This Week's Stories
GG's quick takes on recent NYC news


Week of 19 November 2001:

Health Care Fix
On September 19, Mayor Giuliani and Governor Pataki created a program that offers four months of disaster-relief Medicaid and streamlines the usual process. There is only a one page application, compared to eight pages. No documentation or proof of identity is required. Approval is automatic, compared to a typical 90-day wait. And it allows a family of four that makes up to $1,957 a month to qualify. And many in the city, particularly the newly unemployed, are making use of the plan. Before September 11, one in four New Yorkers had no health insurance. Although no new totals are available, the long lines and enrollment in the disaster-relief Medicaid program, show that the numbers are growing rapidly. In the last six weeks, 75,000 families have applied for Medicaid. A normal enrollment is 8,000 a month.

Rebuilding
"Larry A. Silverstein, the developer who holds the lease on the World Trade Center, met with Mayor-elect Michael R. Bloomberg yesterday and said afterward that he would go ahead with plans to rebuild at the site, probably with new towers reaching about half as high as the ones destroyed on Sept. 11," the Times reports. "He also said groundbreaking at 7 World Trade Center would begin in 2002." (For details, see Gotham Gazette's Rebuilding NYC)

Season Of Giving
Many New York non-profits organizations have experienced a drop in donations since the terrorist attacks and fear that looming state and city budget deficits will cut services and programs even more. To aid local organizations, the September 11th Fund, established by the United Way of New York City and the New York Community Trust, has not only given out over $48 million in disaster relief, but has also set up interest-free loans and grants for New York non-profits not directly involved to the recovery efforts. Also the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announced yesterday that it was establishing a $50 million fund for cultural institutions. The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs estimates it will have to cut $20 million from its $137 million budget to meet Mayor Giuliani's order to reduce agency spending by 15 percent.

In the days after the World Trade Center attack, President George W. Bush promised $20 billion in disaster relief to New York City. So far the city has received only $327.5 million for cleanup, overtime, and related costs, according to the Independent Budget Office. The White House has pledged $2.5 billion in special community development funds, including $1.8 billion last week, but there are no guarantees of more general economic aid and many promises now seem uncertain. The full report on federal aid is available on the Independent Budget Office web site.

Hungry and Homeless
With Thanksgiving approaching, increasing numbers of New Yorkers are turning to homeless shelters and food pantries, according to groups that work with the needy. The Coalition for the Homeless says that more people are spending the night in homeless shelters and welfare hotels than ever before. The group said an already serious housing situation became worse after many low wage workers lost their jobs following the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Last month, 29,498 single adults and families, including almost 13,000 children, stayed at welfare hotels and shelters, according to figures released by the group. The previous high was 28,737 in March 1987.

Some advocates have urged Mayor-elect Michael Bloomberg to adopt new policies to fight the problem. Rather than spend so much money on shelters, they say, the city should provide people with emergency grants and legal services to keep them from being evicted. The coalition also wants the city to convert privately owned apartments, now used as emergency shelters, to permanent housing.

Meanwhile, supplies in food pantries across the state are low because of increased demand and declining contributions. "There were millions of New Yorkers who needed our assistance before September 11, and things have only gotten worse," said Susannah Pasquantonio of the state Hunger Action Network.

(This week, on Gotham Gazette, Megan McLaughlin, executive director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, discusses the problems facing New York charities after September 11.)

Danger Signs
A steady stream of statistics and reports continue to indicate that the city, and lower Manhattan in particular, are in for some tough times. First comes hard evidence that many jobs have indeed left New York City for New Jersey. The New York Times reports that, while Wall Street lost about 15,000 of its 181,000 jobs in October, New Jersey picked up 15,400 positions, many in the financial, insurance and real estate industries. Although it is unclear if this shift is permanent, experts estimate that a third of these positions may never return to Manhattan.

As a result of jobs moving to the suburbs and elsewhere in the city, there is no shortage of office space in lower Manhattan, despite the loss of 13.45 million square feet of space in the World Trade Center attack. In fact, there is substantially more available office space in the area today than there was before September 11, according to the Times. Nearly half the available space was once used by corporate tenants who have laid off workers or relocated.

Meanwhile, the economic hard times are creating troubles for culture in the city. According to a study by the Center for the Urban Future, where the report is available on-line, arts institutions are *entering their rockiest period in over 30 years." Faced with plunging tourism, declining charitable contributions and city budget cuts, a number have already announced substantial layoffs.

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