This Week's Resources
NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)
City Hall About to Put Migrants in Shelters on Shorter Clocks (The City)
It’s taking NYC over a year to fix up vacant public housing units, report shows (Gothamist)
Congress Is on the Verge of Plunging Millions Into Food Insecurity (The New Republic)
NYC migrant crisis: Where to volunteer and what to donate (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 Is Now Open!
We are thrilled to announce that the application for our Basic Human Needs Grant is now open! The deadline for the application is September 29th at 5 pm. We will be having BHN Grant Seekers meetings during the first week of September on the 6th at 6 pm, 7th at 2 pm, and the 9th at 9 am with more information about the application. You can find the link to the application here. 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
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
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/
Why So Many Migrants Are Coming to New York (New Yorker)
"Last week, Mayor Eric Adams told a roomful of people that the recent influx of migrants “will destroy New York City.” More than a hundred and ten thousand have arrived in the city in recent months, and more than half are currently staying at shelters and other emergency sites. Although some of the most high-profile arrivals have been sent on buses by Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, as part of a Republican plan to shift the burden of migrant crossings onto blue states, nearly ninety per cent of the migrants who have come to New York since last spring have arrived in other ways. Meanwhile, Adams has denounced the Biden Administration for not providing enough resources for the city to resolve what he describes as a dire crisis. (According to Adams, it will cost twelve billion dollars to house the migrants over the next three years.)
I recently spoke by phone with Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, and an expert on how immigration policies at the federal, state, and local levels intersect. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed why so many migrants have chosen to come to New York City specifically, why the Biden Administration cannot necessarily fulfill the Mayor’s requests, and how congressional inaction on immigration policy has exacerbated the problems that immigration hawks say they care about most." Read the rest here.
City Hall About to Put Migrants in Shelters on Shorter Clocks (The City)
"Adult migrants reentering city shelters will have just 30 days for that stay, an administration source familiar told THE CITY, while City Hall is also considering putting migrant families with children on a 60-day clock to leave shelters.
The new, shorter timeframe will apply to migrants in shelters who received one of the 60-day notices the city started sending out in July, with those beginning to come due this Saturday.
At the same time, the administration is considering further restrictions, including giving new entrants to the system just 30 days from the get go, as well as phasing in 60-day notices for migrant families with children, the administration source said. Both moves would fit with City Hall’s efforts to move migrants out of shelters and discourage new arrivals from coming." Read more here.
It’s taking NYC over a year to fix up vacant public housing units, report shows (Gothamist)
"New York City’s public housing agency is taking over a year to repair and rent empty apartments despite a sharp rise in homelessness across the city, according to an annual report card released by the Mayor’s Office Friday.
The average timeline for repairing a vacant New York City Housing Authority unit rose to 370 days last fiscal year, up from around 161 days the prior fiscal year and a nearly five-fold increase from the roughly 77 days it took to make fixes in the 2019 fiscal year, the latest Mayor’s Management Report shows." Read more here.
Congress Is on the Verge of Plunging Millions Into Food Insecurity (The New Republic)
"The program, commonly referred to as WIC, is critical for mothers like Burciaga. It provides financial assistance, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals for more than six million participants. Low-income families earning up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level can qualify for the program, which provides certain foods for eligible participants, as well as cash vouchers for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding parents to purchase fruits and vegetables. Given the current high costs of groceries and infant formula, WIC provides a lifeline for parents who may struggle to feed themselves and their children.
“It’s really, in many ways, often a gateway program for young families in not only getting connected with benefits but also to other programs and services in their community that could be beneficial to them at that stage in their life and in their family,” said Kate Franken, the board chair of the National WIC Association, which represents provider agencies. But WIC recipients may soon see significant cuts, or even lose these all-important benefits, if Congress does not take quick action to approve additional funding for the program. With the end of the fiscal year on September 30, WIC will need higher funding than current levels in order to maintain its rolls and benefits." 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.
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
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."
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!