Organization Details:

CHANGER is a homeowner advocacy organization that assists homeowners in building intergenerational wealth through homeownership. CHANGER works with homeowners to end abusive mortgage lending practices in low and moderate income communities in New York City through the use of consumer advocacy and education, financial and legal research, community organizing, public policy advocacy, and providing direct services.

Description and/or History:
CHANGER is a homeowner membership organization that works to end abusive mortgage lending practices in low and moderate income communities in New York City through the use of consumer advocacy and education, financial and legal research, community organizing, and public policy advocacy. CHANGER was founded by Madeline Holder who in 2004 was awarded an Open Society Institute NYC Community Fellowship to work with a group of low-income homeowners in NYC, specifically to develop a homeowner advocacy organization. In the first two years of the organization’s existence, CHANGER successfully engaged primarily in public policy advocacy and community education efforts in partnership with low-income, low wealth, minority homeowners and other advocacy organizations throughout New York City. Through participation in the statewide coalition, NYers for Responsible Lending, CHANGER contributed to legislative advocacy efforts that led to the passing of the Homeowner Equity Theft Prevention Act of 2007 by having some of the organization’s members testify before state legislative committees. In early 2007, CHANGER members submitted testimony to Congress regarding the realities of the impacts of the subprime crisis in New York City. CHANGER’s work has been covered by over 25 media outlets (television, print, and radio) in NYC, as well as in parts of Europe and Asia.
Since April of 2008 CHANGER Inc. in partnership with Common Law Inc. has been conducting a Pro Se Legal Clinic in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn (Assemblyman Towns Office). Through this Legal Clinic homeowners learn self representation skills, and are assisted, with their foreclosure court cases. To date the clinic has provided legal education to over 75 homeowners in danger of foreclosure. The clinic operates once per week and will be an ongoing cornerstone of Changer's and Common Law's focused work on the subprime crisis' impact in New York City's hardest hit communities: Canarsie, & East New York in Brooklyn and Springfield, St. Alban's, Rosedale, & South Ozone Park in Queens.
In February 2009, CHANGER began a Pro Se Legal Clinic in Jamaica, Queens at Councilman Whites Office.

CHANGER has two areas of programming COPE² and Do Something.
COPE² is CHANGER’s direct service program that provides free legal assistance, free mortgage counseling, and free education classes on topics related to foreclosure and successful long term homeownership.
Do Something is CHANGER's organizing program. It is our position that homeowners must be prepared to act as a unified body to demand the establishment of an equitable financial services industry. CHANGER mobilizes homeowners across NYC communities to successfully demand such economic justice and our current plans are centered on building the collective power of homeowners and residents while the present foreclosure crisis continues to grow.

Contact people:

James Lewis, Program Director, (347) 715-0583, (email) Lionel Ouellette, Executive Director, (718) 804-7047, (email) Rick Echevarria, Chief Operating Officer, (646) 306-4510, (email)

Address:

402 Chestnut Street Brooklyn, NY 11208 (See a map)

Directions:

Take the A or C Train To Euclid Avenue. Walk north on Euclid Avenue 1 block. Turn left (west), walk 2 blocks. Turn right (north) walk to 402 Chestnut Street. Take the B-12 bus to Chestnut Street & Liberty Avenue. Walk east on Liberty Avenue 1/3 block to Chestnut Street. Turn left (south) walk to 402 Chestnut Street