Guyanese in the Diaspora and COVID-19 Forum Resource Guide v1

Guyanese in the Diaspora and COVID-19 Forum Resource Guide v1 May 15, 2020

Immigration If you have questions about immigration and public benefits, call the free, confidential ActionNYC hotline at ​800-354-0365​, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or call ​311 ​and say ​"Public Charge" to access timely and trusted information and connections to legal help.

Getting care, treatment, or testing for COVID-19 will NOT make you a "public charge" or hurt your ability to apply for a green card. Getting charity or discounted medical care will not hurt your ability to apply for a green card. There is no "public charge" test when green card holders apply for citizenship.

Seek care without fear.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that treatment and preventive services for COVID-19 will not negatively impact the outcome for any person subject to the "public charge" test, even if the treatment and/or preventive services are provided or paid for by one or more public benefits considered under the "public charge" test. Visit the USCIS Public Charge page to learn more Not all public, services, programs or benefits are considered "public benefits" under the "pubic charge" test. For example, the following services and programs are ​NOT​ considered "public benefits," even for immigrants who are subject to the "public charge" test": ● Healthcare services and most health insurance except non-emergency Medicaid ● While Medicaid is included, the following Medicaid benefits are excluded: ○ Emergency Medicaid ○ Services funded by Medicaid but provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ○ School-based services or benefits funded by Medicaid ○ Medicaid benefits received by children under the age of 21 ○ Medicaid benefits received by a woman during pregnancy + 60 days ● Many types of food assistance, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), food pantries, Grab and Go meals at school, and more (except SNAP; see "Food" section below) ● Unemployment benefits For more information go here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/immigrants/help/city-services/resources-for-immigrant-communities-during-co vid-19-pandemic.page New York City is home to many community health centers that provide medical care on a sliding-fee basis, depending on your income. This care is available to everyone, regardless of immigration status.

Human Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) provides information on community health

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centers near you. Visit ​FindaHealthCenter.HRSA.gov​ or the NYC low- to no-cost care option list to find a location near you.

Food For a list of the food pantries that are open https://maps.nyc.gov/foodhelp/ Local Pantries:

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Calvary's Mission Food Pantry 102-16 89th Avenue Richmond Hill, NY 11418 Food Distribution Sites at Developments:

April 1st, 2020 Manhattanville: 530 West 133rd Street 10am-1pm Hammel: 81-14 Rockaway Beach Boulevard 10am-1pm South Jamaica: 109-04 160th Street 2pm-5pm Throggs Neck: 2815 Dewey Avenue 3

1pm – until supplies last (bring your own bag) If you have any more questions on the food distribution list, please feel free to reach out to your Resident Engagement Coordinator

To sign up for SNAP benefits or cash assistance from home: https://a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra/ Food Delivery for Homebound Residents: If you cannot leave your home, do not have anyone who can bring you food, and you are not able to use private delivery options, you may be eligible to get meals delivered directly to your home. Visit the NYC COVID-19 Food Assistance Resources website​ or call 311 and say "Get Food. https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/contact/services/COVID-19FoodAssistance.shtml

Mental Health and Wellness Services Across NYC: Mental health professionals across New York are providing free online mental health services for New Yorkers. Call (844) 863-9314 NYC Well: Free 24/7 mental health services are available at NYC Well. You can text, call, or online chat mental health counselors in over 25 languages.

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At any hour of any day, in almost any language, from phone, tablet or computer, NYC Well is your connection to get the help you need: ● ● ● ●

Suicide prevention and crisis counseling Peer support and short-term counseling via telephone, text and web Referrals and warm transfer to other services Follow-up to check that you have connected to care and it is working for you

Domestic Violence When home isn't safe, domestic violence survivors can find services 24/7 at ​nyc.gov/NYCHOPE​, 1-800-621-HOPE (4673) or 911 for emergencies

Rent and Rent Moratorium All eviction proceedings and pending eviction orders have been suspended in New York until June 20, 2020– for everyone, no matter what your immigration status is. This means that your landlord cannot make you leave your home for failure to pay rent during this time. For more information, visit https://www1.nyc.gov/content/tenantprotection/pages/covid19-home-quarantine 5

Please call 311 to register your complaint. Then reach out to these organizations for more support: ● Communities Resist: 646-974-8761 ● Legal Aid Society: ● Met Council on Housing Tenants Rights Hotline: 212-979-0611 ● Make the Road NY: 718-418-7690 Find out about emergency cash assistance for rent: https://a069-access.nyc.gov/accesshra/

Census 2020 Complete your Census form!​ Documented or Undocumented, everyone counts! Census results affect - planning and funding for infrastructure—including programs for highway planning and construction, Section 8 housing, federal transit, community development, and rural water and waste disposal systems -

Business owners rely on census results to make decisions, such as where to open new stores, restaurants, factories, or offices, where to expand operations, where to recruit employees, and which ​products and services to offer​.

Your completing the Census will result in our community receiving its fair share of resources. Our fair share of hospital beds, classrooms, Headstart slots, even our fair share of garbage cans on the streets!!

Complete the Census today by visiting ​https://my2020census.gov/ Or call 844-330-2020 REGARDLESS OF YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS. YOUR INFORMATION IS CONFIDENTIAL!!!

School Resources Devices & Wi-Fi for Remote Learning Any student enrolled in NYC Public Schools can request a remote learning device ​here​. https://coronavirus.schools.nyc/RemoteLearningDevices Charter is offering free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access​ for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription. New student households don’t have to pay installation fees.

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Funeral and Burial Assistance Low-income City residents may be eligible to receive financial assistance to meet funeral expenses for a deceased low-income New York City resident family member. During the COVID-19 emergency, up to $1,700 may be available where the total burial expenses are not more than $3,400.

You can ​download burial claim instructions and an application from HRA​.

A list of NYC funeral homes can be found on the ​New York State Department of Health website​.

Advocacy: https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1565189678667-0fdafea4dbca363ed6380cf2ae453aa8/FACT SHEET_FuneralAssistanceFINA2019Compliant.pdf

Benefits and pension fund: https://www.1199seiubenefits.org/burial/ (646)473-9200 Burial Assistance for Foreign Born Persons: https://www.stgeorgessociety.org/ https://www.sbsny.org/ Catholic Charities: https://catholiccharitiesny.org/ Crime Victims Board of New York State: https://ovs.ny.gov/victim-compensation https://ovs.ny.gov/victim-compensation Direct Cremation Company Ltd: https://directcremationcompany.com/38/Home.html Direct Cremation in New York offered by City Funeral Service: https://www.nycremation.com/cost-cremation-new-york Edhi International Foundation: https://edhi.org/usa/ Funeral Consumers Alliance of Long Island and New York City: https://get.browsingsafety.net/wim/static/wi/mpsr.php?tp=iw&cid=8803&v=23&gnum=6&clickid=805526 44661&cachecode=ztF9O%2BahHo8Wmkhh68NqAg%3D%3D%3AZmVkY2JhOTg3NjU0MzIxMA%3D 7

%3D&q=ny+funerals+RO+Sensitive++Subjects&dkw=nyfunerals.org&g=US&cc2=ztF9O%2BahHo8W mkhh68NqAg%3D%3D%3AZmVkY2JhOTg3NjU0MzIxMA%3D%3D&geo=US Hebrew Free Burial Association: https://www.hebrewfreeburial.org/ HRA Burial Assistance: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/burial-assistance.page John Vincent Home for Funerals: ​https://www.scaliahome.com/ Muslims for Humanity: https://www.icnarelief.org/ National Philoptochos Society: http://www.philoptochos.org/ NYC Death Certificate: https://www.vitalchek.com/death-certificates/new-york/new-york-city-dept-of-health-and-mental-hygiene ?click_id=855402888016363522&ppc=0 https://www.vitalchek.com/content/What-You-Should-Know NYC Funeral & Burial Guidance during COVID-19: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/helpnownyc/get-help/funeral-burial-guidance.page Society of St. Vincent de Paul for the Archdiocese of New York: https://svdpnyc.org/ SSA Lump Sum Death Payment: https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-8.html VOLS Burial Guide Volunteers of Legal Services: https://volsprobono.org/

Community Engagement and Partnership http://nycha.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=5444a5413b2d4b84831d3755360961 9f&mc_cid=1ed93cef80&mc_eid=f1e02cf6c9

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