Weekly Resource Round-Up: August 29, 2023
This Week's Resources
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
A rice shortage is sending prices soaring across the world. And things could get worse (AP)
Hochul to NYC: State Won’t Force Upstate to Shelter Migrants (The City)
This Manhattan adult learning center is seeing a surge in African asylum seekers (Chalkbeat)
Migrants allowed to stay in Staten Island shelter after fast-moving legal battle (Gothamist)
MTA says fare evasion crackdown coming to all NYC buses (Gothamist)
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.
2024 Basic Human Needs Application!
We are thrilled to announce that we will be opening the application for our Basic Human Needs Grant on September 1st at 9 am. We will have informational meetings on September 6th, 7th. and 9th with more information about the application. To learn about EC's grants (including BHN), see here. Please contact me (Tobi) for more information about the information sessions and if you have any other questions or concerns.
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.
Interview with NYC Health Commissioner on COVID bump. Link here.
NYS Department of Health COVID website - It's a one stop shop with an info summary at the top. 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
A rice shortage is sending prices soaring across the world. And things could get worse (AP)
"But that is changing. The price of a 25-kilogram (55-pound) bag of rice has risen by about a fifth since June, going from the equivalent of about $14 to $18. Wholesalers are yet to receive new stocks since India, the world’s largest exporter of rice by far, said last month that it would ban some rice shipments.
It’s an effort by the world’s most populous nation to control domestic prices ahead of a key election year — but it’s left a yawning gap of around 9.5 million metric tons (10.4 tons) of rice that people around the world need, roughly a fifth of global exports." Read more here.
Hochul to NYC: State Won’t Force Upstate to Shelter Migrants (The City)
"With nearly 60,000 migrants already in the city’s care and hundreds more arriving daily, New York City has been begging state officials for a “statewide decompression” strategy, seeking additional locations outside the five boroughs to house new arrivals.
But in an address on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul closed the door on that request, assuring upstate New Yorkers that large-scale shelters won’t open in their towns.
“We cannot and will not force other parts of our state to shelter migrants,” Hochul said. “Nor are we going to be asking these migrants to move to other parts of the state against their will.”" Read more here.
This Manhattan adult learning center is seeing a surge in African asylum seekers (Chalkbeat)
"The case manager’s office at Harlem’s Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center was crowded, primarily with Senegalese men in their late 20s and 30s.
Fatou Kane, the school’s community coordinator, picked up the student sign-in sheet that February afternoon, and with the aid of Patrick Duff, the case manager, started triaging the students’ problems.
Some of the men had received a blue New York benefits card in the mail and had questions about it. They thought it was an immigration document. Another student wanted a school identification card. Others were there to register.
The men were among the 101,200 asylum seekers who have arrived in New York City since spring of 2022. They found their way to the adult learning center, mostly by word-of-mouth and community outreach by the school. But the center is straining to help them: They’re funded by headcount, not the vast and complicated needs of the newly arrived asylum seeking-students. The school is scrambling to provide them with clothing, child care, health insurance, and meals, while also helping them navigate the complicated immigration and legal system." Read more here.
Migrants allowed to stay in Staten Island shelter after fast-moving legal battle (Gothamist)
"A fast-moving legal battle ended in a small victory for City Hall Friday night after Staten Island lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to block migrants from being housed at a borough facility.
A group of local leaders including Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and Borough President Vito Fossella sued the state and city on Thursday, claiming the Adams administration would be in violation of zoning laws if it used the St. John Villa Academy in Arrochar to house migrants, court papers show.
The lawsuit further claimed the shelter would create “an unreasonable private nuisance,” “violate the public comment requirements” and “unduly burden Staten Islanders with the costs of the ‘right to shelter’ mandates.” The move came after days of protests by local residents and activists against the shelter. The school has been closed and vacant for several years.
On Friday, Richmond County Supreme Court Judge Wayne Ozzi granted the lawmakers a temporary restraining order prohibiting city and state officials from using the location, setting the next court date for Sept. 6. But before the ink was dry on the order, the city appealed and had it overturned." Read more here.
NYC plans to pay for students' Ubers, MetroCards if school bus drivers make good on strike threat (Gothamist)
"The city is preparing to issue “emergency” MetroCards and pay for students to take Ubers if a strike by school bus drivers isn’t averted by the first day of school.
Reimbursements of up to $200 per day for transportation to and from school will also be available to some families, the education department said Monday.
“Working families across New York City should not, and do not have to worry about getting their children to school every day,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “This administration is here to help ensure our children continue their educations uninterrupted.”
Bus drivers from some New York City school bus companies represented by Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union authorized a strike earlier this summer. The first day of school is on Sept. 7, just 10 days away." Read more here.
T-Mobile Hometown Grants Program
Here is a capital grant we found. If you're thinking abut applying and need help, let me know.
T-Mobile Hometown Grants Program
Application deadline: Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis; the upcoming deadline is September 30, 2023. Grant amount: Up to $50,000 Description: The T-Mobile Hometown Grants Program is providing up to $25 million over five years, through 2026, to fund community projects in small towns across the United States. Each quarter, 25 grants of up to $50,000 are provided for shovel-ready projects to build, rebuild, or refresh community spaces that help foster local connections in small towns. Examples of eligible projects include, but are not limited to, adaptive uses of older and historic buildings into community gathering spaces, improvements to outdoor parks or trails, and technology projects for public libraries. Applications are accepted from elected officials, town managers or employees, tribal leaders, or nonprofit community leaders from small towns with populations of less than 50,000.
Funder Profile Available to Members of GrantStation
MTA says fare evasion crackdown coming to all NYC buses (Gothamist)
"MTA officials said on Thursday that a strict fare evasion crackdown is coming to the city’s buses — and warned riders across the five boroughs they’d be hit with tickets if they don’t pay.
Starting next month, officials will deploy unarmed MTA guards known as EAGLE teams onto local buses. They’ll issue tickets between $50 to $100 to those who can’t prove they swiped a MetroCard or tapped to pay on the agency’s OMNY readers.
The agency will also be sending NYPD officers to 20 bus hubs around the city to help support enforcement by the EAGLE teams, officials said." 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:
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!