Newsday from New York, New York • 7

A Pulpit Project Churches aim to aid public ills By Merie English STAFF WHITER Leaders of a coalition of 43 Brooklyn congregations representing 40000 public housing residents are planning to negotiate with city officials to step up the battle against drug dealers and improve building conditions The city has promised to upgrade security at its housing projects by bringing in new lighting high-tech locks security guards and more housing police But Marvin Calloway a community organizer for Brooklyn Ecumenical Cooperatives and a resident of Farragut Houses in Fort Greene said want to focus not only on security but on the conditions in the buildings and around the On forms they were asked to fill out by church leaders Calloway said church members living in' the projects cited drug trafficking and shootings inadequate heating faulty elevators and incinerators broken windows and cabinet doors and tiles falling off bathroom walls among the things that trouble them To resolve the issues the church group which has acquired and rehabilitated 377 units of city-owned property in its affordable housing program and has 36 under construction plans to negotiate with city officials found this to be a process that Calloway said are angry and they are focusing their anger in an organized way so they can get some things resolved Churches are saying this is the work of God and we are people of God doing the work in the communities 1990 we had negotiations with the top police chiefs of public housing ami submitted 300 specific local issues and a lot of them were he added hoping Miss Sally Hernandez- Pinero would sign onto this and let these negotiations be Hernandez-Pinero the Housing The Rev Mark Taylor left baptizes Sandler Francois as Deacon Isaac Mills gives him a hand 99 things we want to he said are caught up in hopelessness This is last resort housing: We feel the city looks at public housing as the answer to homelessness Instead of evicting drug dealers they leave them there so they add to the homeless prob- pert in the April 19 negotiations with city officials at the Dr White Community Center in Fort Greene following a service at the Church of the Open Door at 201 Gold St in Fort Greene About 60 percent of the congregation live in public housing according to the Rev Mark Taylor the pastor Taylor takes issue with what he said is the perception of public housing as savage decrepit neighborhood full of people living in public housing work Most are decent law-abiding he said After World War II public housing a great boon a blessing to African Tqylor said and still is He said social forces the Housing Authority and residents were to blame for its problems but the church has a power source that we believe is can rejuvenate public housing Calloway said the Housing top managers and police should sit down with church leaders at least twice a year to address the issues need to follow up on old issues and submit new he said Amanita Duga-Carroll a spokeswoman for the Housing Authority said the Office of Residents Service is working with the religious group to establish an ongoing partnership between residents and the Housing Authority is the kind of place it will work because these are already she About 600 church leaders will take chairwoman has agreed to meet with teams from Brooklyn Ecumenical Cooperatives April 19 Calloway said And she and Mayor David Dinkins have been invited to attend the annual convention May 16 to report on any action the city initiates Drugs and drug-related activity are a high priority for the coalition JTliri in public vs IIII housing in the evenings there are a lot Of Calloway said want beefed-up police petrols at these locations We want foot patrols in the buildings and around the He spoke of cooking drugs nil the imrall grring up through all the apartments so everyone in the building is getting of pastors presiding at burials for 16- and 18-year-olds killed in drug ahootouts response to the increase in ridership MetroTech generated lighting waa upgraded new directional signs have been installed a wall that obstructed the view of the token booth clerk was removed for greater security and a part-time token booth was opened to hup accommodate new customers BED-STUY Church Hosts Week of Prayer Concord Baptist Church will host second annual Week of iii Jrti 4- SUNSET PARK AIDS Care Meeting Today A half-dqy conference for social workers and others who provide services for immigrants with AIDS will be held in the auditorium of Lutheran Medical Center 150 55th St beginning at 1 pm today The conference is sponsored by the Sunset Park Family Health Center which is run by the hospital Information will be provided on how medical care housing home care legal help and other aseistanro may be BOROUGH Changing Subway Station Name The Lawrence Street subway station will be renamed Lawrence Street-Me-trotech at a 9:30 am ceremony today on the mezzanine at the Bridge Street entrance Officials at the New York (Sty Transit Authority said the name change commemorates the revitalization of Downtown Brooklyn with the Metro-Tech complex as the keystone The station is a stop on the and lines The TA said a number of improvements have been made at the station in Prayer and workshops for people with AIDS their families and cars givers beginning today Audrey Bryant a spokeswoman for the special treatment and research program said the week is an opportunity far religious lead-ers to come together and discuss a plan to address the effort of AIDS on the Hi-k ml Hinpriif mmTminitiee Titled Time for the programs are co-sponsored by the church and the Aids Prevention Center in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the State University of New York Health Science Center at jEfaroqktyn art -r-i NEW YORK NEWSOAY MONDAY MARCH 21 1888.