[[link removed]]Dear John,

I hope you and your loved ones are finding (safe, socially distant) ways to beat the heat. Heatwaves, like the one NYC experienced over the past few days, can be dangerous, especially for seniors, young children, people with disabilities, and those who lack access to air conditioning. The pandemic doesn’t help either. Many of the city’s cooling centers were open this week, with social distancing protocols in place. But for people who are at higher risk due to coronavirus, it may not be so clear whether trying to beat the heat at home or traveling to a library or senior center for some A/C is safer.

Social isolation can be deadly. In positive terms, social connection can be lifesaving. Sociologist Eric Klinenberg’s 2003 book Heat Wave showed that community cohesion provides meaningful protection against mortality, especially for older people during a crisis like a heat event. When the pandemic hit NYC and older New Yorkers were asked to stay home, away from their loved ones (for necessary public health reasons!), we were immediately concerned about the increase in isolation that this would bring, likely for a prolonged time.

Motivated by Klinenberg’s research, as well as a rapid increase in demand for senior services as centers started to close in March, my office began working with Heights and Hills, a local organization serving older Brooklynites, to set up a program for volunteers to connect with older neighbors to check in on needs like food and medicine, and offer regular weekly calls to relieve the isolation of social distancing.

Since March, over 200 volunteers with our new “Neighbor Network” have made regular, ongoing calls to over 400 older adults with Heights and Hills. Heights and Hills, like many of our most beloved and essential human service organizations, has adapted heroically to meet new needs and continue to operate under unprecedented conditions. Their waiting list for services continues to grow every day. Neighbor Network volunteers have been crucial in helping Heights and Hills prioritize their resources, respond to the most urgent needs, and ensure that seniors who need assistance know that they are on the radar, and have someone to talk to on a consistent basis. Many volunteers have developed sweet, mutually enriching relationships with these seniors. At a time when we all have limited contact with our neighbors, volunteers have been surprised by how much they gain from these new, unexpected relationships.

A few months ago, we partnered with Greenwich House in Manhattan to expand the program. Scaling up took us longer than expected (it turns out there aren't any phone-banking tools designed for regular recurring calls to neighbors, so we had to build them from scratch!) but we are thrilled to share that we are now ready to bring in many more volunteers to make calls with The Neighbor Network [[link removed]] . This new platform, designed by Greenwich House, Heights and Hills, and my office gives us much more capacity to train, manage, and connect with volunteers, and helps channel urgent information from calls to service providers like Greenwich House and Heights and Hills for follow up.

Sign up for an upcoming training to join The Neighbor Network and start making calls to isolated older neighbors. [[link removed]]

Some older adults have strong social networks and family to call, visit, or bring supplies, but others do not. A friendly call from a neighbor can go a long way, not just for the person receiving the call, but for those making them too.

As one regular caller shared:

“Calling my two seniors for the Neighbor Network has been a really positive, fun, and meaningful experience for me. I have loved getting to know them and hearing them tell amusing and interesting stories about and from their lives. We have bonded over music and alternate side parking woes while they have introduced me to horseracing and plum brandy. In the midst of stress about the pandemic and our world, it is very grounding to do something so meaningful that is as simple as picking up the phone and calling a new friend.”

We still have a long way to go to get through this crisis together, and social solidarity is going to be absolutely essential every step of the way. Regardless of whether we will be able to continue opening up in new socially-distanced ways or if we will see a resurgence and need to lock down again, those who are most vulnerable to the virus, including older adults in our communities, are likely to remain isolated and largely at home for many more months. Here’s a real way you can help them.

So if you have some extra time on your hands (or some young people in your life looking for ways to spend their summer) sign up to make calls with The Neighbor Network [[link removed]] .

Brad

In this email:
City and State Updates
Upcoming Events

City and State Updates

*
Latest
Virus
Data:
There
were
391
new
cases
identified
yesterday,
and
13
more
New
Yorkers
died
from
the
virus.
We
have
lost
23,424
people
in
NYC
from
the
virus,
and
222,094
total
cases
have
been
identified
in
the
city.
Currently,
the
percent
of
tests
that
came
back
positive
remains
low,
around
1.2%.


*
State
Legislature
in
Session:
Lawmakers
are
in
Albany
this
week
taking
up
legislation
delayed
by
the
pandemic,
including
important
voting
reforms
[[link removed]]
that
will
help
address
the
challenges
we
faced
in
June,
and
make
voting
easier
for
New
Yorkers
overall.
But
many
critical
issues,
like
raising
progressive
revenue
and
tackling
the
looming
eviction
crisis
are
not
expected
[[link removed]']
to
be
taken
up
this
week.


*
Quarantine
Order
Expanded:
Governor
Cuomo
announced
yesterday
extending
the
mandatory
quarantine
order
to
travelers
coming
from
an
additional
10
states.
The
full
list
of
now
31
states
that
meet
the
metrics
for
requiring
travelers
to
self-isolate
for
14
days
upon
arrival
in
New
York
is
available
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
Several
outdoor
NYC
venues
are
opening
this
week.
The
Bronx
Zoo,
the
Central
Park
Zoo,
the
New
York
Botanical
Garden,
the
Empire
State
Building
observation
deck
and
outdoor
sections
of
Liberty
Island
are
opening
with
capacity
limits.


*
Rent
Relief
Program:
The
State
opened
applications
for
a
limited
[[link removed]]
rent
relief
program,
offering
rent-burdened
households
a
one-time
subsidy
paid
directly
to
landlords.
The
application
is
open
for
the
next
2
weeks
and
available
here
[[link removed]]
.


*
COVID-19
Legal
Resource
Hotline:
The
New
York
Legal
Assistance
Group
has
extended
the
hours
of
their
hotline
in
response
to
the
surge
in
need
for
legal
services
in
areas
such
as
unemployment,
housing,
employee
rights,
public
benefits,
and
consumer
debt.
The
hotline
hours
are
7am-1pm,
Monday
thru
Friday,
and
the
number
is
929-356-9582.


*
Fill
out
your
Census:
Recent
data
shows
that
Brooklyn
is
still
far
behind
where
we
need
to
be
on
Census
response
rates.
All
our
neighborhoods
have
to
be
counted
for
us
to
get
the
federal
resources
and
representation
we
desperately
need.
IF
you
have
not
yet
filled
out
the
Census,
please
do
so
now
at
my2020census.gov
[[link removed]]
.


*
Health
Care
Enrollment
deadline
extended:
The
deadline
for
health
insurance
special
enrollment
has
been
extended
to
August
15,
2020.
New
Yorkers
without
health
insurance
can
apply
for
coverage
through
NY
State
of
Health
[[link removed]]
.


*
Repurposing
Bags:
We
are
still
collecting
Fresh
Direct
and
other
reusable
bags
for
use
by
emergency
food
providers.
You
can
drop
bags
off
at
the
following
sites
and
times.

*
Park
Slope:
256
13th
St,
M-F,
9
AM
to
6
PM


*
Carroll
Gardens:
71
3rd
Pl,
M-F,
8
AM
to
6
PM


*
Cobble
Hill:
359
Henry
St,
Mon-Wed,
9
AM
to
6
PM


*
Kensington:
3
Avenue
C,
Saturdays
at
4
PM





Upcoming Events

*
Thursday,
July
23
at
2
PM:
Justice
in
Action
Session
on
Undocumented
and
Excluded
Workers.
Register
here
[[link removed]]
.



Nearly one in six New York City jobs lost due to the pandemic was held by an undocumented worker. However, despite contributing to NY's tax base, these workers and families have been excluded from stimulus checks, the Unemployment Insurance System, or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Join the JCC's Social Justice Activist in Residence Ruth Messinger and me in conversation with Make the Road New York leaders about the proposed Excluded Workers Disaster Income Replacement Fund.

*
Thursday,
July
23
at
7
PM.
Parent
Townhall
with
DOE
Officials.
Register
here
[[link removed]]
.



Join me for a townhall with DOE officials to talk about the plans for back-to-school in the fall and other issues. We will have Deputy Chancellor Adrienne Austin, Executive Superintendent Karen Watts and District 15 Superintendent Anita Skop to answer questions from parents about the scheduling logistics, child care needs, support for social and emotional well-being, and more.

456 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-499-1090
[email protected]

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