Dear Neighbor,

I hope you are having a great start to the New Year! 

In this email you will find updates on what my office and I have been working on in the first month of 2023, including news from City Hall, a recap of community tours and visits, locally hosted events, relevant resources, recent news, and more! Make sure you scroll all the way down for upcoming event flyers and resources. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the office with any questions or concerns.

In Community,

Amanda Farías

Council Member, District 18

This month we were celebrating with the community post-holiday season, informing residents of upcoming projects and development, and working to get resources to everyone's households. Check it all out below!

I also joined a Three Kings Day Celebration with Volunteers of America and the YMCA Glebe Senior Center to wrap up our holiday season! My office partnered up with Volunteers of America to set up this amazing event for our neighbors, including recent asylum seekers who joined our community, to celebrate this holiday season together.

I joined NYCHA SackWern Houses Residents Meeting & PACT Partners to discuss the ongoing process, timeline, and feedback from resident outreach.

I am happy to have been able to join to give a personal update on what my office and I have been up to in the first month of 2023, check in with neighbors on issues occurring at Sack Wern, and get an update on their PACT conversion. Thank you for having my office and I am looking forward to the next meeting!

With redistricting CD18 will soon include more of Westchester Square! It was great to join the first 45th Precinct Council meeting of the year.

I gave an update on new legislation, such as Int 759 - a bill that the Council passed to allow free etching on catalytic converters to help recover the stolen item, and what the City is doing to increase enforcement on smoke shops and trucks that are illegally selling cannabis. I look forward to continuing to work with Captain Orellana to ensure we are meeting the needs of the community first.

Office Sponsored Events

That is a wrap for our first Family Law Clinic with the Urban Justice Center! Thank you to UJC for spending the day in my office serving our constituents. This in-office event was a huge success with back-to-back appointments all day. Looking forward to continuing to work together to serve our Bronx families. Contact our office for more information on the monthly CD18 Family Law Clinics.

They will be in my district office again on February 27, March 27, and April 24.

I co-chaired a hearing with Council Member Brooks-Powers on the JFK Airport Redevelopment Program.

We heard from the NYCEDC, the Former Port Authority Executive Director, the CEO of Autocase Inc., NYPD Transit Bureau, NYC DOT, and advocates and community leaders on this project. 

I joined my colleagues at the New York City Council for a beautiful Lunar New Year celebration. We celebrated the Year of the Rabbit with incredible performances, meaningful recognitions of community leaders across the city, and a traditional sweet treat to end it all off!

I also attended several committee hearings, voted for, and introduced exciting legislation. You can watch all past City Council hearings at https://council.nyc.gov/livestream/ or check out my Instagram and Facebook for my highlights. 

• I joined Speaker Adams and Chair De La Rosa at the Civil Service and Labor Hearing on a local law to amend health insurance coverage for city employees, city retirees, and their dependents. I asked questions regarding how the Office of Labor Relations (OLR) can ensure that cost will not increase for retirees now and five years from now, following up on the cost savings package retirees presented, and more. 
• I attended the Committee on Immigration and Cultural Affairs to discuss a bill to declare Lunar New Year an annual school holiday and an official holiday in the City of New York, as well as how important arts programs are for our diverse immigrant communities across the City. 
• I attended a joint hearing of the Committee on Oversight and Investigation, Consumer and Worker Protection, and Health on the proliferation of unlicensed smoke shops in New York City. I was able to ask the NYC Sheriff’s Office and the NYPD what the warning and summons process is, license and permit suspensions, and how we can continue to partner to make sure consumers are safe and our legal market is supported.

Need to File a Complaint with my Office? 

Check my website at council.nyc.gov/district-18/ and click the “Get Assistance” button and fill out the form. 

Apply for the Community Board

The Bronx Community Board application is open! Community Boards play a role in serving our neighborhoods across the borough, and CD18 is covered by both CB 9 and 10.

The deadline to apply is March 3rd, 2023 so make sure to get your application in by the deadline. Apply here: https://form.jotform.com/223485441560152.

Resources for Tax Season:

• NYC Free Tax Prep services are available through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to anyone who lives or works in New York City. NYC Free Tax Prep sites may be by appointment and/or offer walk-in hours. Visit nyc.gov/taxprep or call 311 and ask for “tax preparation” to find the nearest site and more information.
• Ariva NYC is one of the top free tax preparation community-based organizations in the Bronx, and I funded them to make sure they have the resources to serve CD18. To schedule an appointment please call the Parkchester location, located at 1525 Unionport Rd, at (718) 690-9873 or sign up at https://ariva.org/tax/.

Small Businesses Opportunity Fund:

As part of the Mayor’s Blueprint for Economic Recovery, he has launched a historic $75 million loan fund to help NYC’s small businesses rebuild, grow, hire, and thrive. The NYC Small Business Opportunity Fund delivers flexible, low fixed-interest-rate capital, including:   

• No minimum credit score required
• Loans up to $250,000 at 4% fixed interest rate 
• Free business support from trusted, local, mission-driven lenders 
• Easy to apply 
• No application fee
• Open to businesses at all stages – from startups to growing to rebuilding  

Businesses can learn more about the NYC Small Business Opportunity Fund and resources available to help apply at SBSOpportunityFund.nyc or by calling 888-SBS-4NYC. 

Homeowners- Save Money on Your Water Bill: 

The amnesty program, authorized by the New York City Water Board, will only run for 90 days, from Jan. 30, 2023 to April 30, 2023. To receive amnesty and confirm eligibility, or for more information, customers should visit DEP’s water amnesty website or call (718) 595-7000.

Need Help with Utility Bills? There is a Credit Program for Low-Income Families

• Heating and Cooling Assistance (HEAP) 2022-2023: The HEAP season opened on November 1, 2022. More information including 2022-23 benefit amounts and eligibility requirements can be found here.
• For Heat-Related Emergencies: The Emergency HEAP Benefit opens on January 1, 2023. The Emergency HEAP Benefit provides assistance to those who are in a heat related emergency. More information including 2022-23 benefit amounts and eligibility requirements can be found here. 

4 NYCHA Campuses in CD18 are Eligible for Free Broadband

The Mayor’s Big Apple Connect Program with Altice is currently connecting Bronxites to broadband for free at Sonia Sotomayor Houses, Soundview Houses, Glebe Houses, and Monroe Houses. If you are currently living in one of these NYCHA developments make sure to take advantage of this opportunity!

For installation of a new account or conversion of an existing Optimum account residents should call 866.580.1410 (Monday – Saturday, 10am – 7pm ET), confirm their address at a participating NYCHA property, and then schedule an installation. Residents can also visit a nearby Optimum Store and speak with a representative.

• Bronx Times: After Historic 2021 Wins, City Council hopes to keep women-majority in '23
• Bronx Times Column: New Year, New Budget
• News12: Asylum Seekers Take Part in Three Kings Day Celebration 
• Streetsblog: Council Members Join Push For Six-Minute Transit Service And Free Buses
• News 12: Bronx Council Member Calls for Investment to Shorten Public Transportation Waiting Times
• NBC: Free NYC Buses? MTA Is Open to It, for Real. Here's the Issue