org Cooper If you want more If you would Square And more… information on like your building Cooper Square: inspected: Committee please call (212) 228-8210 We appreciate the support of the following funders who have helped sustain our capacity to serve the community: NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development, NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal, NYC Dept. of Youth and Community Development, North Star Fund, Surdna Foundation, New York Foundation, St. James Church, North Fork Bank, Commerce Bank, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Emigrant Savings Bank, NYU Community Fund, the United Way, Washington Mutual Foundation, and individual donors. HERE TODAY, HERE TO STAY Brochure design: Adam Fredericks We work with area have been fighting for residents to preserve 50 years to preserve Who We Are and develop affordable, this community as the environmentally racially, economically, healthy housing and and culturally integrated community/cultural community that it is. This spaces. ensures that the residents are the beneficiaries of We’re tenacious community change, not We are oldest organizers who the victims. anti-displacement organization in the U.S.

Board member Georgina Christ and former Seward Park site tenant Tito Delgado at demonstration, Seward Park Urban Renewal Area, November 2007 We Stopped the We Fight For and We Develop and We Bring Bulldozers Develop Affordable Mobilize Community Affordable Housing In our early years we blocked Housing Leadership and Recreational the City’s plans to demolish We’ve helped create housing We created the Bowery Resources to our the area from East 14th Street that our community can Residents Committee, started Community to Delancey Street. We went be proud of. In 1984 we the Good Food Co-op, the up against New York’s power developed 146 apartments People’s Our participation in the broker Robert Moses and of low income housing on Federal Credit Union and Cooper Square Task Force saved hundreds of buildings. . In 1985 we several block associations. meant that what might fought for 150 units of senior otherwise have been blocks housing on the Bowery We formed the Cooper of luxury housing instead and East 5th Street. We Square Mutual Housing includes 764 units of mixed made sure that 49% of the Association (CSMHA) in 1991. income housing, 231 of them We Created a apartments were set aside CSMHA now manages nearly low income units. It also Community Plan for for local residents. 400 low income apartments brought to the neighborhood in 23 formerly city-owned a 42,000 sq. ft. community Cooper Square In 1988, we sponsored buildings, mainly on East center with a gymnasium In 1970, the first co-op for formerly 3rd and 4th Streets between and swimming pool on officially adopted our homeless families in the Second Avenue and the , jointly run Alternative Cooper United States, a 22-unit co-op Bowery. We continue to by the YMCA and University Square Plan that called known as the Cube Building. work closely with CSMHA by Settlement, which opened its for staged development, In 2008 we developed 54 providing services to doors in April, 2006. limited relocation and units of supportive housing its tenants. no displacement of at 29 East 2nd Street. current residents.

We Inspect Buildings and Organize Tenant Associations We Work to Keep We help tenants get the Arts Alive in what they need. We have Our Neighborhood inspected hundreds of area We were a catalyst for buildings and organized the formation of Fourth tenants in dozens of buildings Arts Block (FAB) a cultural to help them negotiate with association on East 4th Street their landlords for repairs, that succeeded in buying fight rent overcharges, 6 buildings from HPD for prevent evictions and get cultural use in 2005. The Housing Preservation and Cooper Square Committee Development and the is working closely with FAB Department of Buildings to to implement a Streetscape do inspections and record Design for East 4th Street code violations. to enhance the cultural and What We Do historic identity of the block.

s 29 East 2nd Street developed jointly by East 3rd Street tenants strike against landlord Executive Director Steve Herrick speaking at a press conference Cooper Square Committee and Community Access 47 East 3rd Street regarding a vacate order at 128 Hester Street on August 18, 2009 t t t

Greening and Our Programs and Services Development Tenant Organizing and Counseling Social Services We partner with non-profits to develop and preserve affordable housing and Our Housing Staff advises tenants We organize tenants to fight We assist income-eligible cultural spaces. In our work with the on questions they bring to us on evictions based on landlord’s residents in applying Mutual Housing Association we are how to fight evictions, harassment, false claims that they for income support, greening multifamily housing. In our rent overcharges and preferential plan to live in the building health care and housing facade and streetscape improvements rents. We guide people how to themselves or demolish it. entitlements so a diverse projects, we are working with the sublet legally, get repairs, lease Our staff can inspect your population can remain in to improve renewals, and much more. building cellar to roof. the community. East 4th Street.