LATEST HIRES INCLUDE INTAKE AND OUTREACH SPECIALISTS AND INVESTIGATIVE COORDINATOR
The Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) is pleased to welcome its newest staff members, Investigative Coordinator Evan Dash, and Intake & Outreach Specialists NéAndrea Harrington and Crystal Reyes.
Mr. Dash comes to the FHJC after two years at the Center for Urban Studies at the University at Buffalo, where he was a project assistant focusing on Geographic Information Systems analyses of underdeveloped and segregated communities. He has also worked as a fair housing tester at Housing Opportunities Made Equal. As part of FHJC’s Investigative Coordinator team, he will be conducting research and leading and structuring housing discrimination investigations. Mr. Dash holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo where he majored in Geography and minored in Urban Studies and Political Science. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work for an organization dedicated to ending housing discrimination,” stated Dash. “It is great to be back in the region I grew up in, working for a cause I am passionate about.”
Ms. Harrington comes to the FHJC after working for several years at Riseboro Community Partnership, a Brooklyn nonprofit dedicated to homelessness prevention, where she held various positions including Intake Specialist. In her role at FHJC, she will be providing direct assistance to individuals filing housing discrimination complaints, conducting targeted outreach, and overseeing FHJC’s F.A.S.T. Initiative which assists tenants using rental subsidies to exercise their fair housing rights. Ms. Harrington began her professional career working in corporate human resources, but transitioned to the social services field in search of something more fulfilling. “Having grown up in poor neighborhoods in Brooklyn, I know firsthand the hopelessness people can feel when it seems they have no options,” she stated. “My goal, even with a simple phone call, is to provide information and guidance for individuals about their basic right as human beings to live without borders or limitations, regardless of identity or class.”
Ms. Reyes will be joining Ms. Harrington as Intake & Outreach Specialist, assisting individuals with housing discrimination complaints, and conducting outreach regarding fair housing rights and responsibilities. Prior to joining the FHJC, she volunteered as a paralegal at the Legal Aid Society of New York City. She has also worked at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and at an immigration law firm in New Jersey. Ms. Reyes obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University, where she double majored in Black studies and Women’s and Gender studies. She is passionate about housing rights, immigration reform, and expanding language access. “Having access to safe and affordable housing can impact so many other aspects of one’s life,” stated Ms. Reyes. “I’m excited to continue my advocacy work as part of an organization that mirrors my values.”
“It was a pleasure getting to know Evan, NéAndrea, and Crystal through the interview and hiring process,” FHJC Executive Director Elizabeth Grossman stated. “All three share a fierce commitment to fair housing and social justice, and each of them brings unique expertise to our work and our mission. The entire staff is thrilled to have them on board.”
With 17 full time staff members and a pool of more than 180 professional actors trained as testers to conduct undercover investigations, the FHJC is among the nation’s largest fair housing organizations. Its service area includes the five boroughs of New York City and the seven surrounding New York counties, comprising sixty percent of the state population and three percent of overall U.S. population.
The mission of the FHJC, a nonprofit civil rights organization, is to eliminate housing discrimination; promote policies and programs that foster open, accessible, and inclusive communities; and strengthen enforcement of fair housing laws in the New York City region.