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VOICES OF COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS & LEADERS (VOCAL-NY) INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 134094385 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE E60 · Health Care · Large ($10M-$50M) · vocal-ny.org
revenue
$13.1M
expenses
$8.9M
net assets
$11.3M
employees
76
volunteers
5,200
program ratio
66%
mission · from form 990

TO CREATE HEALTHY AND JUST COMMUNITIES BY BUILDING THE POWER OF LOW-INCOME PEOPLE AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS, MASS INCARCERATION, THE WAR ON DRUGS, AND HOMELESSNESS. IT IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, CAMPAIGNS & HARM REDUCTION SERVICES.

profile · synthesized from sources

Grassroots membership organization building power among low-income people affected by HIV/AIDS, mass incarceration, the war on drugs, and homelessness. Provides harm reduction services including syringe exchange, overdose prevention, Hepatitis C testing and treatment, and care coordination. Operates across New York State with chapters in NYC, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Westchester, and has expanded to Kentucky, Texas, and national advocacy.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $0
    HARM REDUCTION SERVICES - PROVIDING LIFE-SAVING, LOW-THRESHOLD HARM REDUCTION SERVICES TO PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS. SERVICES INCLUDE SYRINGE EXCHANGE, DROP-IN CENTER, STREET-BASED OUTREACH, HEALTH EDUCATION, CARE COORDINATION, AND HEP C TESTING & NAVIGATION.
named programs · 7 · from sources

What they call their work

Care Coordination
Refers participants to services including HIV/STI testing, housing, insurance enrollment, drug treatment, mental health, and legal services
Drop-In Center
Safe space offering showers, laundry, clothing, food pantry, computers, support groups, and care coordination for enrolled syringe exchange participants
LOUD: Peer Job Training Program
Trains people who use drugs to deliver peer harm reduction services, educate on HIV/Hep C/overdose prevention, and engage in policy advocacy
Overdose Prevention Program
Provides Narcan (naloxone) training and distribution to prevent opioid overdoses; trains individuals and groups in overdose response
Peer-Delivered Syringe Exchange (PDSE)
Street-based outreach program delivering syringe exchange services to people unable to access fixed sites, operating in multiple Brooklyn neighborhoods
Syringe Exchange Program (SEP)
Distributes sterile syringes and supplies, accepts used syringes, and offers fentanyl test strips and hygiene items to reduce harm among people who inject drugs
VOCAL + Mount Sinai Cures Program
Provides free Hepatitis C testing, treatment, and support including medication storage, case management, and wrap-around services for people who use or have used drugs; available onsite in Brooklyn and via telemedicine
activities · 9 groups

What they do

  • HIV/AIDS Prevention and Support Services 3 activities
    • Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment Program
      Provides free Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment to people who use or have used drugs, without requiring abstinence, through the VOCAL + Mount Sinai Cures clinic in Brooklyn and via telemedicine. Offers care coordination, medication storage for unhoused individuals, case management, wound care, and support for treatment adherence and reinfection prevention, including connections to HepCAP for undocumented individuals.
    • Positive Leaders Union
      Organizes low-income people living with HIV into a membership union to advocate for their health, rights, and policy changes affecting their lives.
    • Referral Services for Health and Social Needs
      Provides referrals to external providers for HIV and STI testing and treatment, housing assistance, insurance enrollment, food access, drug treatment, medical and mental health care, and legal services as part of comprehensive harm reduction and care coordination support.
  • Opioid Harm Reduction Services 2 activities
    • Naloxone (Narcan) Training and Distribution
      Offers overdose recognition and naloxone (Narcan) administration training that can be completed in 10 minutes, with access available through individual and group request forms. Aims to prevent opioid overdose deaths by equipping individuals and communities with life-saving tools and knowledge.
    • Peer-Delivered Syringe Exchange Program
      Operates a low-threshold syringe exchange program that provides sterile injecting and safer use supplies (including syringes, cookers, filters, fentanyl testing strips, and hygiene items) and accepts used syringes for safe disposal through street-based outreach and storefront locations in Brooklyn. Services are designed for people who use drugs, especially those unable to access fixed-site services.
  • Substance Use Policy Advocacy & Public Education 2 activities
    • Peer Advocate Training (LOUD Program)
      Trains peer advocates in harm reduction, HIV and Hep C education, overdose prevention, and social justice advocacy to build leadership among people who use drugs. Includes graduation ceremonies for participants who pledge to challenge stigma and serve as agents of community change.
    • Users Union
      Organizes low-income people directly affected by the war on drugs into a union focused on advancing drug policy reform and reducing stigma around drug use.
  • Facility-Based Service Delivery 1 activity
    • Chapter Development and Organizational Expansion
      Develops and supports new chapters across New York State (Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, Hudson Valley, Westchester) and expands nationally through launching VOCAL-KY (Kentucky-wide) and VOCAL-TX (Austin, Texas), including establishing dedicated office spaces and hiring regional staff to grow organizing capacity.
  • Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
    • Civil Rights Union
      Organizes people impacted by incarceration and criminalization into a union advocating for alternatives to mass incarceration and systemic criminal justice reform.
  • Mobile and Fixed Hygiene Services 1 activity
    • Drop-In Center for Harm Reduction and Community Support
      Operates a drop-in center in Brooklyn offering basic needs services such as showers, laundry, clothing, food, computer access, restrooms, and space for rest and community building. The center also hosts weekly support and educational groups for enrolled syringe exchange participants.
  • Supportive and Emergency Housing Services 1 activity
    • Homelessness Union
      Organizes currently and formerly homeless individuals into a union dedicated to advocating for quality, accessible housing and systemic solutions to homelessness.
  • Healthcare Policy Advocacy 1 activity
    • National Advocacy through VOCAL-US
      Advances advocacy on national and federal policy issues through VOCAL-US, building on state-level organizing in New York, Kentucky, and Texas to promote care, compassion, and justice at the federal level.
  • Policy Advocacy & Research 1 activity
    • State and Local Legislative Advocacy
      Conducts advocacy at city, county, state, and statewide levels through chapter-based organizing, with documented success in achieving passage and enactment of at least one policy priority per union during New York State legislative sessions.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$13.06M
Contributions & grants$12.97M99%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$30K0%
Other revenue$61K
expenses
Total expenses$8.88M
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead29%
Fundraising5%
Salaries & benefits$5.11M
Grants paid out$837K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$16.78M
Cash$4.27M
Investments$0
Liabilities$5.46M
Net assets$11.33M
Liquid reserves5.8 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +35.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 8
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ALYSSA AGUILERA CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $181K
JEREMY SAUNDERS CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $154K
CATE GRAZIANI CO-DIRECTOR - TX 40 $136K
PAULETTE SOLTANI CO-DIRECTOR - TX 40 $136K
ARASH DIBA MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HARM REDUCTION SERVICES 40 $132K
JAWANZA WILLIAMS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ORGANIZING 40 $130K
KIMBERLY SMITH POLITICAL DIRECTOR 40 $119K
HIAWATHA COLLINS VICE CHAIR 2 $15K
board members · 6
  • JOVADA SENHOUSE — DIRECTOR THRU APR 2024
  • MARILYN REYES — TREASURER
  • NATHILYN FLOWERS ADESEGUN — TREASURER THRU APR 2024
  • PEDRO BENITEZ — SECRETARY
  • REGINALD BROWN — CHAIR
  • WAYNE STARKS — DIRECTOR
relationships · 7

Who they work with

  • Classy Partner — Uses Classy as its donation platform to manage donations and recurring gifts.
  • HepCAP Partner — Partners with the VOCAL-NY + Mount Sinai Cures program to cover the cost of HCV treatment visits and labs for undocumented individuals.
  • Mount Sinai Partner — Partnered on a Hepatitis C program to lay the groundwork for medical services.
  • Mount Sinai Hospital Partner — Collaborates with VOCAL-NY in the Innovative Models Project to find and treat people with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) who use drugs.
  • New York State Department of Health Government — Funds the Innovative Models Project, which supports the collaboration between VOCAL-NY and Mount Sinai Hospital for HCV care.
  • Paula Santiago Partner — Outreach & Peer Education Manager involved in street outreach services.
  • longtime leaders in Western New York Partner — Collaborates with longtime leaders in Western New York to build chapters in Syracuse and Buffalo.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Direct Service as Organizing Strategy
    methodology: direct_service_plus_organizing
    By integrating direct services like syringe exchange and care coordination with community organizing and direct action, we meet immediate needs while building trust and political power, because access to survival resources creates openings for sustained engagement in structural change efforts.
  • Integrated Harm Reduction with Structural Advocacy
    methodology: peer-led_harm_reduction_with_structural_advocacy
    By combining peer-led harm reduction services with training in systemic advocacy, we produce greater engagement and long-term impact among people who use drugs because addressing structural injustice reduces criminalization and builds personal and collective power.
  • Member-Led Power Building
    methodology: member_led_organizing
    By centering leadership and governance in the hands of low-income people directly impacted by systemic injustices, we produce more effective advocacy and sustainable change because lived experience drives authentic, accountable strategies that reflect community needs.