Committee

The Community Action Committee is our major link to the affairs and concerns of the community.  It recommends organizations and activities that we should support, and it plans initiatives that the Brownstoners sponsor.  The committee assists the organization in responding to emerging issues such as: spikes in crime, problems with street lighting, and declines in municipal services.

Tax/Water Lien Outreach Project:  This program is presented in collaboration with the New York City Department of Finance, the local councilperson, and various community-based organizations.  Teams of Brownstoners visit every home on the tax/water lien list for our area, and leave packets of information on the lien process and predatory lending.  The councilperson makes arrangements for the Departments of Finance and Environmental Protection to set up an evening counseling session called Help Night at a local venue. Homeowners can apply for exemption, make arrangements for payment, and find out the status of their accounts. During the past decade close to 5,000 homes were visited and many of those properties were saved. This project has been praised by the city comptroller and other city officials as one of the most effective in helping to save homes from foreclosure.

Voter Registration Project:  Voter registration is one of the first activities that the organization undertook during its first year of existence.  Since that time, we have talked directly to thousands of residents whom might otherwise not have had the opportunity to learn more about the voting process. Brownstoners spend time at various subway stations and busy street corners around the neighborhood; distribute non-partisan materials, and helping people complete voter registration forms.