Here is how the federal government shutdown is still affecting New Yorkers' food security

A woman looking at an empty cupboard.

A woman looking at an empty cupboard. Shutterstock

By Zach Williams

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There is a new head of agency production at Community Preservation Corporation. Timothy Deegan is taking on that position after serving as the vice president of Federal Housing Administration lendings and originations. In his new role, Deegan will oversee production across CPC’s FHA business, Freddie Mac conventional business and Freddie Mac affordable business for the affordable housing and community revitalization nonprofit, according to a Feb. 5 press release.

 

The New York state Senate Committee on Social Services approved three new bills at a Feb. 4 meeting in Albany. One bill will mandate to-be-developed training for direct care workers who work with children going through adverse childhood experiences. A second seeks to expand the crimes that are defined as domestic violence.  A third bill aims to expand access to food programs by mandating the translation – into Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Haitian-Creole, Korean and Italian – of material necessary to learn about them and apply. Watch the nine-minute meeting below:

 

Foundation Center and GuideStar have combined to form a new nonprofit called Candid. This new arrangement will allow them to better promote nonprofit transparency and data analysis, according to a Feb. 5 email announcement. “The Foundation Center and GuideStar products and services you know have not changed,” reads the email. “We remain committed to ongoing enhancements. For now, you can find out more about the new organization at candid.org.” Brad Smith, the former president of Foundation Center, will be the new president of Candid. Jacob Harold, former president and CEO of GuideStar will be the executive vice president.

 

About 100 people gathered in downtown Manhattan on Feb. 5 for the third annual NYN Media BoardCon. The event featured panel discussions and presentations about everything related to the role of governing boards in nonprofits. Topics included junior boards, transition planning, charity watchdogs, and promoting diversity.

 

A new report examines how the recent federal government shutdown affected New York City’s emergency food network. The Food Bank For New York City put out the new report, which found that a residual “SNAP Gap” could leave many New Yorkers hungry because they ended up receiving their food benefits early in recent weeks. “While the government shutdown may be over, the worst is yet to come,” Margarette Purvis, president & CEO of the nonprofit, said in a Feb. 5 press release. “The significant lapse between SNAP disbursements presents an unanticipated financial hurdle and disruption for those already dealing with food insecurity and will place additional strain on emergency food providers across the five boroughs.”

Here are a few takeaways from the report, taken more or less verbatim from the press release:

  • About 1.6 million low-income New Yorkers who rely on SNAP received their February benefits early, in mid-January.
  • Current average SNAP benefits cover about two weeks’ worth of food for most households.
  • Early SNAP disbursement will result in a “SNAP Gap” for recipients who have to stretch this early disbursement over a much longer four- to six-week time period.
  • For every one furloughed federal New Yorker, there are 90 SNAP recipients who will be impacted by the “SNAP Gap” in New York City.
  • One month of SNAP benefits provides more meals to New Yorkers than Food Bank’s entire annual food distribution.
  • In the Bronx, one in three residents relies on SNAP; in Brooklyn, one in four relies on SNAP; and in Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, one in seven relies on SNAP.

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