This Week's Resources
NYC Council grills Adams admin budget director on proposed cuts (NYNMedia)
NYC’s class size working group delivers recommendations — but some members dissent (Chalkbeat NY)
Only a Handful of Migrants at ‘Reticketing Site’ Accept City’s Free Trips Out (The City)
The Government Spends Billions on Food. Who Benefits? (Civil Eats)
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
Scams pretending to be immigration agencies: How to protect yourself (Documented)
Documented's Mental Health Resources for Immigrants in New York
NYC migrant crisis: Where to volunteer and what to donate (Gothamist)
Documented's Immigrant Resources and Job/Housing Discrimination Guides
If you have resources to share with our network, please contact Tobi Mojeed-Balogun our Associate Director of Programs Support.
Migrant families facing eviction from NYC shelter get 1 additional week to stay after Christmas (Gothamist)
"Migrant families with children won’t be forced to leave their homeless shelters during the holidays, but still face unclear directives from the city and a looming deadline to find other housing or reapply for shelter.
The first wave of families who received 60-day notices to leave their shelters were originally slated to be moved right after Christmas. Now, the Adams administration says it will let them stay an extra week.
“We just don’t want it to be optics,” Councilmember Rita Joseph said in an interview, calling on the administration to fully rescind the measure, which she said threatened to destabilize families and children. “Despite the delay in implementing the policy, they will still experience long-lasting effects. This is another form of displacement. This is inhumane.”" Read more here.
NYC Council grills Adams admin budget director on proposed cuts (NYNMedia)
"New York City Council members are fired up about budget cuts from Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, and a City Council hearing on Monday gave them a chance to make their opposition crystal clear. Council members packed into chambers to blast sweeping cuts to an array of city services, from parks, to senior centers, to composting, libraries and preschool.
“The city is facing tough economic headwinds in the coming years that we must confront, but our approach must be surgical and strategic, prioritizing the investments that we need to safeguard for New Yorkers,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said. “Cutting every agency’s budget indiscriminately will disproportionately impact everyday New Yorkers.”" Read more here.
Rent-Stabilized Apartment Tally Drops Further, as Some Landlords Try to Rent at Market Rates (The City)
"Earlier this year, THE CITY published a database of tens of thousands of rent-stabilized buildings whose owners reported having fewer regulated apartments in 2021 than in 2019, as shown on their property tax bills. The drop was surprising given that changes to rent laws in 2019 forbade removing apartments from regulation in most instances.
Now THE CITY has obtained the same information for 2022 via the nonprofit JustFix — and it shows an even larger number of apartments that had once been registered as rent-stabilized now unaccounted for.
Staff at the state housing agency, as well as landlord groups, say that late paperwork from landlords certifying their rent-regulated apartments, which they must complete by July every year, likely accounts for the decline, as did pandemic disruptions." Read more here.
NYC’s class size working group delivers recommendations — but some members dissent (Chalkbeat NY)
"After months of deliberation, internal clashes, and comments from nearly 2,000 people, a working group tasked with advising New York City’s public schools on complying with a landmark state law capping class sizes released its final recommendations Monday.
The 55-page report, which had an initial Oct. 31 deadline, includes more than 50 recommendations. Its prominent suggestions include capping enrollment at some overcrowded schools, moving pre-K programs out of district buildings and into community organizations, and offering financial incentives to boost teacher hiring.
The report, which is similar to a draft version released in September, is non-binding. Education Department officials still have final say in how they’ll meet the new legal mandates, which are expected to be phased in over the next five years. But the contentious process of putting the recommendations together illustrates how complicated meeting the new mandates will be." Read more here.
Only a Handful of Migrants at ‘Reticketing Site’ Accept City’s Free Trips Out (The City)
"Of the thousands of people who’ve passed through an East Village “reticketing site” City Hall opened a month ago to encourage migrants to move somewhere else, just 10% have accepted tickets elsewhere, according to internal data obtained by THE CITY.
Of 5,560 people who’ve gone to the reticketing site, just 570 have taken free plane or bus rides to leave New York City, the data show.
The rate of people accepting passage out of the city slumped even more dramatically this week, as hundreds of people lined up in the cold outside for hours waiting for another shelter bed. Of the 442 people who passed through the East Village reticketing site Monday, just three of them took the city up on its offer of a ticket elsewhere, less than one percent, the data obtained by THE CITY showed." Read more here.
The Government Spends Billions on Food. Who Benefits? (Civil Eats)
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has an array of programs aimed at helping farmers grow food that supports rural communities and the environment, but its own purchasing has long revolved around sourcing the cheapest foods available.
Last week, lawmakers in both the House and Senate introduced legislation that could transform the agency’s food purchasing processes, directing the USDA to seek out not just the most affordable foods but also to consider factors including supply chain resiliency, environmental impact, and labor policies when deciding which companies are on the receiving end of the billions of dollars it spends on food each year.
“USDA has an opportunity to use its sizable purchasing power to address our agriculture sector’s compounding crisis of agri-business consolidation, climate change, and worker mistreatment,” said Senator Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts), a lead sponsor of the bill in a press release." Read more here.
Dutchess County Bus Routes To Change In 2024 (Patch)
"POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Changes to the Dutchess County Public Transit bus routes will be taking effect in 2024.
Officials said the route changes will make it easier for riders to navigate the system, expand service on the busiest routes and streamline service in underutilized areas to improve efficiency.
The changes, which will go into effect March 30, are part of the 2024 county budget adopted Thursday by the Dutchess County Legislature and will provide more than $265,000 in annual savings to the county." Read more here.
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
US News and World Report article on newest variant (BA.2.86) - Link Here
COVID is back in NY. What to know about schools, nursing homes and more (lohud.) - link here
How to Keep Tabs on COVID Through Wastewater Testing in NYC (The City) - link here
Scams pretending to be immigration agencies: How to protect yourself (Documented)
"Fraudulent emails and messages have circulated social media, masquerading as communications from federal immigration agencies, that falsely promise migrants legal representation for obtaining a Green Card in exchange for a small fee. Scammers specifically target Spanish-speaking, migrant New Yorkers who are in the process of adjusting their immigration status.
Rosa Santana, the Bond Director at Envision Fund, contacted Documented regarding scam messages circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp. The emails also falsely claim that failure to respond to the correspondence could result in a “negative report in the migration system,” making individuals “prone to deportation.”
Scam messages that target migrants are nothing new, as Documented reported in the past during the Excluded Workers Fund. However, these new scams exploit the necessity of migrants as they seek asylum in the United States. Here are some of the common scams targeting migrants with immigration cases and how to avoid them." Read the rest of the guide here.
Safe Church Training
Safe Church is handled by the Diocesan Human Resources Department which can be reached at safechurchinfo@dioceseny.org. You can also call 917 414 0156.
For more information on Safe Church, visit https://dioceseny.org/administration/congregations/recruiting-and-employment/sexual-misconduct-awareness-2/safe-church/
Documented's Mental Health Resources for Immigrants in New York
"A list of organizations that provide free or low-cost mental health care services to immigrants in New York
It can be overwhelming to find mental health care services, so Documented compiled a list of organizations and groups that offer low cost options, accept Medicaid, or render free services to individuals who are seeking counseling.
Most of these locations provide services in English and Spanish. We recommend reaching out to the location for more information, as some of the prices for services given are based on the level of income. For emergencies always call 911.
You can also contact NYC Well for free, confidential crisis counseling, mental health, and substance misuse support, information, and referral. You can reach the toll-free helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone, text and online chat. Mental health professionals there can link you to the services you need. Phone: 888-692-9355 | (Espanol): 888-692-9355"
NYC migrant crisis: Where to volunteer and what to donate (Gothamist)
"Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly urged New Yorkers to volunteer or donate to help ease the asylum-seeker crisis, but figuring out where to go to help or what items to give can be difficult.
For information on how New Yorkers can help, Gothamist spoke with the mayor's office as well as several organizers involved in daily efforts to aid migrants who have recently arrived in the city." 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."
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!
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