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Friday, April 19, 2024
Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use
STATE ASSEMBLYWOMAN JENIFER RAJKUMAR'S STATEMENT ON GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL'S CANNABIS ANNOUNCEMENT
This morning, Governor Hochul put her full support behind the provisions of my SMOKEOUT Act and committed to carrying out the closure of illegal smoke shops. After our discussions with her and her team this budget season, we came to an agreement on the importance of giving cities and municipalities across our State the power to shut down these shops on their own.
In December, I authored the SMOKEOUT Act because I knew it was the right policy for public safety and the health of our children. I was inspired to see so many everyday New Yorkers willing to stand up and speak out for the safety of our communities. I launched “Operation: SMOKEOUT” which took us across the City and blazed a path to this victory in Albany.
The people have spoken and Albany has listened. Now, it’s time to “smoke ‘em out!”
MAYOR ADAMS, SPEAKER ADAMS PROTECT OVER $500 MILLION IN KEY EDUCATION PROGRAMS PREVIOUSLY FUNDED WITH TEMPORARY STIMULUS DOLLARS, ANNOUNCE EFFORT TO BOOST EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ENROLLMENT
City Funds More Than $500 Million in Department of Education Programming Previously Supported with Temporary Stimulus Funds, Bolstering Mental Health Care, Career Readiness, and Literacy Support
$5 Million Effort Will Maximize Enrollment in 3-K and Pre-K Programs Across New York City
City Invests $25 Million for Pre-K Students with Special Needs
Adams Administration Adds $8 Million for Ongoing Implementations of MyCity Portal, Making it Easier for New Yorkers to Apply for Subsidized Child Care
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams today announced that, thanks to strong fiscal management, the city will make multiple new investments, including more than $500 million in city and state funding for educational programs for young New Yorkers in Mayor Adams’ Executive Budget next week. First, the city will protect $514 million — the majority of which will be baselined with recurring dollars — in New York City Department of Education (DOE) programs that were only previously supported with temporary stimulus dollars, including mental health care, career readiness, and literacy programs for New York City public school students in the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Executive Budget.
The Adams administration will also launch a $5 million outreach effort to maximize the number of children enrolled in 3-K and Pre-K programs across New York City. Additionally, the city will invest $25 million in funding to provide special education classes and related services within district schools to Pre-K students with special needs who would otherwise be on waiting lists at contracted providers. Finally, Mayor Adams announced the city will invest $8 million toward the MyCity portal, making it easier for any New Yorker to apply for subsidized child care and other city services.
“Nobody works harder than New York City parents and families, and we know that nothing holds them back more than the lack of access to child care and support for their kids. Our administration has invested in our children, increasing public school enrollment, boosting test scores, and revolutionizing how we are teaching kids to read, and today we’re delivering again for working-class families,” said Mayor Adams. “Thanks to our strong fiscal management, we are protecting $514 million in key education programs spanning mental health care, literacy, and career readiness. We’re also investing in our youngest New Yorkers by launching a $5 million outreach effort to boost early childhood education enrollment, putting $25 million to support Pre-K students with special needs, and ensuring families can easily apply for child care with through the MyCity portal. Today is a good day for New Yorkers, for all working-class families, and for our children. Our administration made the right fiscal decisions for our city, but we never compromised on delivering the essential services New Yorkers rely on.”
“Today’s joint announcement of over $500 million in funding to support educational programs at risk of ending due to expiring federal stimulus funds is an important step forward in the city budget process,” said Speaker Adams. “Our students, especially those who require critical support services, need continued access to the programs that can help them recover from historic pandemic-era learning losses. The Council has consistently called for funding commitments to these vital initiatives that were at risk, including in our Preliminary Budget response. We have also focused on ensuring access to early childhood education programs and improving outreach efforts so that working and middle-class families can benefit from them. We are encouraged by this significant step and look forward to our continued work with the administration and all stakeholders to deliver a budget that supports essential services for New Yorkers. Our city budget must adequately invest in the city’s children, working families, and their collective future for a healthy, safe, and successful New York.”
“The Adams administration is committed to investing in the building blocks for our community: accessible, equitable, and affordable education and child care, and more efficient ways to access services,” said First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. “The investments of over $500 million that we are announcing today demonstrate our ongoing commitments to our children and families. We will continue to refine our work to ensure we have the right resources in the right places for every New York city child and family to thrive.”
“The Adams administration believes that from the crib to career, government has a fundamental role in preparing our young people for success — and that starts with early childhood education,” said Deputy Mayor for Strategic Initiatives Ana J. Almanzar. “Today’s holistic, multi-million-dollar investment is part of an ongoing commitment from our city to make sure every student has the resources and tools to thrive. The old saying is true — it takes a village, or in our case, a city to raise a child. Together, New York City will raise our children to make sure they have everything they need to turn their dreams into a reality.”
“A strong educational foundation gives every child and young person the tools, resources, and supports they need to develop,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Today’s announcement maintains important early childhood education programs and investments from pre-K through high school, offers sustained support for youth mental health, and has a range of other investments to address specific needs of students. Additionally, many of these programs are part of proactive efforts and early interventions to provide support to children, young people, and families on their path to thrive.”
“We are thrilled and deeply grateful for the monumental $500 million in permanent funding to support programming for our youngest learners, our students with disabilities, our multilingual learners, our non-traditional students, our student athletes, and to support school safety efforts,” said DOE Chancellor David C. Banks. “This transformative investment is a significant step towards ensuring that New York City remains a viable, vibrant home for young families where our children get a bright start and a bold future.”
“Since its launch one year ago, MyCity has improved the lives of thousands of working-class families across New York City by providing them easier access to critical child care subsidies,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. “This significant investment re-affirms the Adams administration’s commitment to democratizing technology to make the city a better place to live and raise a family for all New Yorkers.”
Currently, New York City has tens of thousands of empty early childhood education seats that remain unfilled every day. The city’s $5 million outreach effort aims to maximize the number of children enrolled in child care, and by focusing on populations and neighborhoods with low enrollment rates, the administration will help ensure the promise that any child who needs an early childhood education seat can access one. Since taking office, the Adams administration has prioritized making accessible and affordable child care available to any parent who needs it, boosting the number of children enrolled in child care by nearly 36,000 — a 27 percent increase — and reduced the per child co-pay from an average of $55 per week to less than $5 per week.
By stabilizing the budget and fiscal outlook, the Adams administration has been able to invest city and state recurring dollars and protect 15 DOE programs that were supported under the last mayoral administration with expiring federal stimulus dollars. In the Executive Budget, the Adams administration will apply a combination of $514 million in city resources and recurring state funds, to backfill programs, including:
- Supporting the citywide 3-K expansion as it transitions from its original stimulus funding source ($92 million, FY25);
- Supporting nearly 500 social workers and psychologists who provide mental health supports in schools ($74 million, FY25+);
- Maintain funding for special education Pre-K providers to increase service hours, and resources for DOE-related services and evaluation teams ($56 million, FY25+);
- Funding for the 113 Community Schools that were supported with stimulus ($48 million, FY25+) and Program to Eliminate the Gap restoration that would have impacted 170 Community Schools ($8 million, FY25+);
- Pathways program that facilitates career pathways programs in high schools, offering apprenticeships, career-readiness, and access to college credits ($53 million, FY25+);
- Arts funding programming ($41 million, FY25);
- Funding for Learn to Work at transfer schools and Young Adult Borough Centers, which offer counselors and internships to at-risk adults and older youth at 66 sites ($31 million, FY25);
- The Public Schools Athletic League ($27 million, FY25+);
- Literacy and dyslexia programs and academic assessments for both English language arts, and math ($17 million, FY25+);
- Funding for coordinators for students in temporary housing in schools and shelters ($17 million, FY25+);
- Bilingual education funding for curriculum and assessment, teacher preparation and staffing, professional learning, and multilingual family and community engagement for 100 bilingual programs ($10 million, FY25+);
- Programming provided by community-based organizations through Project Pivot that provides enrichment, youth development, and violence interruption for roughly 250 schools ($15 million, FY25);
- Funding for six nonprofit affinity groups at nearly 170 schools that strive to prepare students for high school graduation, as well as for successful futures in a career or college ($10 million, FY25);
- Support for the New Visions Data Platform data portal that is used by hundreds of schools to track and show student achievement and attendance data ($9 million, FY25); and
- Translation and interpretation services for DOE students and families ($6 million FY25+).
The administration will also be expanding enrollment efforts with a $5 million investment to make sure that all New York City parents are aware of 3-K and Pre-K opportunities across the five boroughs so that the city can maximize the usage of these high-quality early childhood education programs that help children begin a lifelong journey of learning. These programs also help parents struggling with costly child care, and help working families achieve more earning power.
Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, the city has made significant investments and enacted policies to support working-class families and put money back into the pockets of New Yorkers by reducing the per child co-payment or out-of-pocket cost of subsidized child care for a family earning $55,000 a year from $55 a week in 2022 to just $4.80 a week today. The city has also reduced the co-payments all families pay for subsidized care, bringing the average co-payment per child to less than $220 per year, down from $1,500 annually in 2022. Additionally, the Adams administration successfully advocated to increase the income threshold for families to access subsidized care to the federal maximum, meaning over 230,000 more children may qualify for a child care subsidy.
The Adams administration has also boosted the number of children enrolled in child care, enrolling over 36,000 more children over the past two years, a 27 percent increase. Additionally, Mayor Adams released MyCity, a one-stop-shop portal where parents can easily apply for and track their applications for subsidized child care. In the first year since launching, 65 percent of all applications for child care subsidies were received online through MyCity.
Permits Filed For 1970 Crotona Avenue In Tremont, The Bronx
Permits have been filed for an eight-story residential building at 1970 Crotona Avenue in Tremont, The Bronx. Located between East 178th Street and East Tremont Avenue, the lot is near the West Farms Square-East Tremont Avenue subway station, serviced by the 2 and 5 trains. Paul Lumaj of Dedaj Construction Corp. is listed as the owner behind the applications.
The proposed 74-foot-tall development will yield 33,124 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 50 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 662 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a cellar, a 56-foot-long rear yard, 11 open parking spaces, and four enclosed parking spaces.
Badaly Architects is listed as the architect of record.
Demolition permits were filed in July 2023 for the two-story structure on the site. An estimated completion date has not been announced.
Housing Lottery Launches For 154 Lenox Road In Flatbush, Brooklyn
The affordable housing lottery has launched for 154 Lenox Road, an eight-story residential building in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Designed by BDF Design and developed by Promont NYC, the structure yields 37 residences. Available on NYC Housing Connect are 13 units for residents at 130 percent of the area median income (AMI), ranging in eligible income from $78,858 to $198,250.
Amenities include pet-friendly policies, a dog washing station, elevator, a garage with assigned parking spaces, bike storage lockers, gym, storage, and rooftop terrace. Residences come equipped with washers and dryers, hardwood floors, patios or balconies, and kitchens with name-brand appliances, countertops, and finishes. Tenants are responsible for electricity, which includes stove, heat, and hot water.
At 130 percent of the AMI, there are six one-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,300 for incomes ranging from $78,858 to $165,230, and seven two-bedrooms with a monthly rent of $2,700 for incomes ranging from $92,572 to $198,250.
Prospective renters must meet income and household size requirements to apply for these apartments. Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than May 7, 2024.
DEC Announces Start of Spring Turkey Seasons
Youth Turkey Hunt April 20-21; Regular Season Opens May 1
Turkey Hunting Opportunities for Youth Ages 12-15
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the Youth Turkey Hunting Season will take place on Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21, for junior hunters ages 12 to 15. The regular spring turkey season for all licensed turkey hunters opens May 1 in Upstate New York north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary and in Suffolk County on Long Island.
“Youth turkey hunting season provides an excellent opportunity for experienced adults to mentor young hunters to promote safe and ethical hunting practices, while enjoying time together outdoors and connecting with nature,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. "As hunters take to the field this spring to enjoy the many turkey hunting opportunities throughout New York State, DEC reminds everyone to hunt safe and hunt smart by following the guidelines to support hunter safety."
To participate in the youth turkey hunt, both the junior hunter and their adult mentor must have a hunting license and turkey permit. Each youth hunter can harvest one bearded bird during the two-day hunt. For eligibility requirements and more information, visit DEC’s website.
Overall, spring turkey harvest in New York averages approximately 16,000 to 18,000 birds but varies based on the number of participants and turkey productivity in the previous few springs. This spring, DEC expects improved turkey harvest compared to last year. Hunters prefer to take toms (two+ year-old birds), so typically there is a two-year lag between summer productivity and spring take. Overall, New York turkey populations are lower currently than in the early 2000s but are generally stable throughout the state.
Spring Turkey Harvest Data Dashboard
In both the spring and fall, DEC uses extensive hunter surveys to reliably estimate turkey harvest. Data from these surveys help biologists understand trends in populations around the state and are used to help guide management. DEC recently released a new interactive online dashboard for the public to explore historic spring turkey harvest. The dashboard allows hunters to select Wildlife Management Unit aggregates near where they hunt or where they are considering hunting to understand trends in turkey harvest success. For more information or to explore the data, visit DEC’s website.
Other Important Details for the Spring Turkey Season, May 1-31, 2024
- Hunting is permitted in most areas of the state, except for New York City and Nassau County.
- Hunters must have a turkey hunting permit in addition to a hunting license.
- Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day.
- Hunters may take two bearded turkeys during the spring season, but only one bird per day and no more than one bird per season in Wildlife Management Unit 1C (Suffolk County).
- Hunters may not use rifles or handguns firing a bullet. Hunters may hunt with a shotgun or handgun loaded with shot sizes no larger than No. 2 or smaller than No. 9, or with a bow or crossbow. Crossbows may not be used in Westchester or Suffolk counties.
- Successful hunters must fill out the tag that comes with a turkey permit and immediately attach it to any turkey harvested.
- Successful hunters must report harvests within seven days of taking a bird. Report harvests online at DEC's Game Harvest Reporting website or call 1-866-426-3778 (1-866 GAMERPT).
For more information about turkey hunting in New York, see the 2023-24 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or visit the Turkey Hunting pages of DEC's website.
Tips for a Successful and Safe Turkey Hunting Season
- Don't stalk. More than half of turkey hunting injuries happen when a hunter stalks another.
- Wear hunter orange when going in or out of the woods and when walking around.
- When sitting still waiting for a turkey, put hunter orange on a nearby tree.
- When calling, sit still with against a tree to break-up any silhouette.
- Wrap any takes or decoys in hunter orange.
- Never wear turkey colors – red, white, or blue.
- Always assume any call or footsteps are from another hunter. Don't shoot until the whole turkey can be observed and its sex identified.
- When encountering another hunter, speak clearly and don't move. Never wave or use a turkey call to alert another hunter.
- Turkeys are tough, and 30 yards or less is the best distance for a clear head or neck shot. Do not try to shoot turkeys in the body or while they are flying.
- Smaller shot, no. 4, 5, and 6, work better than larger shot, due to denser shot patterns. New shotshell technologies allow for shot sizes as small as 8 and 9 to be effective for turkeys. Do research and pattern shotguns to learn what works for each setup.
Buy Sporting Licenses Online
Sporting licenses may be purchased online at any time, and anglers may use privileges immediately by simply carrying a DEC ID# with them while afield. Anglers, hunters, and trappers may also use the HuntFishNY mobile app to display an electronic copy of a license. The HuntFishNY app is available for download through the Apple App or Google Play stores. If purchasing any type of hunting license, permit or privilege online or over the phone, allow up to 14 business days to receive back tag, carcass tags, and license via mail.
Sporting licenses can also be purchased in-person at over 1,100 License Issuing Agents (LIAs) throughout the state. LIAs will print license and tags immediately upon purchase. To locate a LIA, use the Vendor Locations search tool on the DEC’s sporting license sales website. For more information about sporting licenses, visit DEC’s website.
Earlier this year, DEC announced the transition to paper tags and sporting licenses for the 2024-25 license year that begins Aug. 1, 2024. The change to plain paper does not apply to the spring 2024 turkey season; please allow ample time to receive your backtag and carcass tags if buying a license online or over the phone.
Citizen Science Opportunity: DEC Seeks Turkey Hunters for Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey
Turkey hunters can record the number of ruffed grouse heard drumming while afield to help DEC track the distribution and abundance of this game bird. To get a survey form, visit DEC's website or call (518) 402-8883. To participate in DEC's Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey or other wildlife surveys, visit the Citizen Science page of DEC's website.
NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE'S STATEMENT ON THE REPORTED HOUSING DEAL IN THE STATE BUDGET
As the state budget nears final language and votes, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the following statement about the housing provisions in the reported deal, criticizing the weakened tenant protections and enhanced giveaways to landlords and developers.
"The details that have been publicly reported about the housing deal are concerning, and appear to show it is not the grand bargain or triumph that the governor is trying to present. It is not what tenants have spent years struggling for and suffering without. It isn’t Good Cause, or even ‘Just Okay’ Cause, it’s ‘Just ‘Cause I want to say I did something on housing.’
"Carving out massive exemptions and requiring municipalities to “opt-in” to receive the protections – maybe the governor just doesn’t want them in Buffalo – will leave tenants across the state with no protections at all. This is policy paid for by the real estate industry and promoted by allies like the governor. I appreciate the ongoing fight by tenants, legislators, and the leaders of each chamber to get the deal we deserve, and urge them to keep going. If the goal of the policy was to stop tenants and advocates from fighting for true housing justice, it has already failed – we will continue to push for better bills up to and after the budget vote until all New Yorkers are able to find and stay in their homes."
Comptroller Lander Unveils New Dashboard to Track Shelter Population, Eviction, Housing Vouchers, & More
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander launched a new dashboard, Charting Homelessness in NYC, which tracks New York City’s shelter population — broken down by family type, age, and race, factors leading to homelessness like eviction filings, and shelter exits with housing vouchers. The dashboard will automatically update at regular intervals.
“We urgently need to combat the homelessness crisis, and we have a much better chance of doing that effectively if we look clearly and consistently at the data,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Looking squarely at eviction trends can focus the City’s efforts to prevent evictions and keep people in their homes in the first place. And looking at what’s effective in helping people exit shelter keeps our eye on the goal of making sure that every New Yorker has a stable and affordable place to live.”
The dashboard tracks key metrics like:
Shelter Population:
- More than 120,000 individuals resided in City homeless shelters in February 2024, including asylum seekers and new arrivals.
- The current shelter population sharply rose by 167% over the past two years, as tens of thousands of migrants from across the world have arrived in New York City seeking asylum.
- Pandemic-era policies including eviction moratoria helped reduce the number of individuals in New York facing homelessness and living in shelters: In August 2021, there were 45,000 individuals in NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters, the lowest population in nearly ten years.
Evictions:
- Typical claims against renters in housing court for unpaid rent jumped from about $3,000 before March 2020 to more than $5,000 since July 2020. Renters who were unable to pay rent during the depths of the pandemic may account for this increase in back rent due.
- Tenants in the Bronx face the largest number of eviction filings by landlords in housing court. Over the past several years, Central Brooklyn had the largest concentration of marshal-executed evictions, but in the past year marshal-executed evictions are more concentrated in the Bronx.
- At its peak in September 2021, 73% of tenants facing eviction had legal representation, but the rate has declined to 38% of tenants with representation, as of January 2024.
Shelter Exits:
- Data showed the City helped 11% more people exit shelters through vouchers and other programs each month this fiscal year compared to last year.
- Twenty-five percent more people are leaving shelter with CityFHEPS vouchers in FY 2024 compared to last fiscal year. Over the last few years, the City expanded eligibility criteria to more single adult households and increased payment standards to match the rent amounts used in the Federal Section 8 voucher payments. These reforms expanded the scope and expense of the CityFHEPs program, making it easier for some households to find apartments. Although the City failed to adequately budget for these cost increases, housing vouchers remain a cost effective way to provide housing. To rapidly rehouse families currently living in shelter, the State should expand vouchers through the passage of HAVP.
- However, the number of individuals who moved from shelters into NYCHA housing is at its lowest level in a decade, an 80% drop in monthly exits since FY 2015.
In August 2021 there were 45,000 individuals in DHS shelters, the lowest daily population in nearly ten years, but then the pandemic-era eviction moratorium came to an end and eviction filings resumed. At the same time, New York City began to receive tens of thousands of new asylum seekers in the summer of 2022, many of whom have sought refuge in City shelters. The combination of these factors caused the shelter population to balloon over the past two years, with the City providing some form of shelter and services to over 120,000 individuals each night.
With the end of eviction moratoria and a shrinking supply of affordable homes, data show renters are now facing the economic costs of the pandemic. The new data dashboard allows for detailed monitoring of cases filed against tenants in housing court to track these changes.
The Office of the New York City Comptroller developed this dashboard to help New Yorkers track homelessness trends and to monitor the City’s efforts to help more residents move out of shelter into stable housing. The City needs many solutions to help every New Yorker have a safe, stable, and decent place to live. Last summer, the Comptroller’s office published an audit review of pathways in and out of shelter as well as a policy report on Housing First, which recommends various approaches to reduce street homelessness.
View the new dashboard Charting Homelessness in NYC here.