Bklyn Lawmakers On The Move Sept. 24, 2015

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Catholic Church, City Team Up To Aide The Homeless This Winter

On the eve of Pope Francis’ visit to New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Timothy Cardinal Dolan announced yesterday that the Catholic Church will honor the Pope’s visit by working with the City to provide up to 150 beds with social services for street homeless individuals by the winter.

This is the first announcement resulting from work between the City and Archdiocese to leverage buildings in the Archdiocese portfolio that could potentially provide affordable housing and emergency shelters with services to homeless people in the city. The announcement demonstrates the Church’s long-standing tradition to help the poor and the needy and represents the largest allocation of beds in the Homeless Services clergy initiative, Opening Doors.

“Pope Francis’ visit is a time to reflect on our common humanity and obligations to one another,” said de Blasio. “Too often, our city’s homeless are stigmatized, ostracized, dehumanized, and we must remember that they are our fellow human beings in crisis. That’s why I’m proud and humbled to announce today that Cardinal Dolan and Archdiocese are providing up to 150 beds for homeless New Yorkers on our streets. We must do all that we can to uplift those struggling and help get them back on their feet.”

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and Northern Brooklyn City Councilman Stephen Levin also lauded the partnership.

“We cannot deny the human crisis of homelessness in our city, just as we cannot deny our duty as New Yorkers to do all we can to meet this critical challenge of providing shelter and support to the most vulnerable among us. In dialogue with Mayor de Blasio, as well as our clergy and advocates, I have spoken about the vital role that faith-based organizations can serve in offering safe spaces with beds and social services for our street homeless,” said Adams. “This announcement should serve as a call to action for all of our religious communities. I ask houses of worship in Brooklyn and beyond, regardless of creed, to help us combat homelessness and to welcome the stranger among us.”

“I’m grateful to the Church for opening its doors to the neediest New Yorkers. Street homeless individuals are especially at risk in the winter, when a bed means not only a place to rest but also shelter from the cold. It’s heartening to know that those in need can count on their houses of worship to help them get back on their feet and I thank the Mayor and the Archdioceses for their work to make these badly needed beds available,” said Levin.

Donovan, Clarke Welcome Pope Francis To The City

Bay Ridge Congressman Dan Donovan and Flatbush Congresswoman Yvette Clarke yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to New York.

Donovan, a lifelong Catholic, represents more than 250,000 Catholics, among the largest populations of any Congressional district in the country. 

“Like many in New York and across the country, I consider it an honor and a privilege for His Holiness to grace New York City with his message of optimism, peace, and acceptance. With bitter discord dividing our country, it’s a refreshing and absolutely necessary shift in tone for our political discourse,” he said.

“As violence continues to grip the Middle East, I hope the Pope offers guidance on addressing Christian genocide at the hands of ISIS and its affiliates. Reports of mass murder as part of a systematic campaign to dismantle Christianity in the Middle East run counter to religious and secular ideals alike. That such brutal persecution persists in our time should weigh heavy on our collective conscience,” Donovan added.

Clarke said since he was elected in 2013, Pope Francis has become a voice for social justice, focusing attention on income inequality, the threat of global climate change,  and the peaceful resolution of conflict. In addition, his contributions were critical to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba after more than fifty years of failed policies that only separated families and limited economic development and cooperation, she said.

“I believe that we, as members of Congress, will have many opportunities to work with Pope Francis in pursuit of these high purposes. His emphasis on our shared responsibility to honor the inherent dignity of each individual person offers, as President Obama described, a ‘profound moral example’ for people of every faith and of every nation,” said Clarke.

Brooklyn Family Justice Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary

In 2005, the NYC Mayor’s Office, in close collaboration with the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence, opened the City’s first Family Justice Center in Brooklyn. On its 10 year anniversary, the BKFJC celebrates the work of its partners and staff with a reception at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

The BKFJC offers victims of domestic violence, elder abuse, and sex trafficking a single location in which to obtain free services and assistance from multiple agencies and community organizations, including legal services, safety planning, housing assistance, counseling for children and adults, immigration services, and self-sufficiency education programs.

More than 72,000 people have sought services from this innovative center, and its success led to the creation of other FJCs in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, with one set to open on Staten Island in the coming months.

WHO:             Rosemonde Pierre-Louis, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence, Kenneth P. Thompson, District Attorney of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, Gilbert Taylor, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Homeless Services

WHEN:          6 p.m., tonight, Thursday, September 24

WHERE:        Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Downtown Brooklyn

Bichotte Introduces WMBE Newsletter

Midwood Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, chairperson, of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), unrolled an electronic MWBE Newsletter as a resource for information sharing.

“As Chairperson, I plan to work with agencies throughout the state, MWBE stakeholders as well as Alphonso David, General Counsel to the Governor, Assemblymember Crystal People-Stokes, Chair of Government Operations Committee and my sub-committee to  identify opportunities and explore ways to improve and build upon the MWBE procurement processes that are in place including outreach, building capacity and sustainability of MWBE contractors,” said Bichotte.

Bichotte said the team will be holding a series of hearings and roundtables about MWBEs, while she continues to embark upon a tour both upstate and downstate to learn first-hand what is happening all around the state of New York.