Community Resources & Upcoming Deadlines
Be Aware of the Most Vulnerable
Should you see an individual who appears to be homeless and in need out in the cold, please call 311 and an outreach team will be dispatched to offer assistance.
Health Coverage: NYS Enrollment Period Ends Jan 31st
If you have lost your health insurance or have not had coverage, go to https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/ for a comprehensive list of affordable options -- including subsidized individual health plans and Medicaid. New York State's current open enrollment period runs until January 31st, 2021. New Yorkers can enroll in Medicaid all year long.
Emergency Training from the FDNY
Virtual training in CPR and use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is now available from the FDNY. Knowledge of these emergency measures could be invaluable for someone in your family. The FDNY's Mobile CPR Unit can help you learn what to do in case of a cardiac emergency.
Classes take place every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am and 4pm. Group presentations for community organizations are also available. To register, visit fdnysmart.org/cpr or call 718-281-3888.
To stay connected with the FDNY, visit @FDNY on social media and fdnysmart.org/connect for fire and life safety tips for you and your family.
DACA Update
The initial rule for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has been reinstated. This means that certain undocumented youth may now be eligible for a work permit and protection from removal. The original grounds for requesting travel abroad have also been restored.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has indicated that they may appeal this reinstatement. Beginning Tuesday (12/22), CUNY Citizenship NOW! is dedicating Tuesdays to assisting DACA applicants. Please contact CUNY Citizenship NOW! at 646-664-9400 for an appointment.
2021 Manhattan Community Board Applications
Do you want to serve your local community? Joining your community board is a great way to get involved in improving quality of life, and bringing forward your concerns and those of your neighbors.
New York City's community boards are the front-line of local government. They encourage and facilitate the participation of residents within their neighborhoods -- providing a forum to evaluate new development, zoning changes, street & sidewalk planning, and more. The boards work directly with City agencies, and are essential to the efficient and effective delivery of municipal services. Apply on-line here. Deadline: Monday, February 1st (5pm), 2021
Especially for NYCHA Residents
- Resident Leadership Academy -- develop leadership skills through this FREE 24-month program coordinated in partnership with CUNY SLU. Contact: [email protected], or call (212) 306-8436 to learn more.
- NYCHA is hiring skilled maintenance workers -- over 100 full-time jobs available. Qualified candidates with at least three years of maintenance experience are encouraged to apply. Starting salary is $29.98 per hour, plus benefits. Click here for more information.
- Learn about Family Partnerships services available to the NYCHA community. Attend a virtual info session next month (advance registration required): Wednesday, January 6 at 1pm.
Affordable Internet Service
Are you a lower-income student or a senior? Spectrum now offers Internet Assist, a high-speed, low-cost broadband service for qualified customers. Learn more here.
Con Edison: Assistance with Paying Your Utility Bill
Residential Con Ed customers who have experienced a change in financial circumstances as a result of the pandemic may be eligible for special protections to avoid future service terminations. Call 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633) to learn more.
By law, if you are a residential customer and contact Con Ed to affirm that you experienced a change in financial circumstances as a result of Covid-19 starting on or after March 7, 2020:
- Con Ed will not disconnect your service for non-payment before March 31, 2021.
- You will be eligible for a payment agreement or to request a new agreement that requires no down payment, late fees, or penalties.
Mental Health Support
As we all know, this is a profoundly stressful time. If your symptoms of stress become overwhelming, please reach out for support and help. One option is NYC Well, the City's confidential helpline for mental health and substance misuse services. Trained counselors can provide you with support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 200 languages. Click here; call: 1-888-NYC-Well (1-888-692-9355); or text: “Well” to 65173.
|
|
|
Holiday Happenings
Holiday Lights At Lincoln Center
Each night through the New Year, Lincoln Center is lighting its plaza and campus for neighbors to enjoy, offering a space for reflection during this holiday season. The installations become viewable around dusk -- Lincoln Center's public spaces are open until 9pm.
See more photos of Lincoln Center's holiday lights display at ILovetheUpperWest Side.
ARDA Studio has produced this year's lights display, along with a new pair of murals on Amsterdam Avenue between 62nd and 63rd Streets. The joyful pieces "serve as a reminder of the vitality that defines this city, and fuse urban and natural elements in a design of bold color and movement."
Let It Glow: Enjoy Holiday Lights in Our Parks!
NYC Parks is celebrating the holiday season by lighting up local parks and administrative buildings. There are more than 80 beautiful sites for New Yorkers to enjoy -- from the Broadway Malls W. 86th St Menorah display, to the Bartow-Pell Mansion in the Bronx, and across the Verrazano Bridge to Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island.
Mulchfest!
Wrap up the holiday season by saying goodbye to your tree at Mulchfest! The City will convert it into mulch to make NYC even greener. Bring your tree to one of the following locations from Dec. 26, 2020–Jan. 9, 2021.
- W. 65th & Central Park West;
- W. 81st & Central Park West (at Bridle Path);
- Morningside Park West -- 123rd & Morningside Ave; or
- Riverside Park -- Riverside Drive & W. 83rd.
You'll also be able to bring mulch home from select locations in early January! Learn more here.
|
|
|
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. We also provide on-going advocacy with our public schools and other public services.
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 regular 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.
|
|
|
|
|
