80A Fourth Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217 Phone: (718) 802-9540 Fax: (718) 802-9741

1. ORGANIZING IS THE WAY TO MOVE HARM REDUCTION POLICY FORWARD 80A Fourth Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217 Phone: (718) 802-9540 Fax: (718) 802-9741 E-mail: flynn@nycahn.org; Web: www.nycahn.org NYC AIDS Housing Network

2. NYC AIDS Housing Network • The NYC AIDS Housing Network is a membership led organization bringing together homeless and formerly homeless people living with HIV/AIDS, AIDS service organizations and nonprofit housing providers; • Given that housing is a human right, it is our mission to empower low-income people living with HIV/AIDS to organize our community, including the nonprofits that serve us, to advocate for more and better housing and sound public policies for all New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS. • NYCAHN brings together tenants & housing providers, clients & service organizations. • Decisions are made at quarterly general membership meetings and weekly campaign meetings. • We are governed by low-income people living with AIDS. If you would like to find out about getting more involved. Members control the organization. • 93% of our members are active drug users (heroine and crack cocaine primarily). • NYCAHN has over 3,000 members and has trained over 1,900 low-income people living with HIV/AIDS in community organizing and advocacy skills. • NYCAHN has trained 67 nonprofit service organizations in community organizing and advocacy skills. NYC AIDS Housing Network

3. Projects of NYCAHN • HASA Human Rights Watch: Tracking human rights violations at welfare centers that serve low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. • POWER Academy (People living with HIV/AIDS Organizing for Welfare Equal Rights): our core leadership development course offers political education to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS and basic community organizing and advocacy skills. • Oral History Project: Homeless PLWA’s tell it like it is to be homeless and HIV+ on the streets of NYC. Form of participatory research, and human rights documentation. NYC AIDS Housing Network

4. Projects of NYCAHN (cont.) • Parolee Human Rights Project:we track violations committed by parole officers in an effort to bring about systemic reform. In addition the project members organize to improve access to healthcare in prisons and access to housing upon release. • Youth CAHN: Once our members become recognized leaders, their family members want to get involved. Youth CAHN is training the next generation of leaders in the fight against AIDS. • Building Community Project:a weekly drop-in center (modeled on “worker centers”) which provide a place for our members to socialize, take showers, get assistance with their welfare case or finding housing and tenant organizing projects in buildings where 2 or more low-income people living with HIV/AIDS live. We house over 150 homeless people living with AIDS each year. NYC AIDS Housing Network

5. NYCAHN’s RecentCampaign Victories… • Increased funding to build housing for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS on City and State levels; • Created two new funding streams to build AIDS housing on the City level; • City Council unanimously passed 3 pieces of legislation ensuring that homeless people living with AIDS will be moved quickly into permanent housing (this is a right to housing-one of the 1st in the Country); • Successfully advocated for the legal sale of syringes in pharmacies. • Saved three harm reduction programs from being defunded/closed by community boards. NYC AIDS Housing Network

6. Community Organizing • Community Organizing is a set of basic principles that, when followed, allows your organization to grow, and allows more and more people to become activists on your issues. It is the how to of movement building. • Community Organizing is not just outreach, not just forming a speaker’s bureau, not just engaging in direct action, or meeting with elected officials. • Organizing acknowledges moves POWER from the hands of a few people into the hands of many. • Advocacy and activism should be components of organizing • Organizers work on campaigns, not issues. NYC AIDS Housing Network

7. Organizing breaks the rules! • John Wayne Rule:pull yourself up by your boot straps partner. It’s you against the world. • Despite the globalization of American Individualism, one person is not a movement. If you are alone in a gun battle, you will eventually be outgunned. • The Be Nice Rule: you solve problems by not making any waves. • “Power Concedes Nothing without Demand. It never has and it never will.”—Frederick Douglas, US Civil Rights Pioneer • You can’t build a bridge without tension-My mother (although she probably stole it from someone else). NYC AIDS Housing Network

8. Why Organize? • Organize in order to grow your organization. • Organize in order to bring about systemic change. • Organize in order to “duplicate” yourself. NYC AIDS Housing Network

9. Problems are: Vague; Too big; Don’t have a good, clear target (best when it is a person, rather than “The WTO”; Only affect a few of your constituents personally; Are polarizing; Can be solved by an “expert”. Issues are: are specific and measurable are winnable involve many people and are strongly felt provide opportunities to develop new leadership lead to other issues attract allies fits organizational resources are consistent with organizational values, and clarify what the organization is about change the relations of power expose the underlying causes of issues – racism, economic oppression, etc. Develop multiple, incremental demands that are specific and winnable Problems vs. Issues NYC AIDS Housing Network

10. Never Leave Home without a Strategy Chart NYC AIDS Housing Network

11. BUILDING MEMBERSHIP BUILDS CAPACITY • The more people you have, the more you will be able to do. • It is just as important to build leadership as it is to find a person a home, refer them to a doctor, etc. • Service organizations must engage IN REACH-just because people are coming and getting syringes does not mean that they feel connected to your organization, your cause or feel like they are part of a community. • Communities are intentional, they are created, it takes a lot of work. • NYCAHN uses “benefits” rather than services- needle exchange, detox referrals, food pantry, showers, help finding housing-as a way to recruit and sustain membership. • Similar to union model of offering “benefits” in exchange for participation and unity. • Good ideas for in-reach are: • English language classes (using advocacy issues as your primer) • Special services for those who participate (1st in line for a study, 1st in line for an award, t-shirt, etc.) • Market yourselves: HIV+ t-shirts, red caps, etc. NYC AIDS Housing Network

12. Proactive vs. Reactive • A common misconception is that “reacting” all the time is chaos. • Your job is to look for and in some chaos “create” crisis. The key is to follow your strategy chart to keep your moving forward. • Think like a gambler: Go “All In”--The bigger your goal, the more you win. NYC AIDS Housing Network

13. NYC Drug User Union • REALLY, REALLY ROUGH BACKGROUND ON DRUG POLICIES IN US: • Drug possession is criminal in the United States. • Sentencing varies State to State: typically based on amount, type of drug, # of times arrested. • There are some drug courts/treatment options. • Drug use (except for tobacco and alcohol) is illegal anywhere other then medical provider (hospital, meth clinic) or with a prescription. • In NYC there are 8 legal syringe exchange program. • If you have been convicted of a drug related felony, you are not allowed in public housing. • Rough Guide to NYC Drug User Union: The Drug Users Union consists of three participants from each of those Harm Reduction Programs. • Ideally, they will get to a place where the three representatives are elected by their peers, but right now they are self-selected. • Currently, developing campaign is secondary to building group. • One campaign will likely be to increase funding to Hepatitis C testing, treatment in NY. NYC AIDS Housing Network

14. BUILD STRATEGIC ALLIANCES “We frequently work in coalition-the ones we form and control.” Wade Rathke, Chief Organizer, ACORN • The Case of NY Vote: • NY Vote brings together several labor unions and community groups in NYC working on different issues. • We engage in regular voter registration which helps us build our membership. • We have LOTS of people who have never voted. • Broad platform includes NYCAHN’s demand for improved access to healthcare in NYS prisons.that eligible “voters” agree to. Campaign consists of intense doorknocking in all neighborhoods • Way for NYCAHN members to collectively “pool” their votes with members of labor unions and other NGO’s not working on AIDS/harm reduction. • Way to create a “bigger tent” with more people working towards our goals even if they don’t normally work on our issues. • Forces unlikely partners to start talking about our issues. Educates people about AIDS, drug use, homelessness. • We give other groups MORE people, they give us their power. NYC AIDS Housing Network, Casildo Caballero, protests outside the Federal welfare program Listening session NYC AIDS Housing Network

15. How to Mobilize • Turning out large numbers of people let’s people know that you are not an army of one. • People who take time out to show up makes it look like they will take even larger risks if nothing changes. • Public action shines a flashlight into the corner. • Mathematical Rule of Mobilization: • For every 10 people who save yes to showing up, only 3 actually will (so over book by 30%) • You must ask each person, ideally in person, THREE TIMES to attend an action/event/protest • Helpful Hints to increase your numbers: • Hold sleep overs for early morning actions/meetings • Provide wake up calls • Offer van rides/pickups • Form a buddy system • Give people JOBS to do at the action (chant leader, speaker, banner holder). People who feel like they are needed are much more likely to attend. Ideally everyone should have a job. • Hold a pre-action meeting and be more serious about attendance than the day of the action. NYC AIDS Housing Network

16. Tricks of the Trade • In order to ensure that people can “show up”, overbook important meetings. • Develop “fellowships” or “internships” to have new people follow your existing leaders. • Continually replicate your leaders –you are always grow organization. • Create a strategy chart for EVERYTHING. • Leaders are created. They do not “rise” up on their own. Take time to give people things to do-repeatedly. NYC AIDS Housing Network

17. Tools of the Trade • Organizers and organizational leaders need the following items: • Calendars/date books. • E-mail access. • Notebook (preferably with entire week laid out on two pages-see addendum). • Press list, ability to blast fax press releases. • Phone. • Database (free database called Organizer’s Database, but you should use one that integrates with your services). NYC AIDS Housing Network

18. Quick Guide to Media/Communication • Send out information about your organization/movement/campaign to press before an action just to let them know about you. • Call reporters in the morning, not at end of day and be respectful of their deadlines. • Don’t be offended if reporters are “short” with you. • There is no replacement for calling a reporter (faxing and e-mailing is not enough). • Have several spokespeople ready for any story. • Call reporters back. • Create a database of reporters (don’t buy lists) or get from some big NGO. • Call three times before an action. Call once to follow up. The day of and after an action are often the most important for getting media stories. • Post your own story (www.indymedia.com, www.blogspot.com, etc) • 10 in 60 Rule: Be able to say 10 points in 60 seconds, starting with most important. Credential yourself in the beginning. • Don’t know what to say? Say it Again! • Reporters are not your friends, even when they are. • Reporters are not your enemies-stay on point always, but treat them like human beings. • Don’t wait by the phone. Write a newsletter and send it to the media. NYC AIDS Housing Network

19. Don’t Get Glued to the Table • It’s important for active drug users to be a part of any conversation setting policies about active drug users. • BUT, bureaucracies have begun to “create” tables in order to keep activists busy. • Think like a gambler: • Does the person at the head of the table have the power to turn on and off and the lights? If not, get out of your seat. • Use your strategy chart to explain why this table is useful. If you can’t do that, get up. NYC AIDS Housing Network

20. “RULES” that shouldn’t be broken • You are trying to fundamentally change society and don’t forget it. • “POWER CONCEDES NOTHING WITHOUT DEMAND. IT NEVER HAS AND IT NEVER WILL.”-Frederick Douglas, US civil rights pioneer • Never sit at a table, never go to a meeting without knowing that your organization will grow as a result. • “Never do for someone us what they can do on their own.”-Industrial Areas Foundation, Iron Rule • Everyone has to be asked three times, personally, before they will commit to taking action. • Organize around the issues that affect the lives of your constituency-I.e. access to housing, entry level access to healthcare before going after the big win. • Make sure you win something fairly regularly and celebrate your victories. • There are basically two ways to bring about policy change-have a lot of money or have a lot of people (media attention, etc.) • Build fundraising into all aspects of your organization. It promotes buy-in (literally) educates the public, gives new members something useful, but easy to do and helps your capacity. Collect membership dues, sell newsletters, t-shirts NYC AIDS Housing Network