What’s News, Breaking: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

December 27, 2023 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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MTA ANNOUNCES CONGESTION PRICING DETAILS, PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

CITYWIDE — THE MTA ON TUESDAY ANNOUNCED THE BEGINNING OF THE PUBLIC REVIEW PROCESS for its proposed tolling structure for the city’s new lower Manhattan congestion pricing program; the authority is soliciting comments on the plan through March 11 of next year, and has scheduled four in-person hearings in late February and early March, after which it has pledged to review and consider feedback. Proposed rates in the draft plan to enter the Central Business District below 60th Street include $15 for cars with EZ Pass and $22.50 without (dropping to $5.50 and $7.50 respectively during late-night hours), while buses and vans will pay $24 with EZ Pass and $36 without; trucks and sightseeing buses will be hit the hardest, facing fees of up to $54 per trip.

The hearings will be hosted on Feb. 29, March 1 and March 4 at 2 Broadway in Manhattan; people may also register to participate remotely via Zoom or telephone, and can watch the hearings online on the MTA’s website and YouTube channel. A full list of the proposed charges can be found on the MTA’s website, as well as information on where to submit comments and accessibility accommodations.

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2022 NYC TOP BABY NAMES: EMMA AND LIAM WIN AGAIN

CITYWIDE — THE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT ON TUESDAY ANNOUNCED THE TOP TEN BABY NAMES of 2022, featuring several repeat champions: 388 new Emmas helped the moniker remain the most popular name for baby girls, as it has been since 2017, while 739 Liams hung on to the top spot for baby boys, where it’s been since 2016; nine of the top 2021 names on both lists held onto their positions, with Esther replacing Sofia and Alexander swapping in for Benjamin (although the Health Department noted that if Sofia was counted together with #4 name Sophia, the two would easily end the Emma era.) New York parents also drew inspiration from nature last year, opting for earthy names like Sage (popular with both boys and girls), Jade, Lily, Rose, Violet, Iris and Ocean; as well as names with lofty ambitions, like Prince, Princess, Princeton, Saint, Majesty and King, along with the Game of Thrones-inspired Khaleesi.

As NYC parents have 12 months after birth to register a child’s first name, 2023’s top baby names won’t be available until the end of 2024.

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APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR SUNY, CUNY EXCELSIOR SCHOLARSHIP

STATEWIDE — NEW YORKERS FROM FAMILIES EARNING LESS THAN $125,000 CAN NOW APPLY FOR THE statewide Excelsior Scholarship program for the spring 2024 semester, reports SI Live, in the seventh year of the program, which bridges the gap between federal student aid and tuition costs for attendees of SUNY and CUNY schools. The program has relatively strict eligibility requirements: students must complete at least 30 credits each year, have lived in-state for at least 12 months prior to the start of the semester, and agree to live and work in-state after graduation for a period of time equivalent to how long they received the Excelsior Scholarship, among other rules; in exchange, the state will cover up to $5,500 per semester of tuition expenses owed after accounting for any other aid packages, such as Pell grants or TAP funding.

Application forms and more information about eligibility can be found online on the state Higher Education Services Corporation’s website. Note: this enrollment session is only for the spring 2024 semester; enrollment for fall 2024 will open in the late spring or early summer of 2024.

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BATTERED FISH PRODUCTS RECALLED
FOR CONTAINING UNDECLARED SOY

NATIONWIDE — A POPULAR SEAFOOD PRODUCT THAT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO WHOLE FOODS STORES NATIONWIDE is being recalled due to an undeclared soy allergen product, the FDA announced on Wednesday, Dec. 27. Tampa Bay Fisheries, Inc. of Dover, Florida, is voluntarily recalling one lot of 365 Whole Foods Market Beer Battered Pollock Fillets and two lots of 365 Beer Battered Cod Fillet. The affected packages are 32-oz. bags with UPC 9948249803, Lot# 32508201, and a best by date of 03/07/2025 located on the back of the bag; and two lots of 365 Whole Foods Market “Beer Battered Cod Fillet” 12 oz. cartons, one with UPC 9948248051, Lot# 32348201 and best by date of 02/22/2025 and the other Lot# 32628201 with a best by of 03/19/2025 located on the end side of the carton.

The affected product was available for purchase at Whole Foods market stores nationwide between 09/08/2023 through 12/22/2023. No illnesses have been reported to date.

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NEW YEAR’S FIREWORKS IN PROSPECT PARK

PARK SLOPE — THE ANNUAL PROSPECT PARK NEW YEAR’S FIREWORKS WILL ONCE AGAIN be lighting up the Brooklyn skyline this Sunday, hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and the Prospect Park Alliance. Live music and entertainment provided by returning emcees Quintessential Playlist starts at Grand Army Plaza at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31, before the midnight fireworks display.

Admission is free and open to all, although the PPA encourages attendees to RSVP online on EventBrite to estimate crowd sizes.

New Year’s Eve fireworks at Grand Army Plaza.
Photo: Andrew Gardner, courtesy of Prospect Park Alliance

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HOSPIRA PHARMACEUTICAL CO. RECALLS
SODIUM BICARBONATE INJECTION DOSES

NATIONWIDE — AN INJECTED DRUG USED IN MEDICAL EMERGENCIES such as uncontrolled diabetes or severe renal (kidney) disease is being voluntarily recalled due to the detection of glass particulates in the formula, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced early on Wednesday, Dec. 27. Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer company, is voluntarily recalling several lots of 4.2% Sodium Bicarbonate Injection, USP ABBOJECT® Glass Syringe. The recall was initiated due to the potential presence of glass particulate matter, identified during product inspection. Wholesalers, hospitals, institutions and doctors with an existing inventory of a lot being recalled should discontinue use, stop distribution and quarantine the product immediately. For additional assistance, hospitals and providers should call Sedgwick Inc. at 1-800-805-3093.

Patients receiving tainted injections could experience serious adverse events. Potential complications related to the injection of visible and subvisible inert particles include inflammation of a vein, granuloma and blockage of blood vessels, or life-threatening blood clot events.

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POLICE SEEK NINE INVOLVED IN WBURG SHOOTOUT

WILLIAMSBURG — POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO ON THE EVENING of Saturday, Dec. 23, engaged in a shootout on the streets of Williamsburg. The conflict began when a group of five unknown individuals approached a group of four other unknown individuals around 6 p.m. near the intersection of Bushwick and Johnson avenues, before members of both groups fired multiple gunshots in each other’s direction. The group of five then fled one block away into the Montrose Avenue L station, while the other group fled on foot to parts unknown; no injuries were reported as a result of the shootout.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crimestoppers website, or on X (Twitter) @NYPDTips.

The group of five unknown individuals who fled the scene of a shootout via L train on Saturday. All calls are strictly confidential.

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ASSEMBLYMAN COLTON, STAFF BRING
CHEER TO MARLBORO HOUSES RESIDENTS

GRAVESEND — THE HOLIDAYS WERE BRIGHTENED AT THE MARLBORO HOUSES, A NYCHA complex in Gravesend, with a recent visit from Assemblyman William Colton (D-47). He and his new Co-Chief of Staff, Dr. Larry He, and veteran staff member Shirley Yip took part in the Marlboro Houses’ annual holiday party, handing out presents to the eager and excited children. Colton, who represents Gravesend, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in the State Assembly, worked in conjunction with the Marlboro Residents Association, President Angie Herrera and members of the association.

“It’s an event I look forward to every year,” said Colton. “Everyone had a truly wonderful time, and I’m so delighted that I was able to be part of the celebration.”

Assemblymember Colton takes time out to greet the children living at Marlboro Houses.
Photo: Office of Assemblymember William Colton

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MISSING GIRL IN OCEAN HILL

OCEAN HILL — POLICE ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC FOR INFORMATION ABOUT MISSING GIRL DEBORAH McCoy, age 13, who was last seen at her residence near the East New York LIRR station shortly after noon on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Deborah is described as around 5’5” and 165 pounds, with a dark complexion and black hair, and was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants and gold and black sneakers.

Missing Ocean Hill girl Deborah McCoy. All calls are strictly confidential.

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SUPREME COURT URGED TO ALLOW INFO EXCHANGE
BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES

NATIONWIDE — THE SPREAD OF DANGEROUS CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, AND THE ABILITY OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO WORK WITH THESE COMPANIES is the focus of a letter that NY Attorney General Letitia James and a coalition of her counterparts sent on Wednesday, Dec. 27, to the U.S. Supreme Court. The multi-state coalition filed an amicus brief with SCOTUS in the case of Murthy v. Missouri, urging the Supreme Court to reverse a recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that prevents the important exchange of information between the federal government and social media companies about harmful content on their platforms.

The coalition of attorneys general argues that state officials and online platforms have firmly established mutually beneficial relationships built on voluntary coordination and exchanges of information, recommendations and guidance — which the Fifth Circuit erroneously conflated with impermissible government coercion.

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NY PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL MUST PAY $300K FOR
DISCLOSING HIPAA-RELATED INFO VIA ITS WEBSITE

STATEWIDE — NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL WILL BE PAYING $300,000 TO NEW YORK STATE FOR DISCLOSING the health information of individuals who visited their website. NY Attorney General Letitia James secured the amount after an investigation by her office found that the hospital used advertising tools on its website that collected and shared private and personal information with third-party tech companies when visitors used the site to search for doctors in particular specialties or book appointments, in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). As a result of the Dec. 27 settlement, New York Presbyterian, with which Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in Park Slope is affiliated, has agreed to change its policies, secure the deletion of protected health information, and maintain enhanced privacy safeguards and controls.

Between June 2016 and June 2022, NYP used third-party code snippet tools and tracking pixels for marketing purposes. The tools sent information back to the third-party companies, which received a variety of information about NYP’s website visitors: including the user’s health and IP address.

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BROOKLYN RANKS 2ND-HIGHEST IN UNEMPLOYMENT FOR NOVEMBER

BOROUGHWIDE — BROOKLYN HAS THE SECOND-HIGHEST RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT in New York City, according to preliminary figures for November released by the state Department of Labor on Wednesday, Dec. 27. While New York City’s overall unemployment rate stood at 4.7%, Brooklyn’s came in at 5.1%. The Bronx registered the most unemployed, however, at 6.1%, continuing a pattern that has remained constant for more than a year.

These rates are an improvement over last year at this time when Brooklyn’s unemployment rate stood at 5.3%.

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KINDERGARTEN APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS FOR KIDS BORN IN 2019

CITYWIDE — THE KINDERGARTEN APPLICATION PERIOD for public schools has kicked off, and will be open until Friday, Jan. 19, according to Brooklyn Bridge Parents. If your child was born in 2019 and lives in New York City, they are eligible to attend kindergarten in fall 2024 in public and charter schools. The application period for 3-K & Pre-K opens Jan. 10. Children born in 2020 (pre-K) and 2021 (3-K) will be eligible to apply.

Brooklyn Bridge Parents links to helpful information about finding your zoned schools, attending open houses and the procedure for applying at brooklynbridgeparents.com.

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‘CITY OF YES’ OPPORTUNITY DISCUSSION COMING UP AT CB7

SUNSET PARK — A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE CITY OF YES ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, which involves updating the city’s zoning codes, will take place in a joint committee meeting with the Community Board 7’s Land Use/Landmarks, Transportation, and Economic Development & Small Businesses Committees on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the CB7 Meeting Room, located at 4201 4th Avenue (enter on 43rd Street & 4th Avenue). CB7 encompasses the neighborhoods of Sunset Park, Windsor Terrace, Greenwood Heights and South Park Slope.

You can attend the joint committee meeting in person or register to attend virtually. You can also view this committee meeting on the Brooklyn Community Board 7’s YouTube Channel.

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SHELTER-IN-PLACE ALERT FOR MANHATTAN’S EAST SIDE FOLLOWING CON EDISON STEAM INCIDENT

MANHATTAN EAST — NEW YORK CITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ADVISED RESIDENTS TO SHELTER IN PLACE following an accidental release of steam from a ruptured pipe at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning on East 52nd Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues in Manhattan. Environmental testing for possible asbestos is being conducted in the affected area, which includes East 51st Street from 2nd Avenue to 3rd Avenue and East 52nd and East 53 Streets from 2nd Avenue to Park Avenue. NYCEM put out the alert at 10:40 a.m. advising members of the public to stay clear of the affected area for safety reasons.

There were traffic and mass transit delays in the area Wednesday morning, Pix11 reports.

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MTA STARTS PROCESS OF REPLACING ALL OF NYC’S SUBWAY TURNSTILES AND GATES

CITYWIDE — NYC’S ICONIC SUBWAY TURNSTILES ARE ON THEIR WAY OUT: MTA has issued a formal “Request for Information” seeking interest from companies interested in participating in the massive project to replace more than 1,000 turnstiles and hundreds of automatic and emergency gates throughout the entire New York City subway system. The agency said in a release it wants to “identify the next generation of secure, accessible, and modern fare gates suitable for use for the MTA … to meet the MTA’s goals for ensuring fare compliance and preventing fare evasion, enhancing accessibility, and improving the customer experience.” The RFI listed numerous technical goals for the new gates, including integrating with the OMNY fare system, remote monitoring, accessibility, quick entry and exit, and the ability to handle emergencies such as power failures and bad weather.

MTA says it lost $285 million through fare evasion in 2022 alone.

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HOCHUL SIGNS CARROLL BILL TO ESTABLISH TASK FORCE ON DYSLEXIA

STATEWIDE — AS PART OF A LATE-YEAR FLURRY OF BILL SIGNING, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation sponsored by Brooklyn Assemblymember Robert Carroll (D-Park Slope, Kensington) that would establish an expert statewide task force on dyslexia. The legislation requires the state Education Department task force to examine “appropriate and effective evidence-based screening methods, reading interventions and other educational supports for dyslexia and dysgraphia for students in kindergarten through grade five,” Carroll announced in a release on Dec. 23.

Studies have shown that as many as one in five children have dyslexia or another phonemic awareness issue, but there is still no consistent approach in New York to addressing their needs, Carroll said.

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DEVELOPERS CLOSE ON FINANCING FOR $256M AFFORDABLE ‘UTICA CRESCENT’ HOUSING PROJECT

EAST FLATBUSH — A GROUP OF DEVELOPERS ANNOUNCED ON TUESDAY that they have closed on $256 million in financing for Utica Crescent, a 322-apartment supportive, affordable housing project in East Flatbush. Monadnock Development, CB Emmanuel Realty, and Equity Developers are partnering on the project, which is expected to be completed by June 2026. Utica Crescent — developed in partnership with the One Brooklyn Health hospital network in Central Brooklyn — will include supportive units for seniors, a grocery store, community facility space and an onsite dialysis center.

The project will include a 10,000-square-foot new ambulatory care center in which One Brooklyn Health will provide women’s health and imaging services. “This project is another example of the administration’s recognition of the intrinsic connection between affordable housing and accessible healthcare to ensure strong communities,” said LaRay Brown, embattled One Brooklyn Health’s CEO.

The planned Utica Crescent project.Rendering courtesy of Bernheimer Architecture — The planned Utica Crescent project.
Rendering courtesy of Bernheimer Architecture

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REGISTRATION OPENS FOR 121ST ANNUAL POLAR BEAR NEW YEAR’S DAY PLUNGE

CONEY ISLAND — REGISTRATION HAS OPENED FOR THE 121ST ANNUAL POLAR BEAR NEW YEAR’S DAY PLUNGE in Coney Island, Dennis Thomas, president of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, said in a release on Tuesday. Organizers expect 4,000 plungers in this time-honored tradition, which raises funds for southern Brooklyn’s local non-profit organizations, including Alliance for Coney Island, which produces dozens of free events each year; the Coney Island YMCA for their after-school program for low-income children; and the New York Aquarium’s seascape program which is designed to restore healthy populations of marine species and protect New York waters.

Registration is free, but donations are welcome, and registrants have raised over $32,000 for the local community so far. Visit polarbearclub.org

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STATE BAN ON ‘MOST ECOLOGICALLY DESTRUCTIVE PESTICIDE SINCE DDT’

STATEWIDE — GOV. KATHY HOCHUL ON FRIDAY SIGNED THE “Birds and Bees Act,” a new law that by 2027 will ban the class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids for corn, soybean and wheat seeds and ornamental plants and turf, with the intention of protecting New Yorkers, pollinating insects, birds and other wildlife from potentially harmful toxins. The use of the chemicals clothianidin — illegal in the E.U. since 2018 — and dinotefuran on ornamental plants is banned effective immediately, with other uses and chemicals being restricted on a rolling basis; the governor wrote in a statement that the delayed implementation will allow for research and development of cost-effective alternatives, as well as for the Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct a study into the effects of neonicotinoids; their use will be only be authorized by the DEC and Department of Agriculture in emergencies: dinotefuran, for example, is considered to be one of the most effective killers of invasive spotted lanternflies.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pollinators are worth about $344 million to New York crops such as apples, grapes, cherries, onions, pumpkins and cauliflower each year; the text of the bill, featuring more information on the ban’s provisions, can be found online on the state Senate’s website.

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CITY HARVEST, KAREN PITTMAN DISTRIBUTE FOOD IN SUNSET PARK

SUNSET PARK — ACTRESS KAREN PITTMAN JOINED FOOD SECURITY CHARITY City Harvest on Thursday at one of the group’s Mobile Markets, a weekly free farmer’s market that offers giveaways in locations across the city. Pittman, who stars in “The Morning Show” and in “Sex and the City” sequel show “And Just Like That,” helped hand out fruit to Brooklynites in need at the morning food fair; City Harvest, whose mission for four decades has been to give all New Yorkers access to fresh produce, distributes more than 3 million pounds of fruits and vegetables each year through the Mobile Markets, which also provide cooking demonstrations and other nutrition programming.

Brooklyn Mobile Markets are held in Bed-Stuy at the Myrtle Avenue Tompkins Houses handball court from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the first Saturday and third Wednesday of each month, and in Sunset Park at 52nd Street and 1st Avenue from 10 a.m. to noon on the second Friday and fourth Saturday; all produce is free to Brooklyn residents while it lasts at these locations.

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MIGRANT AND HOMELESS SHELTER PROPOSED FOR GOWANUS WAREHOUSE

GOWANUS — AN EMPTY WAREHOUSE AND ONETIME BREWERY in Gowanus is undergoing conversion to a homeless shelter that will add 400 beds to the city’s strained transient housing supply, reports Brownstoner, but locals are raising concerns that the city and building owner David Levitan — a “Worst Landlord Watchlist” alumnus whose reputation sunk a proposal for a similar shelter in the Bronx last year — may be attempting to take advantage of temporarily slackened housing rules to bypass the standard review process for establishing permanent homeless shelters. While a spokesperson from the city Department of Homeless Services told Brownstoner that the 3rd Street building would serve as a temporary housing facility for single male asylum-seekers, the shelter’s planned operator has secured a nine-year lease for the shelter; according to an investigation by the New York Times, Levitan owns more than a third of all new homeless shelters that opened between 2017 and 2021, generating millions of dollars in rent from the city each year.

Brownstoner also reports that a second converted warehouse property at 29 Ryerson Street in Clinton Hill, originally destined to be a luxury hotel, has recently been leased to serve as a migrant shelter for two years by NYC Health + Hospitals at a total cost of more than $65 million — significantly higher than the building’s 2019 sale price of $55 million.

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EXPERTS WARN OF FUTURE BLACKOUTS OVER NEW CLIMATE LAW

CITYWIDE — ENERGY EXPERTS ARE WARNING THAT THE CITY’S ELECTRIC GRID MAY BE UNPREPARED to meet winter power needs after the implementation of new environmental regulations next year that will compel dramatic reductions in the use of fossil fuels, reports Gothamist; the sweeping changes in emissions standards have not been met with the equally sweeping upgrades required to match the surging need for electric heating, raising fears of blackouts in freezing temperatures. Con Edison says it will have to invest an estimated $68 billion in improvements over the next decade, as residential buildings phase out gas boilers and other polluting heating systems, and that it expects peak demand to double over the next 30 years; Columbia University energy researcher Melissa Lott told Gothamist that the utility will need to spend big on modernizing infrastructure to connect to far-off clean energy plants in upstate NY and beyond, while others have called for the restoration of the shuttered Indian Point nuclear power plant.

Con Ed has struggled for years to keep the city’s lights on in the summer months due to the heavy demands of air conditioning systems; ominously, the utility predicts that winter demand will surpass summer demand by 2035 as a result of the move away from fossil fuel heating.

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TRAVIS SCOTT SHOW CAUSES ‘TREMORS’ IN HOMES NEAR BARCLAYS

PARK SLOPE — RESIDENTS ON DEAN STREET IN PARK SLOPE WERE FRIGHTENED on Monday night by earthquake-like tremors that shook the foundations of brownstones and highrises alike and summoned police to check one property for safety issues, reports Curbed, but this was no seismic shift: the shaking was generated by a Travis Scott concert at the nearby Barclays Center, which residents said has never happened before. The fake quake was apparently caused by audience members jumping up and down in unison to the controversial rapper’s bass beats — a regular crowd reaction at Scott’s shows, according a New York Times report of a concert in Italy this summer where the synchronized efforts of 60,000 attendees generated tremors that registered at 1.3 on the Richter scale.

Management at one affected apartment complex is reportedly seeking an engineering assessment of the building’s structural integrity in the wake of safety fears raised by the shaking.

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POLICE SEEK MAN WHO STOLE WALLET TO BUY FROM APPLE STORE

SUNSET PARK — POLICE ARE ASKING FOR AID IN IDENTIFYING AN UNKNOWN MAN who on the afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 28, took a wallet containing credit cards and $800 in cash from an unattended coat room at the Beit El-Maqdis Islamic Center in Sunset Park. Shortly thereafter, one of the victim’s credit cards was used to make an unauthorized transaction of approximately $922 at an unknown Apple store, according to the NYPD. The suspect is described as around 5’6” with a light complexion, slim build, beard and glasses; and was last seen wearing a black baseball hat, gray sweatpants, a gray hooded sweatshirt, black socks with no shoes — which are not allowed in the prayer areas of mosques — and holding a black coat.

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MAYOR’S LEGAL DEFENSE FUND TOPS $500K

CIVIC CENTER — MAYOR ADAMS HAS GATHERED $500,000 in contributions for his legal defense fund from Adams’ allies, reports the New York Post, including such political notables as ex-Gov. David Paterson, Assemblymember and Brooklyn Democratic Party Rodneyse Chair Bichotte Hermelyn and Councilmember Francisco Moya. The mayor launched his fundraising effort in November after a raid on his chief fundraiser’s home revealed a federal investigation into potential illicit collaboration with the Turkish government; thus far, no one in the mayor’s orbit faces charges related to the scandal.

A full list of donors to the defense fund, which is subject to city oversight, must be released by Jan. 15, according to Politico; donors are restricted to a maximum of $5,000 apiece, and anyone who works under Adams or contracts with the city is barred from contributing entirely.

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING TENANTS STRUGGLE WITH HIGH RENT PAYMENTS

CITYWIDE — NEW YORKERS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING ARE STRUGGLING TO make rent payments in the uneasy economic recovery from the COVID pandemic, reports the Commercial Observer, with a survey of affordable landlords across the city finding that about 34% of tenants are more than two months behind on rent payments, to the tune of an estimated $130 million, or $7,260 per household. Advocates and city officials are warning that many of these tenants risk eviction and homelessness, with 19% in eviction proceedings already; potential governmental solutions include lifting the mayor’s hiring freeze to get more employees at the Department of Social Services to aid in processing rental assistance applications, expanding access to the Human Resources Administration’s “One Shot” emergency grants, and allowing Section 8 funding to fill gaps left by city budget cuts.

The DSS is understaffed relative to pre-pandemic levels, and has pushed the deadline for clearing its backlog back multiple times; it currently says applications will be cleared by March. More information about city rent assistance programs can be found online on the Human Resource Administration’s city webpage.