Fordham Professor Pens Book On the Formerly Homeless

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

“These are powerful American stories,” is how Susan C. Greenfield, an English professor at Fordham University, describes the collection of profiles in her new book, Sacred Shelter: 13 Journeys of Homelessness and Healing. Greenfield gathered together the narratives of 13 individuals who share the painful and isolating experience of having been homeless in New York. South Bronx native Dennis Barton, 68, spent years living on the city’s streets. He explained, “My reason for doing [Sacred Shelter] was one, to try to give people an idea of what it’s like to be homeless. And two, to help change some of the

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering the Bronx. In our third edition of the year, we bring you the latest! The front page story profiles the efforts made by the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA) to designate Bedford Park as a historic district with the goal of slowing real estate development in the neighborhood. Read what members of BMCA and the Historic Districts Council have to say. In Norwood, the suspect wanted for allegedly exposing himself to an underage boy was collared by the NYPD, and the long-planned North Bronx Islamic Center is slated to

The Mosholu Library will host a housing and enrollment event and seminar on Thursday, Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is a partnership between the city’s Department of Finance and Council Member Andrew Cohen. There will information on enrolling in the city’s Rent Freeze Program and tips on how to obtain property tax exemptions. To apply to the Rent Freeze Program, make sure to bring an ID, tax or income documents, copies of recent leases, and if you have one, bring your Social Security award letter. Check out Community Board 7’s event flyer for more information.

Mayor’s Coming to the Bronx, and He’s Bringing City Hall With Him

By STEPHANIE GARCIA

Next week the annual City Hall in Your Borough: Resource Fair will be coming to the Bronx, and several high level officials from all New York City agencies will be attending. This will allow residents to speak with these city officials, and voice concerns. Representatives from the city’s Transportation, Finance, Police, Education, Health, and Parks Department will be on hand. They’ll also be joined by employees from the New York City Economic Development Corporation and City Hall. The event is slated from Jan. 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. It will be taking place at the Latino Pastoral Action

By JOSEPH KONIG

Old Albany Post Road in Riverdale is unpaved and strewn with debris. Residents say cars are abandoned there, often left unattended sometimes for years. Their own cars, forced to navigate potholes and obstructions, have been damaged. Because of a massive puddle in the center of the road, which residents say is a year-round feature, the street was nicknamed “Lake Albany Post Road,” Any rain and the puddle consumes the opening of the street, preventing garbage trucks and other vehicles from driving onto it. A landlord of a Broadway building accessible from the tiny roadway built a wall to prevent the

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering the Bronx. In our second edition of the year, we bring you the latest! The front page story revisits the Bedford Park Manor, where several tenants have ramped up efforts for improved quality of life. Read what the owner of the properties has to say. In Norwood, two separate corners of the neighborhood saw the discovery of two dead bodies in two separate cases. David Greene looks into this for us. Speaking of crime, the NYPD crime stat figures were released for 2018. It looks like the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Tenant Support Unit The Mayor’s Tenant Support Unit offers tenant outreach help to New Yorkers at risk of displacement or tenant harassment. Residents can get connected to free legal services, learn about their rights, get help applying for rent freeze programs and more on Jan. 17, 24 and 31, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Office of Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, 2175 Jerome Ave.; Jan. 17, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at UNHP Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave.; and Jan. 18, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Office of Assembly Member Jose Rivera, 1 Fordham Plz. For more

By PHONZ L. REYES

With record number of homelessness still an issue across the city, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is once again requesting New Yorkers volunteer to help the agency’s annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) Survey happening at the end of the month. The overnight HOPE Survey on Jan. 28 provides the agency a chance to collect data that will aid outreach teams in year-round efforts to address street homelessness while providing accurate estimates of un-sheltered homeless individuals in the city, particularly during the year’s coldest of nights when temperatures drop below 30 degrees. “Thanks to increased investment, enhanced coordination, and

By DAVID CRUZ and JOSEPH KONIG

Residents of three fairly new buildings on Webster Avenue that are owned and operated by The Stagg Group have gotten the ear of Community Board 7, which plans to hear from residents at its next Housing, Zoning & Land Use Committee meeting in February. The Stagg Group, a construction and development company with multiple ongoing projects in Bedford Park and Norwood, told the Norwood News they will be sending a representative to the meeting to hear out the tenants’ concerns. The news is the latest in a fight waged by tenants over conditions at the buildings at 2985, 2987, and 2999 Webster