Weekly Resource Round-Up: August 1, 2023
This Week's Resources
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
New York Announces 60-Day Limit to Stays in City Shelter (The Documented)
Here’s how NYC families can find free summer meal sites (Chalkbeat)
Awaiting help from city, 150 migrants sleep outside Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel (Gothamist)
NYC’s Right to Shelter Implodes as Mayor Adams Warns ‘It’s Not Going to Get Any Better’ (The City)
Tent Shelter for 1,000 Migrant Men Slated to Open at Creedmoor in August (The City)
Documented's Immigrant Resources and Job/Housing Discrimination Guides
Free ride: MTA to nix fares on 5 NYC bus routes by late September (Gothamist)
If you have resources to share with our network, please contact Tobi Mojeed-Balogun our Associate Director of Programs Support.
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
A lot of the news around mandates, vaccines and restrictions have been a little confusing so I will list some resources below that might help.
NYS Department of Health COVID website - It's a one stop shop with an info summary at the top. Link here.
Walgreens COVID Index - there's concerns about the accuracy of some COVID trackers but Wallgreens released one based on their tests. Link here.
NYC Department of Health Monkeypox Webpage - lots of information and resources about the virus with pictures of the rash included. Find the link here.
With Mpox at Risk of Flaring, Health Officials Advise, ‘Get Vaccinated’ - New York Times - Read here
COVID vs Flu vs RSV info - I found a good article from the Washington post that gives information about three viruses that have been spiking this winter. Read the article here.
The Time Magazine article on the new variant (XBB.1.5) - Link Here
Gothamist article on Norovirus, a stomach bug that is hitting the Northeast - Read more here.
New York Announces 60-Day Limit to Stays in City Shelter (The Documented)
"New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that the City will be rolling out 60-day notices to find alternative forms of housing for asylum seekers who have been in city shelters for a significant amount of time. These new guidelines, first reported by Gothamist, come after Adams said that New York City’s system for those facing housing insecurity has reached “full capacity” and that “we have no more room in the city”.
The update to NYC’s shelter policy will apply to single adult migrants, not to children or families. Those impacted will receive a notice of 60 days in the upcoming weeks with extensive casework services to explore alternative forms of housing. If they are unable to find housing, migrants can reapply for a shelter bed at a shelter intake system. They could be reassigned a different shelter bed if there is one available. If not — Adams says that people in need will have to “wait”." Read more here.
Here’s how NYC families can find free summer meal sites (Chalkbeat)
"For many New York City families, the summer months come with added stress, as kids are out of schools where free meals are provided each day.
Across the five boroughs, free summer meal sites are working to alleviate that concern — and thanks to a texting service, families can quickly find the nearest site for their children. So far, the city has served more than 3 million meals, a pace matching last year, according to the city’s Education Department.
Summer meals are offered at a range of public schools and other community sites, serving free breakfast and lunch to anyone 18-years-old or younger. Other locations include city pools, parks, camps, nonprofit organizations, and more.
Families can text “FOOD” (or “COMIDA” for a Spanish-language service) to 304-304 to receive a list of the nearest free meal sites. No registration, documentation, or identification is required to access free meals." Read more here.
Minimum wage to increase with inflation (Mid Hudson News)
"ALBANY- In the state budget adopted in May, a plan was approved that would raise the minimum wage annually to keep up with inflation beginning in 2027. January 1, 2024, will bring another scheduled increase to the state’s minimum wage and while these changes will help earners at the bottom of the income scale, some employers are concerned about their ability to address higher payroll expenses." Read more here.
Awaiting help from city, 150 migrants sleep outside Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel (Gothamist)
"A line of 150 migrants wrapped around the city’s central intake center in Midtown, Manhattan with some saying they’ve waited as long as five days in order to register for help from the city.
“I could not register and they aren’t going to help,” Fofana Hamed, from Ivory Coast, said in Spanish. “I’ve been here five days without grooming or showering.”
The line of migrants sprawled from the Roosevelt Hotel’s south entrance on 45th Street around the block, up Vanderbilt Avenue and around 46th Street nearly to the hotel's north entrance. The line was sectioned off with retractable crowd control stanchions as people slept on cardboard and used umbrellas to shield themselves from the sun." Read more here.
NYC’s Right to Shelter Implodes as Mayor Adams Warns ‘It’s Not Going to Get Any Better’ (The City)
"New York City’s right-to-shelter protections continued collapsing over the weekend, with a chaotic scene unfolding on the sidewalk in front of the Roosevelt Hotel, the city’s main intake center for arriving asylum-seekers. Some migrants dozed in air-conditioned buses stationed out front overnight. Others, too afraid to lose their places in line, bedded down on flattened cardboard boxes in a line that stretched around the block.
Throughout Friday and Saturday, workers stepped out of the city’s new welcome center to hand out red tickets similar to those used at school fairs or deli counters." Read more here.
Tent Shelter for 1,000 Migrant Men Slated to Open at Creedmoor in August (The City)
"New York City officials are moving ahead with a plan to open a sprawling tent shelter to house 1,000 migrant men at a parking lot on the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in Queens, officials confirmed Wednesday.
At a press conference at City Hall, Zach Iscol, the commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, said they hoped to be able to open the new shelter by early August. The plan was first reported by THE CITY in mid-July, but city officials had declined to confirm details about the plan until the Wednesday meeting.
Another proposal to erect a second 1,000-person tent structure at Aqueduct Racetrack has been nixed due to fire safety concerns and the fact that the state needs the parking lot back by early September for race season, Iscol confirmed." Read more here.
Federal Food Assistance Cuts Should Spur Charities to Rethink How They Feed Families (The Chronicle Of Philanthropy)
"Americans facing food insecurity experienced a one-two punch during the past few months. First, pandemic-era emergency food assistance was cut this spring, leaving households with anywhere from $95 to $250 less a month to feed their families. Now the debt-ceiling deal passed by Congress and signed by President Biden last week includes expanded work requirements for people receiving food assistance, potentially making it harder for families to put enough food on the table.
In response, food banks and other food charities have been using terms like “hunger crisis” and “hunger cliff” in their fundraising materials and social-media posts to solicit donations. Many ask variations on this question: “How will we feed everyone who comes to our food pantry for help?”
That’s the wrong question.
The question to ask — and answer — is this: How do we make sure everybody in the country can always count on getting the healthy food they need to thrive?" Read more here.
Documented's Immigrant Resources and Job/Housing Discrimination Guides
"Documented has gathered all of the resources we can find to help immigrant New Yorkers. New links will be added and the following pages will be constantly updated. If you would like us to add information to this list or have questions, please reach out to us at info@documentedny.com."
"The New York City Human Rights Law is one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on race, color, religion/creed, age, national origin, immigration or citizenship status, gender (including sexual harassment), gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, military service, marital status and partnership status. As a newsroom that serves immigrant communities, Documented has written a comprehensive guide for immigrants."
Free ride: MTA to nix fares on 5 NYC bus routes by late September (Gothamist)
"Free rides are coming to five city bus routes by Sept. 24, the MTA said on Monday.
MTA officials said during a committee meeting that fares won’t be collected on one route in each of the five boroughs for at least six months as part of a program mandated by the state.
The B60, which runs in Brooklyn between Williams and Flatlands Avenue, in Canarsie, and Williamsburg Bridge Plaza.
The M116, which operates across Manhattan, primarily along 116th Street, Manhattan Avenue and W 106 Street.
The Q4 LCL/LTD, which runs in southeast Queens between Cambria Heights and Jamaica Center.
The S46/96, which runs in Staten Island between the St. George Ferry Terminal and West Shore Plaza.
The BX18 A/B, which runs in a loop in the western Bronx between Undercliff Avenue or Sedgwick Avenue and Grand Concourse"
Hudson Link Employer Toolkit
Our friends at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison put together an employer toolkit for hiring formerly incarcerated people. Thank you to Sean Pica, Eldredge Blalock, Elisabeth Santiago, and the rest of the team at Hudson Link for this important resource. The toolkit can be found here. If you have any questions about hiring formerly incarcerated people, please contact Elisabeth Santiago from Hudson Link's Alumni Services at esantiago@hudsonlink.org.
Community Food Funders Newslink
Community Food Funders has opened up their newsletter to a wider audience (so not just food funders). "Each month, CFF compiles a newsletter with news, articles, reports, and events for those in our region interested in an equitable and sustainable food system." Highlights on this month's newsletter include:
New Exploratory Grants Program - In 2023, the Tauck Family Foundation (TFF) plans to distribute several exploratory grants ranging from $10,000 to $25,000. The intention is to use learnings from a variety of grantee partners to help inform and further refine their areas of focus and the specific impact they seek to achieve through their giving. The Foundation seeks to support communities and groups most affected by climate and other environmental challenges by distributing grants to organizations for new or existing efforts that contribute to healthy land use and regenerative ecosystems. A link to their Exploratory Grant Eligibility Checklist, Guidelines, and Application as well as other resources is available here. You can also read about the Foundation's recently announced shift to the environment sector with new vision, mission, and long-term outcomes. Application deadline: August 1, 2023
Study: Food insecurity among households with children during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic - Understanding impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among households with children is necessary to design appropriate public health responses that protect food and nutrition security. The objective of this research was to understand predictors of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic among households with at least one child. Consistent with other data collected and analyzed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study contributes findings that emphasize the need for enhanced public health responses and emergency preparedness measures that protect food and nutrition security.
Food Forward NYC: 2-Year Progress Report - Food Forward NYC is the City’s first ever 10-year food policy plan, laying out an comprehensive policy framework to reach a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy food system by 2031. Food Forward NYC emphasizes the importance of equity and choice - enabling a food system where everyone should be able to access the food they want wherever they may want it. To enable this choice, we need to support both our food workers and our food businesses. To strengthen the sustainability and resiliency of our food system, we need to rethink our food infrastructure and deepen our connections with the region.
NY Healthy Food, Healthy Lives Match Program - This ioby match opportunity may be of interest to BIPOC-led organizations using grassroots fundraising approaches to support food justice work in New York State. For approved participants, donors are matched up to $1,000 and projects may access up to $5,000 in matching, until the program ends. Learn about eligibility requirements and share your idea.
Dyson Foundation Mini-Grant Program - The Dyson Foundation’s mini-grant program funds capacity-building projects that improve a nonprofit’s administrative, governance, or programmatic functions. Mini-grants enable nonprofit board, staff, and volunteer leaders to develop new skills through specific consultant-led capacity-building activities, or through conferences, seminars, and other relevant training opportunities. Mini-grants are available to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and libraries in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Grants are available on a rolling basis.
I will continue to include highlights from each month's newsletter on our weekly resource round-ups but if you would like to subscribe yourself, the link is here. The link to last month's newsletter is here and their archive is here.
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That's all for this week -- thanks for all you do!