>>> INEQUAL LITY BETWEEN RACIAL

AND ETHNIC GROUPS, HEALTH CARE

WSH HOUSESING EDUCATION AND

OPPORTUNITY, IT'S OFTEN EVEN

GREAT ARE IN NORTHERN MANHATTAN

THAN CITYWIDE.

A NEW REPORT CELEBRATING

STRENGTH ADDRESSING NEEDS, BY

THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR

CHILDREN OF NEW YORK, A

NON-PROFIT CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY

ORGANIZATION IS PROPOSING

COMMUNITY DRIVEN SOLUTIONS THAT

WILL IMPROVE THE WELL BEING OF

THE 500,000 RESIDENTS AND 90,000

CHILDREN IN NORTHERN MANHATTAN.

AND JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT

THAT REPORT AS PART OF OUR

ONGOING INITIATIVE CHASING THE

DREM, POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN

AMERICA, IS JENNIFER MARCH, THE

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE

CITIZENS' COMMITTEE FOR

CHILDREN.

WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> JENNIFER, WHAT IS THE

PRINCIPAL MISSION OF YOUR

ORGANIZATION.

>> SO CITIZENS' COMMITTEE FOR

CHILDREN REFERRED TO AS CCC IS A

CHILD ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION IS

TO MAKE SURE EVERY CHILD IS

HOUSED EDUCATED HEALTHY AND

SAFE.

>> TELL ME ABOUT THE REPORT.

FIRST OF ALL, WHY DID YOU

FOCUS- -- DECIDE TO FOCUS ON

NORTHERN MANHATTAN.

AND WHAT IS NORTHERN MANHATTAN.

>> IT INCLUDES WEST HARLEM,

CENTRAL HARLEM AND WASHINGTON

HEIGHTS.

WE FOCUSED ON THIS DISTRICT

BECAUSE WE HAVE A DATA SET

CALLED KEEPING TRACK OF NEW

YORK'S CHILDREN.

WE LOOK AT DATA ACROSS DOMAIN

WAS SECURITY, HOUSING,

EDUCATION, HEALTH AB.

WE SEE NORTHERN MANHATTAN RANKS

HIGH RISK FOR CHILDREN AND

FAMILIES.

>> WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE

NEEDS THAT ARE SHARED OVERALL IN

NORTHERN MANHATTAN.

LET'S FOCUS ON EACH OF WHAT YOU

CALL THE COMMUNITY DISTRICTS.

TALK ABOUT -- WILL YOU TALK

ABOUT THAT?

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE UNIQUE

NEEDS OF EACH OF THE DISTRICTS?

>> SO I THINK IN WASHINGTON

HEIGHTS WHAT'S A UNIQUE NEED IS

SOCIAL ISOLATION DRIVEN BY

IMMIGRATION STATUS.

WE HAVE HIGHER RATES OF ADULTS

WITH LIMITED ENGLISH ABILITY AND

REALLY CONCERNS GIVEN THE

NATIONAL CLIMATE AROUND

IMMIGRATION ABOUT SEEKING

SERVICES.

SO THAT'S ONE PARTICULAR UNIQUE

NEED TO WASHINGTON HEIGHTS.

IN CENTRAL HARLEM AND WEST

HARLEM WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS

LARGER THAN AVERAGE SHARES OF

ADULTS HOW WOULD HEADS THAT LACK

A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND REALLY

STUCK IN EMPLOYMENT SECTORS

WHERE WAGE GROWTH IS LIMITED.

>> SO SPEAKING MORE BROADLY, YOU

KNOW, HOW DOES THE POVERTY RATE

UP IN NORTHERN MANHATTAN

GENERALLY COMPARE TO THE POVERTY

RATE CITYWIDE.

>> WELL, WHAT'S INTERESTING IS

THAT THERE'S BEEN A MORE

DRAMATIC DECLINE IN POVERTY

RATES, CHILD POVERTY RATES IN

THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE THAN THE

CITY OVERALL.

THE POVERTY RATE HAS DECLINED

ALMOST 4% IN THE CITY OVERALL

IT'S DECLINED 1% OVER THE LAST

DECADE.

WHAT WE SEE IS THERE ARE FAR

HIGHER NUMBERS OF CHILDREN

LIVING IN POVERTY IN THESE

DISTRICTS.

MEANING 60% OF CHILDREN ARE

LIVING IN HOUSEHOLD EARN LESS

THAN $38,000 A YEAR.

THAT'S DRAMATIC WHEN WE KNOW THE

MEDIAN INCOME IN NEW YORK CITY

IS ABOUT $56,000.

>> AND THE DROP OF THE POVERTY

RATE IN NORTHERN MANHATTAN.

I KNOW FOR A FACT PARTS OF THAT

PARTICULARLY IN HARLEM HAVE BEEN

GENTRIFIED.

WONDERING IF THE DROP IN POVERTY

IS BECAUSE THE GENERAL

POPULATION INCOME INCREASED OR

BECAUSE THE PEOPLE MOVING IN

RAISE UP THE AVERAGE INCOME.

>> THAT IS EXACTLY WHY WE WANTED

TO DO THIS REPORT AND ACTUALLY

SPEAK TO COMMUNITY RESIDENTS AND

DIRECT SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE

DISTRICTS BECAUSE WE SAW MUCH

HIGHER GROWTH IN INCOME IN THESE

DISTRICTS AND LOWER RATES OF

POVERTY, WHICH MADE US QUESTION

WHETHER OR NOT ALL RESIDENTS

WERE BENEFITTING FROM THAT

LIFTING TIDE.

>> LET'S TALK ABOUT EDUCATION.

HOW DO STUDENTS FROM NORTHERN

MANHATTAN PERFORM IN THE STATE

MANDATED TESTS COMPARED TO

STUDENTS CITYWIDE.

>> WELL IT'S PARTICULARLY

TROUBLING BECAUSE THEY'RE

PASSING THE ESL OR ENGLISH

LANGUAGE ARTS AND MATH AT RATES

HALF THAT OF THE CITYWIDE

AVERAGE.

THE SCHOOLS ARE POORLY RESOURCED

AND CHILDREN ARE NOT ATTAINING

PASSING RATES AT THE LEVEL WE

WOULD LIKE TO SEE.

>> AS THE REPORT SUGGESTS, IT'S

NOT JUST NEEDS BUT THERE IS

STRENGTH IN THE COMMUNITIES.

YOU TALKED ABOUT THE INCREASING

INCOME OF PARTS OF NORTHERN

MANHATTAN.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER

STRENGTHS THAT YOU WITNESS THAT

YOU REPORT?

>> I THINK WHAT THE REPORT AND

WHAT OUR PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH

PROCESS DEMONSTRATED IS THAT

COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PARENTS AND

YOUNG PEOPLE ARE REALLY ACTIVELY

INVOLVED IN THINKING ABOUT HOW

TO STRENGTHEN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

THERE IS A LARGE, VERY ROBUST

HUMAN SERVICE, SOCIAL SERVICE

INFRASTRUCTURE AND HEALTH CARE

INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE DISTRICT.

THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL PARKS AND

PLAY GROUNDS.

AND THAT THERE ARE YOUNG PEOPLE

AND PARENTS THAT ARE REALLY

ACTIVELY TRYING TO THINK ABOUT

HOW TO ACCESS THE SERVICES THAT

THEY NEED TO BE UPWARDLY MOBILE

TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL AND THE

WORKFORCE.

OUR CHALLENGE IS THE NEEDS ARE

GREAT AND WE NEED TO HELP THINK

THROUGH HOW THE LOCAL ADVOCACY

CAN BE INFORMED BY DATA AND HOW

WE ENSURE THE CITY OF NEW YORK

IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE

TRENDS AND MAKING SURE SERVICES

ARE VEEN, ACCESSIBLE AND

AFFORDABLE FOR THOSE NEEDING

THEM MOST.

>> WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE

WITH THIS REPORT?

>> WELL, I HOPE WE HOPE MULTIPLE

THINGS.

THE PROCESS WAS A YEAR LONG

PROCESS OF TALKING TO PEOPLE

LIVING AND WORKING IN THE

COMMUNITIES THAT WE WERE FOCUSED

ON.

AND WE HOPE THAT THAT PROCESS

CREATED NEW RELATIONSHIPS LIEU

WHICH PEOPLE CAN EXPLORE

COLLABORATIVE SERVICE MODELS AND

ADVOCACY AT THE VERY LOCAL

LEVEL.

WE HOPE THE REPORT INFORMS OUR

ADVOCACY AND CITYWIDE

INITIATIVES TO MAKE SURE

ADDICTION PRECHGS IS IN PLACE.

WE EXPLORE MODELS OF CHILD CARE

AND OTHER THINGS HELPING PARENTS

LIVE WORK AND RAISE FAMILIES

HERE.

>> JENNIFER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOU TO YOUR

ORGANIZATION AND TO YOU.

THANKS FOR JOINING US TODAY.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING US.