NYCHA appoints Joseph Kemp as resident Public Safety Advisory Committee Member

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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2016
Contact: Media@nycha.nyc.gov | (212) 306-3322
NYCHA APPOINTS JOSEPH KEMP AS RESIDENT PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEMBER
Public Housing Resident Will Serve as Youth Voice, Help Develop the NextGen Public Safety Blueprint,
an Integrated Plan to Create Safer, Cleaner, and More Connected Public Housing Communities
NEW YORK—The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) today named Joseph Kemp, a 21-year old
Queensbridge Houses public housing resident, as a member of the Public Safety Advisory Committee
(PSAC). As part of NextGeneration NYCHA —the Authority’s 10 year strategic plan— the Public Safety
Advisory Committee will engage a variety of stakeholders to develop the NextGen Public Safety
Blueprint, a plan that will incorporate current public safety efforts with additional initiatives to address
crime, youth and community engagement, emergency response and preparedness, lease enforcement,
and quality-of-life issues ranging from littering to dog owners that fail to curb their pets.
Raised in Queensbridge Houses since the age of six, Joseph Kemp is a rising senior at John Jay
College of Criminal Justice, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with a focus on law
and logical reasoning/critical thinking and a minor in writing. He will serve as a voice for public housing
youth for a term of one year on the Public Safety Advisory Committee.
“With 41 percent of NYCHA residents under the age of 25, we need young adults like Mr. Kemp at the
table helping shape the direction of public safety at NYCHA,” said NYCHA Vice President for Public
Safety Gerald Nelson. “Mr. Kemp is committed to the community he’s called home for past fifteen years
and we look forward to his unique contributions to the Committee.”
“I see the issues that plague my neighborhood and I want to be able to make an impact in correcting
them. I want to make the community safer, for both residents and visitors,” said Mr. Joseph Kemp,
newly-appointed resident member of NYCHA Public Safety Advisory Committee. “The input of
youth is imperative to the success of the committee. With it, we can do some great things, collectively.”
Mr. Kemp applied to serve on PSAC as a representative of public housing youth between the ages of 18
and 24. He will join the executive committee, which is led by NYCHA Vice President for Public Safety
Gerald Nelson, NYPD Housing Bureau Chief James Secreto, and President of the NYCHA Citywide
Council of Presidents Ann Cotton Morris. PSAC will also seek input from other city agencies and
stakeholders, including the District Attorneys representing each of the boroughs and other resident
leaders.

2. A recipient of the NYCHA-CUNY Resident Scholarship and the Queensbridge Scholarship, Mr. Kemp
plans to attend law school after his undergraduate career at John Jay College, where he maintains a
Dean’s List status. Mr. Kemp serves on John Jay College’s Judicial Board, supervising student
government elections and presiding over matters of student misconduct. Previously, he served as an
elected alternate council-at-large in the student government. As the treasurer of a student political club,
Mr. Kemp manages the group’s budget and recruits new members. He is also a Debate Program
Coordinator Intern with the New York City Urban Debate League, training and managing volunteer
judges and serving as a back-up judge. He volunteers his time with the New York Cares organization
and works part-time as a lead concierge at a college dorm.
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