African American Planning Commission

Dept. of Homeless Services Commissioner Seth Diamond backtracks on plan to make shelters pay rent

Wed, 19 May 2010 15:09:53 PST

The city's new homeless commissioner reported progress Tuesday in talks to drop the controversial requirement of making working homeless pay rent to stay in shelters.

New homeless services boss Seth Diamond to city shelter dwellers: Find a job!

Mon, 17 May 2010 15:26:53 PST

The new homelessness commissioner has a message for needy New Yorkers who sleep in city shelters: Get a job!

DFTA Lists 50 Senior Centers to Close June 30

Thu, 13 May 2010 12:02:33 PST

The NYC Department for the Aging (DFTA) has released a list of 50 senior centers which it proposes to close on June 30th. The closings, which are designed to save $4.2 million annually, are among a series of human service cuts proposed by Mayor Bloomberg in his Executive Budget in order to eliminate the City's $1.3 billion budget gap.

A Reprieve for Some Who Receive Housing Aid

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:51:49 PST

Some of the 10,000 low-income families in danger of losing the rental assistance they get through a voucher program will probably keep receiving it, thanks to $23.5 million that the New York City Housing Authority is to receive from the federal government, officials said Thursday.

Volunteer Time Worth $20.85 Per Hour in 2009

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:00:58 PST

The hourly value of volunteer time rose to $20.85 in 2009, up from $20.25 a year earlier, according to Independent Sector.

The release of this important figure comes just before National Volunteer Week, which takes place April 18 - 24, 2010. This year Independent Sector and Points of Light Institute are partnering to celebrate ordinary people doing extraordinary things to improve communities across the nation.

City Orders End to Sending Homeless to Illegal Houses

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:46:20 PST

For years, homeless people were sent by the city to illegal boarding houses, places with crowded conditions, rows of bunk beds and vermin. For many of the buildings' landlords, it was an easy way to turn a run-down house into a fairly lucrative operation - tenants were charged hundreds of dollars each month for little more than a mattress.

Thousands May Lose Rental Vouchers

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:13:52 PST

Because of a $45 million budget gap, the New York City Housing Authoritymay have to revoke rental-assistance vouchers from more than 10,000 low-income tenants, a drastic move that could cause families to lose their apartments.

Stopping HIV/AIDS in the Black Community

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:00:54 PST

Over the last decade the prevalence of HIV infection in the United States has reached new highs and now rivals the numbers we see in sub-saharan Africa. According to Wafaa M. El-Sadr, director of the International Center for Aids Care and Treatment at Columbia University, more than half a million Americans became infected with HIV in the past decade taking the total tally to just over 1 million.

New York State Poverty Report from NYSCAA

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:22:43 PST

More than 2.6 million people, including 852,000 children live in poverty in New York State, according to a new report issued by the New York State Community Action Association (NYSCAA). The "2010 New York State Poverty Report" provides data in a comprehensive statewide, county-level and city-level format, offering statistical insight into how poverty in New York State affects education, employment and health, as well as its impact on women and people of color.

An Age for Justice: Elder Abuse in America

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:34:28 PST

"An Age for Justice: Elder Abuse in America," a new video produced by the Elder Justice Now campaign, shows the families and individuals whose lives have been turned upside down by elder abuse.

Help Spread the Word about AAPCI

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:38:18 PST

AAPCI links

Paterson’s Record Cut During Homelessness Crisis

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:15:07 PST

New York City just posted a new record high for homelessness, but Governor David Paterson is looking to set his own record, says Mary Brosnhan, Executive Director of Coalition for the Homeless, in the Huffington Post. He's proposed the largest cut ever to homeless services by any governor in New York history.

Poverty in New York

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:56:19 PST

David Jones, President and CEO of the Community Services Society, weighs in on the issue of poverty in a letter to The New York Times.

President Obama Donates $1.4 Million Nobel Prize

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:26:38 PST

President Barack Obama plans to donate the $1.4 million from his Nobel Peace Prize to helping students, veterans' families and survivors of Haiti's earthquake, among others, drawing attention to organizations he said "do extraordinary work."

An Eye for an Eye

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:20:36 PST

Ameneh Bahrami was once an independent Iranian woman living in Tehran. In November 2004, her life changed forever when a rejected suitor threw acid into her face, scarring her and blinding her in both eyes. For four years Ameneh fought hard for the right to have her attacker tried under Islamic law which allows for victims' retribution. A rare look at contemporary life and law in Iran.

Cutting-Edge Research May Lead to New HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:33:27 PST

In what promises to be good news for African Americans diagnosed with HIV/AIDS -- an epidemic that continues to be a major health crisis for the United States -- scientists may have found a new development after 20 years that could lead to better treatment, British and U.S. researchers announced at the beginning of the year.

AIDS Epidemic in Some US Cities Worse Than Global Hot Spots

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:58:15 PST

Despite advances in prevention and treatment, rates of HIV/AIDS in some parts of the U.S. are higher than those in sub-Saharan Africa, say the authors of a recent study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is on Sunday

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:26:40 PST

Even though African Americans account for about 13% of the United States population, they account for about half of the people who contract HIV and AIDS. HIV/AIDS is also the leading cause of death for black women ages 25-34. But detecting the disease early can greatly prolong life and that is the focus of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Sunday.

Haiti's children on their own on shattered streets

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:15:51 PST

By VIVIAN SEQUERA and BEN FOX, Associated Press Writers Vivian Sequera And Ben Fox, Associated Press Writers

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -The children with no names lay mute in a corner of the General Hospital grounds Tuesday, three among thousands of boys and girls set adrift in the wake of Haiti's earthquake.

National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS - GET INVOLVED!!!

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:41:02 PST

Every Church, Mosque, Synagogue, Temple and Home is invited to join in prayer, education, advocacy and service for the healing of AIDS in the United States and the World.