Victor Rivera
Revson Fellow 2002-2003
Medicaid Service Coordinator
Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association (BKCIA)
Victor Rivera, Director of the Bronx Parents Housing Network, is a community and housing activist in the South Bronx. He has attended Stevenson High School in the Bronx, and Audrey Cohen College. Born and raised in the South Bronx, Mr. Rivera became involved with illegal drug trade and substance abuse at the age of 12 and at age 30 found sobriety with the support from Narcotics Anonymous, an organization he continues to serve as a sponsor and volunteer. Mr. Rivera fought a drug addiction and has been sober and drug-free for 12 years. His leadership as an activist began in 1990 when he was recruited to be president of the tenant association of the building where he rented his first apartment after becoming clean and sober. Building on his strengths as a community leader, he joined Banana Kelly in 1995 and has worked with over 3,000 families as a case manager, a property manager, Director of HIV/AIDS Services, Director of Supportive Housing Services, and formerly as Medicaid Service Coordinator. At BKCIA, Mr. Rivera was active in the revitalization of the Hunt’s Point area of the South Bronx, where he developed a federally-funded supportive housing program and a model Independent Living Skills program for newly housed people with HIV/AIDS, which has been replicated citywide through Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA). Mr. Rivera has also worked on the campaigns of three State and City elected officials, served on the Mayor’s New York City Planning Council on HIV/AIDS, conducts prevention workshops in public schools and universities, and is a member of the community of Crossroads Tabernacle in the Bronx. Mr. Rivera recently founded the Bronx Parents Housing Network (BPHN) to provide housing placement for low-income, HIV-positive residents, to educate single parents, and to advocate for policy changes around theses issues. Mr. Rivera has a 25-year-old son who lives in the Bronx, and a daughter who attends New York University. During his Revson year, he has taken courses at Teachers College, the Graduate School of Business, and the School of International and Public Affairs.
(The Revson Fellow’s biography that appears above was last updated in 2002. Revson Fellows may update their biographies on this site by sending email to: revson@columbia.edu)
As a Revson Fellow I had the unique opportunity to
experience the academic environment of Columbia
University and learn from the real world experiences
of the Revson cohort. My year as a Revson Fellow allowed me to grow professionally at the same time providing a well needed respite from my advocacy work. I was able to renew my commitment to public service and return to work rejuvenated.
