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How the owners of the Stonewall Inn prep for Pride
June is Pride Month in New York City, and no one is probably more aware of that than the owners of the bar where the first Pride March originated.
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Federal housing cuts could leave 7K formerly homeless New Yorkers at risk
The Trump administration says it’s about to drastically change how it funds the nation’s largest homeless assistance program — a move that could push thousands of formerly homeless New Yorkers who currently have a place to live back into the city’s shelters and streets.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said the changes to the Continuum of Care program are expected to be announced Monday are part of an effort to “optimize self-sufficiency” because too many homeless people live persistently on the streets. In President Donald Trump’s second term that has meant prioritizing transitional housing programs meant to bridge the gap between homelessness and permanent housing and treatment, rather than long-term housing programs.
Daniatia Lincoln, 43, said she’s been in supportive housing for more than a decade. She said it helped her get back on her feet when she was pregnant and living in a shelter. But advocates fear that the looming cuts could gut long-term housing programs like hers, which rely on federal funding.
“It’s what has allowed me to be what I am today,” said Lincoln, who lives in the Bronx and has four kids, with two in college out of state. “Why would I care about getting healthier if I don’t even know where I’m going to sleep tonight?”
Lincoln said she’s not sure where she would go with her children if the program ends, she might have to leave the city altogether or go back to the shelter system.
New York City receives $165 million from the federal government through Continuum of Care grants, according to the Supportive Housing Network of New York. The dollars help house more than 7,000 formerly homeless New Yorkers who have been homeless for more than a year and have other conditions like a mental illness or substance abuse disorder.
But housing advocates said a shift in priorities could upend decades of progress and torpedo "housing first": a bipartisan model for solving homelessness that began in New York and relies on Continuum of Care grants. HUD has already signaled how it plans to change course through confusing guidance over the last year. The Supportive Housing Network of New York, an industry group, said it’s a blueprint of what’s to come and in the best case scenario, there would be a 40% cut to existing programs or about $66 million, and 2,800 units losing assistance.
Housing first means providers offer housing without any preconditions, and then provide the necessary support people need to get on their feet, like mental health counseling, health care or addiction and recovery services.
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Actor and Knicks superfan, John Turturro, recalls the Knicks of years past
The excitement around the Knicks has reached a fever pitch as the team prepares for its first NBA Finals appearance in over 25 years.
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Traffic Citations: WNYC's monthly look at traffic deaths and safety improvements in NYC
The city reports at least 15 people killed were killed in May, a month that also saw a flurry of safety improvement work.
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In Season: AAPI owned and operated farms
There are some Asian American and Pacific Islander-owned and operated farms at market that sell heritage goods like rice, fresh-pressed tofu, and Kimchi.
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NYC warns young adults could be hardest hit by SNAP benefit losses
Nearly 43,500 New Yorkers are at risk of losing their food assistance benefits known as SNAP on Monday, as the sweeping work requirements enacted by the Trump administration reaches its first deadline, city officials told Gothamist.
Officials warn those most at risk of losing the monthly aid are young people; about 40% of SNAP recipients who haven’t complied with the new rules are between 18-30 years old. Overall, nearly 60% are men.
That’s partly because younger people aren’t eligible for many exemptions, like older adults with disabilities. And anecdotally, outreach workers say many don’t realize how much they could be affected if they don’t comply with the new requirements and submit the necessary paperwork.
Now city workers say they are in a mad dash to target as many New Yorkers who haven’t met the requirements and get them to take action before June 1. The city launched an unprecedented door-knocking campaign this month across the five boroughs, leveraged city data to find people who could be exempt for medical reasons or because of a disability, and is proactively calling people who haven’t replied.
“It's devastating. No matter how hard we work, no matter how much we do, no matter how much door-knocking we do, how much government excellence we put forward … unfortunately, people will lose their benefits. That is what this is designed to do,” Erin Dalton, commissioner for the Department of Social Services, said in an interview.
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