Gotham Gazette

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Citizens Union

Bridget Woznica

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Advocates say outdated laws and government funding cuts are making it harder for one of New York's most overlooked populations — homeless young people at risk for sexual exploitation and human trafficking — to get the help they need.

That was the message from the leaders of youth outreach programs who testified today at a hearing convened by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Democrat from Westchester County and the chair of the Committee on Children and Families. 

The goal of the hearing was to examine the current system in place to help homeless young people and to discuss how to handle the lack of funding for assistance program.

Under the current budget, $1.5 million in funding provides homeless children with safe shelter and short-term or long-term housing and guidance.

While these programs are in place and have been proven to work, the recent funding cuts have only led to a decrease in the number of young people that are able to receive the assistance they need.

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A new report brings the problem of food insecurity back to the table, citing new record highs even before Hurricane Sandy.

The number of New Yorkers living in households without enough food has hit an all time high of 1.4 million, or one in six, according to the report released earlier today by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

In the Bronx alone, 533,825 people, or 40 percent of the borough's residents, struggle against hunger, the report said. One in five over the age of 60, and over half of all Bronx children live in food insecure homes. Meanwhile, 90 percent of food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the Bronx reported an increase in the number of people served before the storm. Advocates believe that number has likely risen since Sandy.

"The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy has had a tremendous impact on New York residents, especially those who are low-income," said Annabel Palma, chair of the New York City Council's general welfare committee, in a statement. "While we as a city will continue to rebuild after the storm and volunteer to assist storm victims, it is important to remember those for whom food insecurity and hunger were issues long before the hurricane."

From 2009 to 2011, nearly 474,000, or one in four children in New York, did not get enough food, the report said. That number is up 31 percent from 2006 to 2008, when 363,000, or one in five children struggled.

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NEW YORK — Councilwoman Jessica Lappin has introduced a bill which she says will help bring the “farm-to-table” concept to students throughout the city by fostering the development of school gardens.

“New York City kids know how to navigate the subway system, but many have no idea where their food comes from,” Lappin said in an interview today.   

The “farm-to-table” concept aims to educate people about how meats and grains are grown and then processed into the food that ends up in their meals.  

Lappin’s bill, which she introduced at yesterday’s stated Council meeting and will go through the committee on education that she sits on, would establish a new interagency school gardens “team” within the mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability.

The team would consist of the commissioners of Buildings, Education, Environmental Protection, Health and Parks, as well as the chairperson of City Planning.

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