Neighborhood Weekends, launched in 2003, reached out to Brooklyn residents of low-income housing developments and offered free admittance to encourage an estimated 1,600 visitors to come to HOB institutions. In summer 2005, HOB re-focused this program to reach out to Youth and Senior Program Directors at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residences in Brooklyn. The NYCHA Outreach Project will build sustainable relationships between NYCHA communities and HOB institutions by offering meaningful information on how to use the Heart of Brooklyn.

Heart of Brooklyn has been active in the greater community, participating in several Brooklyn-based cultural events that have been successful in introducing more families to member institutions. HOB marches in the annual West Indian Day Parade, perhaps the largest Carnival celebration for the West Indian community anywhere in the world. The parade draws millions of revelers and HOB members have regularly participated in the festival to ensure awareness of its resources and reach out to a community that includes many recent immigrant families. Additionally, HOB participates and disseminates organizational information at street fairs and community-based events, such as the Boricua Festival in Prospect Park, National Night on Carroll Street, Youth Happening on Schenectady Avenue, NAACP Brooklyn Chapter’s Annual Festival in Bed-Stuyvesant, and the Cool Culture Fair.

Economic Development has always been an important part of HOB’s long-term goals. In 2003, HOB began its Crown Heights Renaissance initiative to strengthen the capacity of businesses in Crown Heights.

Summary of Research

HOB’s Partnership with Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) and Medgar Evers College provides opportunities to formerly incarcerated men and women in the Crown Heights community. CEO participants work in maintenance crews on Washington Avenue and Flatbush Avenue, and receive cultural and educational enrichment in areas such as horticulture, and general job-seeking skills at HOB member institutions.

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