Robyn Schwartz

The Hidden Victims of New York’s Worsening Housing Crisis

One thing not mentioned in this article: according to the US DOE definition, school-age children living in these situations are considered homeless. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/n...
@schoolhouseconn.bsky.social #familyhomelessness

Growth in the animal shelter census can be a predictor of what’s coming down the road for our single and family shelters.

As Cost-Burdened New Yorkers Give Up Pets, Shelters Turn Them Away

“Ms. Hansen said about one-third of those were surrendered after their owners lost their housing or were forced to move into shelters or other places that did not allow pets. For other people, the cost of caring for an animal simply outpaced their ability to pay.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/n...

Her Family Needed Housing. They Spent Months in New York Hotels, Left to Fend for Themselves. Statewide spending on hotels has more than tripled in recent years. The shift away from shelters has prevented families from accessing services like child care and help finding housing.

Jasmine Stradford’s family turned to New York’s emergency shelter system when they became homeless.

It was supposed to provide food and help finding permanent housing. Instead, they stayed in hotels for three months, mostly fending for themselves.

With @nysfocus.bsky.social

Mrs Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth, deserves as much praise for today as the holiday itself.

Turning 99 later this year in October, she successfully launched the campaign to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

She was also given the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year

We’ve received lots of comm about this today and partners are working on seeing what they can get secured. As an individual researcher please grab your own information and keep a copy.

The Trump Administration’s War on Children The administration is quietly putting America’s children at risk by cutting funds and manpower for investigating child abuse, enforcing child support payments, providing child care and much more.

The staff of a program that helps millions of poor families keep the electricity on, in part so babies don’t die from extreme heat or cold, have all been fired.

The office overseeing the enforcement of child support payments nationally has been hollowed out.

“New York is the only major American city that has never elected a woman as mayor.”

Yup. Still can’t believe that Annise Parker was mayor when I lived in Houston nearly 15 years ago and we still haven’t hit this milestone in NYC.

Because life gets busy I have a habit of reading periodicals very belatedly, and it is just absolutely soul-crushing to read hopeful things from late 2020-early 2021 in light of where we are now. The only glimmer of hope is how seemingly quickly things can turn around.

Teacher ordered to remove signs from classroom, including one saying 'Everyone is welcome here' “There are only two opinions on this sign: Everyone is welcome here, or not everyone is welcome here,” argues Sarah Inama, a sixth-grade history teacher.

Teacher ordered to remove signs from classroom, including one saying 'Everyone is welcome here'

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people:
18f.org

Opinion: Nonprofits must prepare for De Tocqueville’s last stand A look at how the Trump administration is an existential threat to the entire sector.

“This is the time for action. How many of the tens of millions of Americans donating to, employed by, volunteering for, or benefiting from nonprofits will rise to the challenge?”https://www.cityandstateny.com/nyn-media/2025/02/opinion-nonprofits-must-prepare-de-tocquevilles-last-stand/403029/

Opinion: The problem with Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn approach to government Broad cost-cutting strategies that might work at private companies can cause serious harm when applied to government institutions that average citizens rely on.

“[Those] who are asked to trim government budgets need to have the knowledge and experience needed to come up with common sense and realistic reforms. They can't have conflicts of interest and hidden political, financial or personal motives.” www.cityandstateny.com/opinion/2025...

‘Life or Death Consequences’: Layoffs throw Indian Country into turmoil Thousands of workers are losing their jobs in health, education and other key tribal programs and agencies

(1/4) Recent layoffs of federal workers has a disproportionate impact on Native Americans, but is receiving almost no media attention. In Indian Health Services, which provides healthcare to 2.8 mil NAs, 2,200 people were laid off, including 1,400 who provide direct patient care.

Yes! We need explainers ASAP on exactly what steps and how many federal employees it takes (i.e. how they do their at-risk jobs) for Americans to get their top 10 most requested services. And the top 10 things we don’t even realize they do but are critical to our daily lives.

Thank you for sharing @documentedny.bsky.social

The Lawyer Priest From Ireland Who Counsels New York’s Immigrants Msgr. James Kelly has been helping people obtain citizenship since he moved to Brooklyn in 1960. His job has never felt more urgent, or more controversial.

More of this. Beautiful story.

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/n...

Parenting In the Age of Trump Like Sarah Connor, the heroine of the Terminator movies, Elie Mystal is trying to figure out how to prepare his children for the dystopian future.

Behold: My unified Terminator Theory of parenting through the Trump Era into the apocalypse he has created for our children.

...I'm serious you guys, I wrote a whole thing on parenting through this nightmare.

My latest in @thenation.com