GOLES works with residents of the Lower East Side to preserve economic opportunities, help residents stay in their homes, and plan for the future of the Lower East Side. Each issue area that we focus on has a member-led Steering Committee that helps drive campaigns and programs. To get involved, contact the organizer for the issue areas below!
GOLES is surveying the community to find out what economic justice issues are important to residents, and will form an Economic Justice Steering Committee and campaigns out of this community-based research. GOLES is also working in coalition with the Retail Workers union and other groups on a citywide living wage campaign. The coalition is advocating for a new living wage ordinance that would affect employees of projects receiving public subsidies. If successful, this could have a great impact in reducing poverty for all New Yorkers.
For more information on how to get involved in "Economic Justice" campaigns, call GOLES at 212-358-1231.
GOLES’ Environmental Justice & Public Health initiatives are built around the daily interactions of people and their Lower East Side neighborhood. GOLES, with research supported by the Pratt Institute and the Weill Cornell Medical College, is taking a comprehensive approach to organizing around these issues.
GOLES trains members on the localized and widespread effects of environmental and public health problems, and organizes around environmental justice issues. Monthly workshops and community events provide education and training on how to mitigate negative environmental conditions. A recent community survey of residents identified pests, mold, air quality, and aging sewage infrastructure as key issues. GOLES is working with residents to shape these problems into solid campaigns, and is working in collaboration with other groups to address targeted issues citywide.
For more information on how to get involved in "Environmental and Public Health" campaigns, contact Jeanette Toomer at jeanette@goles.org or call 212-358-1231.
Public housing residents are subject to tremendous pressure due to budget cuts at all levels of government. Budget cuts have brought decreases in services, increased rents and surcharges, discriminatory housing policies, and systemic abuse and harassment of tenants. GOLES works to protect and stabilize the lives of public housing residents by empowering, educating, and organizing them to reshape housing policy and their own neighborhoods.
GOLES' public housing work is accomplished through:
- Direct service
- Grassroots organization
- Leadership development
- Comprehensive Workshops
GOLES mobilizes more than 600 people every year to attend public hearings other community meetings regarding Public Housing. Many of these people are able to make on-the-record statements about their concerns. Public Housing is About Collaboration
GOLES’ goals include fruitful collaborations with tenant associations, community groups, and elected officials. These collaborations lead to our voices being heard and successes such as timely repairs to public housing apartments, changes in policy, and increased opportunities for residents. For more information on how to get involved in Public Housing campaigns, contact Emilie Rosenblatt at emilie@goles.org, or call 212-358-1231.
GOLES aims to demystify public processes surrounding land-use and large–scale development planning and to engage residents in helping to shape the future of the Lower East Side. Through organizing efforts, GOLES seeks to build leadership and community investment in major LES land–use issues and educate the community, and particularly low-income residents, through workshops, trainings, and visioning sessions on how development pressures affect the neighborhood, and how they can respond. For more information on how to get involved in "Land Use" campaigns, contact Emilie Rosenblatt at emilie@goles.org or call 212-358-1231.
As market-rate rents soar, there is a parallel increase in landlord harassment of rent-stabilized and rent-controlled residents in order to replace them with market-rate tenants. This can include threatening tenants with legal action or eviction; deprivation of services such as a lack of heat, hot water, and repairs; frivolous lawsuits against tenants who do not have the means or knowledge to fight a suit; verbal and other psychological abuse; and exploitation of loopholes in rent laws to falsely evict tenants. GOLES organizes tenant associations and individuals against harassment and works with elected officials and government agencies to close legal loopholes, including working on “predatory equity” issues. Activities include citywide organizing to reverse the effects of vacancy decontrol and a state law and policy which allows rent stabilized apartments to deregulate after they pass an artificially low rent threshold. For more information on how to get involved in Rent Regulated campaigns, contact Wasim Lone at wlone@goles.org or call 212-533-2541.
Section 8 subsidized housing is being depleted throughout New York City as contracts come up for renewal and landlords choose to opt out. With over 2000 units of Section 8 housing in the Lower East Side alone, it is important to secure both short- and long-term lease renewals in order to prevent eviction and resulting displacement and homelessness. GOLES works with tenant associations and individuals in Section 8 housing. To date, we’ve been successful in preserving hundreds of units each year as well as securing repairs and maintenance that improve housing conditions. For more information on how to get involved in Section 8 campaigns, contact Wasim Lone at wlone@goles.org or call 212-522-2541.