Dear Constituents,

Thank you for taking the time to tune into this week’s newsletter as we provide updates for our wonderful district. It is my hope that you will share this information with your neighbors and friends. As always, we welcome your input in all our affairs, as we are here to serve you. 

- Senator Roxanne J. Persaud

Quote of the Week

"The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give."

– Mary McLeod Bethune

Did you know that November 13-21 is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week in the State of New York?

This vital initiative week focuses on giving and caring the week before Thanksgiving, and the observance serves as a reminder that hunger and homelessness do not stop for the holidays but continue all year long.

In the United States, 43.1 million citizens are living below the poverty line, one in five of those being children; circumstantially, just over half a million people have nowhere to sleep at night.

Senator Persaud sponsored Senate Reso. J839 to continue to create awareness of these grave concerns, as it is essential to eliminate them and to increase the public awareness of the extent to which they exist.

Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) which provides rental assistance for landlords whose tenants are unwilling to apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), including where the tenant has left the rental property.

For more information see here. To apply, see here.

If you plan to apply for ERAP, but have not done so already, there are a number of ERAP Enroller Organizations across all five Boroughs that can assist you with the application process.  If you live in Brooklyn, you can contact any of these organizations:

• Good Shepherd Services
• Black Veterans for Social Justice, Inc.
  
• Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
• RiseBoro Community Partnership

Please note that because ERAP is administered by New York State OTDA, NYC Human Resources Administration clients and other NYC residents may not apply for ERAP via HRA HomeBase or AccessHRA. Applications must be submitted to OTDA.

For more information contact the OTDA ERAP Hotline: (844) NY1 - RENT or (844) 691-7368 or visit www.otda.ny.gov/ERAP 

For NYCHA residents who meet the eligibility requirements, the State may pay up to 12 months of a resident’s unpaid rent accrued on or after March 13, 2020. The State of New York will make the final determination as to whether residents are eligible for ERAP once an application has been submitted. Funds are limited and subject to program eligibility, so residents should act soon! 

NYCHA residents who have not yet applied for ERAP can provide NYCHA with consent to apply on their behalf via the Authority’s Self-Service Portal (see detailed instructions below). Residents who need assistance with completing the consent form on the Self-Service Portal can contact their property management office. 

More information about ERAP, including eligibility requirements, is available at otda.ny.gov/ERAP or by calling the ERAP hotline at 1-844-691-7368.  

Click here for more detailed instructions on how NYCHA residents can apply for ERAP.  

Child care providers should visit the OCFS website to ascertain eligibility and details about the application process.  Per OCFS: the deadline for stabilization grant application submission is Tuesday November 30, 2021 at 11:59 PM. Any applications received after the deadline will not be reviewed. Applicants can call the OCFS Stabilization Grant Help Line - (844) 863-9319 with any questions.

UPDATE ON P-EBT:

If your household has eligible students attending covered educational institutions and you have not yet begun to receive PEBT benefits, you can check the status of payments here.  Note that payments are being processed in groups by an eligible student’s specific school.  Households with eligible children attending more than one school may not start to receive each child’s respective benefits concurrently. 

Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits are currently being transferred to households of eligible enrolled students receiving free school lunches as part of the National School Lunch Program.  While P-EBT is not the same as SNAP, funds can only be used for purchases of SNAP-approved food items. P-EBT is a federal benefit being administered by the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), not by local social services district offices such as NYC HRA. If you have questions about eligibility, benefit levels, obtaining or replacing an EBT or P-EBT card, etc., read the OTDA FAQ here.  If the OTDA guidance does not answer your specific question, call the P-EBT Helpline at 1-(833)452-0096 or submit your question online.

The Sisters With Purpose Organization will be having an open food pantry this Saturday, 11/13 from 9-10am at the Brooklyn Sports Club, located at 1540 Van Siclen Avenue. Please view the flyer above for additional details.

Other Food Resources

-If you or someone you know qualifies, you may apply for SNAP (food stamps), Cash Assistance, and Medicaid renewal all at the same time here.

-To find the nearest food pantries and community kitchens, call the Emergency Food Hotline at 866-888-8777.

-WIC2Go is a mobile app for New York State WIC recipients. For more information on WIC support, please visit their site or call 844-540-3031.

-For seniors aged 60+ NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA)  provides home delivered meals. You can access them online or call 311 for support, you also can call 212-244-6469 to see if you qualify direct delivery.

-If you are not currently receiving any food benefit (such as Meals on Wheels or SNAP), are unable to get to a grocery store, and do not have anyone to help you, you may qualify for NYC Food Delivery Assistance.

-CityHarvest offers free food every other week across NYC, you can find a location near you here.

-For those looking for ways to donate food, cash, or supplies to those in need please find information here about ways you can help New Yorkers affected by COVID-19.

Effective Monday, November 8, 2021, all hospital visitors are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of their visit.

Visit: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/

COVID-19 cases are on the rise. NYC Test & Trace continues to operate multiple WALK-IN testing sites throughout Brooklyn including:

1) A mobile testing truck at the corner of Glenwood Road & East 100th Street open 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., 7 days per week.

2) 1279 Pennsylvania Avenue (Starrett City), open from 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., 7 days per week.

Both sites offer PCR and rapid tests.

For more information visit: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/covid-19-testing-sites/

COVID-19 Vaccine Buses in NYC

To better meet New Yorkers where they live, work, go to school, and play, NYC has deployed temporary, roaming vaccination sites across the City. There are two versions of these temporary sites: mobile and pop-up.

Appointments are not required, but you can book an appointment at many of these sites in advance online or by calling 877-VAX-4NYC.

COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline

NY Project Hope has launched a New York’s COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline. They can be reached at 1-844-863-9314.

For more information, visit their site here. 

On Tuesday, 11/9, Senator Persaud and staffer Christine Delius represented the SD19 office at the ERAP pop up event hosted by Good Shepherd Services at the Prince Joshua Avitto Community Center on Schenck Ave in Brooklyn.

This event had a great turn out as I stopped by later to visit and was informed it was the largest turn out to date at the pop up events run by Good Shepherd!

Many constituents were able to apply, get status updates on current applications, and upload documents needed to complete applications.

Attendees also received back packs, hand sanitizer, and information with upcoming events and resources from our office.

Senator would like to say thank you to the Good Shepherd team for a successful event to help our constituents!

On Tuesday, 11/9, Senator Persaud  and staff attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Lew Fidler Park on Brigham St &, Emmons Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235. Councilman Lew Fidler was dedicated to parks across his district and beyond.

On Sunday, 11/7, Senator Persaud and staff joined many community residents for an enjoyable day in Marine Park honoring Veterans at the First Annual Veterans Appreciation day celebration.

After the event in Marine Park, there was lunch hosted at Nick's Lobster compliments of the restaurant. Nick's caters lunch for Veterans annually as one of their many contributions to the community.
Desert was a delicious cake compliments of Josephine & Sal of Palermo Pastry Shop (Ave N).
This event was organized by Assemblymember Jaime Williams in partnership with Millennium Development , Marine Park Alliance, Sue Ann Partnow- Community Board 18, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and others. 

Today's celebration was dedicated to our friend Anthony Testaverde also a veteran who was a tireless and dedicated advocate for his fellow Veterans. Anthony passed away a few months ago and his family was in attendance.
Senator would like to thank  the Aspromante family for their dedication and for working to ensure this event occurred.

Let us continue to honor and thank our Veterans for their service.
#SD19
#AD59
#VETERANS

Visit Senator Persaud's Facebook page to see more photos from SD19 events. 

The New York State Liberty Medal is the highest civilian honor that can be bestowed by a Member of the New York State Senate upon a resident of New York State. Liberty Medals are adopted by resolution and remain on file in the Secretary of the Senate’s office.  For more information, click here.

The NYS Senate Commendation Award recognizes exceptional people who
have made a lasting contribution to their community.  For more information, click here.

The NYS Senate Empire Award recognizes excellence in business in Senate District 19. For more information, click here.

Residential Weatherization Program:

National Grid is partnering with Ascend Long Island on their residential weatherization program, the Total Home Comfort Program (THCP).

Apply at : www.Ascendli.com

Attention Small Business Owners:

Many New York Small Business District Centers (NYSBDCs) are hosting webinars to help small business owners across the state recover and re-build their businesses. These are free and registration is open to anyone statewide. Click here for more information and/or sign up. 

Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is hosting workshops on how you may qualify for the New York State Small Business Recovery Grant Program. 

If you or someone you know may be interested in attending these workshops, click here to RSVP.

Brooklyn EXCELerate Loan Fund

Visit the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce site to find out more and how to apply. 

More and more places are requiring proof that you’ve had a COVID-19 vaccine or have recently tested negative before giving you access.

Scammers see this as an opportunity to profit by selling fake verification tools or products, like fake vaccination cards, certificates, and test results.

However doing so could get you fined, or even jailed! 

For more information, see here.

Community Resources

Click the button under each graphic for more information.

Senator Persaud would like to hear from you! Press the button to leave any and all inquiries/suggestions you may have. 

Community Conversations, Workshops & Town Halls

Senator Persaud continues to host timely informational workshops and townhall discussions on various topics of importance to constituents. If you haven't had a chance to participate or watch on Facebook Live, the archived recordings are still available as a resource to you. View via Facebook or nysenate.gov.

As your State Senator in the 19th Senatorial District: Senator Persaud proudly serves constituents in the communities of  Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill and Starrett City.

For more information, click the logos below for Senator Persaud's official website, Facebook or Twitter.