The Advocate Bulletin - August 11, 2022

 

A Message from the Public Advocate

Friends and fellow New Yorkers,

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fractures and fragilities in many of our systems, with devastating consequences for our physical health and the health of our city. It is our responsibility, as we continue to fight for recovery against waves of the virus, to learn the lessons of the pandemic’s peak rather than repeat the errors made on all levels of government. 

Now, in many areas, we are being tested on our ability to have learned those lessons. With MPV, or monkeypox, cases rising and with both information and vaccination in scarcity, it is clear that we have not fully learned our lessons on how to best protect public health, and need to act quickly to get New Yorkers informed and protected. With job vacancies in city positions at historic highs, it is clear we have not fully learned the lessons of the new economic reality, where hybrid and remote work options will be essential to adapt and compete. With rents and evictions skyrocketing, we have not fully learned the importance of securing safe, truly affordable housing. With a court battle over school funding, we have yet to learn our lesson on the need to deeply invest in, prioritize, and protect high-quality public education.

The pandemic has brought so much loss to our city – loss of life, livelihood, and ways of living. In that loss there are lessons about what has not worked for so long, and what can work moving forward. We have to learn these lessons, or we will continue to fail New Yorkers when tested. 

In Advocacy,

Jumaane

A Plan To End Homelessness

With the homelessness crisis in the city continuing to worsen, and as rents skyrocket alongside a rising tide of eviction cases, the Public Advocate and a committee of advocates and affected individuals released a plan to end homelessness as we know it in New York City by 2026.

The report reimagines the New York City budget with the aim of transforming the current housing and shelter administrative agencies into a system that provides housing for all; describes a supportive, humane, and safe shelter system for people in crisis; and details a blueprint for transitioning away from a system focused on temporary housing towards a system that offers permanent housing solutions for all New Yorkers. 

Read The Plan to End Homelessness

Protecting Maternal Health

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Today, the City Council voted to pass a key piece of legislation in the Public Advocate’s Maternal Health package. The bill will establish a maternal health bill of rights and ensure that pregnant individuals are informed of those rights through a public education campaign. Read more about the bill.

Information is essential to bodily autonomy and empowering people to seek the care they deserve, and being informed of one’s rights gives power to pregnant individuals as patients and as employees. The Public Advocate introduced this legislation in 2020, and since that time, like so many others across New York, his own family experienced a difficult maternal health journey before the birth of his daughter in February.

Even as our city faces daunting challenges, we can still celebrate our heritage and uplift our communities. Bronx Borough Advocate Socrates Solano recently helped commemorate the 33rd Annual Bronx Dominican Day Parade. Keep reading to learn how you can join us for the National Dominican Day Parade in Manhattan this Sunday.  Initiatives Round-up August 14, 10:30 AM - March with the Public Advocate at the National Dominican Day Parade! Participants will meet at 1369 Broadway, New York, NY 10018. Register to march in the National Dominican Day Parade and to celebrate Dominican heritage with our team!