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E ditorialsNew Federal Bill Is a Healthy First StepBeyond the reality of the obvious need for the kind of emergency shelter they provideon a short term basis, it is questionable whose welfare is served by the many %u201cwelfare%u201dhotels in New York City these days.Certainly it is not the long-term residents who have suffered the problems that havedriven them from their homes and into these last-resort places to seek temporaryshelter %u2014 temporary conditions that for many stretch sometimes years in the city%u2019scurrent housing squeeze. Certainly it is not the neighborhoods of these facilities andtheir institutions who %u2014 vainly in most cases %u2014 try to cope with the social, physical andlife-threatening problems that have become synonmous with the buildings. Andcertainly is not the government of the City of New York which annually pays millions ofdollars for garbage-strewn, pest-ridden, overcrowded space for the unfortunateotherwise homeless families who are stuffed into the facilities.%u201cWelfare%u201d is in fact something of a misnomer for these hotels, just as is the word%u201chotel%u201d. The benefit seems, instead, to be on the side of the owners of these facilitieswho reap a substantial annual income from places that appear to have no other usefulpurpose except this rental. Now, even these owners are beginning to ask for somethingdifferent, signaling that now, more than ever, it is time for a change in the system ofemergency housing that has plodded unaltered for many, many years since the originalhumanitarian decision was made, albeit under court order, that our government had aresponsibility to provide emergency housing for its citizens,legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress by Park Slope Rep. Charles Schumer isan imnortant first stpn in nroatino t h a f o h o n i t n T O ,,. K i l l . . . k ; %u00ab k .%u2014 . . u _n~%u2014 t o - j -------1%u00bb -------r %u2014 %u2014 ~ * ' * ~ * o * %u2022 * %u00ab %u00bb M m , * %u00bb i u v . i l n v u i u a u v n A' C U C I O Iemergency funds to be used as matching funds to build permanent housing for thispurpose suggests an idea that should be pursued. For too long, the City has cried that itshands are tied, and that emergency housing funds can only be used for emergencyhousing, ignoring the fact that the welfare hotels have become a substandardpermanent home to too many of the city%u2019s poor.Public housing creates problems of its own: placement, upkeep and security, to namea few. But permanent housing of this type is accountable to the City and not to acorporation or an individual who can%u2019t resist the temptation to take multi-million dollarprofits out of the confusing and poorly-organized administration of the presentemergency program. Utopia is not likely be become a reality, but a dignified and secureplace to live with a family is certainly possible in this city for much less than the $1,200-$1,500 a month that is spent on the rent for one of the tiny squalid rooms at the BrooklynArms. And that is a worthy goal of the legislation that Congressman Schumer has putforth because this problem is not going to go away.Funding for permanent housing, either new constuction or renovation of existingbuildings, is a healthy first step for change in the outrageous situation here that no onecan seem to alter. We urge City, State and Federal officials to all grab this positive firststep to changing how we treat the unfortunate families who must turn to government forhelp when disaster strikes them.T J OMMUNITY E ORUM v ie w s o f r e a d e r sEssay Contest Winner Tells Why Brooklyn Is Still the Best Borough in New York CityStacey Bloom, a Park Slope resident andstudent at Sheepshead Bay High School,who was among the three winners in theAmerican Home Week Essay Cons test forHigh School Students of the Brooklyn Boardof Realtors, was recently selected as firstplace winner for die New York StateAssociation of Realtors. The topic for theessay, selected by the board%u2019s committeechairmen, John Noonan and Mary F. Corkey, was %u201cWhat the Renaissance ofBrooklyn Means to Me.%u201d %u2014 Patricia Butler,President, Brooklyn Board of Realtors.BY STACEY BLOOMExcitement! A change of atmosphere! Along ride! A warm greeting! This can meanonly one thing! You are going to visit someone! Visiting people can be a fun andmemorable experience, especially when youare young.Passing through an unknownneighborhood, or one you hardly ever see,can leave many long and lasting impressions.When I was younger and I was going to visitsomeone, I would sit and stare out of the window for the whole trip. I loved to see themany different sights and people.Unfortunately, not all of my memories arebeautiful. Along with the beauties of natureand the wonders of mankind, there weresome places which frightened me. Iremember passing streets which housedabandoned, broken-down buildings, withbroken bottles and garbage scattered allaround. These same streets had drunk, dirtymen, living off the garbage, who staggeredaround the stripped, abandoned cars whichwere also there.Yet this area was not in Manhattan. It wasin Park Slope, right here in Brooklyn. Due tothe horrible conditions which existed, Idreaded walking around the area, and wasnot allowed to leave the block without beingaccompanied. I was almost ashamed to tellpeople who asked me that I had friends andfamily in Park Slope. When I did tell people, Iusually get a reaction like %u201cjust be careful... it%u2019sdangerous there%u201d or %u201cyou must be crazy to gothere.%u201d These reactions have always botheredme. I hated them, especially since I knewthere were right. It%u2019s for this reason all thechanges which have been occuring in ParkSlope have meant so much to me.The change in Park Slope did not comeabout over night, but has occurred in a sort ofevolutionary cycle over the last ten years orso. A step by step change in living conditions,the types of people, and the types of businessin the area have revived a previously rundown neighborhood. In the early stages ofthis cycle, people started moving to ParkSlope. Among other reasons, like thecloseness to the park, low rents and easy accessibility to the other borough by publictransportation attracted them. This was alsoa cheaper alternative to living in Manhattanwhile still benefiting from employment there.In an effort to accommodate the demandfor housing, Brooklyn Union Gas undertookmany %u201cCinderella%u201d Projects in which theyrenovated broken down buildings. Like achain reaction, private realtors began theirrenovations, and soon many co-ops wereavailable. Also, private house owners rentedout floors in their houses, allowing even moreThe people who live in ParkSlope no longer havenonchalant attitudes as inprevious years. They areconcerned with what is bestfor themselves, their familiesand their community.people to move into the area.As people moved into the area, more andmore stores opened to accommodate them.Avenues which had few stores to cater everyday needs, like food, had suddenly sproutednew stores with a variety of products and services. Two avenues which are good examplesof this development are Fifth Avenue andSeventh Avenue between Flatbush Avenueand Sixteenth Street. Now, instead of a smallselection of goods, you can dine, shop, or just^ i g n o f t h e J h m sIt began w ith an argum ent over narco tics and ended w ith Edw in R odriguez, 26, o f U nion S treetshooting and w o unding 21-year old D iane C epeda on J u ly 19. Police fo und R odriguez hiding in theboiler room at 6 50 U nion S tree t w h ere th e shooting to o k place. (P h oenix/P earson Photo)browse in a large selection of stores. For instance, on these avenues alone, you can enjoyIndian, Spanish, Greek, Italian, and manyother fine dining cuisines. You can also shopin a variety of clothing, houseware, stationary, and other types of stores. Anotherimprovement is in the variety of servicesavailable. There are banks, a post office, carservices, video stores, repair shops, realty offices, and health professionals all over. Eventually, due to all of this development, rentsnearly tripled and property values increasedfive to six times in this time span. Now thisarea is an attraction to many people due tothe rise of the middle class housing and themiddle class atmosphere present.The people who live in Park Slope nolonger have nonchalant attitudes as inprevious years, iney are concerned withwhat is best for themselves, their families,and their community. Many neworganizations have emerged to show this concern. For instance, political groups, youthgroups, and block associations are active inmany areas. The block associations, whichare responsible for such activities as blockclean up days, flower box competitions, andcake sales, keep the individual blocks in harmony. The elementary schools in the area,which are highly rated, have very activeparent associations which sponsor shows andyouth festivals in the neighborhood. Even thereligious community sponsors extra activities to benefit the whole area. There isalso a well known womens political caucus inthe area which has many members.As a present day resident of Park Slope, Ican say these changes have had manybeneficial effects on me. As a teenager in thiscommunity there are many neighborhoodand religious activities I can watch or participate in. I enjoy the many festivals sponsored by the church, school, and the variousyouth groups. With the many families in thearea, I have many job opportunities to carefor children or house-sit, which teach menecessary responsibilities. As a big sister, Ifeel reasonably secure that my little brotheris getting all the benefits of a good educationand participation in the after school center.However, of all the blessings of change, thebest thing I%u2019ve achieved is a sense of prideand well-being where my community is concerned. I can now state proudly %u2014 %u201cI live in aBrown Stone off Prospect Park West%u201dbecause I know it%u2019s a great place to live. Evenif I get the old negatively undertoned reactionof %u201c... you live there.%u201d I can defend theneighborhood to the best of my ability.In conclusion, the Park Slope of mychildhood, which frightened and shamed medue to its run down state, has blossomed intoan important part of my teenage life. Themany changes which I have witnessed in thecommunity have caused a positive change inmy attitude. My eyes have been opened tolimitless possibilities for further improvement in the area. I think the area will continue to improve and flourish. Even now,talks of the Park Slope and DowntownBrooklyn area becoming the next Manhattanare on the tongues of the neighborhoodresidents. Whatever changes do occi r. I planto be nearoy to watch my neighborhood getbetter and better.Whether the change is big or smallI%u2019ll be near right through it all,and as conditions do improve,my pride will grow with every m ove!!Page 22, THE PHOENIX, July 24,1986