Community Voices Heard (CVH)

CVH is a member of the left-of-center housing movement in New York led by the Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance Campaign’s Housing Justice for All project, of which the Syracuse Tenants Union is also a member. ^{2 3 4}

Community Voices Heard Power (CVHP) is CVH’s 501(c)(4) sister group that endorses Democratic politicians for elected office. ⁵

Background

Community Voices Heard was founded in 1994 by eight New York City residents who felt they were being overcharged for their rent. Since then, CVH claims to be committed to fighting poverty and helping low-income individuals break out of poverty. It has also explicitly prioritized Black Americans in its advocacy. ¹

CVH has several chapters throughout New York State, including in New York City, Orange County, Dutchess County, and Westchester County. ⁶

Issues and Influence

Community Voices Heard promotes several left-of-center policy stances. It advocates for housing policies such as rent control, rent cancellation, and increased federal spending on housing. ⁷ In April 2025, U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) and Community Voices Heard Power member Nola Hatton wrote an op-ed criticizing the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce waste and fraud in Social Security and its attempts to reduce government waste, particularly in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Instead, the two argued against the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) actions and in favor of increased federal involvement in housing and social safety net policy. ⁸

In August 2024, CVH, along with Citizen Action of New York and Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL)-NY won good cause protections for 1,500,000 tenants across New York, protecting them from eviction due to rent increases. All three groups are members of the left-wing housing movement led by Upstate-Downstate Housing Alliance Campaign’s Housing Justice for All project, which is connected to the Syracuse Tenants Union. ^{2 3 4}

CVH also advocates for the preservation of public housing through increased public funding for renovation and restoration projects. ⁹ CVH helped advocate for public housing repair in 2024 when the New York City Comptroller discovered rampant failures in repair vendor oversight. Following an audit, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander proposed a real-time resident feedback tool to generate vendor scorecards and hold contractors accountable. ¹⁰

In 2025, CVH helped New York City tenants in unsafe apartments fight for $10.8 million in new funding from the Housing Preservation and Development department under the Partners in Preservation pilot program, a campaign to help restore rundown housing and protect it from the abuse of landlords. ¹¹

CVH also promotes education and transportation for all people and seeks to advance Black women in politics. ^{12 13}

Community Voices Heard Power

Community Voices Heard Power (CVHP) is the 501(c)(4) political action wing of Community Voices Heard. It mobilizes a team to work on electoral campaigns, advocate for Black women, and educate voters. ¹⁴

CVHP also endorses specific candidates for political office. In 2024, CVHP endorsed then-U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Westchester District Attorney candidate William Wagstaff III, and New York State Assembly candidates Tamika Mapp and Maria Ordonez. ⁵

Leadership

Juanita O. Lewis is the executive director at Community Voices Heard. She joined the staff of CVH as its Yonkers organizer in 2009. In 2016, she was elevated to Hudson Valley organizer director and became executive director in 2021. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, and later earned a master’s of advocacy and political leadership from the University of Minnesota. Lewis began her work as a community organizer with the Minnesota chapter of ACORN. Since 2004, she has worked on numerous electoral campaigns at the city, state and federal level in different staffing capacities. Lewis is also a national trainer with VoteRunLead, a left-of-center organization that trains women to run for office from across the country. ¹⁵

Karen Mejia is co-chair of the board of directors at CVH. She has designed, managed and implemented local venture capital and voluntary sector finance initiatives in Africa and Latin America. She has also organized several conferences and symposia on issues ranging from local hiring and career paths to housing rights and economic development.  Mejia is also a former council member in the City of Newburgh. She is an assistant director at the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds, was a founding member of Local Progress NY, and sits on other local boards. She has a master’s degree from New York University and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University. ¹⁶

Finances

In 2023, Community Voices Heard reported $2,491,373 in total revenue, $2,310,724 in total expenses, and $4,643,978 in total assets. That year, CVH received $292,407 in government grants (almost 12 percent of its revenue). ¹⁷

In 2023, CVH received a $95,000 grant from Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL)-NY. ¹⁸

In 2023, Community Voices Heard Power (CVHP), CVH’s 501(c)(4) political action arm, reported $703,953 in total revenue, $164,862 in total expenses, and $1,208,655 in total assets. ¹⁹