The first new building at Lambert Houses, part of a $600 million redevelopment that will eventually replace and demolish all existing buildings at the troubled complex, is nearing completion and is now accepting applications.
Located at 988 East 180th Street, the new 18 story building will have 163 upon completion but the initial lottery is only for 49 of these units ranging from studios to two bedroom units for residents making 60% and 100% of the “fake” area median income which ranges from $27,978 for a 1 person household for a studio to $104,300 for a four person household for a two bedroom unit.
We say fake because we already know there are issues with the AMI not being true to the local area due to the fact that the other boroughs are lumped in as well as points north of the city.
Lambert Houses Reborn: Rendering of 988 East 180th Street once complete.
The building itself will feature a 24 hour attended lobby as well as laundry and bike storage.
In 2016, it was announced that the 14 building, 731 unit Lambert Houses would be demolished in phases and replaced with 1,665 units of new, affordable housing.
As a new building is constructed, tenants will be moved into the new buildings to allow the other buildings to be demolished.
Some tenants welcome the new and improved buildings but are worried about being displaced and having nowhere to go.
You have until April 2nd to apply (please don’t contact us about these apartments as Welcome2TheBronx is NOT connected with the developer or any developer for that matter).
Head over to NYC’s Housing Connect to apply and click here for details on the application process. You have until April 2nd to apply!
We’re just coming out of the coldest couple of days of the year but Winter’s nowhere near over and lacking heat is not where you want to find yourself.
Real estate database Localize.city has just issued a report of the top ten neighborhoods in the city with the most hazardous heat related violations and six of them (not surprisingly) are located right here in The Bronx.
In response to a legislation introduced by the City Council that would require New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development to identify the top 150 non-NYCHA buildings of 3 units or more with the highest rates of hazardous heat violations over the course of four years, Localize did just that.
According to the report, the following Bronx neighborhoods had the highest rates of hazardous heat violations over the past four years:
Van Nest
Wakefield
Williamsbridge
Belmont
Tremont
Hunts Point.
The report also singled out the top three addresses that racked up the most violations and 506 Brook Avenue in Mott Haven, a building with 9 residential units, racked up 18 violations during this time frame.
The analysis only covered neighborhoods where there were more than 1,000 such units so parts of the East Bronx and Riverdale were not included.
Neighborhoods like Riverdale, Woodlawn, Spuyten Duyvil, Morris Park, Castle Hill, and Throggs Neck had some of the lowest rates of such heat related violations in The Bronx.
Localize also provided the following tips:
Understand Your Rights
During heat season — Oct. 1 through May 31 — landlords are required to provide heat from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., ensuring that the inside temperature is 68 degrees everywhere in your apartment if the temperature outside falls below 55 degrees. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., the inside temperature must be at least 62 degrees in your apartment regardless of the outside temperature.
How to take action if you have heat or hot water problems
Let your landlord know there’s a problem. If your landlord fails to address the problem and you think your landlord is violating the law, you can file a complaint through 311 either for your apartment or the building. (You can file a building-wide complaint anonymously, but must include the address.)
For the complaint to turn into a violation, here’s what happens next: It triggers a visit from an inspector with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. That inspector must then gain access — typically during the work day, when tenants are not home — and find that the heat is indeed not working.
Several weeks ago Welcome2TheBronx was alerted that plans had been filed for a 10 story building at 425 Westchester Avenue at The Hub in Melrose.
Our first thought was it would be residential considering it’s directly across from La Central which is currently under construction and will bring with it 992 residential units.
425 Westchester Avenue is currently a parking lot across from La Central development which is rapidly rising.
But upon closer inspection of the application with New York City’s Department of Buildings, it was revealed that the proposed 10 story structure would be an educational facility.
Rendering of 425 Westchester Avenue in Melrose at The Hub
This wouldn’t be the first educational tower in Melrose as Boricua College’s main campus on 161st Street rises 14 stories overlooking The Northrose affordable housing development.
Once constructed, 425 Westchester Avenue will add additional retail space on Westchester Avenue and along with retail at La Central will expand the current commercial corridor at The Hub.
Calls to the developer have gone unanswered as to which charter school will be moving in but we do know that there will be retail space on the ground-floor and according to Real Estate NJ, there will also be office spaces for non profit organizations as well as a rooftop playground.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of this year.
We’re back for another look at old photographs of The Bronx. Most of these images are from 100 or more years ago and are from the New-York Historical Society’s Digital Collections.
So much has changed and yet some are still so recognizable if you look hard enough.
It’s always fascinating to think about who lived in these buildings and who are some of the people we see in the photographs.
1157 Fulton Avenue at 167th Street across from the now demolished St Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Morrisania taken August 18, 1915. Notice the now demolished Third Avenue El on the lower left of the photograph/New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection
Today, only one of the buildings at 1157 Fulton Avenue survived and of course, the Third Avenue El has been gone for over 40 years now.2513 Webster Avenue directly south of Fordham Road in an undated photo estimated to have been taken between 1899-1904/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection 2513 Webster Avenue today2654 Bainbridge Avenue in Fordham Manor in 1917/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection 2654 Bainbridge Avenue today. As you can see all homes are still standing including the garage in the back. Oh and the tree survived too!335 and 337 E 241st Street in Woodlawn taken in 1917/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection 335 and 337 E 241st Street today. As you can see they have both been significantly altered as they were expanded outwards towards the front.
Below, parts of Alexander Avenue remain frozen in time while others have changed drastically.
Alexander Avenue in Mott Haven facing south from 138th Street. St Jerome’s Roman Catholic Church on the left/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection St Jerome still and its school still stand today but NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses has replaced all the townhomes that once dominated Alexander Avenue.
This strip in Kingsbridge is relatively the same except with the addition of rows of trees now.
Bailey Avenue in Kingsbridge looking North from Albany Crescent on June 2, 1916/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection Bailey Avenue today mostly unchanged
Almost unbelievable that this is Jerome and Bedford Park Boulevard.
Jerome Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard, February 4, 1919/ New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection Notice Tracy Towers in the distancePilgrim Congregational Church on the Grand Concourse at E 175th Street in Mount Hope in June 1919/New York Historical Society, William D. Hassler photograph collection Today, the church is slated for demolition to make way for housing. It has sat in disrepair for well over a decade.
That’s it for now. We’ll continue to go through the thousands of images and share a select few here as always.
Since Trump took office in 2017, ICE arrests at courthouses across New York State have increased an alarming 1,700% and The Bronx is the fourth hardest hit according to a new report issued by the Immigrant Defense Project.
Even more disturbing is that these arrests have increased in brutality and not just geographic scope across the state.
Infographic via IDP
IDP reports that, “…tactics employed by ICE agents became more violent and the brutality more commonplace” with horrific accounts of, “… of ICE using violent force to conduct arrests—slamming family members against walls, dragging individuals from cars, and even pulling guns on people leaving court—have become commonplace. Witnesses to ICE arrests have called 911 to report that they were witnessing a kidnapping. ICE has also turned to more aggressive surveillance, trailing attorneys to their offices and eavesdropping on confidential attorney-client conversations. “
The report also revealed that ICE is targeting vulnerable victims of human trafficking and survivors of domestic violence.
Infographic via IDP
According to data presented by the report, in 2016 there were only 11 ICE related arrests at courts in New York State. In 2017 that increased by 1,700% to 172 arrests and continued to grow by 17% in 2018 with 202 arrests by ICE agents at courts.
In The Bronx, there were 26 arrests placing it fourth of 62 counties in NYS.
Regardless of immigration status, human beings deserve better treatment than violent ICE officers dragging them away especially those that are victims of crimes themselves.
After serving our borough for 37 years, Pelham Bay Diner has closed its doors forever.
Citing growing competition with big fast food chains in recent years, the owner has stated he had no choice but to close.
Rumors have been circulating that the property had been sold but a search of public records have revealed no sales of the land or property as of yet.
While the food may not have been the best for some palates, what’s sad about this besides all the workers now having to look for employment is that seniors in the area now have one less place to eat at.
Walk into any diner across The Bronx or the country and the one thing you’ll always see in common: Seniors.
Diners are a part of the local community for seniors, it is a safe space where they can get a meal even if they are lonely. They see the same friendly faces from the waitstaff who know them by name and look after them.
So for me, personally, it’s not so much about another place that is disappearing from my youth in our beloved borough but it is a needed space for one of our must vulnerable populations and that is the elderly.
Personally, I haven’t been at Pelham Bay Diner in a few years but it will be missed as a reliable quick stop along 95.
The following was originally published over at Hidden Waters Blog, a companion blog to the amazing Hidden Waters of NYC book by Sergey Kadinsky, and reprinted with permission.
The green lung at the center of the city’s northern borough is Bronx Park, designed to function as the Bronx’s counterpart to Central Park and Prospect Park. But shortly after its acquisition in 1888, most of this park has been designated for the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. The Bronx River flows through these institutions, and within their grounds is fed by tributaries that are incorporated into the animal and plant exhibits.
One such example is the Native Plant Garden at NYBG, which in 2013 received a postmodern-style pond. The unnamed brook here is the most visible hidden waterway at NYBG, and the question I’m researching is whether it is fed by springs, wells, or the city water supply.
Where it Flows
On the beautifully rendered map of the NYBG, we see the unnamed tributary brook originating in the Rock Garden, and then continuing through the Native Plant Garden, and past the Wild Wetland Trail and Children’s Adventure Garden. It goes underground beneath the Picnic Pavilions and Crabapple Collection, then reemerges to the surface within Thain Forest and descends down the forested slope into the Bronx River.
Rock Garden
In winter the 2.5-acre Rock Garden is closed to visitors so I’m using a photo from the NYBG collection showing the waterfall at the source of the brook. On my visit to the garden’s library and archive, I could not determine the natural source of this brook. The proximity to its spring is the head of a valley. The Rock Garden was developed here in the 1930s to provide a mountainous setting for alpine flowers from six continents. A waterfall was constructed atop the specifically placed boulders, emptying into a small pond. The water for this cascade flows out of a pipe hidden among the rocks in a matter resembling the streams of Central Park, Prospect Park, and Morningside Park.
The brook’s relationship with the plants is seen in the mountain bog section of the exhibit. Prior to development this was likely a natural wetland with water flowing down the surrounding slopes to feed the brook. Overlooking the Rock Garden on its east is Thain Forest, a 50-acre virgin forest that inspired the location of the NYBG. The garden’s first director, Nathaniel Lord Britton described the woodland as “the most precious natural possession of the city of New York.” Like Parks designer Frederick Law Olmsted, he is a native of Staten Island, the borough with the most natural attractions in NYC.
Native Plant Garden
After the Rock Garden, the brook enters the 3.5-acre Native Plant Garden, where storm water from surrounding paths drains into the constructed pond. In 2009, the Leon Levy Foundation donated $15 million to NYBG to redesign the Native Plant Garden, with architect Sheila Brady of the firm Oehlme, Van Sweden hired for the project.
At the center of this garden is a 230-foot-long water feature comprising of three connected ponds. Storm water captured on-site is filtered by aquatic plants in a miniature version of the city’s Bluebelt program. A promenade constructed of the native hardwood black locust runs along the length of this pond.
Wild Wetland
The Azalea Way separates the Native Plant Garden from the brook’s next downstream feature, the Mitsubishi Wild Wetland Trail. On the road we see a sewer grating above the covered section of the brook. Recall the Japanese automaker’s other philanthropic contribution on the Bronx River, the Mitsubishi Riverwalk at the Bronx Zoo, less than a mile downstream from here.
The wetland trail follows the brook as it widens into a freshwater marsh opposite the Children’s Adventure Garden. Along the path are dozens of explanatory signs describing the flora and fauna of this ecosystem. At the tip of this wetland, the brook disappears underground, flowing below the rolling terrain of the Crabapple Collection and the South Grove of the Azalea Garden.
Below a tree root among small rocks the brook bubbles out of the ground in a naturalistic manner. The appearance of the stream is similar to The Gill in Central Park and the brook flowing through Brooklyn Botanical Garden, both of which feature naturalistic “springs” that spit water from rocks concealing pipes.
NYBG in Historical Maps
With few historical maps of NYBG available online, I went to its archives in the garden’s library. If the Astor Court represents Bronx Zoo’s beaux arts centerpiece, the Mertz Library does the same for NYBG. From a European viewpoint, the building resembles a royal palace surrounded by official gardens but in reality both were publicly operated from the start. Although the U. S. never developed a landed aristocracy, in colonial times a sizable chunk of present-day Bronx was the estates of the Van Cortlandt and Morris families, who held their lands for multiple generations.
The library’s namesake, LuEsther T. Mertz cofounded Publishers Clearing House with her husband Harold. For many years it employed Forgotten-NY founder Kevin Walsh. I love the name LuEsther, it reminds me of LuAnn, LeAnn, and RoAnne. I’ve always wondered about the reasons for these prefixes.
In the 1895 survey of the NYBG property, we see a handful of tributaries feeding into the Bronx River. At number 4 is the unnamed brook originating at the Rock Garden while number 2 shows the brook that feeds into Twin Lakes.
Between numbers 8 and 9 is an unnamed pond that is on the site of today’s Reiss Field. Initially used for ice skating, it was severed from the NYBG in 1937 by the Bronx river Parkway and developed two years later as a baseball field. On top of this map is Mosholu Parkway, an Olmstedian creation built atop another long-forgotten hidden stream.
The 1923 plan for NYBG shows the institution’s borders going as far as Burke Avenue and Bronx Park East, but encroaching urbanization was on its way. The red dotted line is an early proposal for Bronx River Parkway to skirt the garden’s western border. In reality, I highlighted the eventual path of the parkway, which would run on the eastern side of the garden, slicing away much of its land in favor of the road and playgrounds along Bronx Park East. This plan is an update to the original 1896 plan for the NYBG.
North of Allerton
Borrowing a 1921 G. W. Bromley atlas from the NYPL Digital Collections, the highlighted modifications to NYGB are easier to see. Allerton Avenue will become the garden’s northern border in the 1930s, losing the fruticetum, bog garden, arboretum, and Burke Bridge. It’s hard to imagine that as sizable as the garden is today, it used to be much bigger a century ago. Land to the north of Allerton Avenue is public parkland today, designated as the Bronx River Forest, Allerton Ballfields, and French Charley’s Playground.
Within the Bronx River Forest is Burke Bridge, which lines up on the map with Burke Avenue. This bridge used to be part of NYBG’s network of internal roads, which explains for its width.
Today it is part of the Bronx River Greenway, a series of connected paths that follow the river from the city line to its mouth.
Twin Lakes
Another hidden waterway at the NYBG is Twin Lakes. On the map their location resembles that of Cope Lake at Bronx Zoo, which is also near a northern border, next to a staff-only facility, and formerly open to the public. The roundabout in the middle used to be part of NYBG and its used to day as a turnaround for vehicles bound for Allerton Avenue. The restricted facility here is the Pfizer Laboratory, completed in 2006 by the firm Ennead Architects to a tune of $23 million.
The lab comfortably lies astride the southern side of the larger pond, with expansive views of this hidden waterway. Each pond contains a fountain for water circulation, and is a designated DEP Bluebelt wetland, the first one in the Bronx. The road dividing the twin ponds used to run north to Burke Bridge but became a dead-end in the 1930s after the Bronx River Forest was taken away from NYBG. This bridge today serves as a staff parking lot.
But it could have been worse for Twin Lakes. As part of Robert Moses’ ambitious highway agenda, the lakes were also alienated from NYBG in order to build a 1.2-mile connection of Mosholu Parkway and Bronx River Parkway.
On the 1953 NYBG circulation plan, the highlighted highway would have ran atop the smaller twin lake, with a partial trumpet interchange for Southern Boulevard further compromising the garden.
Civic opposition mounted against Moses, who had already reduced NYBG’s footprint with the Bronx River Parkway, and had earlier ran highways through Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay parks. The highlighted extension was never completed. Twin Lakes were returned to the NYBG and vehicles traveling between the Mosholu and Bronx River Parkways must use the one-lane Allerton Avenue connection. Plenty of traffic backups here, but the egret, turtle, and frog habitat was saved.
As mentioned, Twin Lakes used to be a public area. In this 1912 archival photo we see visitors ice skating on the pond, in view of the garden’s palatial library. Winters in New York are not as cold as they used to be and as is the case with the city’s park ponds, the water here does not stay frozen for too long in winter. Much thanks to Samantha the librarian at NYBG for providing me with the maps and reports.
My connection to NYBG is Dante Burgos, a talented comic artist who also tends to the plants here. The man was like my unexpected Latino brother. I lived on Queens Boulevard. He lived on Grand Concourse. Both of our apartments were 1F. I’m not saying that our homes were identical, but the streetscapes were very much alike. For a time, I also sported a mustache and goatee. My wife won’t let me, but Dante still has his. And clearly we both love nature. He’s into plants and I like waterways.
Sergey Kadinsky is the author of Hidden Waters of New York City: A History and Guide to 101 Forgotten Lakes, Ponds, Creeks, and Streams in the Five Boroughs (2016, Countryman Press) and the webmaster of Hidden Waters Blog.
He is a licensed tour guide who paid his way through college atop the double-decker Gray Line buses.
Kadinsky is a contributor to Forgotten New York, a local history website. His articles on the city’s history appeared in New York Post, New York Daily News, and Queens Chronicle, among other publications.
Read more fascinating New York City history in Sergey Kadinsky’s book! (click to purchase)
All neighborhoods in the Bronx and across New York City deserve to have low crime rates and resident should live without fear that they will be a victim of a violent crime whether they live in an economically affluent area or a low-income neighborhood.
The 40th precinct which covers Port Morris, Melrose, and Mott Haven, the 41st covering Hunts Point and Longwood, and the 42nd Precinct covering Melrose, Morrisania, and Claremont will be the focus of efforts by the NYPD utilizing a variety of programs and “crime-fighting” tactics to ensure these areas are just as safe as other parts of the city.
The 40th Precinct in Mott Haven, which will move to a new building in a few years in Melrose currently under construction, is ground zero for gentrification in The Bronx.
While this is a noble effort in theory, we have to ask why is every single precinct selected located in gentrifying neighborhoods and why now?
Our existing residents deserved and continue to deserve to be safe and not just because developers are now rolling in with big money and constructing luxury housing for a demographic that doesn’t even exist in the country’s poorest congressional district.
Other precincts in the city are 25th in East Harlem, the 73rd and 75th in Brooklyn covering Brownsville and East New York respectively. All these neighborhoods are experiencing gentrification and this doesn’t go unnoticed by us and others.
A crime scene in Melrose
And this isn’t “paranoia” speaking but this is a well-documented phenomenon in the never-ending saga of gentrification across the nation.
“…Over the past two decades, gentrification has become a norm in major American cities. The typical example is a formerly low-income neighborhood where longtime residents and businesses are displaced by white-collar workers and overpriced coffeehouses. But the conventional wisdom that image reflects—that gentrification is a result of an economic restructuring—often leaves out a critical side effect that disproportionately affects communities of color: criminalization.
When low-income neighborhoods see an influx of higher-income residents, social dynamics and expectations change. One of those expectations has to do with the perception of safety and public order, and the role of the state in providing it. The theory goes that as demographics shift, activity that was previously considered normal becomes suspicious, and newcomers—many of whom are white—are more inclined to get law enforcement involved. Loitering, people hanging out in the street, and noise violations often get reported, especially in racially diverse neighborhoods.
“There’s some evidence that 311 and 911 calls are increasing in gentrifying areas,” Harvard sociology professor Robert Sampson told me. And “that makes for a potentially explosive atmosphere with regard to the police,” he added.
By degrees, long-term residents begin to find themselves tangled up in the criminal-justice system for so-called “quality of life” crimes as 311 and 911 calls draw police to neighborhoods where they didn’t necessarily enforce nuisance laws before. As Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., describes it, misdemeanor arrests are more reflective of police presence than the total number of infractions committed in an area. “It’s not a question of how many people are committing the crime—it’s a question of where the police are directing their law-enforcement resources,” Butler said. “Because wherever they direct the resources, they can find the crime.”
Fayyad succinctly connects the dots across the country with other similar situations in Washington, DC and San Francisco.
Police from the 40th Precinct checking for “illegal” street vending at The Hub in Melrose, The Bronx’s oldest shopping district.
A detailed analysis NYPD-referred 311 calls done by Community Service Society revealed the following disturbing trends:
The highest quality-of-life complaint rates occurred in lower-income communities of color with the largest influxes of white residents.
311 complaints for quality-of-life issues were significantly more likely to end in a summons or arrest in lower-income communities of color that experienced the largest influxes of white residents.
The largest increases in NYPD-referred complaints occurred in communities of color with large influxes of white residents accompanied by new housing development. But within these areas, the complaint rate increased significantly faster where new, city-financed affordable housing development was also present.
These findings by CSS are particularly disturbing knowing full well that the vast majority of “affordable” housing has been constructed in the South Bronx, particularly in Melrose where over 4,000 units across dozens of developments have been constructed and the latest, La Central, is rising and will have almost 1,000 such units.
And again, we can’t stress enough that we all deserve to live in safe neighborhoods free from fear of crime. That is not the question.
The question we ask is, “Why now?”
Don’t believe us?
Here are a few articles on the well-documented subject of policing and gentrification:
Lohud is reporting that at a meeting this morning, MTA officials announced that the agency’s disagreements with Amtrak have been resolved on using its rails for the long-awaited Penn Station Access Project, which would bring four new Metro North Stations to the East Bronx.
Amtrak has basically been holding the project hostage for years now over disagreements on how much the MTA should pay for the right to use their rails for Metro North service from the New Haven Line straight into Penn Station, a price the MTA said was too high.
Now the East Bronx seems to finally be on track to get four new Metro North stations in the transit-starved region of our borough.
At a Metro-North meeting in Manhattan today, a top-ranking MTA official credited Gov. Andrew Cuomo with helping to break a logjam with Amtrak that had stalled the opening of bids for the project.
“We’re very excited about this,” Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chief development officer, told board members today. “It’s a long time coming.”
The new stations are slated for Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester, and Hunts Point and will save commuters invaluable time a week on their commutes to work both in Manhattan and employment centers in Westchester County and Connecticut.
In a statement, Senator Charles Schumer said, “Following helpful clamoring from public officials from the Bronx and Westchester, that I was proud to support, I’m so glad that Amtrak and the MTA have forged an agreement to establish an exciting new travel option for transit-starved commuters in the East Bronx and Westchester. It is great news for Bronx and Westchester commuters and will reduce travel times, increase reverse commuting options, create four new stations in the Bronx, provide a direct link to Manhattan’s bustling Westside and boost economic activity,” said Senator Schumer, who added: “To make this project a reality, it is more urgent than ever that we repair the aging and Sandy-damaged East River Tunnel through which this new line must run, and I urge the MTA and Amtrak to use the $500 million in federal funds I secured for this project to get started ASAP.”
“Too many residents of the Bronx have been without reliable transit, which is why I proposed these new stations,” Governor Cuomo said. “With a reconstructed Moynihan Station currently underway, these four stations not only will connect the east Bronx to Manhattan’s West Side, but also build upon our ongoing efforts to fully transform our state’s transportation infrastructure. I want to thank the Empire State Development Corporation for their assistance in the expedition of this project to unleash a new generation of economic development in the Bronx. I also want to thank Amtrak for their agreement.”
Acting MTA Chairman Fernando Ferrer said, “Bringing Metro-North service to the east Bronx is a game changer for the borough, and we have all been eager to get started. This project will significantly reduce travel times for east Bronx residents and help area businesses and institutions attract employees. This is a long-held dream of mine and hundreds of thousands of Bronxites. Needless to say, we salute Governor Cuomo’s leadership with Amtrak to let the MTA get this project moving.”
But we’ll believe it when we see construction of the new stations actually happening!
How the Federal Shutdown Affects SNAP Questions and Answers
Q1. If I received my February benefits on January 17th, and the federal government shutdown ends, will I receive more benefits in February on my normal date?
A1. No. The February benefits you receive early on January 17 are what you are eligible for the entire month of February. That is why it is important that you budget your SNAP to last you through the end of February.
Q2. When can I start using the February benefits deposited on my EBT card on January 17?
A2. You may begin to use them immediately beginning January 17; however, remember that you will not receive any more SNAP benefits in February so you must budget accordingly.
Q3. If I receive my February benefits in January, do I have to use them by January 31?
A3. No, those benefits are your February benefits and may be redeemed in February. In fact, you will not get any more SNAP benefits in February and should budget so that they last you through February
Q4. What if my February benefits are not available in my EBT account on January 17?
A4. This does not mean that you will not get your February benefits. If you have completed your recertification, or if you complete it by January 31st, your benefits should be available on February 1 if you live in a county outside of New York City. If you live in New York City, your February benefits should be available on your regularly scheduled February benefit availability date. If you have sent in your recertification application, but have not yet completed the recertification process, you must do so as soon as possible. You must complete your interview, if you have not already, and must submit any required verification to your local Department of Social Services as soon as possible for them to determine if you are eligible for February SNAP benefits.
Q5. What if I haven’t sent in my completed recertification yet?
A5. You must do so as soon as possible in one of three ways. The fastest way is to complete a recertification application online at www.mybenefits.ny.gov. You may also drop your recertification off at your local Department of Social Services (DSS) or mail it back to DSS in the envelope that was included in the recertification packet you received in the mail.
Q6. What will happen to my March benefits?
A6. OTDA has not yet received any information from the federal government about March SNAP benefits. We will continue to work closely with the federal government during the shutdown and will provide updates on our website at www.otda.ny.gov and through social media (links are available at the bottom of OTDA’s home page) as it becomes available.
Q7. Do I have to continue to meet all SNAP requirements during the shutdown?
A7. Yes. You are still required to recertify, complete periodic reports, report changes and respond to requests from your local DSS as usual.
Q8. Can I still apply during the shutdown if I don’t receive SNAP?
A8. Yes. You may still apply at your local DSS, or online at www.mybenefits.ny.gov.
Q9. Does the federal government shutdown affect my Temporary Assistance (cash) benefits?
A9. Temporary Assistance benefits (including cash and restricted benefits) are not currently affected by the shutdown and will be available on their normal schedule.
State governments across the country are issuing February’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (aka food stamps) a month in advance due to the longest government shutdown in history.
They are also urging recipients to please budget your benefits accordingly as you will not receive your March benefits until March should the government shutdown end soon but if it doesn’t, it may be much longer.
The USDA issued funds for SNAP for February well before the typical February 1st disbursement and advised states to fund their SNAP benefits for February had to be sent out by January 20th to ensure that money would be available.
As it stands, there is no guarantee when recipients will receive their next payment.
USDA officials could not commit to providing SNAP benefits in March and it appears unlikely that the funds will be there if the shutdown were to run that long.
Given the fact that President Donald Trump threatened to shut the government down for “months or even years” during a meeting with congressional leaders on Friday, the uncertainty of SNAP benefits beyond February could become a problem for the millions of people who rely on the program.
Funding for the USDA’s Child Nutrition Programs including “School Lunch, School Breakfast, Child and Adult Care Feeding, Summer Food Service and Special Milk” will also continue into mid-February, according to the USDA’s plan, but it is also unclear what will happen after that point.
“The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance today announced that most recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive their full February benefits early, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Current SNAP recipients may receive their February benefits by Thursday, January 17.
Most recipients will receive their entire February benefit early, so it is important for SNAP recipients to budget accordingly considering the uncertainty caused by the federal shutdown.
“New Yorkers receiving their February SNAP benefits early need to carefully plan their food budgets as this will need to last through the entire month,” said Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Samuel D. Roberts. “We will continue to work closely with our local partners to ensure that all SNAP recipients get their February benefits.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has instructed states to issue full February benefits early. This not an “extra” or “bonus” benefit and households will not receive a second benefit for the month of February.
Current SNAP recipients, due to receive February benefits, who do not receive their benefits as part of the early issuance and who live outside of New York City, will receive them on February 1.
Current SNAP recipients, due to receive February benefits, who do not receive their benefits as part of the early issuance and who live in New York City, will receive them on their regularly scheduled February benefit issuance date.”
And with over 35% of The Bronx’s almost 1.5 million population receiving such benefits the results will be disastrous as Trump continues to hold our country hostage over a border wall between the US and Mexico which he promised Mexico would pay for and 59% of Americans don’t want.
This crisis wrought by the government shutdown, the longest in American history, doesn’t just end at the current 800,000 Federal employees not getting paid or SNAP recipients in limbo wondering if they’ll get their benefits to feed their families in March.
With 37% of Bronx residents feeding their families using SNAP benefits, what about the small businesses like bodegas and supermarkets where they spend these monies?
If benefits don’t come in for March that’s well over $36 million (based on the minimum of $192 a month for a single person household in NYS) that local bodegas and supermarkets can lose. This figure could be much higher considering many households get much more due to multiple family members including children.
Trump needs to get his act together. Millions are suffering in this country already as a direct result of his incompetence.
Animal Planet’s ‘The Zoo’ is back next month for its third season and once again, The Bronx Zoo takes center stage in this hit show that follows the zoo staff and the animals they care for.
The popular show has allowed viewers to really get an intimate look behind the scenes and the incredible bonds that the staff have with these beloved critters.
The Wildlife Conservation Society issued the following statement:
More than 50 stories were filmed over eight months as up to three film crews documented the day-to-day activities at the Bronx Zoo and its sister parks. Some of the animals featured in the new season include: a camel, who has a toupee created for him as he heals from a medical procedure; the birth and rearing of a baby mandrill; the rescue of a young peregrine falcon who was injured in downtown Manhattan as it attempted to take its first flight off a skyscraper; and an up-close look at the building and opening of the Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit at the New York Aquarium that includes the moving of a group of large sharks to their new habitat. Other new animals introduced this season include a marmot, Andean bears, a Rodrigues fruit bat pup, warthog, snow monkeys, Nile crocodile, a sloth, and many more.The Animal Planet audience will also see updates on animals from past seasons.
“We had an amazing time filming the third season of THE ZOO and look forward to sharing many new stories which show the bonds our staff have with the animals, and the importance of zoos and aquariums to the conservation of wildlife,” said Jim Breheny, Director of the Bronx Zoo and EVP of Zoos & Aquarium for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
