People Rise Up

Pratt Area Community Council was formed by three civic-minded individuals — Reverend Richard Johnson, Amos Taylor and Furman Walls. Other organizations and individuals soon joined. Working together under the PACC banner, the people of Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, the Wallabout Community, and later Bedford Stuyvesant, fought for decent, affordable housing, tenants' rights, and economic renewal. Their efforts got attention and results from politicians, bureaucrats, recalcitrant landlords and private agencies.

Winning Police Protection

IMPACCT Brooklyn was winning important concessions from New York City government — 7,000 petition signatures won stepped-up local police protection.

Opening a Library

IMPACCT Brooklyn's Library Committee submitted 5,000 signatures to Brooklyn Borough President Abe Stark to begin a project for the Brooklyn Library to open a Clinton Hill branch, which was opened in 1974.

Advocating for Housing Preservation

IMPACCT Brooklyn's Housing Committee was established to create innovative ways to save deteriorating housing stock. An Anti-Demolition Committee was formed, galvanizing funds and volunteers to seal vacant properties quickly and properly. PACC advocated for a change in New York City policy away from demolition and towards preservation, and instigated federal policy to arrange for the sale of federally financed abandoned buildings to local residents and the city seal-up program.

Developing Staff & Services

When housing abandonment was an epidemic, IMPACCT Brooklyn established a full-time, professionally staffed office and concentrated on keeping people in their homes, developing and preserving affordable housing, protecting tenant rights, and helping community residents become first-time homeowners or improve the properties they already owned.

Block Watch Program - funded by DYCD to patrol the neighborhood Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford Stuyvesant.

IMPACCT became members of the newly formed NYS Neighborhood Preservation Program. Roy Crouch becomes Executive Director until 1988.

IMPACCT purchased 201 Dekalb Avenue, which remains our administration and finance office today.

IMPACCT Brooklyn encouraged the formation of tenant associations, particularly in buildings where conditions had become intolerable. When the Mohawk building was vacated following a serious fire, PACC partnered with the Mohawk Action Committee to redevelop the site, which re-opened in 1984, as the first sale of a city-owned building requiring community reinvestment dollars.

Partnership Homes: Fort Greene Houses is our first non profit sponsorship with various developers in 4 projects for a total of 450 units saved.

Established a block watch program during a time of despair in Central Brooklyn. The program was funded by NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD).

Tee Beveridge briefly becomes Interim Executive Director.

Began facilitating what is now our HUD certified First Time Home Buyer Workshop classes.

IMPACCT assisted tenants in eight city owned buildings, to purchase their own apartments through HPD's Tenant Interim Lease Program.

IMPACCT acquired and renovated its first building at 105 Quincy Street, home to 12 working low-income families.

Vivian Becker become the Executive Director until 2002.

IMPACCT became a 7A Administrator for five abandoned multi-family buildings.

Opened our Homeowner Services and Economic Development Office at the corner of Bedford and Hancock. This location remained open until September 2015.

IMPACCT celebrates its 35th Anniversary at BAMCafe, Brooklyn NY.

IMPACCT Brooklyn opened Gibb Mansion, our first supportive housing project — now home to 50 formerly homeless residents who receive supportive counseling services. Steve Aronson becomes Executive Director until 2004.

IMPACCT publishes Politics of Poison, a study of high lead levels found in apartments throughout northern Bed Stuy. The findings from this study help get Local Law One passed.

Neighborhood Homes: IMPACCT gut renovated 31 brownstone row houses in Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill, selling eleven of them to existing tenants in our affordable homeownership program.

Deb Howard becomes Executive Director.

IMPACCT celebrates our 40th Anniversary at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

The Dewitt Condominiums at 483 Washington becomes our first new homeownership opportunity, with the completion 16 brand new affordable condo units.

IMPACCT organized merchants and property owners to form the FAB Alliance (Central Fulton Street BID), encompassing 24 blocks of Fulton Street in the Fort Greene/Clinton-Hill area.

IMPACCT plays an integral role in the opening of a Banking Development District Branch of Capital One, on a stretch of Fulton that had no banks within 27 blocks. Celebrated our 45th Anniversary of Building Communities at The Irondale Center, Brooklyn NY.

IMPACCT celebrates our 50th anniversary at our "Great to Be Gold Gala" at The Grand Hyatt NY. Reached a development milestone of 1000 units of affordable housing.

PACC renames itself IMPACCT Brooklyn to emphasize our impact across many neighborhoods and moves to a new office at 1000 Dean Street with more space for workshops and counseling sessions.