QUESTION
Council Member Stevens Asks DYCD About Neighborhood Advisory Boards' Roles and Vacancies
0:15:31
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170 sec
During the Committee on Children and Youth meeting, Council Member Althea Stevens inquires into the role, responsibilities, and current status of Neighborhood Advisory Boards (NABs) as presented by Mike Bobbitt, Deputy Commissioner of DYCD. Bobby outlines the purpose of NABs in combatting poverty, highlighting their importance in community needs assessment and service procurement. The discussion also covers the significant number of vacancies in NABs across the city, with Stevens emphasizing efforts to fill these to ensure vibrant and effective boards.
Speaker 1
0:15:31
Please explain the role and responsibilities and goals of the neighborhood advisory board.
0:15:35
The NAV.
Speaker 3
0:15:36
Thank you.
0:15:38
As a community action agency, we are one of maybe a 1000 agencies nation wide that look to combat conditions of poverty.
0:15:46
One of the important ways that we demonstrate and make good on that charge which is a 60 year charge now since Lindsey Johnson launched the war on poverty to demonstrate the maximum feasible participation of those who are impacted by poverty.
0:16:01
The neighborhood advisory boards allow DUI City or I should say enable DUI City to do that strongly.
0:16:08
By targeting services in the communities with the highest incidence of poverty, we also recruit volunteers from those communities.
0:16:16
So people who live work and play in those neighborhoods who are acutely aware of the conditions on the ground.
0:16:21
They are a DUI city's partner, whether it's Participating in our community needs assessments, leading the public hearings related to those community needs assessments, Then ultimately when the services are determined need to be procured, the NEB members join us in reading the funding proposals.
0:16:39
So we make community action come alive, by enlisting and partnering with members of the community through this program.
Speaker 1
0:16:48
How many vacancies are the neighborhood advisory Omni boards across the city currently.
Speaker 3
0:16:52
Thank you, Sharon.
0:16:53
So as I said, there's 41 NEBs, and each can see up to 12 members.
0:16:57
We have 263 active members right now.
0:17:01
We have 223 vacancies.
0:17:04
Do, as it considers a board viable when it has 7 or more members.
0:17:08
So we have many viable boards, but we would love to have vibrant boards with full attendance.
0:17:14
Of the vacancies I listed.
0:17:17
63 vacancies can be referred by council members, and I wanna thank you again chair.
0:17:22
You're aware of this.
0:17:23
And you've clearly and consistently demonstrated the importance of it and enlisting the attention of your colleagues.
0:17:30
We would like to continue to do that.
0:17:32
To fill as many of the 63 vacancies as we can.
0:17:35
There are also 33 vacancies that can be filled by New York State Senators.
0:17:41
31 members 31 baker is gonna be filled by assembly members and 43 that can be filled by members of Congress.
0:17:47
So we thank you for raising this forum to do that.
0:17:51
And if you have advice or suggestions to help encourage other local elected officials, in the way that you have done with members of the council, we would be very glad to to do that.
Speaker 1
0:18:00
Well, my office has not only been reaching out to the council.
0:18:03
They gave us the full list that we've been reaching out to the state.
0:18:05
And and the federal foreign partners as well.
0:18:09
And my hope is, in the next couple of weeks, we have all those vacancies filled.
0:18:14
So will continue to work in partnership with you all to try to get these vacancies filled because I do think it's important.