Community

Community News

 

  

School Meals for All

Free meals will be available daily for ALL New Yorkers in more than 400 Meal Hubs across the 5 boroughs!

🔹 Meal Hubs sites operate from 7:30AM-11:30AM for children and families and 11:30AM-1:30PM for adults
🔹 Vegetarian and halal options available at all sites
🔹 All adults and children can pick up three meals at one time
🔹 No one will be turned away
🔹 There is no registration or identification required

To find a location near you visit schools.nyc.gov/freemeals or text "NYC FOOD" to 877-877.

  

Our Regional Enrichment Centers (RECs) provide care for the children of essential workers who are NYC residents. If you think you qualify, please visit schools.nyc.gov/recs to learn more and apply.

 

Ensure your community is getting what it deserves. Filling out the #2020Census gets New Yorkers money for education, healthcare, transportation, housing, and more. Fill out the census today at my2020census.gov | #GetCountedNYC

  

You can get food today from New York City’s food pantries, which provide groceries you can cook at home, and community kitchens, which provide hot meals. Food pantries and community kitchens are located throughout the five boroughs. If you need food immediately, https://maps.nyc.gov/foodhelp/

  

As a result of the overflow of unemployment calls to the New York State Department of Labor, the agency has modified its intake process for individuals who need to call in. All new applicants will receive benefits retroactively, to the date of severance. There is no longer a waiting period. Please know that applications have increased by more than 1,000 percent. The governor has hired 300 DOL call center operators and the agency is focusing additional internal resources to help respond to the overwhelming demand.

  

This newsletter and social media are often the best places for frequent updates. For those not receiving these updates, I have created a one-pager of resources for Staten Islanders. If you know anyone who can use this, please, download a PDF here, print and distribute widely.  

  

“Feeding Our Frontline” provides grab & go meals to hospital staffs at Staten Island University Hospital and Richmond University Medical Center. You can contribute to these efforts. Also, please support our small-businesses! Here is a link to restaurants on Staten Island serving pickup and delivery. 

  

 2020 Parenting wisely flyer -ps 59.pdf 

 

The Virtual Pillowcase Project

Learn.Practice.Share.

The virtual Pillowcase Project is our signature youth disaster preparedness program designed for youth in grades 3–5 through a 40-minute interactive presentation. The program offers free education in personal and family preparedness for region-specific hazards. All attendees will receive instructions on how to design a pillowcase kit, starting with a regular pillowcase where students can use their creativity while home; how to build a personal preparedness kit; and a digital workbook filled with a variety of preparedness and safety resources.  

Click Here for Flyer:  2020 Pillowcase Project

 

 

Messages from Councilwomen Debi Rose Newsletter

 

  

Updates from the state

  • Schools and nonessential businesses will stay closed through May 15th.

  • Governor Cuomo issued executive orders 202.17 and 202.18 requiring all people in New York to wear masks or face coverings in public, including when taking public or private transportation or riding in for-hire vehicles.

  • Governor Cuomo announced a partnership with the federal government to double the testing capacity in New York State.

  • The State Department of Health has begun to conduct statewide antibody testing. Find more information and FAQs.

  • Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg announced a nation-leading COVID-19 contact tracing program being done in coordination with Connecticut and New Jersey.

  • Governor Cuomo announces financial and administrative relief for all New York State hospitals.

  • Elective outpatient treatment can resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge starting next week.

  • New Yorkers without health insurance can apply through NY State of Health through May 15, 2020; must apply within 60 days of losing coverage.

  • New Yorkers can call the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling.

  • Testing is free for all eligible New Yorkers as ordered by a health care provider.

 

Updates from City Hall
Parks: All public gatherings in NYC parks are canceled through June 30. NYC Parks is not accepting or reviewing event applications for special events or field/court Permits. To make it easier for New Yorkers to enjoy parks, NYC Parks has launched Parks@Home, a variety of online park tours, fitness classes and other activities. Those interested in gardening workshops and webinars can learn more about the virtual events being offered by the GreenThumb program. More updates online. 

Carbon Neutrality Innovation Challenge: This Earth Day the Department of Buildings announced the launch of the Carbon Neutrality Innovation Challenge, the agency’s first-ever competition to solicit ideas to increase energy efficiency among NYC’s buildings. As part of Mayor de Blasio’s historic Green New Deal, NYC plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. Innovative companies from the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Urban Tech Initiative will work directly with DOB to propose ideas to achieve this goal.

Sanitation: In the face of economic hardship, the New York City Department of Sanitation announced the suspension of the curbside composting program, beginning May 4. During the suspension, any food scraps and yard waste set out for composting will be collected as trash. The suspension is currently planned through June 30, 2021. Residents with brown bins should store their bins in a safe location for the duration of the suspension. DSNY also announced the indefinite suspension of appointments for curbside electronics collection, which had been halted due to the COVID-19 crisis. There are no changes to the Department’s other curbside collection programs, including trash and mandatory recycling. Residents should follow their normal schedule and place their material at the curb after 4 p.m. but before midnight the evening before their collection day. For further updates, residents should call 311, visit nyc.gov/sanitation

311: 311 is experiencing high call volume. Get information about city services and submit non-urgent requests by visiting NYC.gov/311, using the 311 mobile application, or by calling 311 after 7 p.m. or during the weekend.

Protecting Hard Hit Communities: The city is offering 11,000 free hotel rooms for people who need to quarantine. Hotel rooms will be offered based on referrals from H+H and community health providers, beginning next Wednesday, April 22.  These will be targeted in particular to people in overcrowded homes, especially multigenerational households, health care workers regardless of symptoms and New Yorkers experiencing homelessness
 
Report Social Distancing: This is a critical way you can help. It’s today’s “if you see something, say something.” Call 311 or visit nyc.gov/Coronavirus. By the middle of this week you’ll have the option to just submit a photo on the 311 app or 311 website.

For DACA Recipients: For help renewing your application call ActionNYC at 1-800-354-0365 (they city may even be able to help you out with the renewal fee).

Data: The city Health Department has added different breakdowns of the available data to its website. Please note, the numbers are constantly changing, and there is sometimes a lag. 

ST. GEORGE


Contact my office

To protect the health and safety of my staff, we are mostly telecommuting and will not be seeing walk-in constituents. We remain committed to serving our North Shore constituents.

You can connect to them by phone at our hotline, 718-249-8013. You can also reach out to my staff via email: