Crown Heights Mutual Aid

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Crown Heights Mutual Aid was formed in March 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. We are a network of neighbors supporting one another and the most vulnerable in our community. We are mobilizing to aid those affected by COVID-19 and the ongoing crises of state violence, food injustice, and housing inequality. CHMA is also a tool for building connections and reciprocal relationships; we all have something to offer and we all have something we need as we struggle towards justice.

One part of our work has been to connect neighbors to provide specific items—namely, groceries, household supplies, over-the-counter medication, and other essential goods. 

In 2022 CHMA has been deepening the community ties we have created to build an enduring organization that can help address the intersectional problems of racialized income inequality, climate change, and food and housing insecurity. 

Since March of this year we have focused on sharing our resources on regular neighborhood gatherings/swaps/giveways. In these parties we have provided groceries, clothing, household items, hot food and baby items. We invite local justice groups to table at the events around issues like eviction defense, food justice, and youth mental health.

We are also working on political education, developing local neighborhood POD partnerships and working with groups that fight evictions, organize tenants, do neighborhood cleanups and work for mental health. 

If you’d like to volunteer to work with CHMA, please see crownheightsmutualaid.com for more information.

Since spring 2020, CHMA spent over $550,000 providing assistance to the Crown Heights community. Here's just a short list of what we were able to accomplish with that funding:

• Personalized grocery shopping for those facing food insecurity 
• Direct cash assistance to help with outstanding utility or medical bills
• Regranting to other grassroots organizations in Crown Heights, such as Brooklyn Eviction Defense
• Counseling and financial assistance for people facing domestic violence or housing insecurity
• Legal assistance for those facing illegal evictions or other tenants’ rights issues
• Help with scheduling vaccination appointments
• Regular check-ins with neighbors who are isolated and need someone to talk to

Moving forward, CHMA is committed to:

• Building a sustainable model for our work, that goes beyond our regular community giveaways. 
• Building neighborhood relationships, including between long-term residents and newcomers to Crown Heights.
• Working more closely with other organizations to reduce housing and food insecurity in Crown Heights.
• Continuing to expand our network of partner organizations in Crown Heights and surrounding neighborhoods.
• Other creative and dynamic ways to build solidarity and empowerment in our community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has cast into stark relief long-standing crises of racial injustice, economic inequality, and inadequate social welfare in Crown Heights and elsewhere. We are working towards a mutual aid practice grounded in solidarity, not charity, and we operate in the spirit of collective care and responsibility.

We follow MAMAS’ principle of mutual aid: "You may be able to offer help one day and need something the next. We encourage people to both give when they can and be supported to ask for help when they need it." We are working to reduce the barriers between those giving and receiving aid, and to build reciprocal relationships. Mutual aid can take many forms, and we value people for more than the labor they can contribute. 

We support both materially-focused mutual aid and mobilization for justice. We are building new relationships that aim to transform into resources and power to benefit Crown Heights residents.