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Newsletters 2007
September
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
September 24, 2007
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results
A Queens girl, age 15, called my office for help about her class schedule. She had been assigned an afternoon session at Forest Hills High School, but it caused a family hardship: It conflicted with her responsibility to pick up her little brother when his elementary school let out for the day. She had tried without success to switch to an earlier schedule. My office contacted her high school principal and explained her family duties. Within days, she was reassigned to one of the few early sessions.
City Fails to Provide Access to Emergency Contraception/Birth Control
The city Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) fails to provide women with easy access to emergency contraception, according to a new study my office just released. We found that only 15 of 38 HHC teen health clinics -- less than 39 percent -- had emergency contraception available for same-day pickup. And we found that only one site provided an advance prescription of emergency contraception, despite a mayoral announcement in 2005 that all HHC facilities would provide such prescriptions. We also found that 73 percent of city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene sites failed to provide birth control. For my full report, click here.
Housing Authority Should Relocate Brooklyn Trash Compactor
Last week I met with Boulevard Houses tenants in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, where I toured the planned site for a new trash compactor. The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has decided to situate the compactor in the largest, most heavily-used green space in the entire complex, which is home to more than 3,000 residents in 1,436 apartments. All ages, from toddlers to seniors, rely on this vital year-round amenity. Moreover, tenants were not given a fair opportunity to speak out against the compactor. I support them in recommending that NYCHA move the compactor to a more sensible, less obtrusive location.
City Needs to Take Action on Household Mold
I took part in a roundtable last week with state Sen. Liz Krueger about the ongoing scourge of household mold, which is especially hazardous to New Yorkers with weakened lungs or sinus conditions, emphysema, allergies or asthma. Household mold also may contribute to the development of these serious health problems, and the well-being of thousands of tenants depends on how the city addresses this issue. We need stronger housing maintenance and building codes, increased enforcement of existing regulations and stiffer penalties for landlords who fail to correct violations. For my December report, "Unhealthy Exposure: Mold in New York City Homes," click here.
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
September 17, 2007
DOE Still Failing Parents of Special Ed Students
A survey I released last week shows that the Committees on Special Education (CSE), set up by the city Department of Education (DOE), remain inaccessible and unresponsive to many parents of special-needs students. The survey, conducted the week before school started, found that half of calls made to CSE went unanswered or resulted in unreturned messages.
This survey follows my March 2007 report that showed that both parent coordinators and CSE failed to respond to more than half of nearly 400 requests for help. I'm renewing my call for DOE to improve access to these vital resources. The start of school is a hectic time, especially for families with special needs. DOE makes things worse by failing to return messages or even pick up the phone. Parents need access and answers, not a run-around.
Pension Benefits for Same-Sex Partners
Last week, the New York State Supreme Court in Saratoga County ruled that New York State can continue to provide same-sex partners, who have been legally married in Canada, with New York State pension benefits in the same manner as any legally-married state employees. This ruling is great news for gay and lesbian New Yorkers and their supporters. As a Trustee of New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS), the $40 billion pension fund for municipal employees, I was proud to support an extension of New York City pension benefits to the beneficiaries of same-sex marriages.
I want to thank the thousands and thousands of advocates – from the Empire State Pride Agenda to Lambda Legal to everyday, caring New Yorkers – who have invested their time and energy fighting for these basic rights.
Support for Suit Against Corporate Slumlord
I strongly back the lawsuit against mega-landlord Pinnacle Group and owner Joel Wiener which now seeks class action status - potentially impacting twenty-one thousand tenants living in the more than 400 Pinnacle-owned buildings citywide. The amended complaint, filed by Jenner & Block, follows a careful investigation of claims from Pinnacle tenants such as attempts to intimidate and "buy off" those who fight Pinnacle. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and I joined to support the community's efforts to seek payments for overcharged rents, immediate injunctive relief to restrain unlawful behavior and the creation of an independent body to ensure lawful management of buildings.
These complaints indicate that there may be a coordinated practice of harassment by these corporate slumlords. Tenants and families need to know that they are not alone, that we are working to protect their common interests. I'm proud that my office played a prominent role in bringing together the plaintiffs and Jenner & Block, the law firm representing them without charge.
Education Hotline Up and Running -- and Busy
Parents in recent days have made use of my citywide education hotline, which I set up to help parents solve school-related problems. My staff is helping parents with such issues as transportation, academic enrichment, English language learners, after-school programs, safety transfers and special education.
The number is 212-669-7250. Give us a call! We're here for you.
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
September 12, 2007
School Registration Chaos
Last week I visited a school enrollment center at PS/IS 194 in the Bronx, where I saw first-hand what some parents were reporting: Chaos. Families were subjected to long lines and intolerable delays in registering their children for school. It appears that the city Department of Education failed to provide even its own staff with correct information, leading to widespread frustration for Bronx families. Some parents waited in line only to be told to come back the next day. Some went to the registration center but were told to go to the local school. When they arrived at the local school, they were sent back to the registration center. Among my suggestions for improvement: Keep registration centers open past 3 p.m.
NYCHA Maintenance Cuts Jeopardize Residents' Safety
Broken elevators in a 20-story Bushwick apartment building stranded dozens of seniors until the early morning hours, forcing many to use the stairs to finally reach their homes. Maintenance cuts in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) budget also have led to long-broken intercoms, filthy hallways and other hazards, jeopardizing the safety of many New York families who live in public housing. Next year, NYCHA faces a budget gap of about $225 million. That gap translates into further maintenance cuts or increased fees for tenants. All levels of government should allocate more funds for NYCHA to improve safety conditions. We risk New Yorkers' lives every time we send them into a building with unsafe living conditions, whether it's a faulty elevator or poorly-lit stairwell or other maintenance lapse. It's outrageous that in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, we allow some of our most vulnerable residents to live in hazardous conditions.
Cell Phone Ban Irresponsible
If the city Department of Education (DOE) did a better job listening to parents, it immediately would become apparent that their child's safety is their No. 1 concern. Much parental anxiety is relieved by knowing that in case of emergency, a child is a phone call away. That being the case, the ban on cell phones in public schools is irresponsible. Certainly, cell phone use during class time should be prohibited. However, the rationale for banning phones, including claims that students use them to cheat and look at pornography, is ludicrous. Kids figured out how to do these things long before cell phones were invented. The DOE should reverse its policy and allow students to bring phones to school.
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
September 4, 2007
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results
A Manhattan mother called my office with an all-too-common complaint: She had not received child support payments for months, in her case since September, 2006. On her behalf, my staff contacted the city Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) and provided it with her documents. Shortly afterward, OCSE advised that a check for $4,446 in back child support would be sent to the mother.
In a child support case of a different nature, a Bronx father was badly in arrears with his payments. OCSE intervened to have child support deducted directly from his pay. Even so, the man -- who made his living as a driver -- had been informed that his driver’s license would be suspended, due to failure to pay child support. We contacted the state Department of Motor Vehicles unit in the OCSE that handles license suspensions. Since support payments were in fact being made, the suspension code was lifted. The man kept his license -- and his job.
Hotline Helps Parents Resolve School Problems
The start of the school year is often stressful for parents and students alike. The Department of Education makes matters even more stressful by providing too little information and support for parents, according to my recent survey of Community School District offices. To remedy this, I've set up a city-wide hotline that helps parents resolve education-related problems. Parents who call my education hotline at 212-669-7250 will find help on issues relating to registration, transportation, academic enrichment, English language learners, after-school programs, school safety transfers and special education.
City Efforts Poor on Poverty
I’m finding that New York City, one of the richest cities in the world, does too little to alleviate poverty. If fact, the city's efforts to reduce poverty and increase access to public benefits have fallen drastically short over the last six years. Fact is, poverty is on the rise. One recent tool that addressed poverty was ACCESS NYC, the mayor's $6 million program to help New Yorkers determine their eligibility for public benefits. But a report I released last week found that this effort has several flaws. ACCESS NYC, I found, fails to provide New Yorkers with information about state and city tax credits, links to application forms and detailed information about benefits in languages other than English. For $6 million, I expect more. For my report, "Limited Access: Problems with ACCESS NYC," click here.
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