BP Adams To Celebrate $3 Million Investment In More than 500 Affordable Units
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams will amplify the spirit of giving during the holiday season by celebrating more than $3 million in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) capital budget investments for the development and maintenance of more than 500 new and existing affordable housing units across Brooklyn.
The investment also includes funding to create and preserve low-income housing for seniors, formerly homeless individuals, and families, as well as to help develop community facility, communal, and green roof spaces.
Adams will celebrate this “spirit of giving” today at the site of Abraham Residence I, a 75-unit single room occupancy independent living facility for formerly homeless seniors 55 years of age and older. The residence is managed by the Met Council, the country’s largest Jewish community organization providing support for those in need.
Adams has a Faith-Based Development Initiative, which pursues partnerships with Brooklyn’s houses of worship to deliver affordable and supportive housing on available parcels of land across the borough.
The event is slated for 11 a.m., today, Dec. 11, at Abraham Housing, at 3915 Neptune Avenue in Seagate.
Simon To Hosts Retirement Roundtable Event
Assembly member Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, DUMBO) will hosts a retirement roundtable discussion today.
The event will offer information on retirement, health care, renters and homeowners financial support, service opportunities, and ageism. There will also be a presentation by Alice Fisher, founder and director of the Radical Age Movement.
The event will also include representatives from the Department of Finance (DOF), the Center for NYC Neighborhoods (CNYCN), the Department for the Aging’s Health Insurance Information, the Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP), and the NYC Service who will available to provide resources.
The event is slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., today, Dec. 11, at the NYU Tandon MakerSpace — 1st Floor, at 6 MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn.
Dilan, Davila To Lead Story Time at DeKalb Library
Assembly members Erik Dilan (D-Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East New York, Ocean Hill, and Brownsville) and Maritza Davila (D-Williamsburg, Bushwick) will share the joy of reading this week with the library’s youngest patrons, including children ages two to four years from Magical Place Day Care.
The Brooklyn lawmakers will read classic children’s books like Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See by Eric Carle and Lola Loves Stories by Edna McQueen during the libraries “Story Time” this week.
In addition, the libraries will recognize Dilan and Davila for his continued and enthusiastic support of Brooklyn’s public libraries.
Dilan is slated to read to the children at 10:30 a.m., today, Dec. 11, at the Dekalb Library, at 790 Bushwick Avenue in Bushwick.
Davila is slated to read to the children at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 12, at the Washington Irving Library, at 360 Irving Avenue in Bushwick.
Cymbrowitz Action Leads To Signage Protecting Holocaust Memorial Park
Assembly member Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach) is being applauded this week for his actions in protecting the peace and honor of the Holocaust Memorial Park in South Brooklyn.
Cymbrowitz was recently able to get signs erected around the Park in order to remind visitors to avoid activities that disrespect the six million Holocaust victims that the space was created to memorialize.
Back in October, officers of the Holocaust Memorial Committee, the nonprofit organization that advocated and helped secure funding for the park at Emmons Avenue and Shore Boulevard, told Cymbrowitz that they’d been chasing away skateboarders and cyclists they saw riding around and even atop the granite memorials inside the park. They pointed out that these activities were damaging the monuments and surrounding greenery and were inappropriate to the nature of the memorial space, which was established in 1985 and completed in 1997.
As a result, Cymbrowitz wrote to Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Marty Maher requesting signage barring bicycling and skateboarding and reminding visitors to be respectful of the park’s purpose. The Parks Department quickly agreed. In an email on Oct. 30, Jonathan Kuhn, Director of Art & Antiquities at the NYC Parks Department, wrote, “….we consider this site a highly significant memorial within our collection, with a broad educational purpose, that I’m afraid has assumed even greater significance in recent days.” The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting had occurred three days earlier.
The new signs read: “This site honors the memory of those who perished during the Holocaust, symbolizing their places in history through inscriptions on granite stones. This is a place for reflection and remembrance.” Icons on the signs discourage visitors from climbing, skateboarding, bicycling, and walking their dogs on or near the monuments.
“While there is no guarantee that this will eradicate the problem, it is an important first step in making visitors aware that behavior that damages the park and disrespects the Holocaust victims that the park memorializes will not be tolerated,” said Cymbrowitz.
Persaud Bill Providing Free Feminine Hygiene Products for Inmates Gets Signed Into Law
State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud’s (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) bill that mandates the provision of feminine hygiene products for inmates became law last Friday.
On Dec. 7, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Bill 8821-2018, which would ensure access to feminine hygiene products for incarcerated women in correctional facilities across New York State, free of charge.
Previously, according to Persaud’s office, female inmates would often run out of their allotted monthly supply and had no choice but to purchase more from the prison commissary. However, if such products were not affordable, they had no alternative but to go without or create their own makeshift versions.
“It is demeaning to make women ration their feminine hygiene products. It is the state’s duty to ensure that all people within New York’s criminal justice system serve their time in a dignified and safe manner. By guaranteeing that incarcerated women will never have to craft their own hygiene products again, we ensure that inmates can focus on their rehabilitation without struggling for basic needs,” said Persaud.
