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Dear Neighbors,

This email is particularly long. The first section addresses homelessness issues on the Upper West Side. Below, you will find information for restaurant owners, as well as updates regarding unemployment insurance, the state eviction moratorium, and community events. 

Over the past two weeks, my office has received hundreds of emails, phone calls, and tweets about people in our community who are homeless. Many residents are upset, angry, and fearful for themselves and their children. Some think that the UWS is deteriorating along with their property values. Some of you have reached out with deep compassion, unity, and a neighborly desire to do our part as the city faces the twin crises of the pandemic and homelessness. I am personally responding to as many of these communications as possible, and in particular, trying to address frightening rumors and other inaccurate information.

Many of the concerns we are hearing stem from the little notice given and few concrete answers regarding the placement of temporary shelters in Upper West Side hotels. The emergency shelter system is opaque and the City has made clear mistakes in its communication with neighborhoods and local officials. In response to our questions, the City sent this letter yesterday.

We are also hearing from many of you about serious street safety issues, such as drug overdoses. I discuss these issues regularly with the commanding officer of the 20th Precinct, Captain Zuber, and he is in ongoing communication with all of the shelter providers and street homeless outreach teams. Borough President Brewer, other local electeds, Community Board 7, and I are all working together to make sure the conditions we are seeing are addressed, and the City has just committed to meet with UWS community leaders on a regular basis. 

I encourage you to engage with the 20th Precinct’s neighborhood policing program. Click here to learn about public meetings throughout the precinct this month. (A reminder from Captain Zuber: NYPD officers can only make arrests for illegal activity, such as the purchase or sale of drugs, if they see it themselves. The NYPD cannot use photos supplied by residents. Please call 911 to report a crime or emergency.)

I will continue to hold the City's feet to the fire, to make sure they are doing everything possible to keep you safe and ensure that people who are homeless can stabilize their lives. My role is to push the City for answers and bring you transparency. By getting accurate answers to your questions, all of us can be guided by facts, rather than misconceptions and rumors.

It’s unfortunate that the Administration did not choose to include the UWS in its emergency shelter decisions and provide a reasonable amount of advance notice. The UWS is among the most compassionate neighborhoods in the city, and we could have played a more active and constructive role in determining how to provide for some of the city's most vulnerable residents. 

To be clear, some of the questions my office is receiving are not related to the shelters, but to the ongoing and unresolved homeless encampments in our district: along Broadway near 72nd, 79th, and 95th streets. With my full support, Goddard Riverside Homeless Outreach workers interact with these people regularly, trying to build their trust and bring them into shelter. Once in shelter, they can finally get help in addressing the issues that have kept them on the street: mental illness, addiction, and poverty.

We are in a difficult situation -- as a city, and as a district. With evictions and unemployment at historic levels, an unprecedented number of our fellow New Yorkers will experience homelessness and entry into the shelter system-- many for the first time. According to a recent analysis, landlords have obtained 14,000 eviction warrants, and when the courts fully open, an estimated 50,000 renters could face eviction in New York City alone. 

I want to make my position very clear: housing is a human right, and access to social and human services is essential. While I understand the anger and fear of many constituents (exacerbated by the lack of information from the City) and was initially moved to respond in very stark terms, I regret stating that the Upper West Side would not accept any more people who are homeless. The Upper West Side is known as a place that welcomes those in need and I remain steadfast in that tradition. We are in the middle of a public health and economic crisis -- this is our reality -- and we will rise to the challenges it brings.

That being said, as a mother, a staunch feminist, and advocate for survivors-- I will be hawkeyed about ensuring that laws regarding sex offenders’ residency, and proximity to schools and playgrounds, are being closely followed. 

Please see our latest updates below about the three emergency shelters in District 6 hotels. (A fourth hotel, the Park West, is not in my Council District but in Community Board 7, and is also being used as a temporary shelter.) As you recall, these emergency placements are required by the Dept of Health to contain the spread of Covid. When the Department determines that it is safe for clients to return to their congregate shelters, they will do so. Each of the shelters has a different base of clients: 
  • The Belleclaire, with 288 clients, includes 100 women living there and about one-third of the clients go to work every day. Their focus is on job placement assistance.
  • The Belnord, with about 100 male clients, specializes in mental health and crisis intervention programs.
  • The Lucerne, with about 283 male clients, serves those with drug addictions and other mental health issues. The City has confirmed that there are no registered sex offenders at the Lucerne.
Regarding registered sex offenders living at the Belleclaire:
  • Those with residency restrictions (restricted by state law from living within a thousand feet of a school) have been moved out. The City made a mistake in placing any individuals with these restrictions at the Belleclaire. The Dept of Homeless Services (DHS) tells us that it was one individual. 
  • There are no residency restrictions on the remaining clients. We follow up with the DHS directly with our questions, as it is unclear how regularly the NYS sex offender registry is updated.
  • Simply as a point of reference: There are over 1,600 NYS registered sex offenders in Manhattan (living in private residences, homeless shelters, etc.). Mental health professionals advise that sex offenders are less likely to repeat offend when they are in a stable living environment with access to services, rather than in a distressed condition, such as homelessness.
I know that each one of you wants clear answers and concrete next steps, and my office (and other elected officials) are doing everything we can to supply them. At the same time, we are continuing all our other work -- assisting NYCHA residents with badly needed repairs; getting air conditioners to low income seniors; ensuring the delivery of meals to those in need; and addressing the increasing number of calls about evictions. 

We are also closely following the City's school opening plans. I am pushing very hard for the City to place a nurse in every school, as well as social workers to help children process the incredibly difficult situation we are all going through.

More likely than not, we will face additional revenue shortfalls in the coming months as well, and I will fight -- as I always have -- to make sure that the most vulnerable are protected.
Important Community Updates

NYS Eviction Moratorium Extended Through September 4th
Governor Cuomo has signed an executive order allowing the courts system to suspend eviction proceedings through September 4th. Read the order here. If you are facing a possible eviction, help is available. You can access free legal services on our website, by looking under "Housing." 

SCRIE & DRIE Income Limits Extended
The SCRIE and DRIE programs provide a rent freeze to qualifying seniors and persons with disabilities. The $50,000 maximum income limit for both SCRIE and DRIE has been extended to June 30, 2022. Learn more about the programs here.

Unemployment Insurance Extensions
Traditional Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are now extended for up to 59 weeks: Traditional UI lasts for 26 weeks in New York, and has been extended by both the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which adds 13 weeks, and the Extended Benefits (EB) program, which adds an additional 20 weeks. 

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits are now extended for up to 46 weeks: Under Federal law, those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) are not eligible for PEUC or EB, but are now eligible for up to 46 weeks of benefits in New York – up from the original 39 weeks.

See the latest updates from the NYS Dept of Labor here.

Reporting Fallen Trees
If you are having trouble reaching 311 to report a tree problem/condition, a Service Request can be submitted via the Parks Department tree service portal: https://www.nycgovparks.org/services/forestry/request/submit.

This portal live-syncs with the City's Forestry Management database -- so your request can be automatically routed for review, work order assignment, inspection, crew deployment and repair.

Updates for Restaurant Owners

The City has announced that both roadway and sidewalk seating will last through October 31, 2020. Learn more here.

Free Consultations on NYC Open Restaurant Guidelines

Learn how to open up properly under the City's Open Restaurants guidelines and avoid fines and penalties!

FREE hour-long consultations focus on State guidelines, personal protective equipment, outdoor seating, and accessibility. A NYC Small Business Service employee will virtually survey your restaurant and alert you of any potential non-compliance issues. Fines will not be issued during the visit but the consultation will not exempt your business from future inspection and enforcement processes.

Fill out the online application or call 888-SBS-4NYC to schedule a consultation. Business owners will need a communication device with a microphone and camera.

Additional Re-Opening Resources
The Office of Nightlife, in collaboration with the NYC Depts of Small Business Services, Transportation, and Health, has produced ”What to Expect When You’re Inspected”  and a “Multi-agency Reopening Toolkit for Restaurants and Bars.”  The guides are available for download at www.nyc.gov/nightlife, along with posters and social media graphics for the It’s Up to You, New York and Take Out, Don’t Hang Out public awareness campaigns.

Information about Restaurant Reopening is also available at nyc.gov/restaurantreopening or by calling the SBS hotline at 888-SBS-4NYC.

NYC Small Business Services has also compiled a list of event production companies that rent or sell the equipment needed to safely transition to outdoor dining, while complying with safety and accessibility regulations. Using this list, restaurants can contact several vendors directly to compare prices. 
Upcoming Community Events

"We The Young People" Hearing: August 12th
Ensuring that young people are heard is essential to a healthy democracy. Join the NYC Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC) on Wednesday, August 12th at 5:30pm for its second annual, youth led We the Young People hearing. 
 
The hearing is an opportunity for New Yorkers ages 14-25 to testify about their experiences with elections and local government, including suggestions on how we can better engage them throughout the democratic process. Young New Yorkers may give live spoken testimony or submit written testimony. All attendees are asked to RSVP here. Email youth coordinator Olivia Brady at [email protected] to submit testimony. Watch the meeting live via Zoom or Facebook.

Veterans Advisory Board Meeting: August 19th
Veterans, military families, advocates, and supporters are all invited to participate in a virtual Veterans Advisory Board Meeting to learn about the City's efforts to support veterans and their families. Participants are invited to share their stories, advocate for what's important to them, and ask questions directly to NYC officials. Email your questions now to [email protected].

WHEN: Wednesday, August 19th, 6 - 8 pm
TO JOIN: Follow this link OR call (646) 992-2010
ACCESS CODE: 129 230 2538. FREE. No registration required.
We're Here to Help

My office assists people with housing issues, seniors, the disabled, the recently un (or under) employed, the food insecure, and all those suffering the many consequences of this pandemic, to help in any way we can.

Please call (212) 873-0282, leave a message and we will call you back as soon as possible; email [email protected]; or check our website, HelenRosenthal.com. We update it on a daily basis with information about public benefits, non-profit resources, and health facts Upper West Siders need to get through this crisis. 

Warmly,



P.S. Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested, or have them subscribe to my e-blasts here. Also, follow my social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram.
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