More Than Housing

Did you know TRIP is more than just housing?

We are a helping hand on the pathway to community.

Here is a small sample of how we invest in people who are working everyday to stabilize neighborhoods... 

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We Appreciate Your Generous Support

Your Donation Matters

"TRIP rents apartments at affordable prices."

"Really? I thought TRIP helps people become homeowners."

"No, TRIP is about rehabbing old, unmarketable homes and making them useable again."

"Hmm, I thought TRIP supported neighborhood leaders and associations."

Many people don't know that TRIP does all of the above... and more. These core activities enable us to work towards our mission and vision, which is about people, homes, and communities.

We hope you will take ten minutes to watch a video entitled "TRIP - More Than Housing: Building Leadership." it will give you an idea of the impact we can make upon one individual and where that can lead. Enjoy!

To make a secure donation to the work of TRIP, click here.
Or
Please make check payable to:
Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program, Inc. or TRIP and mail to:

TRIP
415 River Street
Troy, NY 12180

Add Your Voice to Others Through TNAC

The Troy Neighborhoods Action Council (TNAC) will be meeting on Wednesday, April 10th from 6–7:30pm at The Margaret Krause Center on 2212 Burdett Avenue in Troy.  Everyone is welcome to attend!

We will have a full agenda, including a discussion of Earth Day plans. 

TNAC is a group of Troy citizens who are actively improving Troy’s neighborhoods through implementing projects, starting workgroups to deal with specific issues such as vacant properties, and sharing successes and ideas. If you’d like to have a voice in Troy’s community issues, please come to the meeting on April 10th!

Troy Neighborhoods Action Council Meeting Feb. 13th

All are welcome!!

Wednesday, February 13th, 6 -7:30pm
At The Hill Street Inn, 202 4th St, Troy

"I always look forward to our TNAC meetings. It's great to get together with other community leaders from different areas, from South Troy to the 'Burgh, which we try to do four times a year. The next TNAC meeting is Wednesday, Feburary 13th from 6 - 7:30pm, at The Hill Street Inn on 202 4th Street. Whether it's hearing about another group's projects or getting advice on one of our projects from a group that has 'been there, done that', I always leave feeling inspired and re-energized."
  -Kim Mazor, Hillside North Neighborhood Group

The agenda for the meeting includes:

• Neighborhood associations’ winning strategies 
• (Re)Imagining Troy project 
• What’s the Troy Vacant Properties Workgroup doing? 
• Getting Involved with a “Drug-Free Community” 
• and More 

For more information about TNAC, contact Rocco DeFazio at 271-1111
or email Hilary [at] triponline [dot] org
 

TNAC Meeting Feb. 13th, 6pm

Troy Neighborhoods Action

Council (TNAC) Meeting

Wednesday, February 13^th, 6-7:30 PM

The Hill Street Inn on 202 4th Street

All are welcome!!  Come share and hear:

- Neighborhood associations’ winning strategies

- (Re)Imagining Troy project

- What’s the Troy Vacant Properties Workgroup doing?

- Getting Involved with a “Drug-Free Community”

- and More

 For more information about TNAC, contact Rocco DeFazio at 271-1111

 or email hilary at triponline [dot] org

Also

Coming Soon!

Troy Landlord Training Program

April 22 (Part 1) & April 24^th (Part 2)

6-8 PM

$15 fee for materials

Register at www.triponline.org

or call (518) 690-0020 x221 

First Annual Statewide Neighborhood Revitalization Conference Warmly Received

On Saturday, September 22nd, urban planners, local officials, and neighborhood activists from Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Syracuse, Johnson City, Newburgh, and Bennington, as well as a contingent representing the Capital District from Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Latham, Amsterdam, and Cropseyville gathered together on Russell Sage campus to share knowledge and ideas about neighborhood revitalization. Topics covered included: green projects, vacant building rehabilitation, community policing, reclaiming public spaces, community art projects, and much more.

Alan Mallach addresses the conference attendees Saturday morning

Earlier that weekend, on Friday night, James Kunstler gave a keynote speech for the conference's kickoff. Alan Mallach delivered another keynote on Saturday morning, which served to successfully lead conference attendees into a thought-provoking and highly educational day.

The discussion started at the conference is on-going as new projects are brought up and more questions are asked. Please visit www.nyneighborhoods.org to take part! If you missed out on the sessions this year, don't worry-- another revitalization conference is already in the works for the fall of 2013!

Statewide Neighborhood Revitalization Conference, Featuring James Kunstler and Alan Mallach

On September 21st and 22nd, Troy will hold the first annual Statewide Neighborhood Revitalization Conference, a grassroots effort to share information about community-building efforts throughout New York State. The conference will be held at Russell Sage College in Troy.

Things will kick off on Friday evening, Sept. 21st, with a free, open to the public  keynote address from famed writer, speaker, and local activist James Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency and The Geography of Nowhere.  You won't want to miss hearing his interesting perspective.  

Registration for workshops and discussions on Saturday, September 22nd, will open soon at http://nyneighborhoods.org/2012/. The day's events will start early with breakfast and another keynote speech this time from housing, planning, and community development advocate and scholar Alan Mallach, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Following will be a large panel discussion and breakout workshops on a variety of interesting topics with community leaders from across New York State.

If you would like to help out at this event, organizers are looking for volunteers! Please contact Dorcas Rose at icatroy@verizon.net for more information.

UPDATE: Registration for the Statewide Neighborhood Revitalization Conference is now open!  Visit http://nyneighborhoods.org/2012/registration/ to register for workshops.

Statewide Neighborhood Conference Scheduled, September 21-22, 2012

Thanks to the vision of local business owner Rocco DeFazio and the efforts of a hardworking team of city residents, Troy is proud to host the first New York State Neighborhood Revitalization Conference on September 21st and 22nd at Russell Sage College. This conference will bring together neighborhood activists, educators, business people, and elected officials to share successes and develop strategies to maintain healthy communities. Throughout the conference, attendees will hear from and work with diverse neighborhood leaders and activists from across the state, including keynote speakers Alan Mallach and James Kunstler.

For more information or to assist, please see the initial announcement at www.nyneighborhoods.org/announcement and/or visit the website, www.nyneighborhoods.org.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind -- Hide Your Car's Valuables

Police Chief Tedesco reported at May 9th's TNAC (Troy Neighborhoods Action Council) meeting that there have been a number of car break-ins recently. He asked that everyone put all their valuables-- including power cords-- out of sight and make sure to lock their cars. If police see that your valuables are in open view, they may leave you a flyer advising you to remove them from sight.

Troy Neighborhoods Action Council Meeting May 9th, 7pm

The purpose of the Troy Neighborhoods Action Action Council (TNAC) is to develop and maintain healthy, vibrant neighborhoods in the city of Troy, New York. It is comprised of residents and businesspeople who believe that the strength of our community lies in its rich history, diverse people, cultures, and economic opportunities, who are working together to make our neighborhoods safe, viable places for people to live, work, and visit.

The next TNAC meeting is on Wednesday, May 9th from 7–8:30pm at The Sanctuary for Independent Media at 3361 6th Avenue (near intersection of 5th & 6th Avenues by 101st St.).   It will be preceded by the Vacant Properties Workgroup which will meet from 6 – 7pm at The Sanctuary. All are welcome to both meetings.

Here is a very full TNAC agenda that you won’t want to miss! 

• Introductions & Neighborhood News – All

• Community Response Team -- Mayor Rosamilia and Chief Tedesco

• Vacant Properties Workgroup update 

• Troy Library Outreach Committee – Fredda Merzon

• Community Wildlife Habitat Certification – Kathleen Cassidy

• Neighborhood Police Report Data – Nina Nichols

• Hudson River Fish Eating, What You Need to Know -- Regina Keenan, NYS Health Dept.

• Seeking Troy Treasure Award nominations – Hilary Lamishaw, TRIP

• Announcements

• Networking from 8 – 8:30 PM

We hope you can join us.

Find us on Facebook!

TNAC Update

The Troy Neighborhoods Action Council (TNAC) met on February 1st to discuss and learn about neighborhood successes, new ideas, news from the city, and how to get involved in projects that other neighborhood leaders are working on. The group was joined by Mayor Rosamilia, several city council members, Police Chief Tedesco, and fellow policemen.

Some highlights from the meeting include:

• Davia Collington shared information about the Drug Free Communities grant. There was also a follow-up meeting on February 7th. At this meeting, the grant application process began. The next planning meeting with be held on February 21st at 6:30 PM at the Bethel Baptist Church.
• Rocco DeFazio told about his plans for a statewide neighborhood conference in September. He has already secured author James Kuntsler as the keynote speaker. A planning meeting for the conference will be held at the Hill Street Inn on February 22nd at 7pm.
• The new crime analyst for the city, Tyler Gothmann, was introduced. Tyler will be regularly posting updated crime maps online so Troy citizens will be able to find information quicker when they need it.
• Tips were shared by both Neighborhood Watch groups and the police about making our streets, homes, and businesses safer.

Members of neighborhood groups also shared recent success stories including:

• The Osgood neighborhood talked about their Alley Action and Alley Addresses projects, where they beautify alleys in one and make plates for addresses in alleyways to help first responders in the other. They also mentioned a letter they’ve started sending out to landlords to encourage both a sense of belonging and responsibility to their community.
• A resident of 5th Avenue talked about the steps she is taking to make sure a row of vacant buildings on her block are being properly taken care of.
• Hillside North shared about their Cleaner and Greener Community Campaign, their partnership with School 2, and the grants for which they have applied.
• Little Italy is calling on artists to paint frescoes in the neighborhood for a voting process in the spring and summer. After the voting has finished, the frescoes will be auctioned off at the Italian Community Center’s annual festival.
• The Burden Iron Works group is combining three neighborhoods under the title “The United Neighborhoods of South Troy.”
• The Christie Street group is starting a new neighborhood group and Beman Park is strengthening theirs, changing the name to be more inclusive (tentatively the “Campus Neighborhood Coalition”), and creating leadership positions.

Additionally, TNAC now has a new page on the TRIP website!  Take a look here: http://triponline.org/community_building/TNAC.html

TNAC Meeting Scheduled

Keeping the momentum rolling into 2012!  TNAC (Troy Neighborhoods Action Council) has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday, February 1 at 7 PM.  Interested residents and community leaders are invited to gather from 7-8:30 PM at The Hill Street Inn at 202 4^th Street.  Neighborhood groups are encouraged to come prepared to tell a story about something that has worked well for them so that we can celebrate our successes and share best practices among neighborhoods.  Other agenda items are welcome; please send to hilary@triponline.org ahead of time.  Hope to see you on February 1^st!

Goodbye and Thank You

Jeanette Nicholson

TRIP bids adieu - and thanks -- to Americorps*VISTA Volunteer Jeanette Nicholson.  We can hardly believe that Jeanette's one year position here ends this month; the year has definitely flown by!   Serving as TRIP's Outreach Worker, she has been so helpful in supporting various neighborhood groups, TNAC (Troy Neighborhoods Action Council), and the Vacant Properties Workgroup.  She worked hard behind the scenes to ensure the success of community events like North Central's National Night Out and Earth Day cleanups, Uptown's Harvest Festival, TRIP's Open House at 2232 5th Avenue and more. She was a frequent face in the neighborhoods as part of TRIP's commitment to community-building.

Hilary Lamishaw, TRIP's Director of Community Affairs, claims, "Jeanette has brought such value to TRIP with her passion for Troy's neighborhoods.  Yet what I'll miss most is her smile, enthusiasm and gentle nature.  She was really a pleasure to work with. We're lucky that Jeanette is a long-time homeowner in Troy. We know we'll be seeing her out and about in Troy!"

From all of us at TRIP:  "Thanks so much, Jeanette!  It's been great having you as part of our team."    

Two New Faces at TRIP

Joining the TRIP team this month are two new AmeriCorp VISTA Volunteers. Claire Pitts and Mary Rynasko will be spending the next year as an Outreach Support Worker and a Program Support Worker respectively.

But what is a VISTA Volunteer? AmeriCorps "Volunteers in Service to America" has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for more than 45 years. VISTA members commit to serve full-time for a year at a nonprofit organization or local government agency, working to fight illiteracy, improve health services, create businesses, strengthen community groups, and much more. With passion, commitment, and hard work, volunteers create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty.

Mary

Mary Rynasko is a 2011 graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs. At Skidmore, she studied studio art and sociology focusing particularly on her interests in textiles, drawing, and gender studies. Mary says, “I learned of the position at TRIP through a family friend and started the ball rolling from there. I’ve spent the last four years taking a lot of art classes but always with an eye on how my work speaks to larger social issues. Through my study of sociology, I have become acutely aware of my own privileges and hope that my past and future decisions will position me to use those privileges as a tool for advancing equality; those who can do—should.” If you are curious to see how Mary spent her time and what sort of art she made at Skidmore, feel free to visit marynasko.com!!

Claire

Claire Pitts is a recent graduate of Alfred University with an Interdisciplinary Art major and a Dance minor. Though she loved living in a small town for the last four years, she missed her home in Troy and found herself excited to return at the end of her senior year. Claire states, “There is a creative and innovative energy in Troy that refuses to fade. I became a VISTA to encourage that energy to grow! I grew up guided by parents who were always involved in local non-profits, and it rubbed off on me in a big way. This year, I am looking forward to acquiring a skill set that will be helpful to not-for-profits. Already, I am excited about seeing some of TRIP’s current plans come to fruition. Troy is a beautiful place and I’d love to help its residents feel good about living here!” Claire makes sound and performance art and specializes in site-specific, modern dance. She has no website, but can provide links to some pretty silly dances she’s taken part in.

Giving Thanks to Our Community Supporters

Joe Fama and Andrew Lynn

The TRIP/RCHR Annual Homecoming Dinner on October 24th was another wonderful event. The Troy Treasure Award  went to Andrew Lynn of The Troy Bike Rescue. Andrew writes, "We had a great time at the dinner.  We were truly honored to recognized by TRIP and to share the spotlight with TAP, two organizations that are so highly regarded in the Troy Community.  We have a great amount of respect for Joe Fama and have known about his work and role in revitalizing Troy for some time.  It feels pretty amazing to be recognized as a Troy Treasure also because we are a small all-volunteer non-profit, but we have big ideas and this means that Troy is taking us seriously. Thank you!!! Thanks TRIP!!! and thanks to our amazing community of supporters."

The Citizenship Award went to Joe Fama of Troy Architectural Project, Inc. (TAP) Joe says, "The three nicest things about being named a Community Citizenship Awardee are, first, the honor and amazement I feel at joining the list of previous recipients; people that I have admired and appreciated for their commitment and accomplishments to our community. Second, the evening itself. It was deeply moving to see so many dear friends, many that I had not seen in a very long time and many that have been with me every step of the way. Third, the deep sense of gratitude and kinship I feel with TRIP and its excellent staff and board who have shared this forty year labor of love in Troy, New York; our fabulous, funny and fascinating city." Thank you, Andrew and Joe, for all you do so tirelessly to make our city a great place to live.

A moving video presentation highlighted the evening with heartfelt words from several people expressing their gratefulness for the work of TRIP in their lives. It was an extraordinary and inspirational night. Thank you to all who made it special and to those who support the work of TRIP. If you would like to volunteer your time to help with planning next year's dinner, please call 272-8289. If you or your organization would like to donate to the work of TRIP and RCHR, please visit the donor page at our website.

Join in Troy’s National Night Out Festivities!

The 27th Annual National Night Out is scheduled for August 3, 2010. Designed to deter crime through strengthening community and police partnerships, last year’s National Night Out campaign involved residents, police, businesses, and public officials from more than 15,000 communities. Troy will again participate in NNO on August 3rd with the following events:

- In South Troy, the Burden Iron Works Association invites Troy residents to National Night Out event at the Burden Iron Works Museum at the foot of Polk Street from 6 PM - Dusk. Meet your neighbors, free refreshments, museum tour and youth events. Contact Jane Snay at frinz40@hotmail.com for more information.

- In North Troy, 8th, 9th, & 10th street residents, in conjunction with TRIP and Rensselaer County’s Communities that Care will be holding a festival at the 7th Avenue Park by Ingalls from 6–8PM. Refreshments, music, dunking booth, face painting, basketball, information tables and more. Contact Rachel@triponline.org to volunteer or for more info.

- In North Lansingburgh, the N. Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch will meet at 6pm at the 112th Street Gateway Park @ 1st Ave and 112th Street.  Activities include planting, landscaping and a mini BBQ.  Jim Gordon is the contact.

Come out for fun, to meet your neighbors and partners, all while stopping crime! 

If your neighborhood wants to promote their event through TRIP and TNAC (Troy Neighborhoods Action Council), contact hilary@triponline.org.  For more information about National Night Out, go to http://www.nationalnightout.org/nno. 

Meet the Candidates Night

Troy residents are asked to make some important decisions on November 3, Election Day. Who do you want to lead the City as it faces difficult issues and tough choices over the next two years? Who will make the best judges in Rensselaer County Court and Family Court? What do you really know about the candidates? How can you find out their positions on issues that are important to you? How will you decide who to cast your votes for in two weeks?

To help you decide, don’t miss a “Meet the Candidates Night” on Wednesday, October 21st, from 7 – 9 PM at the CYO, 237 4th Street in Troy. You will hear from – and can pose questions to – eighteen candidates who are running for the City Council’s six district council seats and three council-at-large seats. You will meet and learn about the four candidates vying to be the next judge in Rensselaer County Court Judge or Family Court. You will also have a chance to meet some of the many candidates running to represent Troy as County Legislators from District 1.

“Meet the Candidates Night” is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by TNAC (Troy Neighborhoods Action Council) and TRIP (Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program) to help people who care about Troy make informed choices as they pull the levers on November 3rd for their best hopes for Troy’s leaders.

We’re pleased that the League of Women Voters is again partnering with us to moderate the presentations by the candidates. We look forward to an informative and interesting evening!

TNAC is a non-partisan coalition led by neighborhood leaders and comprised of Troy’s neighborhood associations, neighborhood watches, and concerned citizens. By meeting regularly and holding public events like the “Meet the Candidates Night,” we aim to encourage new neighborhood groups and support existing ones, in part by energizing people to get involved, whether it’s organizing block parties or working with the police to reduce crime. TNAC’s mission statement, goals and objectives can be used as blueprints for someone starting a group or to help current groups stay focused as they work to revitalize their communities.

More than the influence even of elected officials, Troy’s future will be determined by the passion, the vision and, yes, the hard work of many caring and committed lovers-of-Troy. For more information about TNAC, For more information, contact TRIP at 272-8289 x214 or email hilary@triponline.org.