May and June were very busy months for the CAMBA family – and a huge milestone for New York City in the fight to come back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Just in the last two months, the NYC Subway system returned to 24-7 service, bars and restaurants were allowed to operate at 100% capacity again, and many of the limits on indoor social gatherings and large-scale event venues were expanded – signaling a new phase in the reopening of our City and a boost of hope for many New Yorkers.
As we continue to return to normal – or what will be a new normal for so many of us – we are continuing to take adequate safety measures to keep the people we serve safe and healthy. The only way we’ll be able to keep moving forward with reopening is by remaining vigilant – especially in the most vulnerable communities we serve.
We remain inspired by and grateful for the incredible dedication of CAMBA leadership and staff who’ve shown up in-person every day without respite at our shelters and residential facilities, our food pantry, and our violence prevention programs. With resilience, commitment, and creativity, CAMBA continues to deliver its necessary services to the more than 65,000 New Yorkers who rely on us every year.
It is through your support that we have been able to make it through the last year, and are now starting to see the light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel.
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Joanne M. Oplustil
President/CEO
CAMBA/CHV/CLS
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We are hiring Summer Camp Leaders and Assistants! |
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We have 50 job openings for Summer Camp Leaders and Assistants -- please share this link with your networks and encourage those interested to apply!
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CAMBA teams up with Legal Aid Society,
Enterprise, Make the Road NY, RiseBoro, and
Robin Hood Foundation to Launch a new
Know Your Rights Campaign
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CAMBA has teamed up with The Legal Aid Society, Enterprise Community Partners, Make the Road New York, RiseBoro Community Partnerships, and the Robin Hood Foundation to launch a new “Know Your Rights” campaign, a collaborative effort funded by the Robin Hood Foundation that will raise awareness of immigrant tenants’ rights to stay in their homes, despite financial hardship or immigration status, and of the resources available to support them.
As part of the campaign, the organizations have launched a new housing helpline — (212) 298-3490 — for immigrant families seeking legal assistance and referrals to financial resources available through programs including New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and FASTEN (Funds & Services for Tenants Experiencing Need). The helpline will serve exclusively undocumented and mixed-status families, who were previously excluded from earlier versions of the state’s rent relief program and will provide tenants with access to legal support and guidance on their application for rental relief so that they can prevent eviction and remain in their homes. The helpline will also assist New York’s noncitizen and undocumented renters in accessing up-to-date information on basic and COVID-19-related housing rights and protections.
The campaign will also offer trainings for people and organizations serving their New York City communities, to ensure they are disseminating the latest information on housing rights and available resources for vulnerable tenants. Moreover, the Know Your Rights partners will launch a robust Public Service Announcement and marketing campaign to ensure that undocumented households know of these resources and know where to access help. New York City has also contracted with organizations in every borough who can assist both tenants and landlords in completing applications for ERAP. The full list of community-based organizations by county can be found by clicking here.
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Project Hope Offers Services to CAMBA Community |
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Bleuler Psychotherapy Center is a proud provider of NY Project Hope, a federally funded crisis counseling program through FEMA which aims to help our communities cope with COVID. Bleuler Psychotherapy has trained crisis counselors available to provide support, outreach, and education to assist individuals and communities coping with COVID-19. It is a strengths-based program offering support that promotes resilience, empowerment, and recovery. It is always free, confidential, and anonymous.
Project Hope also offers group presentations and community education to local partners upon request. They can develop a group that meets the needs of the population at any of your facilities from relaxation, exercise, and coping skills, to support groups for feelings of anxiety, grief, or depression.
Community members can reach Project Hope by calling their direct line (718) 407-2458 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. to be connected to one of their trained Crisis Counselors, or you can email them at projecthope@bleulerpc.org.
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You can also download flyers (click here for English and click here for Spanish) to distribute as needed to your staff and community.
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Ward 5 Design Gives CAMBA Clients
the Gift of Home Sweet Home
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Ward 5 Design, a Queens-based interior design firm, has been working with CAMBA on a new partnership at the King’s Inn – one of CAMBA’s six family shelters – to help clients like Ms. King move from the shelter system into their new apartments.
“I feel so blessed for everything that was done to help me,” said Ms. King, a former resident of King’s Inn, after Ward 5 Design helped design and furnish her new apartment.
Leni Calas, founder of Ward 5 Design, believes that “a beautiful home is a right, not a privilege. It's why most of us work so hard to come home and say, ‘this is why I do what I do.’”
The company has graciously offered not only to design and fully furnish several apartments for CAMBA clients throughout the year, but to work with their contacts and networks to help many more families from the shelter to get better value on the furniture purchases when they move.
“As someone with an unapologetic commitment to the greater good, community involvement is woven into everything I do,” continued Calas. “After five years in business, it was time for us to pay it forward and support families in our community. My goal in partnering with CAMBA is to set an example and inspire other companies like Ward 5 Design to get involved in creating more beautiful homes with social impact.”
A special thanks to Ward 5 Design Community Outreach Organizer Joshua Rodriguez, who initiated the project with King’s Inn and is the driving force behind the partnership. Joshua has a history at King's Inn. When he was growing up, he, along with his two brothers and mother, lived in the shelter for six years. He is intimately aware of the challenges that families face when moving with limited resources. When he was moving out, they used their own limited funds to cover the moving truck and storage fees. They managed to fully furnish their new apartment, at the cost of more than a year’s rent… on credit.
When he was researching CAMBA and discovered King's Inn is now a CAMBA shelter, he knew exactly where to give back! “My goal in working with CAMBA is to ease the transition into an apartment for all families involved, assuring they can peacefully close a hectic chapter of their lives,” said Rodriguez.
Ms. King was the first CAMBA client to work with Ward 5 Design. “I was a little hesitant at first, because me and my daughter are girlie girls. I was worried that I might not like it,” recalled Ms. King. “But Joshua was so patient and helpful. When my daughter and I came home, we were excited with how beautiful he made everything look. It was just right for our style. Thank you all so much!”
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Announcing CAMBA's Tech Titans
STEM program piloted by Verizon!
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We are happy to announce the launch of CAMBA's Tech Titans STEM program piloted by Verizon! The goal of this digital inclusion program is to foster greater diversity and humanity in STEM and empower youth and educators to access and amplify technology as a force for good. We have partnered with MOUSE to provide online STEM education and together we will empower youth to engage with computer science and create technology to solve real problems and make meaningful change in our world.
This diverse course will be aligned with national standards such as Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, and ISTE standards, ensuring that our students' learning with CAMBA in their out-of-school time will be integrated seamlessly with their in-school lessons. Students will learn about JavaScript, web animation, creating websites, game design, and 3D modeling. The skills and designs gained by the students in this program will be proudly displayed in CAMBA's community gardens as they learn 3D models of planters and/or irrigation systems.
Tech Titans online courses will be supplemented by a monthly 'Day In The Life' Expert series, where we invite STEM professionals of color to lead discussions with our students and their lives, jobs, and career path. CAMBA will partner with experts in scientific fields, such as alternative energy, community agriculture, UX design architecture, and engineering to provide our participants with greater exposure to STEM education. We look forward to sharing more exiting milestones!
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CAMBA’s Daniel Manbode Interviewed by NBC News Now |
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CAMBA’s Daniel Manbode was recently interviewed by NBC News Now’s Isabella Gutierrez for a story on summer employment programs for youth. Daniel spoke about how the demand for both summer jobs and summer workers has increased this summer compared to last summer, as the country bounces back from the pandemic. You can watch the story by clicking here.
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CAMBA’s BIVO Team Featured on NY 1 News |
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CAMBA’s BIVO team took part in the 2nd Brownsville Safety Alliance Block Takeover in late April, and the community-led public safety initiative was covered by Spectrum News NY1! You can click here to read the article and watch the segment, which featured the BIVO van prominently and included an interview with Case Manager Dushoun Almond of the Cure Violence Prevention Program.
Thank you to the BIVO and SYEP teams for doing such a great job representing CAMBA in the media!
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United Health Foundation Launches $3 Million Partnership with CAMBA to Improve Access to Prenatal Care for Brooklyn’s Most Vulnerable Residents |
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United Health Foundation recently announced the launch of a $3 million partnership with us to help improve access to prenatal care for underserved and homeless women in Brooklyn. We will partner with the United Health Foundation – the philanthropic foundation of UnitedHealth Group – to reduce maternal and infant morbidity rates and improve health outcomes among the city’s most vulnerable residents.
As part of the new partnership, we will deploy our Community Health Workers (CHWs) to help approximately 500 underserved women a year in two family shelters and nine public housing developments in Brooklyn. The CHWs will conduct screenings and health assessments; provide educational workshops; and offer referrals to supportive food and nutrition, breastfeeding, mental health, housing and newborn care services. Funding will also go toward staffing, birth and postpartum doula support and the purchase of mobile medical vans.
We are grateful to United Health Foundation for its partnership and generous support of this important initiative!
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Save the Date For CAMBA Night Out! |
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CAMBA offers excellent career opportunities to candidates who are interested in growing with one of New York City's largest multi-service nonprofit providers. If you, or someone you know is looking to work for a caring, community-minded organization, please share our jobs link or visit CAMBA.org/careers to learn more about our programs and achievements.
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