A Day for Moms at Home and in Shelter Posted on May 8, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News Millions of New York moms will celebrate Mother’s Day by relaxing at home with their families and — with any luck — getting some special treatment from their children. That’s certainly how I hope to spend the day. But Mother’s Day always carries extr ..Read More
Striving for Her Piece of the Pie Posted on May 7, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times Mardi Gras morning was difficult at the Cupcake Cafe. The health inspector showed up, and Ruth Arcone, the cafe’s pie maker, was so startled she forgot to put the plastic babies into her king cake. “The inspector didn’t look in the fridge, didn’t even ..Read More
Self-Taught Moms Posted on May 6, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in Mashable Walk into Shakora Wood’s apartment and you’ll notice something strange: light. Light may not be an abnormality in most of the country, but here in Brooklyn, light is a rare gem, a distant real estate dream. It covers everything in Shakora’s a ..Read More
New York State Lawmakers Urged to Quickly Move $2B Into Affordable Housing Programs Posted on May 5, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News A group of housing advocates are pressing state leaders to quickly release nearly $2 billion in affordable housing funding that was agreed to in the new state budget. The group that includes the New York State Association For Affordable Housing and AARP, sent ..Read More
Nursing Homes Turn to Eviction to Drop Difficult Patients Posted on May 5, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in Associated Press Nursing homes are increasingly evicting their most challenging residents, advocates for the aged and disabled say, testing protections for some of society’s most vulnerable. Those targeted for eviction are frequently poor and suffering from dementia, acc ..Read More
Council Members Ask de Blasio to Increase Emergency Food Funding Posted on May 6, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in Politico New York City Council members are asking Mayor Bill de Blasio to increase funding for the city’s Emergency Food Assistance program, which they say is under threat due to a reduction of funding in the mayor’s executive budget. Councilman Stephen Levin, who is leadin ..Read More
Give Low-Income Tenants a Fair Chance in Housing Court Posted on May 2, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Slant There is an undeniable homelessness crisis in this city, one that underscores the importance of increased representation of low-income tenants in eviction proceedings. Anyone doubting the relationship between homelessness and the evictions and possessions of t ..Read More
Studying How Poverty Keeps Hurting Young Minds, and What to Do About It Posted on May 3, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times The human brain begins as a neural tube that develops five weeks after conception. Years later, it is fully formed. On Tuesday, experts in neuroscience, genetics and social work met in Manhattan to talk about what can happen to it along the way, and what emerg ..Read More
City Says Homeless Numbers Are Down; Some Homeless Advocates Disagree, Saying Survey Methodology is Flawed Posted on April 28, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Wall Street Journal An annual survey found fewer people living on New York City streets this year than last, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday, though some homeless advocates dismissed the claim. The count found 2,794 people living on the streets as of Feb. 8, down 12% from a y ..Read More