 NEDAP News | Vol. 1 Issue 11 | November 2006
Welcome to the November edition of NEDAP News
RSVP Now! NEDAP Celebrates 10th Anniversary on Dec. 7!
Join us for NEDAP's 10th anniversary celebration, a free evening of music, food and drinks! Festivities will be held on December 7, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Housing Works Used Book Cafe, 126 Crosby Street, in Manhattan. We hope to see you there!
RSVP now! Click here for details.
Register for Dec. 11 Training on Money Transfers and Financial Justice Organizing in Immigrant Communities
NEDAP, in conjunction with the
Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action, is holding a
training about money transfers (remittances) and financial justice organizing in immigrant communities. Sending Money Home: Transnational Organizing on Remittances will be held on Monday, December 11, from 12:00 pm to 5:00 p.m.
The training, which is open to community groups, organizers and advocates, will provide participants with an understanding of how the
money transfer industry works and tools to educate and organize community members. The training will also provide information about how to get involved in emerging campaigns around
remittances, including an industry accountability campaign. Guest speakers include Manuel Orozco, director of the
Remittances and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue.
Click here to register on-line and for training details, or call (212) 680-5100, ext. 209.
NEDAP Issues Community Alert on "Pay Stub" Loans
NEDAP has released a community alert about a new line of predatory refund anticipation loan (RAL) products, called "pay stub" loans, that tax preparers and their partner banks are rolling out -- before tax season even begins! The loans carry triple-digit interest rates and are designed to take advantage of people strapped for cash during the holiday season. Click here to view the advisory.
NEDAP issued a report last year, "Rapid Rip-offs," which details how RALs target low income New Yorkers and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) recipients and siphon millions of dollars every year out of low income communities in New York.
Advocacy and Community Training Roundup
Highlights of NEDAP's advocacy and community workshops over the last month include:
- Testifying on how discriminatory lending practices perpetuate residential segregation in NYC, at a public hearing, "Achieving Fair Housing Choice," convened by the NYC Council's Civil Rights and Consumer Affairs Committees.
- Organizing a town hall meeting on predatory lending in conjunction with the Queens Federation of Churches, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and NYC Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development. The meeting was held at Grace Episcopal Church in Jamaica, Queens and drew over 200 people.
- Making presentations at the Children's Defense Fund - New York conference, "Securing a Fair Start: Asset-Building Strategies for New York's Working Families," on challenges to asset-building for immigrant New Yorkers, and policy recommendations to increase access to fair financial services and credit in low income neighborhoods.
- Speaking at the 5th Annual Financial Literacy Day, presented by the National Federation of CDCUs, on ways to link financial education with legal services and policy advocacy.
- Presenting on the NYC PACE program at "Current Best Practices in Foreclosure Prevention," a roundtable discussion convened by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
- Conducting a workshop on credit reporting issues for the Women in Prison Project - ReConnect leadership training program, for women who have recently returned home from prison or jail.
NEDAP Thanks its Individual Donors!
The board and staff would like to thank the following individuals for their generous contributions over the past month:
Oliver Oziel
David Rankin, Esq.
Roy Pingel
Mitchell L. Moss & Candace Greene Moss
John C. Gray
Jacqueline D. Sherman
Jose Perez
We appreciate their donations!
NEDAP welcomes your tax deductible contribution, which may be made online or by mail.
NEDAP News is the monthly e-newsletter of the
Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project - www.nedap.org. |
