A Special Message From the CVH Board of Directors

Dear CVH Community;

As the Community Voices Heard Board of Directors, we are reaching out to our beloved CVH community to let you know that we are working closely with our strong and focused Executive Director, Afua Atta-Mensah and the resilient and dedicated CVH staff to keep our organization strong and our core functions operating in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We know this is an uncertain and scary time across New York State and in our communities. As we watch the crisis unfold, we know that CVH members are and will continue to be on the front lines of this pandemic.

We also know that CVH members are the experts about the issues facing our communities and as always, we will come up with the solutions and fight for justice for low-income people of color in New York.

We are continuing to build power, while also providing the mutual aid that is critical to our communities during this crisis. Some examples of this work over the last three weeks include: our continued work to get New Yorkers to fill out the Census; our new partnership with Red Rabbit/World Kitchen to provide food delivery to NYCHA residents, particularly those living in senior housing; our recent success, along with Housing Justice for All and Right to Counsel NYC, in getting a moratorium on evictions in New York City and our fight for a rent freeze in New York State and a meeting with U.S. Senator Charles Schumer about how to ensure the various phases of the federal stimulus is inclusive of the most vulnerable.

The Board is having weekly meetings to keep up to speed on the health and safety of our staff, members and community and to troubleshoot any organizational questions that come up.

We want you to know that we are here to make sure that our organization and our membership emerges from this crisis stronger and more interconnected than ever. We know that CVH power is here to stay.

With love and solidarity,

Giancarlo Fernandez

Alexa Kasdan

Community Voices Heard Board Executive Committee