Views from the Northwest Bronx

On Saturday, October 20th, UNHP held its 2nd annual Bronxtober Fest – offering a wide range of on-the-spot assistance for the crowd of over 80 Bronx residents. Thanks to our Fordham University and Manhattan College student volunteers, over 60 attendees enrolled in Housing Connect, NYC’s online affordable housing lottery.

With 13 UNHP Free Tax Preparation days behind us, 1,000 tax filers assisted and seven more service days in front of us, UNHP can proudly say that we are meeting, and possibly exceeding, our goals for our 2018 program.

On June 15th, UNHP, over fifty guests and our panelists concluded our #ViewsNWBX blog series with breakfast, a presentation and discussion of the emerging community development and affordable housing issues raised in our locally-focused on-line essay series.

UNHP delivered our free financial and affordable housing services to 71 Bronx bank customers at six branches, attended the Grand Openings of three new Bronx bank branches and assisted 69 Bronxites at two off-site events in the past 5 months.

UNHP is sharing the northwest Bronx views of neighborhood residents, community leaders, Bronx community development professionals and UNHP board members.

The Bronx is under construction: cranes, excavators, scaffolding, and green demolition fences are everywhere. For long-time community staffers and residents in the northwest Bronx, the building and demolition we see as we walk to work, lunch, or the train is unprecedented.

Along with a new name, The Wilton, etched above their front door, the 32 families who reside in the buildings at Anthony and Tremont Avenues have also received new windows and public improvements in time for the holidays.

​For most people affordable housing is the housing they live in now. UNHP is expanding our services at the Northwest Bronx Resource Center to include assistance with the NYC Rent Freeze Program for Bronx senior citizens and people with disabilities to help insure that they can continue to remain in their apartments despite fixed and low-incomes.

March Madness at UNHP means a busy schedule of free financial services for senior citizens, including four mobile free tax preparation days at low-income senior residences and a Homeowner Resource Fair with foreclosure prevention services for at-risk older homeowners in our community.

​The Northwest Bronx Collaborative hosted a Memorial Day Barbecue for the senior citizens and handicapped residents of 5 affordable housing projects in our northwest Bronx community. The seniors and party-goers enjoyed a great afternoon of tasty barbecue, raffles, games of skill, music and dancing thanks to the shared efforts of the three groups that are members of the newly formed collaborative.