Virtual Town Hall: Solutions for Housing, Homelessness & Small Businesses in the Wake of COVID-19

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Dear Neighbors:

Thank you to those who attended our Virtual Town Hall on April 30 to discuss solutions for renters, homeowners, homeless New Yorkers, and small business owners.  It was a great conversation, made even better by the many questions submitted by constituents.

I especially want to express my gratitude to our panelists--Ellen Davidson and Joshua Goldfein, staff attorneys at the Legal Aid Society; Gregg Bishop, NYC SBS Commissioner; and Andrew Flamm, Regional Director of PACE Small Business Development Center--for sharing their knowledge and expertise.  

I also want to extend a very special thanks to Congressmember Jerrold Nadler for joining us to share an update on his work at the federal level.  

You can view a video of the event above.

The first hour is our discussion on issues facing renters, homeowners, and homeless New Yorkers.  In our second hour, we discuss assistance for small businesses.

Below you will find links to documents and resources that we discussed during the event.  

If you have any additional questions or if we can be of any assistance, please contact my office at 212-298-5565 or kavanagh@nysenate.gov, and we will do our best to help.

Thanks again! Be safe!

-- Brian Kavanagh

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Links to the documents and resources discussed.

For rental assistance:

- Here’s a link to our press release, and our letter to the NY Congressional Delegation requesting an additional $100B in federal funding, with $10B for New York.

- Press Release:
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/2020/brian-kavanagh/kavanagh-hevesi-and-over-200-elected-officials-advocates-call

- Letter:
https://www.nysenate.gov/sites/default/files/article/attachment/2020.04.14__ltr_to_congressional_delegation_re_federal_funding_all_members_vf.pdf

- Here’s a link to the bill I sponsored (S8140) to provide emergency rental assistance vouchers: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S8140

For mortgage relief:

- Here’s a copy of the press release and Newsday Op/Ed in support of the bill I co-sponsored with Senator Kaminsky to permit homeowners to delay their missed mortgage payments to the end of the mortgage.

- Press Release: 
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/brian-kavanagh/federal-state-lawmakers-propose-substantial-mortgage-relief

- Newsday Op/Ed: 
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/2020/brian-kavanagh/senators-kavanagh-kaminsky-us-rep-rice-make-case-covid-19

- Here’s a link to the bill I sponsored (S8423) in support of this measure: 
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s8243

For help accessing unemployment benefits:

- Please reach out to our office at 212-298-5565 or kavanagh@nysenate.gov.

- Legal Aid Society can also provide assistance through their Access to Benefits hotline, 888-663--6880, which is available from 10am - 3pm every day.

For Small Business Resources:

- New York City's Small Business Services site for COVID-19: 
https://nyc.gov/covid19biz

- NYC SBS’s free consultation services, for example, to help review leases and insurance contracts: 
https://nyc.gov/commlease

- Pace Small Business Development Center: 
https://www.pacesbdc.org/

- To request a no-cost session with a Small Business Development Center business advisor:  http://www.nyssbdc.org/selector/ReqForCons/formo.aspx

- List of COVID-19 financial programs from Pace: 
https://www.pacesbdc.org/coronavirus

- List of private support programs from Pace: 
https://www.pacesbdc.org/privatesupport

- List of community-based lenders from Pace: 
https://www.pacesbdc.org/lenders