The Bronx is home to the fewest miles of Open Streets, and only 16 percent of those that are included in the city initiative are considered operational—or barricaded off to prevent cars—a new survey from Transportation Alternatives Found.
Applications for the new $125 million Landlord Rental Assistance Program (LRAP) opened Thursday, as state officials seek to reimburse property owners who were unable to apply for compensation through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
The state’s Department of Labor, which is administering the program, is warning on its website that the fund is “nearing exhaustion” and cannot guarantee that future applicants will be approved for relief. “Soon new applications will no longer be accepted,” the DOL’s website reads.
Researchers said their findings counter a narrative that stimulus payments and unemployment benefits were “too generous” and disincentivized work.
‘Restaurants are a critical part of the economy, employing 10 percent of New Yorkers. We saw during the pandemic how important they are to communities. Outdoor spaces, heated and cooled, were gathering spaces through the year for weary New Yorkers.’
‘We are seeing a rampant level of opposition to every suggestion of new housing going back to before the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are going to address the housing shortage and fuel the recovery, we must strengthen our practices to ensure there is always a net positive for communities.’
The program, which has been on hold since May 2020, kicks off again Monday in four Brooklyn neighborhoods as a budget report notes high costs to sustain it.
Prior to the pandemic, city policy forced entire families—including each school-aged child—to show up at a Bronx facility known as the PATH intake center to complete an initial assessment, which often meant missing at least a day of school.
‘The department has chosen to pursue a reopening plan—decided upon in April 2021 and not revisited since—that goes against the wishes of the student body and common-sense health concerns.’
The mutual aid movement continues, but groups are increasingly seeking new ways to ensure their long-term sustainability.
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