NYC Summer Updates
Dear friends,
We are pleased to share updates on the latest developments at ATD Fourth World in New York City. A lot has happened since February!
From January through March we worked together to develop a presentation based on the 'Building Housing Solutions Through a Collaborative Process' document. It explores the housing crisis in New York from the perspective of those affected by persistent poverty. Other members offered valuable feedback to strengthen the presentation.
We know that reports often go unread, and the knowledge and solutions they propose remain invisible. To counter this, Rosetta and Patrick (ATD Fourth World Activists), along with Alycia and Alvaro (Volunteer Corps members), spent several weeks transforming this paper into a learning and mobilization tool grounded in personal experiences.
We hope this tool will enable us to partner with other organizations, grow our network, and increase our membership through meaningful conversations on the right to housing.
We hope to welcome you to one of our presentations in the coming months!
Alvaro Iniesta
Director of the NYC Office
2026-2028 Strategic Goals
From November 2025 through February 2026, the New York team updated our Strategic Goals for 2026–2028. These goals will guide our decision-making as we establish programs and priorities for the next few years.
We based our work on the Theory of Change wheel and the outcomes of the Strategic Renewal Dialogues. Throughout this process, we used participatory practices that engaged active members at various levels of involvement. We also used consensus-building exercises to define our main goals for 2026–2028 and our priorities for 2026.
Two main priorities emerged from this process. First, we need to increase our outreach efforts. Second, we must continue to develop local advocacy initiatives rooted in the participation of New York activists.
You can find out more about this planning process here.
Spring Festival in Brownsville
The New York team has been evaluating our approach and exploring more effective ways to reach families experiencing persistent poverty.
We asked parents about the positive aspects of the Story Garden and invited them to introduce us to others who might be interested in child development programs. A neighbor and supporter of the Story Garden introduced us to the president of the tenants' association. A young supporter of ATD Fourth World introduced us to Global Outreach, a volunteer organization based at Fordham University.
These wonderful encounters enabled us to organize a beautiful Spring Festival Day on May 22 in the Brownsville Houses community. Neighbors welcomed our team, along with eight students and the coordinator of Global Outreach, to celebrate beauty, inspire new encounters, and strengthen existing relationships through creativity, personal growth, and community building.
Join us
The Tapori program at the Gregory “Jocko” Jackson School this year discovered the stories of Alejandra from Peru and Tú from Vietnam. The children learned ways to become positive actors who can transform unfair situations and improve our communities. Be inspired by the great energy of our Tapori heroes!