The Point Community Development Corporation

ISSUE AREA: JOBS

City: The Bronx, NY
Community Development - Heritage - Urban

Contact:
Maria Torres
Co-Founder
The Point Community Development Corporation
940 Garrison Avenue
The Bronx, NY 10474
(718) 542-4139
mtorres@thepoint.org

Date Published: October 2006

The Point Community Development Corporation is a non-profit organization dedicated to youth development and the cultural and economic revitalization of the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. The Point works with their neighbors to celebrate the life and art of the South Bronx community, an area traditionally defined solely in terms of its poverty, crime rate, poor schools, and sub-standard housing. With a belief that the area’s residents, their talents and aspirations, are their greatest assets, The Point’s mission is to encourage the arts, local enterprise, responsible ecology, and self-investment in the Hunts Point community.

The Point’s neighborhood, Hunts Point in South Bronx, has been a home since the 1900’s to various waves of ethnic groups. With a booming steel industry, Hunts Point provided great opportunities for new immigrants. However, the area took a hard blow following WWII, when many industries relocated to the South and West. With this shift, the predominantly African- American and Puerto Rican residents of the area found it difficult to find stable employment. Despite this, however, many remained in the area, and maintained a sense of community in Hunts Point.

The area experienced a renaissance in the late 1990’s, with many people moving into the community, including formerly homeless families moving into transitional housing, and a small group of artists. The area’s population increased 20% from the previous decade. Among the diverse ethnic groups who live in the area, nearly 40% are of Puerto Rican heritage. The Point has played a pivotal role in the revival of the Hunts Point area which lies in the heart of the South Bronx, an area characterized as the poorest urban congressional district in the country. The Point provides individuals with self-empowerment and the opportunities through arts and enterprise to break the cycle of poverty.

The Point was founded in 1994 by Maria Torres, Paul Lipson, Steven Sapp, and Mildred Ruiz. The organization’s original purpose and focus was to stimulate culture and enterprise in the community through collaboration. At the time of its founding, there were no theaters or community centers in South Bronx that focused on the arts and youth programs. Through a relationship with Max Blauner Inc., a family business that owned property in Hunts Point, and private support, The Point obtained property at 940 Garrison, which formerly belonged to the American Banknote Company.

The organization started by offering free and inexpensive classes to Hunts Point residents in dance, music, theater, and photography, and by hosting performances and exhibitions that showcased community member’s talents and celebrated the area’s culture. Much of their programming focuses on harnessing the artistic skills of youths and others in their neighborhood, and encouraging individual and community growth through educational, artistic, and entrepreneurial activity. Currently, their programs and activities fall under four main categories: youth development, arts and culture, re-envisioning Hunts Point, and community development.

One of their youth programs is the Early Grades After School Program, where students in grades 1-6 participate in workshops in theater, music, and the arts, and also receive literacy coaching and homework help. They also host the Summer Adventure program, which holds arts and educational programming from 8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m during the summer for seventy children. The Point also sponsors a sleep away camp, called Camp Quinnahung, in which 9-13 year-olds attend a ten day camp in Beacon, New York, and a Summer Youth Leadership Training Program. The Point also has a computer lab, where students learn typing and other computer skills.

The Point’s extensive arts and culture programming lie at the heart of the organization’s mission. The annual Aficionado exhibit celebrates the works of children, teenagers, and adults from the Hunts Point Community. The Point also sponsors Bronx Gear, a group of artists and designers (including students) who make silk scarves, t-shirts, posters, and other products, and sell them through The Point. The Point also offers some of the best free photography lessons in the city. Live From the Edge Theater, a black box theater space at The Point, is one of the group’s most heralded arts efforts. It has hosted many award-winning artists and shows, including Tony winners, while the immense popularity of this theater has helped contribute to the revival of the Hunts Point area. They also sponsor the South Bronx film festival, and hold classes in music, art, and dance.

The Point and its various programs have played a key role in the re-envisioning of Hunts Point. The Point has designed specific programs and initiatives to focus on this goal of reviving the neighborhood. The A.C.T.I.O.N. program, Activists Coming to Inform Our Neighborhoods, is a community leadership workshop for neighborhood teenagers create and implement initiatives to affect change in the area. The Point also sponsors environmental stewards, who learn about environmental issues affecting the Hunts Point neighborhood, and design projects, such as planting, to improve these issues.

Through their Advocacy and Planning initiative, The Point has been involved in creating change in many facets of the Hunts Point community, ranging from community gardening efforts, to working to reopen Hunts Point’s commuter rail station. The Point also plays an important role in connecting current residents of Hunts Point to the area’s past, by researching the area’s history and making historical information available for residents.

In addition to all its other work in helping to revitalize and develop the community, The Point also offers space and expertise for local aspiring entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground. At The Point’s Marketplace, a 4,000 foot facility, selected area entrepreneurs are provided space for their business. The Marketplace is currently home to a wide array of businesses, including a public relations firm, a woodcarver, a neighborhood- owned restaurant, and a graphic design firm. By providing these businesses with a space from which to work and operate, The Point is contributing to the economic development of the community on the whole.

The Point’s most recent project, for which they received a grant from the Ford Foundation, is the development of a"cultural corridor." In cooperation with other neighborhood groups, including Bright Temple Church, and the Bronx Charter School for the arts, The Point is working to plan a "cultural corridor" linking various neighborhood institutions, celebrating the neighborhood’s cultural assets, and creating a new image of the Garrison Avenue area through redevelopment and revisioning.

In addition to the Ford Foundation grant to develop the cultural corridor project, the Point receives funding from a plethora of foundations, corporations, and organizations, including the New York Community Trust, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York National Bank, and the Association of Hispanic Arts; in total, 72% of the group’s funding comes from private sources.

Resources:

www.thepoint.org