HELP USA BLOG

Tonic
By Diane Herbst

It all began in third grade, when Katie Stagliano’s 40-pound cabbage fed 275 homeless people. Now, Katie’s six gardens have produced over 4,000 pounds of vegetables to feed the needy.

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By Jack Phillips

NEW YORK—A controversial decision that forces working homeless families to pay rent in city shelters was scrapped in favor of requiring them to place some of their earnings in a savings account, New York City officials said Friday.

Having a bank account for homeless families is a “tremendous opportunity,” as the account will gain interest and the earned money will be given back to the depositors when they are on their feet and able to exit the shelter, said city Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond.

To read more click here.

On June 10, 2010, HELP, in collaboration with the Upper Manhattan Domestic Violence Collaborative Project, co-hosted a training entitled, “The Diverse Faces of Stalking” at the Adam Clayton State Office Building in Harlem. The training focused on the issue of stalking, with a special emphasis on disabled victims of stalking and domestic violence. The training, attended by 140 members of the community including service providers, consumers, and government agencies, was interpreted in Spanish and American Sign Language. Rachel Chazin Halperin, Executive Director of Domestic Violence Programs at HELP USA presented on the use of technology and stalking. (more…)

Two of our properties HELP I and Genesis Homes get a new cool roof through NYC Cool Roofs and Coach Volunteers on Friday, May 21.

Benefits of Cool Roofs

o       Reduce Summer Heat by reflecting sun’s heat

o       Increase Energy Cost Savings

o       Prevent the Trapping of Heat in the atmosphere

More Pictures here.

For the second year, Bloomingdales and HELP USA partnered to honor the mothers living in HELP’s two domestic violence shelter for Mother’s Day.  As you can imagine, homeless victims of domestic violence experience a tremendous amount of stress in their lives on a daily basis – they are single parents juggling the extraordinary tasks necessary to keep their families safe and secure.  Their situations require them to care for everyone around them, leaving little or no time and/or resources to care for themselves.

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