Views from the Northwest Bronx

Forty years is an accomplishment for any community organization and one that University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP) does not take lightly. Check out the UNHP timeline with pictures and highlights of our history and accomplishments.

For the third event in our virtual series and fundraiser, This is What We Do, UNHP brought together 31 Bronx housing operators from 12 organizations to discuss the issues that affect the housing they oversee to understand trends and emerging issues that jeopardize affordability. It is also What We Do to escalate these issues and seek to address the policies behind the issues. Read the full summary to learn more.

Fourteen individuals from eleven NYC community groups joined UNHP and Research Specialist, Joseph Contreras, in the Heiskell Enterprise Center for Technology at Refuge House on Friday, February 19th to brush up on Excel tips in order to better use the UNHP Building Indicator Project (BIP) data as part of their community-based housing, organizing and neighborhood work.

On February 23, lenders, non-profit, for-profit and HPD representatives squeezed into the conference room at the offices of Enterprise Community Partners to listen to UNHP's latest update on the Building Indicator Project (BIP) as well as income and pricing trends in the Bronx.

On Friday, October 30th 2015, UNHP Executive Director Jim Buckley, along with Council Member Ritchie Torres, Fernando Carlo, & Joyce Davis, was honored at the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition's "Forty y Fuerte" 40th Anniversary Gala held at Fordham University's McGinley Center Ballroom.

On April 29th, a group of UNHP staff, affordable housing managers and building owners testified in front of the Water Board at their Bronx hearing held at Hostos Community College. UNHP shared its newly issued “Affordable Water for Affordable Housing: A Proposal for An Affordable Housing Cap for Water and Sewer Rates" report with 5 members present at the Bronx Water Board hearing.

As expected, the New York City Water Board approved a 3.35% water and sewer rate increase to take effect on July 1, 2014. The Board was approved unanimously.

From UNHP Executive Director, Jim Buckley: I went in person to deliver UNHP's testimony last week. While acknowledging that 3.35% was the lowest proposed increase in the past 9 years, we reminded them that rates have doubled in the past nine years; we also reminded them that $666, DEP's average per apartment charge for metered water use in apartment buildings, is well below the number we are seeing in our multi-family buildings in the Bronx. The water use in 1, 2 and 3 Bedroom units in our affordable housing projects regularly exceeds their average, with many of our buildings using the Multi-family Conservation Program (MCP), which will provide a cap of $976 per apartment per year.

University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP) celebrated our 30th Anniversary in 2013 with multiple events towards our affordable housing mission, including a 30th Anniversary Forum, significant progress in our work to improve distressed multifamily buildings, and two celebrations.

UNHP's Executive Director, Jim Buckley, was honored with The Andrew Heiskell Community Renaissance Award for his community organizing, neighborhood reinvestment and affordable housing work in the Northwest Bronx.