Vol. 34, No. 3 First Class U.S. Postage Paid — Permit No. 4119, New York, N.Y. 10007 March 2004 OVER 900 NYCHA RESIDENTS RECYCLING OF GLASS Groundbreaking For the New Addabbo CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY TO RESUME IN APRIL: A GOOD TIME TO Family Health Center In Far Rockaway MONTH AT THE BRONX ZOO CHECK YOUR By Eileen Elliott APARTMENT TO ed by the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center Executive REMOVE OLD JARS Director Dr. J.R. Peter Nelson, executives and staff from the New AND BOTTLES LYo rk City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and Addabbo joined elected officials past and present at the corner of Beach Channel Drive By Anthony Solomita and Beach 62nd Street on the morning of February 20th to break ground NYCHA Recycling for a brand new Addabbo Health Center. Upon its completion (estimated Coordinator for Spring 2005), the $10 million, 21,000-square-foot center will house health care services along with education and job training services for Recycling of all glass articles more than 1,800 families of NYCHA’s Ocean Bay Apartments and other such as bottles and jars will residents of the Far Rockaway community. resume in April. For NYCHA residents, no extra effort is NYCHA has committed $1.5 Joseph Farro represented NYCHA required. As of April 1st, sim- million in HOPE VI funds to the at the event. ply drop bottles, jars and other new Addabbo Family Health Cen- “Addabbo is the largest health glassware into a container des- ter as part of its $180 million com- care provider in this area,” said Dr. ignated for other recyclables mitment to the Ocean Bay HOPE Nelson. “The role of Addabbo is such as empty milk and juice VI Revitalization Plan. Initiated in to supply a safety net for this cartons, plastic bottles or jugs, 1992, the federal HOPE VI Pro- community. Last year there were rinsed soda and food cans, alu- gram was created to rehabilitate 63,000 medical visits, 16,000 minum foil, old pots and pans severely distressed public housing WIC visits and 5,000 social ser- and wire clothes hangers. developments. Central to the revi- vice visits.” (WIC stands for the SOUNDS OF AFRICA The NYCHA Youth Chorus, led by talization of the Rockaways has federal Special Supplemental Director Larry Matthew, sang “Lift Every Voice” and an African This might also be a good time been the modernization of Nutrition Program for Women, Swahili song at the Dancing Crane Cafe during Black History for you to survey your apart- NYCHA’sArverne and Edgemere Infants and Children.) Month at the Bronx Zoo. ment to see if you have accu- Houses, newly named Ocean Bay The visits the Dr. was referring he New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) joined forces mulated any other clutter Apartments last October. to were at Addabbo’s current site with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Bronx which could be removed — NYCHA Chairman Tino Her- on Central Avenue in Far Rock- TCouncil of the Arts to celebrate the achievements of African- you’d be surprised how quickly nandez, Vice-Chairman Earl away, which opened in 1987. Its Americans on February 18th, in honor of Black History Month. Alto- “stuff ” can pile up. For exam- Andrews, Jr., Board Member namesake, Joseph P. Addabbo, a gether more than 900 NYCHA residents, most of them children and ple, if you concentrate all your JoAnna Aniello and Deputy Gen- lifelong resident of Queens, was seniors from 28 Bronx Community Centers and seven Senior Centers, paper goods in one or two eral Manager for Capital Projects (Continued on page 2) gathered at the world famous Bronx Zoo for a day of activities that areas, you’re almost sure to included visits to the World of Birds, Jungle World, the African Exhibit, find stacks of junk mail, old and an Ethiopian Reserve/Somba Village. Residents from two NYCHA newspapers, letters, and maga- developments in Manhattan also attended. zines you’ll probably never Sunlight streamed through the African Burial Ground, which was many windows of the zoo’s Dancing unearthed in 1991 during an exca- (Continued on page 4) Crane Cafe, where everyone gath- vation to build a new government ered to start the day with greetings building at Foley Square in lower by WCS Program Director Charles Manhattan. Needless to say there AS OF APRIL 1st Vasser, followed by a powerful ren- was also a wealth of information dition of “Lift Every Voice” by the at exhibits on the Congo, an Ethi- NYCHA Will Have A NYCHA Youth Chorus. opian Reserve/Somba Village, the NEW EMERGENCY NYCHA Chairman Tino Her- World of Birds and others. SERVICE NUMBER nandez, Bronx Borough President Staff from NYCHA’s Harbor- for Maintenance Adolfo Carrion, Jr., African Burial view Arts Center, as well as the Ground Project Director Dr. Sher- Bronx Council of the Arts and Emergencies that occur after 4:30PM rill Wilson, Bronx Council of the Bronx Zoo volunteers assisted with (left to right) Arts Development Director Kim individual drawing instruction, as and before 8:00AM Dr. Peter Nelson, Hamilton-Shikir, and NYCHA’s the children sketched the animals on weekdays, and former Queens Edenwald Community Center they saw on their travels. around-the-clock Borough President Executive Director Ken Mercer all Lunchtime brought more enter- on weekends Claire Schulman, and encouraged everyone to take ad- tainment by the NYCHA Youth and holidays: Tino Hernandez at the vantage of the many educational Chorus performing a traditional groundbreaking. opportunities the day had to offer. African song, and P.S. 176 718-707-7777 At right, a These educational opportuni- F.E.G.S. Beacon Program African rendering of the ties included a slide show on the (Continued on page 2) new Addabbo Center. March Is Women’s History Month Page 2 THE HOUSING AUTHORITY JOURNAL March 2004 Message From The Mayor BRONX ZOO (Continued from page 1) New Pilot Program Will Deliver Drummers and Dancers. There State-of-the-Art Forensic and Counseling was even a scavenger hunt. Services To Rape Victims At Public Hospitals Community Operations Deputy General Manager Hugh Spence ate last month I announced a and Bronx Borough Director Dei- groundbreaking pilot pro- dra Gilliard were also on hand to gram that will deliver state- L join in the fun. of-the-art forensic and counseling The Bronx Zoo is the flagship services to every sexual assault vic- of the largest network of metro- tim seeking treatment at any Bronx politan zoos in the country and is public hospital within one hour of a home to the Wildlife Conservation victim’s arrival. The new Bronx Society, which also maintains the Sexual Assault Response Team Central Park, Queens and (SART) will provide around-the- Prospect Park Zoos. clock coverage for North Central Bronx, Jacobi, and Lincoln Hospi- tals, ensuring that every rape victim receives care from a specially trained forensic examiner and a rape crisis advocate quickly. The rapid one-hour response time will minimize the risk that critical evi- dence will be lost, damaged, or overlooked. Groundbreaking The new Bronx Sexual Assault Response Team will allow our hos- (Continued from page 1) pitals to deliver critical services to victims more quickly and effi- elected to Congress to represent ciently than ever before. The result will be less trauma for the victims, the 6th district in 1960 and was better forensic evidence, and more certain justice for the predators reelected 12 times. He is known who commit these despicable crimes. We expect success from this for having supported legislation pilot program and look forward to expanding it to hospitals Citywide. that aided seniors, veterans, edu- Currently, every rape victim who seeks treatment at a City hospi- cation, small business and eco- tal receives a forensic examination designed to collect physical evi- nomically depressed areas. Mr. dence. However, not all victims are examined by dedicated, specially Addabbo’s son, Joseph Addabbo, trained Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs) and many are Jr., represents the Rockaways on not examined within one hour. The longer the wait, the more diffi- the City Council. cult it is on the victim and the more likely that valuable evidence will “All of us in the community be lost. SART will provide a team of health care professionals ded- want the same things,” Dr. Nelson icated solely to the treatment of rape victims in order to guarantee continued, “to raise families, to that every victim gets the best possible care and that no victim is have security, opportunity and forced to wait for it. The new SART pilot program will be tested in respect. Our institutions — New York City Police Department the Bronx and rigorously evaluated. If successful, the program will schools, health care — are very Toll-Free Terrorism Hotline be expanded to cover all five boroughs. much a part of establishing that The Bronx SART will be the City’s first mobile sexual assault way of life.” Reports may be made anytime to: response team. It will consist of a group of 12 to 14 SAFEs whose In addition to providing health activities will be coordinated by a dedicated project director working and social services, the three-story 1-888-NYC-SAFE out of North Central Bronx Hospital. Its team members will be avail- facility will also house class- 1-888-692-7233 able 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to provide high-quality rooms, a day care, commercial forensic examinations to every rape victim presenting at all three establishments, and a program to All calls will be kept confidential. Bronx public hospitals. Within one hour of their arrival, victims – encourage homeownership, as regardless of the time of day – will be seen by both a SAFE-trained mandated by the HOPE VI grant.