This morning, Picture the Homeless held a press conference in Bedford-Stuyvesant to kick-off our historic citywide count of vacant buildings and lots. Pix and video forthcoming... Check Housing Works for initial coverage; Bronx folks can tune in to News 12 tonight! Twitterers: stay tuned by following #nycvacancysurvey

HOMELESS PEOPLE, BROOKLYN ELECTEDS, AND FAITH LEADERS LAUNCH HISTORIC CITY-WIDE COUNT OF VACANT PROPERTIES

Unprecedented survey will reveal the extent of vacant property in NYC

Bedford-Stuyvesant—City Council Member Letitia James will join Picture the Homeless (PTH), and Hunter College’s Center for Community Planning and Development (HCCCPD) to announce the first-ever count of vacant buildings and lots throughout the five boroughs. The survey, to be launched in June 2011, is the first of its kind and is unprecedented in scope. Launched from the historic John Wesley United Methodist Church in the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant – the neighborhood with the highest density of vacant property, the initiative will unite labor leaders, faith communities, academics, and homeless people.

“My family settled in this community in 1915 and helped found this church,” said Kendall Jackman, a leader of the Picture the Homeless housing campaign. “I am a child of this community and of this church. I am proud that my church is taking a leading role in this endeavor. I remember this community as a bustling place, but today it has become a virtual wasteland in spots, a fractured community. It is our hope with this count that it will be the beginning of rebuilding this and other communities with truly affordable housing for all.”

“Brooklyn neighborhoods are plagued by vacant property and displacement,” said City Council Member Letitia James. “And we’re losing more and more of our people to the homeless shelter system. The city needs to do more. The data we gather with this count will help us create real solutions that benefit working-class New Yorkers.”

Tom Angotti, Ph.D., the Director of HCCCPD, reiterates the significance of this historic survey: “Our partnership with PTH will help combine grassroots intelligence and university- based knowledge to create the conditions for improving and changing city housing policy so that it can serve those in greatest need.”