Sudden disasters like 9/11, as well as more entrenched issues like AIDS, homelessness, and underemployment, impact all New York City communities, but are felt especially hard in low-income neighborhoods. CRE is uniquely positioned to gather resources and build coalitions that bring solutions.

Targeting pressing community issues, CRE currently runs special programs that focus on building capacity and outreach to community groups that define themselves as follows:

• Children and youth-serving organizations
• Immigrant service and advocacy groups
• AIDS Service and HIV Prevention programs
• Senior Centers and Services
• Social Justice/Advocacy Organizations
• Community Centers/Settlement Houses
• Housing/Community Development Groups
• Organizations serving people impacted by 9/11

Within the 350-plus organizations we serve each year, CRE also reaches homeless service agencies, anti-hunger programs, foster care agencies, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, community health clinics, legal advocates, and youth sports and community art groups working in low- income neighborhoods.

Profiles of CRE's targeted work in three issues areas can be reached by clicking on the links below:

Engaging HIV/AIDS Service and Prevention Programs
Engaging Youth Organizations
Engaging Immigrant Groups

CRE's One-to-One Engagements with AIDS Service & HIV Prevention Programs

• The Ali Forney Center provides shelter, health and other services to Times Square homeless youth. When CRE first started working with this youth agency they had a budget of $37,000 and 6 shelter beds. As a result of our work together, they now have a budget of over $1 million, 18 shelter beds for homeless youth, an advocacy program, and a day treatment program.
• Mexicanos Unidos seeks to build HIV awareness and prevention among Mexican immigrants living in the metropolitan area. CRE helped them to design and manage their program website. This resulted in a new Spanish language source for HIV/AIDS education, referral, and outreach targeting the Mexican immigrant community.
• Brownsville MultiService Health Center (BMS) provides a range of health and prevention services to low income individuals and families in the Brownsville, Brooklyn community. CRE developed BMS' first capital campaign plan. As part of the work, we trained staff to make pitches to corporate foundations and individuals. This partnership resulted in over $600,000 in new funding and a new health facility.

Sector-Wide Initiatives

• CRE's HIV/AIDS efforts reach over 100 community-based organizations fighting HIV/AIDS in low income neighborhoods across New York City. Our programs are currently supported by The Overbrook Foundation, the Office of Minority Health through the Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Demonstration Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services in Highly Impacted Communities, and the Medical and Health Research Association with Ryan White Title I funding.
• A 2005 survey of our HIV/AIDS clients revealed that over a 2 year period, 18 new programs were launched and over $4 million dollars for services and prevention were raised as a result of CRE's efforts.
• Last fall CRE convened a path-breaking, two-day planning summit to plan an alternate future for the city's HIV prevention efforts for young people. The summit involved youth, parents, practitioners, researchers, trainers, and public and private funders. This spring, we brought recommendations from the planning summit to a funders briefing sponsored by CRE, Funders Concerned About AIDS and the NYC Youth Funders Network.
• CRE has developed a Community Advisory Group (CAG) Seminar Series specifically for individuals who serve on CAGs of HIV/AIDS service organizations in New York City.
• CRE's Desktop Publishing Series helps organizations enhance their ability to create attractive materials to engage clients in services and educate community members about HIV.

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CRE's One-to-One Engagements with Youth Services Organizations

• In the Spirit of the Children (ITSOP), founded in 1998, seeks to increase foster children's chances of successful adulthood and reduce risk factors, such as unemployment, homelessness, poor parenting, and substance abuse. CRE worked with ITSOP to develop winning proposals and foundation prospects to support two primary programs, a Family Preservation Program (to assist families to reunite after involvement with the foster care system), and the Youth Transition Empowerment Program (preparing foster youth for adulthood as they transition out of the foster care system).
• Rainbow Horizons was created in response to the enactment of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) and to meet other needs for women negotiating the criminal justice system. Rainbow Horizons' programs represent a "client based" approach to provide outreach, learning, and direct client advocacy for over 250 women annually. Creative group engagements and one-on-one consultations educate incarcerated women about the requirements of family service plans that impact their parental rights, and to assist mothers in appearing in family court. CRE guided Rainbow Horizons through an organizational planning process to clarify their organizational mission and key funding objectives; researched prospects and developed a proposal; and worked to help them obtain 501 (c)(3) status.
• Concerned Citizens for Family Preservation is a grassroots initiative that was started in Staten Island in 2001 to provide advocacy for families who have involuntarily entered the child welfare and family court system. CRE has worked with the organization's ED to develop proposals, create strategies to approach private foundations, and build its Board.
• Groundwork's program in East New York provides 120 youth with educational, social, and workforce development opportunities. They are currently expanding to two new program sites. CRE supported Groundwork's growth with work in Board development, fundraising and strategic planning.
• Safe Horizon's School-Based Beacon Program at I.S. 218 in East New York involes up to 200 young people in structured after-school programming focusing on academic enrichment, leadership and recreation. CRE guided the program's staff through the strategic planning process to unify staff, define the goals and vision of the program and explore government funding to support program expansion.

Sector-Wide Initiatives

The Brooklyn Youth Initiative
CRE's Brooklyn Youth Initiative (BYI) is a three year, $775,000 capacity building project aiming to strengthen the network of youth serving organizations in Brooklyn's low income neighborhoods. Supported by the Pumpkin Foundation, the Pinkerton Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation and others. BYI provides 30-35 child welfare, youth advocacy, education and youth development groups annually with one-to-one developmental consulting, small regrants to support infrastructure development, and access to program and administrative resources. BYI was launched in 2003 to support youth organizations challenged by the post-9/11 funding climate, and those serving in communities where post-9/11 job loss had greatest impact.

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CRE's One-on-One Engagements with Immigrant Service Organizations

• The National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC), responding to needs of Arab immigrant communities that have grown exponentially in the past five years, is the first-ever national consortium of CBOs and service providers. NNAAC presently involves 15 member organizations from every region (including New York City). CRE has helped them with organizational and strategic planning and fundraising as they establish their organization and build a united voice on behalf of Arab communities across America.
• Chaya CDC is an advocacy and support organization assisting South Asians on housing, community and economic development. CRE guided them through a strategic planning process, producing a fundraising plan that is closely aligned with their program development goals.
• The Sikh Coalition is a community-based organization that defends civil rights and civil liberties in the United States, educates the broader community about Sikhs and diversity, promotes local community empowerment, and fosters civic engagement amongst Sikh Americans. CRE's work with the Coalition is divided into three parts - Fiscal, Human Resources, and Planning. CRE staff streamlined financial reporting and internal procedures; developed personnel policies, performance management and related proceedures; and guided program planning as this organization grew from an all-volunteer effort to a professional program with staff.
• RACCOON (Reconciliation and Culture Cooperative Network) is dedicated to conflict resolution among ethnic groups, particularly in post-Yugoslav societies, by means of contemporary cultural exchange programs. CRE's work with RACCOON focused on Board development and planning for the organization's long-term stability.
• The Latin American Integration Center (LAIC) has helped more than 12,000 immigrants become American citizens since 1992 and today serves an estimated 1,500 immigrants in Queens and Staten Island every year through its wide array of services. CRE worked with LAIC's leadership to strengthen the Board of Directors; to shape the role of the new Director of Development/ Operations; to plan for program expansion; to explore new sources of revenue; and to provide tools for information, time and performance management.

Sector-Wide Initiatives

• Last year CRE published our nonprofit planning resource manual, "From Vision to Reality" in Spanish: "Del dicho al hecho."
• CRE created a strategic response plan to the Staten Island Mexican Community Report briefing for the Office of Immigrant Affairs, funded by Staten Island Bank and Trust Foundation.
• For the past three years, CRE has worked with the Fund for New Citizens to provide capacity building to over 15 immigrant-led, immigrant-serving groups.
• CRE offered technology training in low-cost desktop publishing and website development and trained front-line workers to develop culturally appropriate HIV prevention outreach materials for specific groups: Mexicanos Unidos; Brazilian Rainbow Group; Dwa Fanm; Imani House; Gay and Lesbian Dominicans Empowered; and South Asian Youth Action.

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