Dear John,
As you know, New York City has now moved to more aggressive social distancing. Responding to our and many other calls, the Mayor and Governor have shut down public schools, bars, restaurants (other than for delivery and pickup), gyms, theaters, and more.
These steps are painful, and the coming weeks will be trying for all of us, economically disastrous for many, and deadly for some. But these steps are what we can do together to save many lives. Slowing the spread of the virus is essential to reduce the number of critically ill people who will need hospitalization in the coming weeks (as the state and city work rapidly to increase the number of hospital beds, ventilators, masks and personal protective equipment, and especially critically health care workers, all of which are going to be overwhelmed).
Now, as we settle into the shutdown, it’s time to work quickly to strengthen our social safety net. The COVID-19 crisis is revealing just how weak it is, and we’ve got short, medium, and long-term work to do. So this email includes information about broader efforts, and some local opportunities to help make sure the most vulnerable New Yorkers are protected, as best we can (like virtually supporting seniors with Heights & Hills, or volunteering at and contributing to Masbia Soup Kitchen).
And we’ll be starting up our community Zoom calls this week, for volunteers, for parents, for family caregivers, and to come together to support each other.
The basics on the shutdown
As of this morning, there were 644 reported cases of coronavirus in NYC (though this number only counts those who have been tested, the real number is likely to be much higher). Twelve people have died in New York State.
Restaurants, bars and cafes may only serve food take-out and delivery. Gatherings of over 50 people are prohibited. Everyone is encouraged to work from home wherever possible.
Schools are closed this week as teachers prepare for distance learning. Grab and go meals are available for students between 7:30 and 1:30 am at school. Next week, some schools will open as enrichment centers to provide childcare, food and support for children of essential workers and those who cannot stay home. Some online learning resources are already available here. NYC will be buying and giving out laptops for students who do not have access to technology at home, and Spectrum is making internet access free for those who do not already have it for the next two months.
The City is working to set up employee retention grants and no-interest loans for some small businesses. Applications will begin today, and owners can begin putting together relevant documents to apply online here. The State has waived the 7-day waiting period for people out of work due to coronavirus to apply for unemployment insurance, details on how to apply here.
City Council budget hearings are suspended. Participatory budgeting is being postponed. The City’s land use review procedure (ULURP) clock is suspended. But the Census goes on! Fill it out here.
Reminder: what to do if you feel sick:
Stay home, and call your doctor. If your symptoms worsen, call 311 to get routed to a healthcare provider, or (especially if you would have been inclined to go, for example, to the emergency room at NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital) call the New York Presbyterian Hospital hotline at: 646-697-4000. Hospitals are going to be overwhelmed with people seeking care, staying home and calling first will help prevent the spread of the virus and help conserve energy, space, and supplies that are in short supply.
Standing up the social safety net
Emergency food/support for Masbia Soup Kitchen: Food pantries and soup kitchens around the city are already seeing dramatically increased demand, even as the volunteers who do most of the work are less able to come in to help. In Park Slope, the wonderful CHiPS Soup Kitchen in Park Slope has shifted to “grab & go.” They currently have enough volunteers through their great volunteer and donor community.
But help is needed at the Masbia Soup Kitchens in Boro Park & Flatbush. Masbia was our partner in Hurricane Sandy, miraculously providing food for a month for the 500+ frail elderly at Park Slope Armory. They operate both a food pantry & soup kitchen at their two Brooklyn sites. They have transitioned to grab & go meals. Their food pantries are now giving two weeks of food at a time.
They need volunteers at both locations. Yesterday, they had to turn away a truck full of food from City Harvest food because of a lack of volunteers. Volunteer work mostly does not involve direct contact with clients: stocking shelves, sorting & packing food, driving/delivery. They need people for all their afternoon shifts, starting around 1 pm, continuing through food pantry service (4 - 5 pm), and then dinner.
Obviously, please be thoughtful about whether you can or should volunteer. Aggressive social distancing is essential. But so is making sure that people who are homeless or hungry can eat during the crisis. Do not volunteer if you are not feeling well, or think you have been recently exposed. But if you can, this is an exception to social distancing that I think makes sense. They have gloves/masks/aprons, but you can bring your own if you prefer
If you can, safely please, consider volunteering at or donating to Masbia.
Hundreds of you answered our call to support seniors with wellness checks with our partners at Heights & Hills, thank you! We will be onboarding volunteers today and matching them with seniors to call. Heights and Hills is also in need of volunteers to deliver meals to homebound seniors in Park Slope (sign up here) and for volunteers to deliver food bags to homebound elderly across Brooklyn (car recommended, sign up here).
Donating supplies: Social service organizations CAMBA, CHiPS, and Heights and Hills which are serving vulnerable populations (homeless and elderly) are in need of donations of cleaning supplies. Donations can be dropped off at their offices.
CAMBA: 1720 Church Avenue, 2nd Fl., 718) 287-2600.
CHiPS: 200 4th Ave., (718) 237-2962
Heights and Hills: 81 Willoughby Street, suite 302, 718 596-8789 (specific need of toilet paper, soap and toothpaste for elderly clients).
Not-for-profit human service providers need more City support! With rapid action by City Hall, these safety net organizations can become an essential and creative part of our emergency response to this crisis. Without rapid action, they will become part of the crisis, as unemployed workers swell the ranks of the unemployed. City Hall needs to continue paying existing contracts of not-for-profit social service agencies, advance bridge loans to help cover cash flow and provide guidance on what should be considered essential work.
We are going to need a massive social stimulus that starts from the grassroots up, not Wall Street down. As Elizabeth Warren wrote yesterday in CNN, we cannot repeat the mistakes of the 2008 bailout that left so many families struggling to recover. Federal money that goes to big corporations or specific industries must be used to help their employees. We’ll be pushing hard at city & state levels for similar efforts, more on that soon.
Beginning our community calls
We are going to start organizing community calls on various topics with local experts to help all of us learn to cope with our new reality. We’re kicking off this week with a call for parents on keeping kids learning and busy while they are at home, a call on best practices for family caregiving, and a community check in. If you have suggestions for what kinds of content you would want to see in a virtual webinar or meeting, reply to this email to let us know.
Wednesday, March 18 at 3 PM: Caring for our Kids
Speakers will include Susan Fox from Park Slope Parents, public elementary school teacher Liat Olenick, and public middle school teacher Lynn Shon. We’ll be talking about what we know now about the distance learning efforts from DOE, and talk about how the best we can do together to keep kids learning and occupied.
Register here. [link removed]
Thursday, March 19 at 6 PM: Caring for our Family Members
We will be joined by Raquel Perlman who runs the family caregiving program at Heights and Hills to talk about family caregiving and how to support elderly and vulnerable people in our lives.
Register here. [link removed]
Friday, March 20 at 12 PM: Community Check In
We will host an open community space to come share how things are going, bring questions, and connect with neighbors.
Register here. [link removed]
We will continue to regularly update our website here [[link removed]] with COVID19-related resources.
Grateful for the spirit of community and solidarity from all of you.
Brad
Lander for NYC
456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite 2
Brooklyn, NY 11215
[email protected]
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