As the New York State Eviction Moratorium comes to a close on January 15th, the NYC Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) is here for veterans and their families. If you are in need of housing services, including eviction prevention and rent relief, please fill out the form at VetConnectNYC.org and select "Housing and Shelter" as your preferred service. After you submit the form, the DVS Care Coordination team will follow up to connect you to the services that are right for you.

DVS also want to inform tenants about their rights and provide available resources: 

Eviction Prevention and Rental Relief Resources:

• New Yorkers in need of rent relief should apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) by visiting the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) web portal, calling 1-844-NY1-RENT (1-844-691-7368), or by contacting one of the community-based organizations listed here. A pending application will provide temporary protection from eviction. Learn more here or visit the ERAP FAQs.

• Veteran Service Organizations with SSVF programs provide outreach and case management to eligible veterans and their families, including rental and utility assistance. For more information and to see if you qualify, contact one of the following providers:
  • HELP USA: ssvfny@helpusa.org | 855‐HLP‐SSVF (855‐457‐7783) or 646‐619‐3277
  • Jericho Project: ssvf@jerichoproject.org | 646-970-7170 
  • Services for the Underserved: services@sus.org | 646-790-2449 
  • Volunteers of America: voa4vets@voa‐gny.org | 718‐993‐3564 

• If you are facing eviction or have concerns about your housing situation, free legal advice is available for all renters. Please call 311 and ask for the “Tenant Helpline”, or fill out the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants’ (MOPT) Contact Us form. 

Know Your Rights:

• Lockouts (also known as unlawful evictions or self-help evictions) are illegal. All tenants (including those in private residential programs) have the right to stay in their homes unless they choose to leave or are evicted through a court process. Learn more.

• Under New York City's Right-to-Counsel (RTC) law, legal services are free, available in every ZIP code, and available regardless of immigration status. DSS/HRA's Office of Criminal Justice (OCJ) ensures tenants facing eviction in Housing Court or NYCHA administrative proceedings have access to free legal representation and advice, provided by nonprofit legal services organizations from across the five boroughs. Learn more.

For updated resources and information regarding tenants’ rights, the eviction moratorium, or Housing Court operations visit MOPT’s COVID-19 Fact Sheet.

     In response to the fatal 5-alarm fire in the Bronx, we would like to share FDNY’s safety tips with our community. For more FDNY Smart tips visit fdnysmart.org.

Preventing a fire:

• Space heaters need space. Keep space heaters at least 3 ft. from bedding, curtains, and other materials, and always plug your heater directly into the wall.
• Never overload outlets and don’t rely on extension cords too heavily.
• Never place an electric blanket on a baby, small child, or anyone who cannot turn off/remove the blanket on their own.
• An operable smoke alarm cuts your chances of dying in a fire nearly in half. Learn more.

Safety tips during a fire:

• Remember to close the door when escaping a fire. Learn more.
• Help your family escape from fire, and help first responders quickly access your home, by keeping your hallways, stairways, and exits clear of clutter and storage.

Other safety tips:

• Don’t enter a venue if exit signs are not lit, or if exits are blocked or chained. Learn more.
• CO is deadly, and in the case of a manhole fire, CO accumulation may potentially lead to an explosion. If you see a manhole that is smoking, don’t hesitate, call 911 right away.

     

NYC is investing $1.3M to support recovery in the 33 neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID-19. Residents who live, work or go to school in these areas will get to decide how to spend $40,000 of public funds in their communities. Vote by January 17th here.

     

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released preliminary findings related to the severity and impact of the surge of COVID-19 cases associated with the introduction of the Omicron variant to NYC. View the full report here or see below for key findings:

• Omicron quickly became the most prevalent variant and led to a dramatic increase in reported cases. Whereas the delta variant became the dominant variant (from 0% prevalence to more than 90% prevalence) over a period of 20 weeks, Omicron became the dominant variant in five weeks.

• When the Omicron variant emerged in NYC, it led to a steep rise in the number of people who visited emergency rooms with a COVID-like illness. Shortly afterward, the daily number of hospitalizations increased too.

• Overall, a smaller proportion of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 since the Omicron variant emerged in NYC have been hospitalized, but the total number of hospitalizations increased because of the very large number of reported cases.

• Rates of hospitalization have been dramatically higher among the unvaccinated. At the time of this report, over 73% of all New York City residents were fully vaccinated.

• The proportion of hospitalizations has been higher among older adults and Black/African American New Yorkers.

• Emergency room visits for a COVID-like illness have gotten less severe compared to previous waves. 

• The number of hospitalized patients increased dramatically due to Omicron’s prevalence. As of Dec. 30, 2021, hospitalizations exceeded last winter’s surge and the number of patients in the ICU is approaching what was seen last winter.

• About half of all patients in NYC hospitals have COVID-19. Despite stable total numbers of hospitalized patients, staffing shortages have been felt widely during the Omicron wave across the health care sector in NYC. Nearly all hospitals report some impact on operations.

• The number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU in NYC hospitals increased steadily as the number of cases rose. However, the proportion of patients in the ICU remains lower than in previous waves. Percentage-wise, fewer New Yorkers are in the ICU or require ventilator support.

• Total pediatric hospital census was stable to slightly lower during the Omicron wave, though pediatric hospitalizations due to or with COVID-19 increased significantly. And unvaccinated kids 5-17 years old were over 4 times more likely to be hospitalized compared with all kids.
  
  There are things all New Yorkers can do to beat back Omicron: 

  • Get vaccinated and get your booster dose. Visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder to find a vaccination site near you.
  • Wear a high-quality mask (KN95 or N95)
  • Get tested. Learn more and find a testing location near you. 
  • Meet outdoors
  • Avoid optional activities if you're at risk for severe illness

• Episode 1: Stories of the Black Veteran Experience Across Generations 
• Episode 2: Black Post 9/11 Veterans 
• Episode 3: Black Woman. Veteran. (In that Order)