PS 676, one of two Red Hook public grade schools, with an enrollment of about 100, held a back-to-school supply giveaway in the schoolyard on Friday, September 10.
About 40 students came to pick up new supplies, and those who didn’t make it could get them on the first day of school, which was the following Monday. About 200 backpacks and other supplies including pencils, supply cases, notebooks, glue and math books were distributed, which meant there was more than enough for every student.
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield donated many of the new supplies. IKEA, Redemption Church and Donors Choose were also donors`.
Carina Vizhnay, Community Relations at Empire Blue Cross, brought the Department of Housing Preservation (HPD) and the NYC Sanitation Organic Compost branch to the event to talk to parents.
Vizhnay began partnering with PS 676 last year when Pastor Pacheco from Redemption Church connected her to the school and parent coordinator Marie Hueston.
Vizhnay’s first event was an autism event last spring. She also did a workshop on nutrition for kids and parents.
“I am the type of person that gives out resources,” Vizhnay said. “That is what I do.”
She will continue working with PS 676 and there is a lot more she wants to bring to the table. “When I have been on the street involved in community relations, people say to me do you know anything about housing,” Vizhnay said. “I say, I have a contact and maybe they can help you out. I said, let me bring them out and it can help the community.”
The representative from the compost division of NYC Sanitation was at his third school event in three days. The compost campaign, which was taken away at the start of the pandemic, has been going on for a month.
When anyone signs up for the program at makecompost.nyc, the organization will then deliver the brown bins to them.
The NYC Department of Sanitation encourages New Yorkers to turn food scraps and yard waste into compost since this is a way to keep these items out of landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The program is eligible to residential buildings of all sizes in selected Community Districts.
Pam Glaser represented HPD. They help people apply for affordable housing, as well as advise about tenant rights.
HPD also provides assistance if a landlord does not provide repairs.
“We come out when you call 311 and you say my landlord refuses to repair my apartment,” Glaser said. “We will send an inspector and issue a violation, if required. We only make the repair ourselves if it is considered very dangerous.”
“If it is an extreme situation, we will do it,” Glaser said. “We have a litigation department and we get involved if a group of tenants go to housing court on your landlord.”
There are rules and responsibilities for landlords and tenants in NYC and on their website there is a section that provides information for tenants who feel they are being harassed. On NYC.Gov, there is a tenant housing portal that has every housing related agency on one page.
Various resources include NYC Housing Connect, NYS Emergency Rental Assistance Program, NYC Tenant Resource Portal, HPD Housing Ambassadors and Tenants’ Rights and Responsibilities.
Glaser also said that the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) has significantly fixed NYCHA buildings and developments in Rockaway and in The Bronx. However, HPD does not get involved with NYCHA repairs.
