Preview - NYC Community Affairs Unit Update 11.21.2022

Dear New Yorker,

Over the last week, CAU distributed turkeys alongside our community partners throughout the five boroughs. We greatly appreciate those who came out to help with the distributions as well as those who donated items for the community. Wishing all New Yorkers a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

New York City has recently been experiencing very cold weather. Please remember to check on family, friends, and neighbors to make sure they have heat. Never use a stove or oven to heat your home – call 311 if you do not have heat or hot water. If you are using a space heater to stay warm, plug your heater directly into the wall – never use an extension cord with a space heater. Please see here for more information.

For the latest updates, please follow CAU on Twitter and Facebook, and be sure to check out the Mayor’s ‘Week In Review’ video below!

All the best,

Fred Kreizman

Commissioner, Community Affairs Unit

Key Updates:

Winter is coming and Con Edison and National Grid have reported the potential for increased heating bills due to geopolitical events and supply constraints. If you are struggling to pay a heating bill, you may be eligible for these resources:

Con Ed’s Energy Affordability Program (online or on paper in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, or Korean)

Nat Grid’s Energy Affordability Program online or on paper

The OTDA HEAP website or call 1-800-342-3009.

Nat Grid’s consumer advocates. Call 1-718-643-4050 or email ConsumerAdvocatesNYC@nationalgrid.com

If your utilities are shut off or are about to be shut off, or you have a 72-hour disconnect notice, you may be eligible for Emergency Temporary Assistance and payment of past-due bills. Visit OTDA, NYS myBenefits, or HRA.

New to, or interested in, contracting with the City of New York? Check out this new resource by the Mayor's Office of Contract Services: Your Path to Contracting with the City!

Your Path to Contracting with the City is a visual representation of a vendor's typical roadmap to contracting with the City of New York. Clicking the image will take you to a new resource page with information and links to select learning resources.

Get Your Updated COVID-19 Booster and Flu Shot Today!

Flu shots — available for age 6 months and older — and the new COVID-19 vaccine booster
— available for age 5 and older — are recommended right now. You should get the new
COVID-19 booster, designed to protect against the new omicron subvariants, if you received
your most recent COVID-19 vaccine dose at least two months ago.

Can I get the new COVID-19 booster at the same time as my flu shot?
Yes. You can get them at the same time or separately.
Can I get the new COVID-19 booster if I recently had COVID-19?
Yes, but consider waiting three months after you had COVID-19. You may want to get your
booster sooner if you or a loved one are at higher risk of exposure to or severe illness

from COVID-19. Talk to your health care provider if you have questions, or call 311 if
you do not have a provider.
Which COVID-19 booster should I get?
You can get the updated Pfizer booster (if you are age 5 or older) or updated
Moderna booster (if you are age 6 or older), regardless of the brand you
To find a vaccination site, visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692).

For more information, visit nyc.gov/health/covidvaccine or nyc.gov/health/flu

The NYC Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) is conducting a citywide Community Needs Assessment (CNA), to hear from New Yorkers about their highest priority needs and priorities for their communities. This data helps inform how DYCD directs funding, designs its programs, assesses program success, and gain insight as to where we need to improve our policies or practices. We would love to encourage all members of your organization to a) complete our online CNA survey for themselves, as well as b) strongly encourage their family members, neighbors, friends, colleagues, and clients to complete the survey – the more voices the better, like voting. The survey takes under 10 minutes to complete, and any NYC resident (ages 14+) is eligible to participate. Here is an electronic link to the survey. Thanks in advance for helping us spread the word!

To facilitate additional participation beyond the electronic link, we have also printed surveys in 12 languages.

We Need You! Now Hiring Emergency Snow Laborers 2022-2023 Season

The New York City Department of Sanitation has announced that registration is now open for those interested in working as Emergency Snow Laborers for the 2022-2023 winter season. Emergency Snow Laborers are per-diem workers who remove snow and ice from bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants and step streets after heavy snowfalls. Snow Laborers earn $17 per hour to start, and $25.50 per hour after 40 hours are worked in a week.

Snow laborers must be at least 18 years of age, be eligible to work in the United States, and capable of performing heavy physical labor. Additionally, candidates must be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. All applicants must bring the following items at the time of registration:

Two small photos (1 ½ square)
Original and copy of two forms of identification
Social Security card
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination

Those interested in becoming a Snow Laborer must register for an application appointment at nyc.gov/snow. Registration appointments take place at the Department’s 59 garages. Applicants should not attend the appointment if they have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Do you need health insurance?
Do you need coverage you can afford?
Do you need help signing up for a new or different plan?

Now is the time to speak with a GetCoveredNYC Specialist to find out more about your health insurance coverage options http://nyc.gov/getcoverednyc

In case you missed it:

CAU and @NYCImmigrants Deputy Commissioners meet with the First Lady of Gambia and community leaders for a tour of @NYCHealthSystem Lincoln Hospital #intheBronx pic.twitter.com/uutCmi8ICw

— Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit (@mayorsCAU) November 8, 2022

Happy to be out in #Queens for a #Thanksgiving giveaway! 🦃
Thank you to Jmart and New World Mall for sponsoring the turkeys to local CBOs! Thank you also to @QnsBPRichards and @CMSandraUng for coming out and participating! pic.twitter.com/WeO6mzcfLo

— Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit (@mayorsCAU) November 18, 2022

#TransDayOfRemembrance is a day to honor the too many lives lost to anti-transgender hate violence and bigotry.
As we join @GAGnoguns vigil for #TDoR2022, the City of New York also mourns with the #ColoradoSprings #LGBTQ community and demands action against #gunviolence. pic.twitter.com/KwvQ2zkj7m

— Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit (@mayorsCAU) November 20, 2022

Highlights From the City Hall Press Office:

Mayor Adams Signed Legislation to Fight Rats: Mayor Adams signed four pieces of legislation to fight rats and build a cleaner city. The legislation will create rat mitigation zones to build on successful mitigation efforts, codify Mayor Adams’ announcement to drastically reduce the time that trash sits on city curbs, and reduce rats in construction areas and other buildings with large rodent infestations. Taken together, these bills will reduce rats across New York City and build a cleaner and more welcoming city for all New Yorkers.

Mayor Adams Unveiled Vision for Willets Point: Through a new partnership with 2021 Major League Soccer Cup champions New York City Football Club and Queens Development Group — a joint venture of Related Companies and Sterling Equities — Willets Point will be anchored by 2,500 new affordable homes, the largest 100-percent affordable, new construction housing project in New York City in 40 years, which will be constructed on an accelerated timeline. Mayor Adams’ plan will also bring New York City’s first soccer-specific stadium to Willets Point along with over 40,000 square feet of public open space, a 250-key hotel and neighborhood-serving, ground-floor retail shops that will create good-paying jobs for community residents.

Mayor Adams Announced Housing Reforms: Mayor Adams announced a package of major new housing reforms that will help New Yorkers exit the shelter system – or avoid it entirely – and move more quickly into permanent affordable housing, including in higher-income neighborhoods that have long been out of reach for lower income families. The reforms include significant improvements to the City Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) housing voucher program that will ensure more New Yorkers are eligible for the program and make the voucher more flexible and easier to use; a groundbreaking pilot program – "Street to Housing" – that will place New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness directly into supportive housing; and a major expansion of the city's housing mobility program, which helps families with federal housing vouchers access apartments in more neighborhoods across the five boroughs.

Additional Resources:

Food Help NYC: Free food locations including food pantries & soup kitchens.

NYC Well: Free, confidential mental health support in more than 200 languages, 24/7/365. Call 888-NYC-WELL or text “WELL” to 65173.

Mental Health For All: A comprehensive hub with helplines and services that offer a range of free, direct support to meet the needs of all New Yorkers.

Buildings After Hours: Free in-person information session with DOB staff every Tuesday from 4 PM to 7 PM at your local borough office.

Notify NYC: Enroll for free in New York City’s dedicated emergency public communications program.

311: Non-emergency municipal services available online, by texting 311-692, or by calling 3-1-1 from within the City or 212-NEW-YORK outside the five boroughs. TTY service is also available by dialing 212-504-4115.

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Mayor's Office--Community Affairs
253 Broadway 9th Fl
New York, NY 10007
United States

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