NYC Mayors Public Engagement Unit 

September 2022

What's NEW at PEU!
GetCoveredNYC Specialists smile from behind a PEU table wearing their PEU shirts.

PEU Staff at an event organized to help new asylum seekers at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx

About the Public Engagement Unit (PEU)

The NYC Public Engagement Unit (PEU) uses community organizing principles to re-envision how the city provides services to its most vulnerable communities. Rather than expecting constituents to navigate a complex city bureaucracy to get the help they need, PEU adopts grassroots tactics to meet residents where they are — at their doors and on their phones, in their social media feeds and in their communities. PEU combines this proactive outreach with comprehensive case management, and in doing so, builds long-term relationships between New Yorkers and their government.

TEAM WINS

Welcoming New Arrivals from Texas

In collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and The Mayor's Community Affairs Unit (CAU), PEU staff have been working tirelessly over the past 6 weeks to welcome migrants from Texas as they arrive in NYC. Team members have been conducting intakes, directing people to shelters and coordinating their transportation, helping with food and clothing distribution, and much more. Read more about our work at Port Authority in this op-ed written by our Executive Director, Adrienne Lever.

Fair Fares Outreach

PEU has been conducting ongoing outreach to spread the word about Fair Fares, a City benefit that helps New Yorkers afford their transportation costs. Along with other transit discounts, you can ride the subway for half price with Fair Fares! We texted more than 280,000 New Yorkers this summer and have since made over 44,000 follow-up calls to get the word out to those who qualify. Don’t just take our word for how great Fair Fares is, hear what Mayor Adams has to say about it in the video below:

Screenshot from video shows Mayor Eric Adams standing with a suit. Caption says lets you ride the subway at half price.

 Check your eligibility and apply at nyc.gov/FairFares.

PEU Tabling at Concerts

As summer comes to a close, so does the "Rise Up NYC" concert series, which featured 10 free community performances this summer throughout all NYC five boroughs. As New York recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the concert series inspired residents to discover the entire city and rekindle their relationships with one another. PEU took the opportunity to head over these concerts to provide resources to the NYC communities, and we had a great time while doing it! We provided operational and benefits outreach support at many of the Rise Up NYC concerts. Check out some photos here.

RiseBoro Farmers Market

PEU’s Tenant Support Unit (TSU) is at RiseBoro Farmers Market every other week doing community outreach. You can catch us this Saturday, October 8th at Maria Hernandez Park. TSU staff has helped hundreds of constituents from across NYC who came to our table at the market. TSU staff teaches tenants about their rights and helps them navigate City resources to ensure they’re able to live safely in their homes. We also help constituents access additional resources provided by the City, like health insurance support and reduced internet.

Two PEU staff sit behind a table with many resource papers wearing PEU T-shirts. Table cloth read N Y C Tenant Support. Protecting your rights. Protecting your home
 

 PEU staff at the RiseBoro Farmer’s Market, happy to share tenant resources with the community

GetCoveredNYC at Gristedes Markets

In just one weekend, GetCoveredNYC (GCNYC) team members tabled at 10 Gristedes and D'Agostino supermarkets  to promote health insurance enrollment. In collaboration with NYC New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and NYS of Health, our team spoke with grocery shoppers across the City about the value of health insurance and answered questions about how to enroll. Here’s what GetCoveredNYC Outreach Director, Alexander Medina, said about this project:

“GetCoveredNYC's mission is to ensure we are meeting New Yorkers where they are—whether it's by phone, by text, in person, or even at their local grocery store—to help them get the support they need when enrolling in health insurance."

To contact GetCoveredNYC, call 311 and say “Get Covered,” text CoveredNYC to 877877, or visit nyc.gov/GetCoveredNYC.

A PEU Specialist wearing a face mask sits in a grocery story at a table piled with resources. There are boxes of Cheerios and plastic water bottles piled behind her. The blue table cloth banner in front of her reads: Get Covered NYC: Not Covered? Talk to me to Get Covered or Call 311 or Text CoveredNYC to 877877.
 

 GetCoveredNYC Specialist at one of the Gristedes and D'Agostino supermarkets with a table full of resources for the community!

September is Emergency Preparedness Month! Have you got an emergency plan in place?

National Flash Flood Awareness Day of Action- Rainfall Ready NYC

On 8/31, PEU staff joined The Mayor's Community Affairs Unit and New York City Community Emergency Response Team volunteers on a National Flash Flood Preparedness Day of Action to provide information to New Yorkers at subway stations about how to prepare and stay informed in case of a flash flood. Here are three ways to be prepared:

  • Make an emergency plan.
  • Protect your property.
  • Get flood insurance.
We can't predict when many emergencies will happen, but we can prepare ahead of time. Learn more at http://nyc.gov/rainfallready. Stay informed with Notify NYC.
Three PEU Specialist take a selfie at the F train 179 street station smiling and wearing PEU shirts.
 

PEU Specialists at the ready outside a subway stop to help New Yorkers prepare for flash floods.

Latinx Heritage Month

Happy Latinx Heritage Month! Every September 15 through October 15 is recognized as Latinx Heritage Month. It's an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the diversity and culture of our PEU Latinx staff! Read their stories on our social media platforms @mayorspeu

Graphic that reads NYC celebrates Latinx Heritage Month. The background is yellow, the text is a mix of different colors, and it is surrounded by colorful flowers, hearts and swirls

SPECIALIST SPOTLIGHT
Kelmy Rodriguez stands with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine
 

 Kelmy Rodriguez stands with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine

The Home Support Unit (HSU) works with rental owners, real estate agents, and property managers to lease vacant units to qualified New Yorkers receiving rental assistance, including voucher holders. HSU helps participating owners navigate the rental process by arranging viewings, assisting with leasing paperwork, and ensuring access to financial incentives for placing qualified tenants into stable housing.

HSU Team Lead Kelmy Rodriquez recently helped Ms. Valeria (name changed for privacy), a single mother who is blind and has been living in the homeless system for over a year since she arrived from her native Puerto Rico. Ms. Valeria was issued a Section 8 voucher and spent numerous hours daily with a health aide seeking housing for her and her child to no avail before she was connected with Kelmy. Thanks to Kelmy’s actions, Ms. Valeria was granted an extension on her housing voucher so she could be placed in a home out of shelter. Kelmy supported Ms. Valeria with the housing search until HSU hosted an open house that helped dozens of NYC families move out of shelter and into permanent housing. Ms. Valeria and her son were one of those families.

Finally, on September 7, Ms. Valeria reached Kelmy crying joyfully that the landlord had contacted her with the keys to her new two-bedroom apartment.

We are thankful for the coordination between public and private partners who assist us in achieving our goal to provide a viable and safe home for this family. As a result, Ms. Valeria now has an established support system and was provided with a Home Health Aide. The Aide can assist her with the activities of daily living as she raises her child hundreds of miles away from her native home.

To contact the Home Support Unit, visit nyc.gov/HomeSupportUnit

TWEET OF THE MONTH
Screenshot of tweet that reads: We were thrilled to join #ThePeoplesMoney launch yesterday This is a huge deal... It's NYC's first EVER participatory budgeting process - where all New Yorkers over 11 years old can have a say in how to spend millions of dollars Speak up: http://participate.nyc.gov, @NYCCEC 

View the tweet.

In the News
  • OP-ED: Workers’ World Today in partnership with PEU on GetCoveredNYC September 26, 2022
  • Univision NY: ¿Conoces el programa GetCoveredNYC? esto es lo que debes de saber (Do you know the GetCoveredNYC program? This is what you should know) August 27, 2022
  • Forum Daily: Fair Fares: как ньюйоркцы могут получить проездной в метро за полцены (Fair Fares: How New Yorkers Can Get Half Price Subway Passes) August 17, 2022

RESOURCES & ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • Mental health counselors are available 24 hours a day to provide free support in many languages. You can contact them directly by calling 1-888-NYC-WELL. 
  • NYC Fair Fares: Eligible New York City residents can get a 50% discount on eligible transportation. Help us to spread the word by sharing this HRA toolkit or check your eligibility at nyc.gov/fairfares or call 311.
  • The Affordable Connectivity Program is available to help you pay for broadband internet service! Qualifying individuals and families can receive up to $30 per month off their broadband costs. You can learn more about and sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program here: GetInternet.gov.
  • There are more than 30 programs you or your family may be eligible for regardless of immigration status and even if you’re already receiving benefits or have a job. Use ACCESS NYC to find help in NYC with food, money, housing, work and more.
  • Learning your hurricane evacuation zone means you can get out on time in case of a dangerous incoming storm. It is important to know your zone! Find your zone here: nyc.gov/knowyourzone
  • Youth Leadership Council (YLC)
    • Youth 14-21 years old are invited to apply to a Youth Leadership Council (YLC) now! YLCs are after school opportunities for youth to collaborate and create community solutions through service. Encourage young people in your community to learn more and apply at this link: bit.ly/ylc-app-23.
    • Interested in your organization becoming an official Youth Leadership Council? Reach out to NYC Service at nycylc@cityhall.nyc.gov to learn more about adult trainings, recruitment support, and network of 115 organizations lifting up youth voice in NYC.
  • New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission’s (TLC) Outdoor Resource Fair
    • October 6th, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. located in front of 31-00 47th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101.
    • There will be free health screenings for the public as well as resources provided by participating organizations.

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