Sunset Park Post: Brooklyn Org Gathers Community Input on Sunset Park Fund

Published In: The Sunset Park Post

Sunset Park residents had an opportunity to help shape the neighborhood’s funding priorities during a community conversation hosted by Brooklyn Org on Nov. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at UPROSE, located at 462 36th St. The gathering invited residents to share their concerns and ideas for the community-led Sunset Park Fund, in collaboration with Council Member Alexa Avilés’s office and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

The Sunset Park Fund is intended to support neighborhood projects through a community-led process, giving residents a voice in funding priorities. Established through a 2015 agreement, it is funded by a 5% set-aside of rents paid by tenants at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal.

For Brooklyn Org, the conversation was part of a broader effort to ensure residents have a voice in how the fund’s priorities are shaped.

“All of our priorities are to fund community-based organizations that are led by people from the neighborhood or based in the neighborhood where they’re working. We have a focus on racial and social justice, making sure the organizations we fund understand the histories, systems and intersecting identities and issues they’re working with,” said Sabine Frid-Bernards, Brooklyn Org’s director of programs.

Residents’ perspectives are central to shaping the fund’s priorities and identifying neighborhood concerns.

“I think it’s an opportunity for the people who are actually on the ground to have their voices heard because a lot of times, big decisions are made without local input,” said Vanessa Gonzalez, a Sunset Park resident.

Beyond having a voice in these decisions, residents also want to see economic development translate into tangible opportunities for the local community.

According to NYU Langone Health’s Sunset Park: Data at a Glance report, median annual earnings for workers aged 16 and older in Sunset Park are $34,158, compared with $50,450 citywide. Yasmin said some residents work two or three jobs, yet still struggle to achieve financial stability.

“Training programs, internships and partnerships between schools and employers at the waterfront and Industry City are important. Industry City and the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal should make a real commitment to hiring local residents, which I think starts in high school,” said Yasmin, a Sunset Park resident of six years.

While Brooklyn Org administers the fund, Council Member Alexa Avilés’s office also plays a role in the partnership. Winnie Marion, deputy chief of staff in Avilés’s office, offered the office’s perspective on the community conversation and the importance of residents’ input.

“Any way that we can try to get investment back into projects that matter to people is an important step in the right direction to show that Sunset Park matters,” said Marion.

Marion also emphasized the importance of ensuring the process reflects the neighborhood’s diversity.

“We’ve been working very hard to make sure that this process represents all the diversity of our community and includes everybody’s voices,” she said.

Next, Brooklyn Org plans to form a 10-member advisory council of Sunset Park residents to help guide the fund’s priorities. Frid-Bernards said it will include community members who care about their neighborhood, rather than nonprofit leaders or elected officials.

As the Sunset Park Fund moves forward, residents’ perspectives remain central to shaping the community’s future. Their input highlights the importance of ensuring local voices are heard and that economic development creates opportunities for the people who live in Sunset Park.