community empowerment & housing justice
Helping the people of the Western Catskills leverage community spirit into social change throughout empathetic dialogue and direct action.
The interconnected small towns of the Western Catskills share a rich cultural history to lead by example for other parts of the region: to sit in difference without fear, and show up for those who need it most.
Our programs
01
Amplify local voices and identify unmet needs
Through circle discussions and structured community conversations we are empowering community members to constructively discuss the most urgent issues impacting the Western Catskills region, and collaboratively devise solutions for a better future.
02
Foster care & collaboration
Through healing circles, we are providing a therapeutic practice for individuals to self-reflect and process hardship in a supportive and compassionate environment. Healing circles also help build solidarity and foster greater understanding among neighbors.
03
Improve material conditions
Though legal advice and counsel, clinics, and know your rights trainings, we are providing needed support for renters in the Western Catskills region, many whom are hit the hardest by the wealth and justice gap the underlies the U.S. housing crisis.
civic circles
What do you love about living in these cold misty mountains? What makes your life special? What makes it difficult? What could be better? What do you think we can work on together?
Where do you see the Western Catskills headed in ten years? Where do you see yourself in ten years? How can we ensure the Western Catskills stay a forever home to those who have been living here, and want to live here, while increasing the resources that make a community and all the people inside of it thrive?
Are you, or someone you care about currently being affected by a housing or employment issue, or a legal problem you don’t know how to address?
Are you willing to listen with an open heart to those most affected? Do you want to collaborate in developing creative solutions?
Are you ready to celebrate the oldest members of our community, and learn from their experience?
Are you ready to leave politics out of it? Are you ready to put down your phone?
Do you want to set an example of what a small town can do?
Talking Circles aren’t formal–they have a simple structure that ensures everyone gets an opportunity to speak. They are an effective way of organizing a safe environment for taking space to share your story, and making space for others who need it. Circles are cathartic, healing, and inspiring, and very easy to join.
Civic Circles allow us to work in collaboration with our neighbors to think through local problems and devise solutions in an environment that is nonjudgemental, supportive, collaborative, and kind.
You can help build a space where we can both celebrate the beauty and bounty of the Catskills, while also talking about difficult topics like housing shortages, empty buildings, outside investment, shrinking schools, job scarcity, and affordability issues that unfairly and disproportionately impact those who have lived in this area for a long time.
In our Civic Circles, we are celebrating the history and residents that make this town special, while thinking through the problems we face, and how to solve them.