Summer Community Corner
Aug.03.2023
BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, started by Bebe Moore Campbell who was a writer, teacher, NPR commentator and advocate for mental health, particularly for the Black community, is a dedicated time to raise awareness about the mental health challenges faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.
Continue Reading …May Community Corner
Jun.01.2023
As we close out Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we hope you can check out this video, detailing the history of a groundbreaking New York nonprofit, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE): https://www.aafe.org/who-we-are/our-history. AAFE started as an activist group calling for construction jobs for Asian American New Yorkers in the face of discrimination. In the 1980s, AAFE became one of the first nonprofit organizations to use Low Income Housing Tax Credits to create affordable housing while revitalizing the Chinatown community. AAFE continues to provide vitally important housing, community development and services in New York City.
April Community Corner
Apr.24.2023
April 22nd was Earth Day and serves as an important reminder of the environmental challenges we face, including climate change and pollution. It’s also important to recognize that these issues do not affect everyone equally. Environmental racism is a form of systemic discrimination through which marginalized communities, especially communities of color, are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards and pollution. This puts marginalized communities at a greater risk of health problems and can lead to long-term harm. Climate change has only exacerbated these issues, with rising temperatures and extreme weather events disproportionately affecting communities of color.
Continue Reading …March Community Corner
Mar.31.2023
In honor of Women’s History Month, the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) created a list of resources to address the mental health needs of women. Despite strides being made to promote gender equality and inclusivity, many women, especially women of color, still continue to face systemic barriers and oppression.
Continue Reading …September Community Corner
Sep.30.2022
During the summer of 2020, many Americans turned to therapy in order to grapple with various events like the pandemic, the election and a summer filled with racial tensions. NPR’s Code Switch recently released an episode titled “Can Therapy Solve Racism?” exploring how two Latinx people address themes of racial and cultural identity and anti-Blackness through therapy.
Continue Reading …July Community Corner
Aug.01.2022
July was Bebe Moore Campbell Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, also known as BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month. Bebe Moore Campbell was a writer, teacher, NPR commentator and advocate for mental health, particularly for the Black community.
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May/June Community Corner
Jun.23.2022
Happy Pride Month! The Network is continually inspired by the work of our community members who uplift and serve the LGBTQ+ community in supportive housing and beyond. As you all know, supportive housing was partially borne out of the AIDS epidemic in NYC, which disproportionately impacted the gay community, and the stigma attached to people who had been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease. It was through the fierce advocacy of ACT UP that our proud member Housing Works was created. Check out this informative and interactive history of Housing Works, including the documentary United in Anger: A History of Act UP.
April Community Corner
May.02.2022
In April 1968, the Fair Housing Act was passed into law, and to commemorate this historic legislation, April has been designated FAIR HOUSING MONTH. The Fair Housing Act -- which promised to end housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, religion, sex or familial status -- would probably never have been made it into law had it not been for Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Still, however, more than 50 years after its passage, overt housing discrimination has been largely replaced by exclusionary zoning blocking the creation of affordable (and supportive) housing and leaving the country with a shortage of an estimated 4 million affordable homes. This short video by Vox is a great summary.
Continue Reading …March Community Corner
Apr.01.2022
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced his plan to expand access to child-birthing healthcare services across the city. The expansion of the Midwifery Initiative, Maternity Hospital Quality Improvement Network, and Citywide Doula Initiative will provide free access to doulas for all birthing families across 33 neighborhoods and 38 facilities citywide. For the first time, the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) will be collecting data from public and private facilities to better understand the gaps in quality care, particularly when it comes to the racial disparities in childbirth mortality rates.
Continue Reading …January Community Corner
Jan.31.2022
In October 2021, the nation experienced a wave of walkouts by workers protesting unsafe working conditions and demanding better wages, benefits, and paid sick leave.
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