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Community Advisory Board Announces New Round of Funding

By Nicole Fogarty

Candid photo of happy children at block party event, August 2018

Community members celebrate at Abrons Arts Center’s 2nd Annual Summer Block Party, one of the most recent CAB-funded projects. Photo by Cesarin Mateo

Arts programs for homeless youth and a Spanish-speaking senior support group were among the projects funded in June by Henry Street Settlement’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) through a unique participatory budgeting process.

Composed of dozens of Lower East Side residents and Henry Street clients of diverse backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities, the three-year-old CAB allocates $5,000 of the Settlement’s general operating dollars yearly to small projects across the agency. To determine the best use of these funds, CAB members observe program activities and meet with agency leadership and program staff from across the agency.

The following projects were awarded CAB funds:

  • Sustainability & the City: $1,100 to hold a free sustainability resource fair on July 7, 2018, at 301 Henry Street. The event, spearheaded by CAB member Annisia Perry, provided community education about recycling and trash-reduction and addressed opportunities to enhance the neighborhood’s quality of life.
  • Summer Arts for Homeless Teens: $1,500 to create summer arts immersion programming and education for teens living in Henry Street’s Urban Family Center shelter. The funds will support an array of artistic opportunities, such as museum visits, arts classes, field trips, and more, with a goal of supporting each youth’s personal, academic, and social-emotional development.
  • Senior Services Support Group: $1,000 to help launch a therapeutic support group for Spanish-speaking and Latina seniors in the community.
  • Abrons Arts Center Block Party: $900 to support live performances at this annual event, which was held July 27, 2018. Click here for photos!
  • School-Based Mental Health & Parent Center Back-to-School Event: $500 to fund this fourth annual event on August 24, 2018, for families who participate in the Settlement’s School-Based Mental Health program and Parent Center.

“We started this process because we felt that Henry Street is better and stronger because of the CAB’s feedback, ideas, and expertise. So we came up with a direct and tangible way for the CAB to shape our work—by shaping our budget,” says Henry Street’s Advocacy and Community Engagement Coordinator Talia DeRogatis, who oversees the CAB. “In two years, it’s amazing to see this group making its mark on events and projects throughout the Settlement.”

The CAB ensures that the Settlement maintains “an ear to the ground,” and is truly receptive and responsive to local needs. Community members interested in joining the CAB should contact Talia DeRogatis at tderogatis@henrystreet.org.

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