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  • Writer's pictureEpiscopal Charities
    • Aug 30
    • 9 min read

Weekly Resource Round-Up: August 30, 2024

This Week's Resources



If you have resources to share with our network, please contact Tobi Mojeed-Balogun our Associate Director of Programs Support.


Migrant Services Coordination Summit


Summit for Faith & Community Migrant Providers and Advocates on September 17th. This event will provide an opportunity for grassroots groups who serve asylum seekers to gather in one place to connect with experts, strategize around unmet needs and share resources in anticipation of the winter months. Plan to join us on September 17th from 5:30-8:00 PM.


To register or learn more, please visit this link.


East Village Neighbors Who Care Resource Map


East Village Neighbors Who Care is a community organization based in the city that has been serving migrants/newcomers and has completed a resource map:


  1. The Map itself

  2. The map is now taking submissions, so that you can add your resources to the map. Submit via this form here

  3. The Map has a corresponding Google Drive with translated versions of many of the resources, linked here

  4. This map serves dual purpose: 1) for asylum seekers to use to find the resources they need and 2) for those serving asylum seekers to direct people to appropriate services. If that sort of outreach model works for your site, add your information. 


Mayor Adams Launches “Money in Your Pocket” Initiative Across More Than 20 Neighborhoods to Help Deliver Benefits Directly to New Yorkers, Make New York City More Affordable (NYC Office of the Mayor)


"NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today launched a citywide “Money in Your Pocket” initiative to help New Yorkers screen for or learn about more than 70 city, state, and federal programs that can make life in New York City more affordable. The New York City Public Engagement Unit (PEU) trained hundreds of staff from across city government and The City University of New York students, who will begin to visit more than 20 underserved neighborhoods and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) buildings, starting today and continuing on a weekly basis, to help thousands of New Yorkers find out which benefits they may be eligible to receive.

 To help New Yorkers easily view and understand programs they may be eligible for, Mayor Adams today also released a “Money in Your Pocket Guide,” which directly links to eligibility requirements and relevant applications over 40 of the benefits. Since taking office, the Adams administration has helped New Yorkers save more than $30 billion through launching, administering, and helping New Yorkers take advantage of programs across all levels of government from Big Apple Connect to Fair Fares to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and more." Read more here.


'Stability and leadership' allow focus on kids: Q&A with new Yonkers superintendent Soler (lohud.)


"Anibal Soler, Jr. became superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools on May 1 and is about to open his first school year as the leader of New York's third-largest school system with almost 23,000 students in grades K to 12.

Soler, 47, grew up in Rochester, where he launched a fast-rising career in education, serving as an art teacher, technology teacher, academy director and principal of the city's largest high school over 16 years. He moved to Buffalo as a principal for two years and associate superintendent for one and a half. Soler then became a superintendent — of Batavia schools for a year and a half and in Schenectady for almost three years — before coming to Yonkers..." Read more here.


Immigrant learners struggle to find English classes as NYC funding lapses (Chalkbeat)


"When 28-year-old Lilybet Barcenas first moved to New York City a year and four months ago, she didn’t know many fluent English speakers who could help her master the language. As she attempted to navigate the city, conversations often became complicated and confusing compared to what she had been used to as a furniture salesperson in her native Mexico.

Her English only began to improve, she said, when she started attending free English for Speakers of Other Languages, or ESOL, classes near her Woodside apartment at a local nonprofit, where she became quick friends with other newcomers who were also studying English four days a week.

“We all put in a lot of effort in learning English,” Barcenas told THE CITY in Spanish, speaking of her classes at Sunnyside Community Services. Like herself, she said, many of her classmates had hoped that improving their English would help boost their job prospects: “I’ve never met anyone that went to the classes just for the sake of going.”

That ESOL program is now suspended along with those at several other city-funded learning centers, including Queens Community House and CAMBA." Read more here.


Poughkeepsie’s proposed zoning reform seeks adaptability, more housing options (Times Union)


"POUGHKEEPSIE — The city is nearing completion of a major zoning overhaul that officials believe will make enforcing regulations easier, commercial and residential development more intuitive and Poughkeepsie more adaptable.

“It is going to allow for development in all the areas and ways that we need,” city Administrator Joe Donat said of the zoning proposal during an interview with the Times Union in July about his priorities for the city.

Overall, officials hope zoning changes can relieve traffic congestion, protect more rural areas, preserve historic buildings, eliminate blight and, frankly, make the city more aesthetically pleasing. They also want to ensure that new regulations facilitate smart growth and flexibility in the development and use of both land and buildings." Read more here.


How Charities With Thrift Shops Can Get Better Quality Donations (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)


"Telling donors that their neighbors have provided high-quality furniture, clothing and other goods can cut the number of worthless items charities receive in half.

That’s what my colleagues Sindy De La Torre Pacheco, Mahyar Eftekhar and I found when we partnered with the Phoenix chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a charity that helps low-income people, for an experiment." Read more here.


Our Most Sought-After Advice (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)


"Even if you’re not heading back to school, this time of the year may inspire you to focus on your professional education. Start by catching up on some of the most popular Chronicle advice articles of 2024. You’ll get tips on grant seeking, communications, fundraising, and more.

Dig in to understand how “philanthropy-speak” can alienate donors, and which words are the biggest offenders. Plus, you’ll find key fundraising and grant-seeking insights, including how to increase your chances of getting general operating grants; how to inspire board members to raise money; ways to ensure your fundraising won’t diminish donors’ trust; and how to unlock gifts from supporters who hold donor-advised funds." Read more here.


Religion is America’s mighty engine of charitable goodness (Boston Globe)


"In a heartwarming photo essay on the Globe’s front page, my colleague Stan Grossfeld wrote about the angels in long dresses and bonnets who came to Monica Hampton’s ravaged home in Brookfield, Vt., bearing hope, hammers, and sheets of drywall.

The eight women in their 20s are members of a horse-and-buggy Mennonite community in Pennsylvania that eschews many elements of 21st-century life — no cellphones, no television, no air travel, no college. By design, their rigorous lifestyle separates them from modern social culture. At the same time, their Christian faith instills in them a deep commitment to serve others in love. Which is why these modest women, volunteers with the Mennonite Disaster Service, willingly gave up their summer vacation and traveled to Vermont to help Hampton and her family, whose lives were upended by disasters: After a fire destroyed their home in January 2023, floods ruined most of what was left.

“Then all of a sudden, the Mennonite Disaster [Service] came out, and they said, ‘We’ll help you get along,’” Hampton told Grossfeld. “I thought, maybe we’ll get a couple of hours … but they’re still here.” The women — who declined to give their names because, as one said, “We’re not here for fame” — hang drywall, paint, and install insulation. And they do it with the joy that comes from the conviction that God smiles on their selflessness and hard work." Read more here.


Mid-Hudson Valley Community Profiles Website (CGR)


"The Mid-Hudson Valley regional profile provides a wealth of information at your fingertips to help inform decision-making and planning in order to drive positive community change for the seven-county region as a whole.

This web tool includes 59 separate indicators that provide insight into the trends of our community over time. Together, the collection of community indicators tells the story about where we are as a community and the direction in which we are heading.

In recent years, this project has expanded to cover additional counties (Columbia, Greene, Putnam and Sullivan) and added indicators, including data on drug-related deaths that show the spike in opioid abuse, food insecurity and the share of our residents who are foreign-born."



Map the Meal Gap 2024 Report (Feeding America)


"May 15, 2024

The extra amount of money that people facing hunger said they need to have enough food reached its highest point in the last 20 years, according to Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study. People facing hunger said they need an additional $24.73 per week in 2022, a 9.5% increase after adjusting for increased prices. Nationally, the amount needed among all 44 million people facing hunger in 2022 hit a record high of $33.1 billion, up nearly 43%. This increase suggests that rising prices, especially food prices, likely contributed in part to the increase in need.

Map the Meal Gap is the only study that provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district in the U.S. The study builds upon the USDA’s latest report of national and state data, which showed a sharp increase in food insecurity in 2022 amidst historically high food prices and the expiration of many pandemic-era programs. Map the Meal Gap emphasizes the urgent call for all of us to take action." Read more here.



NYS COVID and MonkeyPox Updates (Plus Info about the Flu, RSV, and Norovirus)


A lot of the news around mandates, vaccines and restrictions have been a little confusing so I will list some resources below that might help.


  • NYC COVID cases up 250% in 2 months — and this variant's harder to duck (Gothamist) - Link Here

  • NYS Department of Health COVID website - It's a one stop shop with an info summary at the top. Link here.

  • NYC Department of Health Monkeypox Webpage - lots of information and resources about the virus with pictures of the rash included. Find the link here.

  • COVID vs Flu vs RSV info - I found a good article from the Washington post that gives information about three viruses that have been spiking this winter. Read the article here.

  • COVID is back in NY. What to know about schools, nursing homes and more (lohud.) - link here

  • How to Keep Tabs on COVID Through Wastewater Testing in NYC (The City) - link here


Safe Church Training


Safe Church is handled by the Diocesan Human Resources Department which can be reached at safechurchinfo@dioceseny.org. You can also call 917 414 0156.



Documented's Mental Health Resources for Immigrants in New York


"A list of organizations that provide free or low-cost mental health care services to immigrants in New York

It can be overwhelming to find mental health care services, so Documented compiled a list of organizations and groups that offer low cost options, accept Medicaid, or render free services to individuals who are seeking counseling.

Most of these locations provide services in English and Spanish. We recommend reaching out to the location for more information, as some of the prices for services given are based on the level of income. For emergencies always call 911.


You can also contact NYC Well for free, confidential crisis counseling, mental health, and substance misuse support, information, and referral. You can reach the toll-free helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone, text and online chat. Mental health professionals there can link you to the services you need. Phone: 888-692-9355 | (Espanol): 888-692-9355"



Documented's Immigrant Resources and Job/Housing Discrimination Guides


"Documented has gathered all of the resources we can find to help immigrant New Yorkers. New links will be added and the following pages will be constantly updated. If you would like us to add information to this list or have questions, please reach out to us at info@documentedny.com."



"The New York City Human Rights Law is one of the most comprehensive anti-discrimination laws in the country, prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on race, color, religion/creed, age, national origin, immigration or citizenship status, gender (including sexual harassment), gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, military service, marital status and partnership status. As a newsroom that serves immigrant communities, Documented has written a comprehensive guide for immigrants."




Hudson Link Employer Toolkit


Our friends at Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison put together an employer toolkit for hiring formerly incarcerated people. Thank you to Sean Pica, Eldredge Blalock, Elisabeth Santiago, and the rest of the team at Hudson Link for this important resource. The toolkit can be found here. If you have any questions about hiring formerly incarcerated people, please contact Elisabeth Santiago from Hudson Link's Alumni Services at esantiago@hudsonlink.org.




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That's all for this week -- thanks for all you do!


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