HWW_April-May 2014 - Information for Families, Inc.

ADENTRO: COMO...CUANDO...DONDE – EN ESPAÑOL
HOW...WHEN...WHERE
Information for homeless and relocated families in New York City
April-May 2014
FOOD PANTRIES IN BROOKLYN (page 4)
SUMMER SLEEPAWAY
ard to believe. but it’s almost summer. If you have
school age children, and you want them to have a week
or two of fun, exercise and outdoor living, it’s time to sign up
for a free summer sleepaway camp.
H
CAMP HOMEWARD BOUND, run by Coalition for the
Homeless since 1984, describes itself as the “nation’s first
summer sleep-away camp designed specifically for homeless
children.” Located less than an hour north of NYC in
Harriman State Park, Camp Homeward Bound serves children ages 7 to 15 who are living or have lived in shelter.
Besides the usual outdoor activities you would expect at
camp, Camp Homeward Bound also helps kids develop
academic skills like art, music and computers.
For more information about Camp Homeward Bound,
contact Beverly McEntarfer at [email protected]
or call (212) 776-2020.
HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS is taking applications for its
free, summer sleep away camps, CAMP WAKONDA and
CAMP LANOWA, located just an hour outside of New York
City in Harriman State Park. Since 1989, HFH camps have
offered children ages 7-13 who reside in NYC shelters, the
opportunity to spend two weeks in a safe and fun environment, where they get to experience the great outdoors and
make new friends. Activities include hiking and exploring
wooded trails, swimming and boating in a mountain lake,
sleeping in cabins and tents, and telling stories around a
campfire. Additional activities such as science experiments
and journal writing in the learning center are aimed at keeping children stimulated and learning during their stay.
Continued on page 2
GETTING BACK INTO THE WORKFORCE
by Rachael Elizabeth Gardner
nersey Ferreias is a resident of Henry Street Settlement’s
Urban Family Center along with her three children, ages
13, 11, and 9. And after years of
searching, she is happy to have a full
time job at the Henry Street Settlement
Art Center, doing maintenance.
Enersey describes Henry Street
Settlement and their staff in the Oak
Program and Workforce Development
Center as her saving grace. She came to
New York three years ago from Puerto
Rico to escape domestic violence. And
when she arrived, she moved straight
into the shelter system, bouncing
around with little to no help in finding a job or opportunities.
Her work history was in the fast food industry in Puerto Rico.
E
She says now that the amount of energy and caring that
the Henry Street staff puts into their work is unlike anything
she’s seen in other shelters.
Renee Best is the Employment
Manager at Henry Street Settlement's
Oak Program, the privately funded
part of the Transitional & Supportive
Housing Unit. Ms. Best's clear dedication to her job and the clients she
assists is the saving grace Enersey talks
about. Enersey said that if wasn't for
Ms. Best she would not have a job. She
describes Ms. Best as someone who
“remembers the little things like your
name, what kind of follow-up you need, and helps translate
Continued on page 3
OUR WEB SITE FOR ARTICLES FROM PREVIOUS ISSUES AND OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION: www.InformationForFamilies.org
ACCESS TO BENEFITS HELPLINE
IMMIGRATION | HEALTH | EMPLOYMENT |
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE/SNAP BENEFITS
Get Free Legal Help
IMMIGRATION
Naturalization, Green cards, VAWA, U & T Visas, Temporary
Protected Status, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals,
Undocumented Youth in Foster Care, Guardianship &
Adoption & Removal Proceedings.
Mondays & Fridays
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
1 (844) 955-3425
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
Cash Assistance (Temporary Assistance/Welfare), Food Stamps
(SNAP), Denial, Reduction, or Termination of Benefits,
Sanctions, & BFI Appointments.
HEALTH
Medicaid & Medicaid Managed Care, Family Health Plus &
Child Health Plus, Original Medicare, Medicare Part D &
Extra Help, Medicare Managed Care.
EMPLOYMENT
Unemployment Insurance Benefits, Minimum Wage,
Overtime, and Other Wage & Hour Issues, Employment Law
Issues Stemming From Past Criminal Issues, Immigrant
Workers, & Workplace Discrimination.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays
9:30AM to 12:30 PM
1 (888) 663-6880
Tuesdays 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
1 (888) 663-6880
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
1 (888) 663-6880
We also assist with Superstorm Sandy related problems:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
1 (888) 663-6880
SUMMER SLEEPAWAY
Continued from page 1
HFH Camps are accredited by the American Camp
Association. Counselors are trained in safety procedures and
conflict mediation. Swimming is supervised by CPR and
First-Aid trained lifeguards. Transportation to and from the
camp is provided from pick-up/drop-off locations in each
borough.
During the summer of 2014 we will be operating three
camp sessions. Each session last two weeks and available
spots are allocated on a first come first serve basis.
• Session One: Friday June 27, 2014 to Friday, July 11, 2014.
• Session Two: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 to Thursday, July
31, 2014.
• Session Three: Monday, August 4, 2014 to Tuesday,
August 19, 2014.
Who is eligible: HFH summer camps give priority to
children residing in NYC shelter or who have been discharged from shelter within the 12 months prior to the start
of camp.
• The program is 100% FREE for families residing in
shelter.
• Free for families recently discharged from shelter and who
have an open PA case and/or are eligible for SNAP.
• Children in Foster Care agencies are able to attend at the
private pay rate of $400 per session.
• All Children must have Health Insurance to attend camp.
For more information visit us at hfhcamps.org. To get an
application or to be connected to a recruiter in your borough
call HFH Summer Camp Staff at (212) 529-5252.
FRESH AIR FUND operates five camps on their 2,300 acre
Sharpe Reservation north of New York City.
Camp Tommy serves 120 boys, ages 12 to 15 and offers
hiking, nature and other outdoor program but also educational programs such as literacy, photography and computer
workshops.
Camp Hayden-Marks Memorial serves 204 boys each
session, ages 9 to 12, also offering educational programs as
well as sports and other outdoor activities.
Camp ABC serves 216 girls, offering cultural arts as well
as physical fitness and outdoor activities.
Camp Hidden Valley serves 130 girls and boys with and
without special needs, ages 8 to 12. Children with and without disabilities live and play together.
Camp Mariah is the Fund’s “career awareness camp”
helping almost 300 adolescents explore education and career
choices while enjoying camp adventures.
For more information, call Elizabeth Morales at
(212) 776-2144.
HOW...WHEN...WHERE April-May 2014 – page 2
ONE STOP SHOP FOR MEDICAL CARE
Here’s a message from Lissa M. Southerland, Director, Helen
B. Atkinson Community Health Center at 81 West 115th
Street in Harlem, part of a network of 11 not for profit community healthcare centers in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn
and Queens:
Here are the other Community Healthcare Network centers:
MANHATTAN
Community League Health Center
1996 Amsterdam Ave in Washington Heights
Downtown Health Center
150 Essence Street on the lower East Side
“Nestled in the heart of Harlem, Community Healthcare
Network’s Helen B. Atkinson Community Health Center is a
Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that provides
patients of all ages with a holistic array of primary care, dental, nutrition, mental health and social services. Patients are
able to make appointments for the following:
• care for pregnant women and new moms
• women’s health services
• child health care
• health care for teens
• adult medicine
• family planning services
• sexual health services
• dental care
• mental health counseling
• and much more
BRONX
Bronx Health Center
975 Westchester Ave.
Tremont Health Center
4215 Third Ave.
BROOKLYN
CABS Health Center
94-98 Manhattan Ave.
Caribbean House Health Center
1167 Nostrand Ave.
Dr. Betty Shabazz Health Center
999 Blake Ave, East New York
QUEENS
Queens Health Center
97-04 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica
Long Island City Health Center
36-11 21st St., Long Island City
Family Health Center
90-04 161st St, Jamaica
CHN also runs a medical mobile van that travels around
Manhattan and Queens every week to offer sexual health
services and educational outreach.
We accept a variety of public and private insurance and can
also see patients who do not have insurance by putting them
on a sliding scale based on income.”
For information about any one of the eleven Community
Healthcare Network centers, call (866) 246-8259 or
(212) 545-2400.
GETTING BACK INTO THE WORKFORCE
English to Spanish” if needed along with sacrificing her time
to help those who need it.
An early morning in July 2013, Renee Best got a call from
Enersey saying she had an interview for which she was qualified and excited about, but she had no one to watch her three
kids. Ms. Best came in early that day to help, and it resulted in
Enersey’s first part-time job at AT&T, doing maintenance. Six
months later, Enersey got another opportunity to work at the
Henry Street Art Center doing maintenance part-time. This
switch proved to be a smart one because a little over a month
later Enersey's position was changed to full-time.
She hopes one day to work as a pre-kindergarten teacher.
For now Enersey’s first priorities are still her children, getting
a higher paying job, and finding affordable housing.
About the Programs
Henry Street Settlement's Workforce Development Center
and Transitional and Supportive Housing’s Oak Program
both offer pre-employment, career planning, and postemployment services free.
The Workforce Development Center is located at 99
Essex Street, 3rd Floor, New York 10002. The programs are
free and open to everyone who walks through the doors. To
attend an information session, you can visit at 10 am
Monday through Thursday to hear more about the services
Continued from page 1
available. These services include interview preparation,
resume revision, job search assistance, job coaching, career
planning, post placement services, customized staffing, and
basic computer skills training.
For more information, contact Jeanie Tung, the Director
of Employment Services at (212) 478-5400 x206 or visit
www.henrystreet.org.
The Oak Program, named after its primary funder the
Oak Foundation, is eligible only to residents of Henry Street's
five shelters. You can see the latest edition of their weekly
newsletter in Education & Employment Services on their
website celebrating accomplishments along with listing
upcoming events. The Oak Program's Pre-employment services include help with resume and cover letter writing, mock
interviewing, and access to a computer lab that has day care
facilities to search for a job. The Oak Program provides job
search assistance, job coaching, and career planning along
with post-placement services for those who get a job. The
Oak Program will help you celebrate milestones at your new
job (first 6 months, promotion, first 1 year) along with keeping you aware of continuous opportunities that might pay
more or align to your desired career path.
Renee Best, Employment Manager at the Oak Program,
can be reached at (212) 475-6400 x216.
HOW...WHEN...WHERE April-May 2014 – page 3
HOW...WHEN...WHERE GUIDE TO FOOD PANTRIES IN BROOKLYN
If you’re going to a pantry far from your residence, call ahead. Some pantries only serve people in their own part of town.
It’s always wise to take ID with your address (like a phone bill with your name on it), and proof of family size
(if you’re picking up food for the whole family).
Agape Social Services Ministry
New Baptist Temple
Salvation Army Bedford Community Center
929 Marcy Ave., Bed Sty
(718) 636-8500 x16
Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30 am to 2 pm
Wednesday soup kitchens 12 noon to 2 pm;
need ID.
360 Schermerhorn St., Downtown Bklyn
(718) 875-1858
Every Saturday of the month except the 1st,
9:30 to 10:30 am.
Seniors served first; no ID needed.
601 Lafayette Ave. (718) 622-0614
Salvation Army Brownsville Community
Center
Blessed Sacrament Church
Newman Memorial U.M. Church
Salvation Army Bushwick Community Center
198 Euclid Ave., Cyprus Hills
(718) 827-1200
Wednesday, 1 to 2 pm. Call ahead.
257 Macon St., corner of Throop, Bed Sty
(718) 622-7955
Tuesday, 10 am to 1 pm.
Need ID for each person receiving food.
Salvation Army Sunset Park Community
Center
Calvary Food Pantry
151 Woodruff Ave., Flatbush
(718) 435-2731
Thursday, 11 am to 1 pm; need ID.
Calvary Free Will Baptist Church
1520-30 Herkimer St., East N.Y.
(718) 498-3767
Thursday, 12 pm to 1 pm.
Need ID or referral.
Church of the Living God
212 Schenectady Ave., Crown Heights
(718) 493-2821
Saturday, 9 to 11 am. ID preferred.
Cornerstone Baptist Church
562-74 Madison St., Bed Sty
(718) 574-5900
Tuesday, 11 am until finished; need ID.
Cuyler Warren U.M. Church
450 Warren St., downtown Bklyn
(718) 875-8502
Tuesday, 1:30 pm until finished; need ID.
Holy Cross Church
2530 Church Ave, Flatbush
(718) 469-5900
Tuesday and Thursday, 2 to 3:30 pm.
Need picture ID, proof of address and
birth certificates for children.
Love Fellowship Tabernacle
464 Liberty Ave, East NY
(718) 235-2266
Tuesday, 2 to 5 pm.
Need ID for all adults in family.
Make the Road
301 Grove St., Bushwick
(718) 418-7690
Friday, 9 am until food runs out; need ID.
Come early.
Mt. Moriah Church of God & Christ
1149 Eastern Parkway, Crown Hights
(718) 953-4364
Saturday, 11 am to 12 noon.
ID preferred, come at 9:30 for a ticket.
Mt. Paran Baptist Church
1665 Broadway, Bushwick
(718) 443-8217
Tuesday 10:30 to 11:30 am.
Call ahead. Need ID with proof of address.
Open Door Church of God in Christ
999 Greene Ave., Bed Sty
(718) 455-3545
Saturday, 8:30 to 10 am.
Bring your own bags.
Our Lady of Grace Pastoral Ministry
2322 E. 4th St., Gravesend
(718) 375-0668
Tuesday and Friday, 9 to 11:30 am.
Need ID and proof of family size.
Our Lady of Mercy
680 Mother Gaston Blvd., Brownsville
(718) 346-3166
Monday and Friday, 9 am to 11 am.
Need referral, ID and proof of address.
Our Lady of Refuge R.C. Church
2020 Foster Ave., Flatbush
(718) 434-2090
Wednesday, 9:30 to 12 noon.
ID preferred for all in household.
280 Riverdale Ave. (718) 345-7050
1151 Bushwick Ave. (718) 455-4102
520 50th St. (718) 438-1771
Stuyvesant Heights Christian Church
69 McDonough St., Crown Heights
(718) 783-5383
Thursday, 5 pm until finished.
Need ID.
Transfiguration Church/South Side
Community Mission
280 Marcy Ave., Williamsburg
(718) 388-8773
Monday thru Thursday, 9 am to 12 pm
(come early).
ID preferred.
Triumphant Full Gospel Assembly
889 Rutland Rd., Crown Heights
(718) 774-4696
Thursday, 3 to 6 pm.
ID preferred.
True Holy Church of God
164 Suydam St., Bushwick.
(718) 574-6300
Thursday, 11 am to 1 pm.
Need ID.
2340 Atlantic Ave, corner Eastern Pkway,
Bed Sty-Brownsville-Bushwick-E. NY
(718) 385-0248
Friday, 6 to 8 pm.
Need ID, proof of children, referral if shelter
resident; if picking up for another adult,
need doctor’s letter.
St. John the Baptist R.C. Church
Urban Strategies Family Support
75 Lewis Ave., Bed Sty
Tuesday, 8 am (call to confirm time)
(718) 455-6864
First come, first served; need photo ID.
829 Saratoga Ave., Brownsville
(718) 346-2539
Tuesday, 9 to11 am.
ID preferred.
St. John’s Bread & Life Program
FOR REFERRALS TO FOOD PANTRIES ALL
OVER THE CITY, CALL NYC EMERGENCY FOOD
HOT-LINE AT 1 (866) 888-8777.
St. Christopher Otilie, Bethany House #1
75 Lewis Ave. at Hart St., Bed Sty
(718) 574-0058 x10
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to
12 noon.
Brooklyn residents only.
Need ID, proof of income and family size.
Salvation Army
Food pantries at five different locations.
Need referral and appointment. Call ahead
to find out which location serves your zip
code and to make an appointment with the
social worker.
Salvation Army Bay Ridge Community Center
252 86th St. (718) 238-2991
HOW...WHEN...WHERE April-May 2014 – page 4
Published by:
Information for Families, Inc.
PMB E5,
332 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014-2980
Publisher:
Joan McAllister
(212) 645-6940 (voice or fax)

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