By Preston Anderson
Through the Coverdell Fellowship, I’ve been working with University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP) here in the Bronx since September 2020. UNHP exists to preserve, create, and improve affordable housing in the Bronx – as well as provide residents in these homes with as many resources as possible. This means UNHP has got its hands in a lot of amazing work – from advocacy, education and outreach, to intensive research. For roughly the past 40 years, UNHP has worked diligently to provide for the needs of the Bronx’s low-income residents.
In UNHP, I’ve gotten to work in a couple areas of the work they do. This has looked like researching available grants, translating blog posts for crucial tenant resources, learning about how UNHP is advocating for creating more equitable utility costs, or reaching out to tenants who’s rent is in arrears to provide necessary resources. Once tax season starts, I’ll be working alongside an amazing team of staff and volunteers to help file 250 resident’s 2020 federal tax returns.
Working with UNHP has been an invaluable experience. Aside from work, UNHP has helped to provide me necessary context for the development of the Bronx (and New York as a whole) as an outsider. There is so much I simply never would have known were it not for the work of UNHP and their incredible staff. Giving back to a community that is housing me has meant a great deal, and I am excited to continue in this role as a Fordham IPED student.