Light Is Coming :: Things To Do! 1-25-2025
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4th Year Of The Beacon Spring Celebration Of Light Will Light Up On February 22, 2025
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SCHEDULE: Full schedule for the parade and pre-parade lantern making is below.
Beacon is lighting up the 3rd week of February, with the 47th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and parade stepping off on Monday, February 17th, followed by the 4th Annual Beacon Spring Celebration Of Light on Saturday, February 22nd.
You are best recommended to wear your snow suit for this one! Taking place at night, the past iterations have been blowy and icy. But manageable. Bring hand-warmers.
According to the event’s press release, inspired by the many cultures that celebrate the end of the winter with light, Beacon residents Jessica Jelliffe and Christine Wang, along with many community collaborators are putting on this free and open evening event celebrating the coming spring, lunar new year, light, hope, warmth, renewal and kids! “2025 is the year of the Wood Snake, and we are excited to feature our signature hand-made Snake-themed giant lantern co-created with community members each year,” say the Jessica and Christine. “Everyone is welcome!”
The organizers explain that many cultures around the world celebrate the coming of spring with light festivals. Thousands of lanterns are released in the sky during Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, fires and candles lit in honor of fertility goddess Brigid in Ireland, bonfires in Switzerland and Germany for Walpurgis Night (tho it’s not clear why Walpurgis Night would want to ward off witchcraft, since witchess can be good!), lighting candles for Passover, a 5 day fire fiesta in Valencia Spain to name a few. “Beacon Spring is our own big town/small city festival celebrating light in the Hudson Valley,” they say.
Phase 1 Of Beacon Spring Celebration Of Light
Beacon Spring Celebration of Light festivities begin a month before with Free Lantern Making Workshops in collaboration with Desmond-Fish Library, Howland Public Library, Newburgh Free Library, and Beacon Farmers Market. Registration links are below. You can make your own lanterns for the parade! The organizers will bring the materials. You bring the inspiration.
The main event takes place on Saturday, February 22nd beginning at 5:30pm with a Lantern-filled Parade from Polhill Park down Main Street accompanied by Street Beat Brass Band, Beacon Bike Coalition with decked out bicycles, and local businesses with their personalized lanterns. The parade concludes at The YARD (4 Hanna Lane) where the party continues and community members are welcome to arrive throughout the evening.
The celebration at The YARD will include tunes by DJ John Giunta, a send off of last year’s Dragon lantern and a welcoming for this year’s SNAKE lantern. DayDream Collaborative Clinic will be hosting an area for healing and reflection. Barb’s Butchery will be providing their famous sandwiches. Vegetarian sides will be available. Hot ginger tea and water will be available for free as well as adult beverages for purchase from The YARD. All food and drinks are available with both paid and free options.
Bonfire at The Yard.
This year the festival will also be collaborating with the Foundation for Beacon Schools' Student Film Festival to document the event and engage aspiring student filmmakers. The final documentary will be screened as part of the annual Film Festival. More details will be coming soon. Interested students should reach out to Beacon Spring for more information.
Free Lantern-Making Workshops
Beacon Spring Celebration of Light brings the materials, you bring the inspiration.
Open to the public, some libraries may require prior registration:
Saturday, January 18, 2:30 - 3:30 - Desmond-Fish Library (free register here)
Sunday, January 26, 1pm & 2pm - Howland Public Library (free register here)
Saturday, February 1, 2:30 - 4:00 - Newburgh Free Library (free register here)
Sunday, February 9, 10:00-2:00 - Beacon Farmers Market (drop-ins welcome)
Parade Participants walking from Pohill Park.
Beacon Spring Celebration of Light - The Big Day
This is the centerpiece of the festival. The big day!
Saturday, February 22nd
5:30p - GATHER - Polhill Park - Main Street & South Ave
Bring lanterns, illuminate our light, line up and kick off the walk!
6:00p - PARADE - We have a rolling street closure so we’ll be in the middle of Main Street! Walk the length of Main Street with light and music and cheer!
6:30p - CELEBRATE - The Yard - 4 Hanna Lane
The Yard for the celebration event.
Display lanterns, drink tea and eat tasty morsels around the fire with tunes to dance to and more!
Beacon Spring Celebration Of Light Thanks Their Sponsors
“Huge thanks to the City of Beacon and our sponsors and collaborators for supporting the event: Banana Bag & Bodice, Barb’s Butchery, BeaconArts, Beacon Bicycle Coalition, Beacon Farmers Market, Compass Arts Creativity Project, DayDream Collaborative Clinic, Desmond-Fish Library, First Presbyterian Church of Beacon, Fareground, Katrina Ross Zezza, Kinoserge, Howland Public Library, Martin D. Fowler, Newburgh Free Library, Paloma Wake, Simon Keogh, Songbird, Street Beat Brass Band, Thundercut, and The YARD! Much gratitude to all of the volunteers, especially our volunteer coordinators Monika Aymar-Blair and Amy Miklos.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Michael Eaton, Joseph Hsu, Jean Huang, Simon Keough, Sergei Krasikov, and Scott Lerman.
Poster design by Thundercut.
*Beacon Spring Celebration of Light is fiscally-sponsored by BeaconArts. Tax-deductible donations can be made to support this community event at: https://www.beaconarts.org/support and scroll down to donate to Beacon Spring Celebration of Light.
The Fullerton To Receive $10,000 To Support Archtober Newburgh 2025 From The National Endowment For The Arts
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The Fullerton, a volunteer-led organization that launches creative, collaborative endeavors that celebrate Newburgh’s cultural assets and diverse culture, sent the following press release that they were selected to be awarded $10,000, which is slated to support Archtober Newburgh 2025:
The not for profit, The Fullerton, is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Challenge America award of $10,000. This grant will support the third iteration of Archtober Newburgh 2025. The NEA will award 272 Challenge America awards nationwide totaling $2,720,000 as part of the recent announcement of fiscal year 2025 grants.
“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including The Fullerton.
The NEA Challenge America grant will support Archtober Newburgh in 2025- a new city festival of Newburgh's architecture, history, and preservation/restoration. With a goal to empower understanding of our city and to foster closer community relations around a shared cultural asset, The Fullerton looks forward to presenting 20+ free events to the public in collaboration with many local and regional organizations.
The annual festival is organized in partnership with AIA Westchester + Hudson Valley and presented as part of @Archtober, NYC's annual architecture and design festival. To see past programs and projects of Archtober Newburgh, visit www.thefullerton.org/projects
The Fullerton is grateful for the past partners, collaborators, volunteers, and past supporters for making this festival a reality.
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
New Free Breakfast Program Launches After Closure Of Tabernacle Church Location
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While the closure of the Beacon Community Kitchen as an entity was sudden for most, some people knew it was coming during the two weeks of the closed door, and began organizing to figure out new ways to feed the community in need.
Justice McCray presents to City Council about the new Free Breakfast Program from Beacon’s Backyard.
Justice McCray, a co-founder of Beacon4BlackLives and former City Councilmember, had been working with their network to create a new offering. They announced during Tuesday’s 1/21/2025 meeting that a new free breakfast program had started: “Recently The Beacon Community Kitchen closed and they were one of the only food justice organizations in the City of Beacon that was serving prepared meals,” they said.
“While we do have other food justice organizations that do offer food in Beacon, a nonprofit that I've recently become a part of - Beacon’s Backyard - is working to bridge that gap. We are starting a free breakfast program starting next week.” The program runs from 6:30-8:30am continuously on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 12 Hanna Lane beginning Tuesday, January 28th. “Anyone is welcome to come in and dine in for breakfast or take out and it's free. We just want to make sure that people in this community are fed and have what they need,” Justice concluded.
The volunteering people who made up the Beacon Community Kitchen seem to be remaining active in their roles in new ventures. While the Beacon Community Kitchen as an entity may have dissolved, at least two new initiatives have grown from it: The Free Breakfast Program from Beacon’s Backyard at 12 Hanna Lane, and the new soup kitchen from Fareground at the First Presbyterian Church at 50 Liberty Street. Volunteers will be at both.
The Beacon Community Kitchen announced their change on their Instagram: “As there’s a transition from Beacon Community Kitchen which has recently closed, please follow us as we continue to feed our neighbors under a new nonprofit dedicated to providing food and resources for our community. We will update and share with you in the days to come. Thanks for your support of BCK and we look forward to your support and love in the future of Beacon’s Backyard. We are thankful to Candi Rivera for her service and for starting BCK and In Care of Multi Services.”
The Instagram of the Beacon Community Kitchen will be renamed to Beacon’s Backyard Kitchen. Opportunities to donate food and volunteer time will be posted, and one can email BeaconsBackyard@gmail.com with inquiries.
Beacon Community Kitchen Closes - Soup Kitchen Leaves Tabernacle Church of Christ On Main Street
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The Beacon Community Kitchen that operated out of the Tabernacle Church of Christ at 483 Main Street in Beacon has closed as of January 8th, 2025, as first reported by Joe who ate from the community kitchen often. Beacon4Black Lives co-founder and former Councilmember Justice McCray also confirmed the closure during this week’s City Council meeting when they announced a new hot meal breakfast being served starting January 28th from Beacon’s Backyard, a partnership with The Yard at 4 Hanna Lane.
The soup kitchen operated separately from the church as its own nonprofit entity called In Care Of Multi-Services. Yesterday, the Beacon Community Kitchen’s manager, Candi Rivera, made her official announcement about the kitchen’s closure:
To All of our Friends, Family and Community at large who were always here reading and enjoying our post I want to say Thank You. As most of you perhaps know on Jan 8, 2025 closed it’s BCK doors. Many things influenced the decision which was certainly not an easy one to make.
I am grateful for the trust you placed in In Care Of Multi-Services, to manage the funds and provisions given to us in service to the Beacon Community through The Beacon Community Kitchen. The Volunteers, many who are residents of Beacon, served w love, diligence and dedication. Gave of their time, money and talent’s freely and without hesitation. We were a Family. A true Blessing.💕🙏🏼
Several individuals from the community volunteered to prepare and serve food, and several businesses donated food, as recently reported by ALBB during Thanksgiving time.
In her statement, Candi announced another soup kitchen opening: “A partnership has been established between Fareground and First Presbyterian Church Beacon to continue providing meal. Their first run will be Friday Jan 31st for dinner. It also pleases me to announce that mostly all the volunteer w BCK will be joining their Team. Please stay tuned for more on this.”
First Presbyterian Church is located at 50 Liberty Street, which is across the Fishkill Creek.
An interview with Candi will be published in the Beacon Free Press by Kristine Coulter.
Would Joe - Who Is Outside Most Of The Time - Like To Sleep In A Warming Center In Beacon? "Yes."
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Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth
On the sunny Wednesday that was today’s 3 degree morning, A Little Beacon Blog accompanied an ALBB reader of yesterday’s article, “There Is No Overnight Warming Center In Beacon; There Are 2 Daytime Warming Centers Listed”, Meghan Spiro, who was so moved by the information that she purchased and overnighted a box of emergency blankets made of mylar to distribute to houseless community members in Beacon who sleep outdoors most every night.
Eventually, we tried reaching people directly on the streets, knowing they might not be in the library yet. We ran into Joe, a well known fellow who has slept outside in Beacon for 8 years. We asked him if he would sleep in a warming center in Beacon. He said: “Oh yes. Sleep overnight. Come out and do what I got to do in the morning. That would be great.”
“I got to do what I got to do in Beacon. If I’m in Poughkeepsie, I got to stay in Poughkeepsie all day. Doing what? I’m going to be outside anyway. Over there, overnight, they kick your ass out, and you got to come back. Leave at a certain time. Come back. I got to go over there just to go to sleep? Be out in the cold all day? Doesn’t make no sense!”
There is no place in Beacon to sleep overnight for houseless people or those with little or no money. We asked what his other options were. He said Poughkeepsie or Newburgh. We asked if he would go there. “Nope,” he said. “There are busses and whatever. You need money for the bus. I have to come back and forth to Beacon. I got to do what I got to do in Beacon. If I’m in Poughkeepsie, I got to stay in Poughkeepsie all day. Doing what? I’m going to be outside anyway. Over there, overnight, they kick your ass out, and you got to come back. Leave at a certain time. Come back. I got to go over there just to go to sleep? Be out in the cold all day? Doesn’t make no sense!”
We made a drop at the Beacon Library, which is a warming center on the Dutchess County list. We continued on to the Beacon Community Kitchen located in the Tabernacle Church next to the Howland Cultural Center (we later learned the kitchen has abruptly closed).
We got to the library right when it opened at 9:30am. Knowing that we might not see dozens of people inside of the library - we took to the street to look for friends who sleep outside (or inside of structures they build out of boxes or plywood) who we could give the blankets to, and describe how they work.
Sure enough, we saw several friends who had just started their mornings, having had nothing to eat yet. One friend was Joe, a well known fellow, who has slept outside in Beacon for 8 years. He does jobs around Beacon to get through each day. One of his jobs is as a can and bottler, where he collects cans and bottles and turns them in for money. Each day of the week yields different amounts of cans from different locations. He has his favorite days, a secret which he will not reveal, as there are competitors.
We asked Joe if he would like a warming center in Beacon to sleep in at night during cold spells like this. He told us that he did, as getting up to Poughkeepsie for a sleepover warming center was too much. The money it takes to ride the bus there and back, plus, the daylight hours he loses in Beacon when he gets exited from the warming center there, as they keep entry and exit hours. Take a listen to Joe’s interview to get a glimpse into his day in the life and why a warming center in Beacon would help him.
During our interview, Joe mentioned that the Beacon Community Kitchen had closed two weeks ago. Sure enough, Justice McCray, a co-founder of Beacon 4 Black Lives and a former Beacon Councilmember, had announced during Public Comment of the 1/21/2025 City Council meeting that the kitchen had closed, but that The Yard was starting a free Breakfast Program from their new formation called The Backyard. The program starts on January 28th and will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30am.
Products That People Have Asked For
The library has consistently said over the years that the most popular items people seek from the Tiny Food Pantry is toiletries, like tampons and toothpaste. Socks and underwear are a desired item as well.
There Is No Community Center In Beacon
Despite consistent calls for a Community Center by Justice McCray and others, there is no central Community Center in Beacon. In response to the pressure by the community in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter revival movement and COVID, the City of Beacon agreed to fund a $50,000 survey in 2020 to learn more about what people might want in a Community Center.
The survey opened in September 2022, and completed in March 2023. Today, in January 2025, there is no Community Center or plans for one. There is, however, a recently empty, large and beautiful firehouse on Main Street that the City of Beacon is selling to offset the geothermal floor it installed into the rebuild and centralization of the new firehouse that cost millions of dollars. Realtors are eager to sell the old firehouse, and some built their own website for it. The City picked The Gatehouse Team at Compass to represent the sale.
About Mylar Blankets
The mylar blankets are thin and compact. They can be re-used, so are useful for wrapping around the body if one needs to sit or lie still in freezing temperatures. The mylar blankets are commonly used by hikers in case they get stuck or injured on a trail and need to keep warm while waiting for help.
After we offered Joe a blanket, he thought about it, and doubted if they would work. After some nudging, he said that he would try cutting them up to place into his boots, as his feet get very cold, as one can’t stuff a lot into boots for effectiveness. We gave him 3 blankets. One for cutting, 2 for wrapping.
We eagerly await the next time we see him, so that he can tell us that the mylar emergency blanket did not work. We did give him recently purchased hand-warmers, which he also doubted if they would work. He did say that hand warmers given out by a church were expired, and did not work. Stay tuned.
There Is No Overnight Warming Center In Beacon; There Are 2 Daytime Warming Centers Listed
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Today the City of Beacon shared the message from Dutchess County spotlighting how people can access a warming center. Upon calling the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services (DCFS), one will find that there is no overnight warming center available in Beacon. A person or people would need to get to Poughkeepsie to the Christ Episcopal Church at 20 Carroll Street. Free transportation in the form of a dedicated bus is not available, and Dutchess County encourages people who need an overnight warming center to call the Beacon Police to consider transportation.
According to New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services: “Under New York State regulation, a Code Blue is automatically in effect whenever the temperature and wind chill equals less than 32 degrees. Local social services districts are legally required to take necessary steps to ensure those experiencing homelessness have access to shelter and that shelter hours are extended.”
There are 2 warming centers listed with Dutchess County’s 211, which are the Howland Public Library, and the Salvation Army. The local resource HVNY has a list of warming centers by county, and does include these two locations. ALBB called the Salvation Army to confirm hours, but has not received response as of this publishing.
The Salvation Army, 372 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Hours: N/A
845-831-1253
Howland Public Library, 313 Main Street, Beacon, NY.
Hours: The Library says they are a warming center for their entire open hours:
Monday, Wednesday Friday: 9:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday/Thursday: 9:30am - 8pm
Saturday: 10am - 4pm
Sunday: 12pm-4pm
845-831-1165
City of Beacon Lifts Stage 1 Drought Emergency
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On January 15, 2025, hours after A Little Beacon Blog published that the City announced on January 6th that Beacon continued to be in a Stage 1 Drought Emergency, quoting City Administrator Chris White from the 1/6/2025 City Council Meeting: “We still are in a Stage 1 Drought, even though we've had quite a bit of precipitation,” the City of Beacon announced via their Facebook page on 1/15/2025 that the “reservoirs have recharged significantly.”
Due To Anticipated Weather, Beacon Farmer's Market Closing An Hour Earlier - Encourages Shoppers To Come Early
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The Beacon Farmers Market, the all-weather outdoor market, announced today that they will be open on Sunday before the anticipated snowfall begins. Both the Beacon Farmers Market and Cold Spring Farmers Market do their best to stay open despite weather (cold, hot, rainy, snowy), and the vendors do their best to arrive each week, unless being out in the weather is bad for their health, or the roads are dangerous.
The manager of the market, Amy Bandolik encourages shoppers to come early. “We’ll close at 1pm to get vendors home safely,” she said in an Instagram post.
The next day, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and parade has been postponed to February 17, 2025, President’s Day.
MLK Day and Parade In Beacon Postponed Due To Weather
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Due to the anticipated weather, the City of Beacon has announced that the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of celebrations and parade hosted at the Springfield Baptist Church by the Southern Dutchess Coalition and Pete Seeger’s Beacon Sloop Club has been postponed to the snow date of Monday, February 17, 2024, which is President’s Day.
From the City of Beacon’s Facebook Page: “Beacon's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade has been postponed to 2/17/25 due to anticipated winter weather conditions. Throughout the City, we will still honor the important values that Dr. King stood for, but please remain safe and warm. We look forward to gathering and continuing the celebration in a few weeks.”
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The Station Dispensary Opens: A Look At The Products For Sale Inside The Old Beacon Police Station
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After carefully waiting, The Station Dispensary has opened! Months in the making, the dynamic duo of Kamel and Lena Jamal are ready to serve you in their building that is the old Beacon Police Station at 463 Main Street. Products can also be purchased for pickup on their website.
Find brands like Fernway, RVEST, Holiday, 4orty Tons, Live Rosin, Harvest, dank., Platinum, Harney Brothers, Chef Higher, and more.
As for decor, Kamel and Lena are thrifters by nature, and travel frequently. Eighty percent of the furniture inside is thrifting finds. The large cabinets on the wall are from an old candy shop in upstate New York. Ask them to show you what is from Egypt and Mexico.
Their soft launch party was last Friday, and from now on, you are free to walk through the doors of the old Beacon Police station, and walk back out, still free, and perhaps a little more relaxed.
The Station Dispensary is a Member Advertising Sponsor of ALBB, and always lifting us to higher spirits. Look for more features of brands carried at The Station in our free newsletter (subscribe here) and Instagram.
Journalist Max Blumenthal to Antony Blinken As He's Escorted Out: "You Helped Destroy Our Religion Judaism By Associating It With Fascism;" Elder Journalist Sam Husseini Carried Out
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Journalist Max Blumenthal says to Secretary of State Antony Blinken during Blinken’s last official press briefing to the media: “You helped destroy our religion Judaism by associating it with fascism …Why did you allow the Holocaust of our time to happen?”
After Max was escorted out, journalist Sam Husseini also begins interrupting. He is lifted out as he asks his questions in the middle of Blinken’s speech. This clip includes Sam’s lead up to when security approached him, and who told them to approach. Sam said: “I’m a journalist. Not a potted plant.” Before Sam is lifted out of the room by three security guards ordered by Matt Miller and agreed to by Antony Blinken, Sam says that Matt Miller would not answer any questions from him.
As security wraps their arms around his, Sam states: “You are hurting me. You are hurting me. You are hurting me,” as he proceeds to try to ask questions. When CNN reported on this, they said the interruptions were activists. This is a press room. How dare CNN blatantly lie like that, thinking that the entire show would not be revealed in social media - from multiple cameras and camera angles. Shame on CNN.
This video was from @hazami:
“BREAKING NEWS— Journalists confront US Secretary of State during his last official press briefing. The role of media is to be a watch dog of governments— not to cover up their lies Journalists Sam Husseini and Max J. Blumenthal show us courageous journalism. “
Videos by @amrhsayed:
“We won’t stop calling out his war crimes.”
Investor Seraphim Equities Aims to Buy 30% Of All Rentals in Newburgh - Already Faced Pushback For Artwashing And Property "Hoarding" in 2021
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by Arvind Dilawar
Arvind is an independent journalist. His articles, essays and interviews have appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Daily Beast and elsewhere. Find him online at: adilawar.com
“Seraphim Equities already owns nearly 5% of the city’s rental units.”
Photo Credit: Princeton University Press
The City of Newburgh is only four square miles and, according to the most recent Census data, includes fewer than 7,400 rental units. Seraphim Equities, a Long Island-based private real estate investment firm, owns nearly 300 of those units — almost 5% of the total — per public property records reviewed by A Little Beacon Blog. The purchases are part of Seraphim's strategy to corner the rental market in Newburgh — of which the firm hopes to control at least 30%, as reported by sociologist Richard E. Ocejo in his recent book Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification in a Small American City.
Seraphim Equities is a real estate investment firm based in Great Neck, Long Island.
224 Broadway, Newburgh, NY
Photo Credit: Google
Since 2018, Seraphim has purchased properties throughout Newburgh, all under various limited liability corporations similarly named “Newburgh SHG.” Following some of those acquisitions, the firm took legal action against the remaining tenants, such as in 2020 when “Newburgh SHG 15” — the LLC which owns 224 Broadway — filed non-payment proceedings against three different defendants, per public court records reported on more broadly at Chronogram’s The River. In 2021, Seraphim also attempted to organize a festival in Newburgh called Hudson Valley Hype in partnership with Fidelity Management Group, which was cancelled after locals like Celebrate845 criticized it as a ploy to market real estate. (Seraphim failed to respond to multiple requests for comment from A Little Beacon Blog.)
The Mural at 224 Broadway in Newburgh that Seraphim Equities commissioned to artwash displacing residents.
PHoto Credit: Celebrate845
Celebrate845 explained: “The company bought up an astounding amount of property in Newburgh New York when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and states on their website that ‘Newburgh re-emerges with a major revitalization movement fueled by an existing and growing artist community, non-profit organizations, and ambitious yet socially conscious developers, making Newburgh a city worth exploring.’ Seraphim is taking advantage of Newburgh by hoarding housing during a pandemic, flipping properties, and then using the creative community as a means to increase property values, ultimately displacing creatives and other long time residents, many of whom are low income BIPOC.”
For Sixty Miles Upriver, which was published in 2024, Ocejo interviewed Seraphim leadership and employees, who told him of their plans of “owning up to 30% of all rental units,” as he writes in his book. In an interview with A Little Beacon Blog, Ocejo further describes the firm’s operations in Newburgh.
“Seraphim is taking advantage of Newburgh by hoarding housing during a pandemic, flipping properties, and then using the creative community as a means to increase property values, ultimately displacing creatives and other long time residents, many of whom are low income BIPOC.”
“Companies like Seraphim manage an investment fund to purchase and rent out a large number of properties or speculate and sell them for profit,” says Ocejo. “The model is based on using investors' investments to acquire properties and generate income from escalating property values and rents.”
By soliciting outside investment and focusing it on markets like Newburgh, which are small and on the upswing, but still relatively depressed, Seraphim is able to gain control of a greater share of rental units and thereby demand higher rental prices. That higher rent compensates both the firm and its investors for their respective investments, and everyone is happy — except, of course, for renters. In Newburgh, where 69% of residents rent and 61% of renters are already cost-burdened, Seraphim cornering the market means renters are likely to see greater financial hardship and displacement, either via eviction or simply being priced out of their homes.
“By soliciting outside investment and focusing it on markets like Newburgh, which are small and on the upswing, but still relatively depressed, Seraphim is able to gain control of a greater share of rental units and thereby demand higher rental prices. That higher rent compensates both the firm and its investors for their respective investments, and everyone is happy — except, of course, for renters.”
Indeed, Seraphim is not shy about its method, which they placed prominently on their website homepage: “Seraphim Equities developed a city feasibility reporting system that algorithmically identifies cities and neighborhoods that are equipped for a holistic rejuvenation movement. Seraphim Equities leverages the expertise of its team to devise compelling business plans that combine real estate speculation and stabilization with capital markets partnerships to successfully develop cash-flowing portfolios of 1-4 family and mixed-use properties for acquisition by private equity firms and institutions.”
“With enough investors, a company like Seraphim can purchase a lot of rental properties in a market and contribute to unaffordable rents and fewer ownership opportunities for smaller actors,” says Ocejo. “When rental housing gets connected to financial markets, and the expectation is a continuous rise in value from rent and property appreciation, low-income people in high-poverty places like Newburgh suffer the most.”
Some People Experienced Higher Water Bills During Meter Upgrade When Their Old Meter Was Replaced
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During his push to get people to schedule their water meter upgrade for the radio transmitter, City Administrator Chris White reported that some people also had their entire water meter replaced, which resulted in a higher bill because the meter was old and the City had been estimating. With a new water meter, the City of Beacon gives exact reads.
He said that there are people who have not changed out their meters in over a decade, who are now facing larger bills. He told the Council: “We literally had people that hadn't changed out their meters in over a decade, and had never responded to the City. So, absent some type of mechanism to get their attention, and find them...those people now as the meters are being changed out, and we're getting actual reads, some of them are facing very large bills because we've estimated their usage and they significantly exceeded that usage. They have to pay for the water that they use.”
He continued: “So it's in everyone's interest both the City and the homeowners to have these upgraded to have these read in a timely manner, and to be able to keep an eye on them. I can't tell you how frustrating it is when someone comes in with a bill that's in the thousands of dollars after a 3-month cycle when they didn't know there was a leak, and with the new system, they will be able to more easily detect leaks, and then remedy those before they run up large bills.”
A Little Beacon Blog reached out to City Administrator Chris to get clarification on how a homeowner can know if they are to get a new water meter during the radio transmitter swap-out, but has not received a response as of this publishing.
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.