Housing Program
Under our vibrant direction, the construction of various new affordable housing projects has been implemented. These projects not only provided more homes for families but also supplied jobs to local workers. Additionally, our home buying grants for first-time homeowners and the housing counseling/coaching we provide, including tips on foreclosure prevention, have enabled numerous residents to purchase and/or keep their homes. We also offer private counseling, guiding clients through the intricacies of first-time home buying on an individualized basis.
 The First Time Homebuyer Program is crucial to residents of the Brooklyn community, because of a significant shortage of affordable housing. Our seminars, with topics ranging from credit to mortgage counseling and overall homeownership info, are often the most effective stimulus in people’s decision to buy their first home.
Merchant Program
ODA fosters not only relationships within the community but also between the community and local government. Collaborating with our partners in law enforcement, we ensure that our neighborhood continues to be a safe and welcoming place.
 The “Storefront Improvement” activity assisted storeowners with the paperwork necessary to obtain a grant from N.Y.C. Small Business Services for any new storefront, awning, or sign they wished to install. Professional design and merchandising assistance was provided plus additional financial support via ODA’s own Revolving Loan Fund, subject to prescribed guidelines.
Additionally we were able to obtain from N.Y.C. Department of Sanitation via local elected officials, new, decorative trash cans along the main shopping strip. These two examples helped upgrade the quality of the strip and were recognized and appreciated by local merchants and shoppers alike.
Neighborhood Beautification
ODA works to beautify neighborhoods as a means of building community pride and positively impacting the environment. Selected streets in New York have now earned the title of “Green Streets,” thanks to ODA’s Neighborhood Beautification Program.
 We’ve planted trees in front of new residential developments to enhance the property and absorb noise and pollution from nearby heavy traffic. We’ve also planted thousands of trees in front of many private properties. These trees serve as a nature oasis in the otherwise heavily populated area.
Our window flower box program was introduced as a subsidiary of the tree planting program under the Neighborhood Beautification Program. Free window flower boxes were distributed to all participants to enhance the beauty of local streets. Not only did the flower boxes immediately improve the neighborhood’s aesthetics, but they also motivated homeowners to commit to long term neighborhood preservation.
ODA Community Development was the recipient of the NY Governor’s EMPIRE AWARD for “its innovative tree planting program.”
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