Meet Yolanda Brooks, Community Associate in the Office of Public Safety & Security
For nearly a decade, Yolanda Brooks dreamed of becoming a NYCHA employee.
In 2011, after recovering from a stroke she suffered in 2001, the Taft Houses resident got her first shot at collaborating with NYCHA as a supervisor for the Resident Watch program. It was a volunteer position that saw her helping to ensure the safety of her neighbors.
Ms. Brooks grew up in Washington Houses, where her mother was an active member of the community. Her mother’s voluntary services inspired Ms. Brooks’ desire to work at NYCHA to help her fellow residents.
“Back then, my mother used to sit on tenant patrol [the previous version of Resident Watch]. People knew her, and it just made me want to help my fellow residents a little bit more,” said Ms. Brooks. “What can I contribute to help the people that I grew up with? How can I help?”
Ms. Brooks’ time as a Resident Watch supervisor ended in 2018, but she continued to help residents who were in need, especially the elderly. In 2019, she was offered the opportunity to become a coordinator for the Resident Watch program on a part-time basis.
“Being that I’ve been doing NYCHA stuff for a long time, when I came into this role, I was already comfortable,” Ms. Brooks said.
But the position was short-lived due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, she decided to pick up other volunteering activities: “I was helping my senators, council members, and attending virtual meetings. Plus, I became the secretary for the Police Service Area (PSA) 5, which is my district.”
When New York City started opening up after the shutdown, Ms. Brooks got another opportunity from NYCHA. She is now a community associate in the Office of Public Safety and Security; she manages an anonymous tip line, receiving complaints and tips from residents and following up on them with property management. She also coordinates with the police precincts across the five boroughs.
“Yolanda is such a tremendous breath of fresh air and a joy to be around,” said Chief James Secreto, NYCHA’s Vice President for Public Safety and Security. “She is an exceptional employee who is always friendly and helpful to her colleagues and our residents. Yolanda starts and ends her workday with a smile and a positive outlook. She is professional and just an overall extraordinary person!”
With her dream of working for NYCHA realized, Ms. Brooks is working on her next goal: She is studying for a bachelor’s degree in human services at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
“I want to be a social worker to help families and children,” she explained. “That’s my passion. Maybe because my mother was a nurse, that sense of empathy and caring rubbed off on me. But I didn’t want to become a nurse; I wanted to do something close to it, and my dream is coming true.”
Throughout her years of volunteering, Ms. Brooks has helped many NYCHA residents.
“I have helped residents who meet me sometimes when I’m walking in the streets and they’re like, ‘Ms. Brooks, remember you helped me get my stove? I was trying and calling, and you made one phone call and they called me back and I got my stove. Thank you!’”
Such encounters and memories provide Ms. Brooks with a sense of fulfillment. And although she is no longer in the field, Ms. Brooks enjoys her new way of helping.