Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Detailed inquiry into shelter food services and challenges
2:48:04
ยท
166 sec
Council Member Diana Ayala delves deeper into the specifics of food services in shelters, asking about funding for different types of shelters and the assessment process for food insecurity. The discussion highlights challenges faced by shelter residents in accessing food.
- City only provides funding for shelters without cooking facilities
- Council funding supports some pantries in shelters where cooking is possible
- Concerns raised about decreasing food access for students living in shelters
- Example given of a young mother in a shelter facing difficulties with food preparation
Diana Ayala
2:48:04
So the so the city only only provides funding for shelters where there is no cooking facility no cooking available.
2:48:12
Right?
Eric Lee
2:48:12
Yeah.
2:48:12
For for for shelter facilities that that where clients do not have kitchens within their units Uh-huh.
2:48:18
They would offer food to prepared meals for the clients.
Diana Ayala
2:48:22
Okay.
2:48:22
And in the cases where the person can cook, those pantries if there is one are funded through the council funding?
Eric Lee
2:48:29
For our sites.
2:48:30
Not at not Your
Diana Ayala
2:48:31
sites, you're not receiving any other funding to run those.
Eric Lee
2:48:35
So for DHS facilities where people cook themselves Uh-huh.
2:48:39
Not every building would have pantries.
2:48:43
That's based on a building by building, contract by contract thing and that's how we try to creatively use funding within VOA.
2:48:49
But that's not something that I'm I can't speak to every provider but that's how we do the food services within our buildings.
Diana Ayala
2:48:58
And how soon how soon does the caseworker inter does interfacing with the client do the assessment makes the assessment on whether or not that individual may or may not need emergency food?
Eric Lee
2:49:12
I I can get back to you on that information.
2:49:15
The other thing is to speak more broadly to how VOA works is like the FSAT program, we use that to enhance our food options within our DV program.
2:49:24
So trying to creatively look at how we can enhance the services and options to ensure that holistically the people within our buildings have the food that they need, connections to care, services, other things.
2:49:35
And that is one way in which, as as I mentioned in my testimony, we are concerned that with the freezing of those funds from Congress that we would welcome the council support and calling on Congress to push FEMA to release that because that is not within FEMA's authority currently.
Diana Ayala
2:49:50
Perfect thank you.
2:49:51
Did you want to add something?
Lo Anderson
2:49:53
Just wanted to add in with respect to the DHS process there are places and and units we have a lot of students living in shelter period so that's the reality and we do have programs that are coming out to combat that but in the interim I do hear constantly from my my students who are living in shelter that their access to food as they live in shelter is decreasing.
2:50:18
One example I can give you is a young mother of twin twin daughters who were staying in a hotel in Queens and had staff from the shelter come and remove the only microwave that she had.
2:50:29
So for someone with twins under the age of three to me egregious with no previous memo with no notice and no reasoning why.
2:50:38
So I would certainly pay attention you know through the ombudsman to see what folks are complaining about food security specifically because I know in The Bronx for certain I hear those complaints a lot as well from students and their families.