Rev. Terry Troia refuses to be cowed by the coronavirus.

The Episcopal pastor and her 15 volunteers are helping more than 250 homeless people per day, using a loyal network of faith-based emergency shelters on Staten Island that she has cultivated for nearly 40 years.

It’s a relationship that has remained resilient during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic as most churches and houses of worship in the rest of the city shut down their emergency homeless programs in March when the contagion started to spread.

“For years there was no place for homeless to go to on Staten Island,” said Troia, 62, who heads up the non-profit, interfaith Project Hospitality. “But necessity really is the mother of invention because since 1984, we have forged a strong relationship with these churches.”

Troia’s organization runs the city’s “drop-in” center for homeless in the borough. It provides meals and showers, and drives homeless clients — most of them disabled — to congregational shelter beds every night. For homeless clients who have coronavirus symptoms, they find medical services and often spend the night at the shelter facilities in case of medical or other emergencies.

“It defies logic that the other four boroughs cannot function the way Staten Island does,” said Peter Gudaitis, executive director of New York Disaster Interfaith Services, a non-profit that oversees 34 shelters in houses of worship throughout the city, including five on Staten Island.

Gudaitis told The Post that all of the churches he works with in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx shut down their emergency beds for the homeless after city-run referral agencies — known as drop-in centers — in those boroughs stopped sending homeless clients their way over the last month.

“Most of our congregational shelters closed because the drop-in centers are not feeding clients to the shelters,” he said.

“We are trying to get a read on whether we can get these congregational shelters in other boroughs to open up again because we are seeing a lot more homeless on the streets,” Gudaitis said.

Typically, drop-in centers are run by non-profits who contract with the city to help the homeless with emergency services. The centers work with a host of other non-profits, including congregations, that provide temporary shelter.

“All of our Drop-In Centers remain open 24/7 citywide, in all five boroughs, and able to refer folks who don’t have a place to stay to shelter,” said city Department of Homeless Services spokesman Isaac McGinn.

But an activist who works with the homeless told The Post that outside Staten Island, the non-profit contractors who run drop-in centers have broken down.

“There are constantly mix-ups, they can’t fill shelter beds, there are mixups with bed linen,” said the activist, who did not want to be identified. The city reimburses the church shelters for bed linens and utilities.

On Staten Island, Troia admitted that at first volunteers were nervous about working with the homeless because her group lacked personal protective gear.

“Volunteers are really nervous about sleeping with people they don’t know in a room,” she said, adding that her group recently received a large donation of masks, gloves and other PPE from Art Science Research Laboratory, a Manhattan non-profit.

“It’s a blessing; our volunteers risk their lives. I slept in a shelter for the first two weeks of March.”

via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/nyc-pastor-welcomes-homeless-into-church-amid-coronavirus/

Photo Credit: J.C.Rice

A 5-month-old boy in the Bronx was found dead in his crib, hours after his mother said he came down with a fever, according to police.

The mother told authorities she gave the baby Tylenol earlier in the evening to reduce the fever; when she checked on him around midnight, he wasn’t moving, and she called 911, police said. The home is in NYCHA’s Castle Hill Houses.

Paramedics found the boy unresponsive in bed and took him to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The baby did not have any immediate signs of trauma, and no foul play is suspected, police said.

via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/02/5-month-old-found-dead-in-the-bronx-after-fever-nypd/

Photo Credit: nypost.com

More than 2,500 protestors gathered in Huntington Beach Friday, after the city announced it would pursue legal action against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order to close Orange County beaches.

The Huntington Beach City Council voted 5-2 Thursday night to direct the city attorney to pursue “any and all legal actions necessary to challenge the State’s beach closure directive.” On Friday, a judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order, meaning the governor’s order to shut down beaches remains in place.

During a press briefing Friday, Newsom said, “As it related to the lawsuit, all I can say is, doesn’t surprise me.”

In the meantime, the city agreed to close beaches Friday, in accordance to the governor’s order. Activities including sunbathing, walking, running, and watersports were also prohibited.

“We’re very concerned about if we happen to be the only Orange County beach open at that point. That would be very difficult on our marine safety officers,” said Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta, who called the governor’s order “unconstitutional overreach.”

Friday’s protest was organized by We Have Rights — prior to the state’s order to close O.C. beaches — in opposition to the state’s stay-at-home order. The group, which has demonstrations planned throughout California Friday, demanded that Gov. Newsom reopen businesses and churches.

“Our group is dedicated to the restoration and protection of the rights and freedoms provided under The Constitution for all Americans,” the group’s website states.

Although the website urged people to maintain social distancing throughout the demonstration, Sky5 footage showed protestors gathered at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street, in clusters, defying the state’s guidelines. While some protestors wore face masks, most did not.

Between 2,500 to 3,000 people gathered, Huntington Beach Police Chief Robert Handy said, and no arrests were made.

Many in the crowd were waving American flags, and some were dotting “Make America Great Again” hats and holding signs endorsing President Donald Trump.

Demonstrators could also be seen holding a myriad of signs, with some that read, “Make America Open Again,” “I have the right to work,” and “Reopen California Now.”

Around 12:40 p.m., at least 12 law enforcement officials on horseback could be seen herding the large crowds out of the street and back towards the beachfront sidewalk.

Aerial footage also showed several people in the now-closed beach, swimming and surfing — defying the state’s order that went into effect Friday.

Signs about countywide beach closures started to go up around the time of the protest, Chief Handy said in a briefing following the demonstration. By Friday night, all signs and barricades would be up, he said.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to be continuing with our posture of seeking voluntary compliance wherever we can. We’ll start with education,” Handy said, adding that police would talk to people about the purpose of the closures and ask them to leave the beach.

“Ultimately if we don’t get that voluntary compliance, enforcement will take place and that can come in several different ways and its really whoever is necessary depending on the situation,” he said.

The protest is not the first to take place in Huntington Beach during the coronavirus pandemic. Demonstrators gathered on April 17 to protest the state’s stay-at-home order after the city announced it was closing all metered parking along the Pacific Coast Highway to limit beach visitations.

via: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/demonstrators-gather-in-huntington-beach-to-protest-order-to-close-o-c-beaches-as-city-vows-legal-action-against-state/

Photo Credit: ktla.com

(CNN) — Teacher Kent Chambers says he’s fortunate to still be able to work during the coronavirus pandemic, so when he and his wife received their stimulus payment, they decided to help people who haven’t been as lucky.

Chambers has taught math at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Alabama, since 1986 and said he knows some of his students are struggling.

“I’m actually in better shape because I’m not having to pay for gas to drive to work and I’m still getting paid exact same amount,” he said. “There’s no need for me to take the money and splurge and do something reckless with the money. Let’s help somebody that really needs it.”

Chambers and his wife Pat received $2,400 because they’re married.

More than 88 million people received stimulus payments last week as part of the historic $2 trillion stimulus package, according to the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service, and more money is on the way.

Chambers said he used $600 to pay the utility bills for three of his students. He made the payments anonymously, so the families will just see they have zero balance. The money should cover their bills for a little more than two months.

He’s also donating $600 to the burn care center at Shriners Hospital for Children — Cincinnati because the hospital has taken good care of his niece since she was hurt in a house fire.

Chambers said his wife is also doing what she can to support local businesses and has kept paying her gym membership even though the gym is closed because of coronavirus.

The coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for many American workers and a record number of people have filed for unemployment benefits.

Small businesses that have had to shut down because of the pandemic are also struggling to survive.

‘People want to make a difference right now’

The medical aid organization Direct Relief has seen an increase in donations despite the economic turmoil. The charity has been able to deliver 1.1 million surgical and N95 masks, 1.5 million gloves and other protective equipment to heath care workers since January.

“We’ve seen all sorts of creative and inspiring ways that people have stepped up to help others,” Direct Relief spokesman Tony Morain told CNN. “I think a lot of people want to make a difference right now.”

He said he didn’t know whether those donations were coming from people’s stimulus payments.

“The truth is a lot of people need this money to get through the day, to get through the month, so we wouldn’t expect to see a lot of this coming to Direct Relief but obviously we’re deeply grateful for those who are able to give,” he said.

Software engineer Kevin Chieppo said he donated $900 from his payment to Direct Relief and gave the rest to a grassroots Massachusetts fund that supports groups that help the homeless, undocumented workers, low-income renters and other at-risk communities.The market is always moving. How will you keep up?Staying the course and keeping your goals front and center can help.Ad By Merrill Edge See More

“I’m working and there’s a lot of people that are filing for unemployment now and I sympathize with that. You know, I’ve been unemployed before and it’s not easy. it’s not an easy time for anybody,” he said. “I just didn’t feel right and getting extra money and just not doing anything with it when a lot of people are struggling.”

He said he did some research and asked his Facebook friends to suggest groups he could help.

“I wanted to get rid of the money as fast as possible to where it was needed,” he said.

Stimulus is ‘an opportunity to give back’

Cleveland attorney Rebecca Maurer wanted to use her $1,200 stimulus payment to help people in her community.

She said she has a steady job and her bills are paid, but she knows many of her neighbors have been laid off.

“Just hearing people’s stories, it was very apparent to me that I was in a very lucky position and that I shouldn’t be treating the check as a windfall, but really as an opportunity to give back to my community,” Maurer said.

She gave money to the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and University Settlement, which provides food and other help to seniors and families in her area.

She also bought a pair of earrings to support a local jewelry maker.

Maurer created the Cleveland Stimulus Pledge website to encourage other people to give the city a much needed boost.

She said about 100 people have taken the pledge and promised to give about $60,000 since she launched the website April 8.

Maurer is not collecting or distributing any money, she said, and the donors are giving directly to the organizations.

“What we really wanted to show was the effect of collective donation. So if one person does it that, that’s great, but you can have even more impact if you see other people doing the same thing,” she said. “So Cleveland Stimulus Pledge was just a way to show what we could all do as a community together rather than as individuals.”

Donors could also suggest organizations and small businesses through the site for other people who aren’t sure how they can help.

Maurer made $20 donations to about 20 charities on the list earlier this month to celebrate getting $20,000 in pledges.

CNN’s Impact Your World has also compiled a list of donation opportunities and tips to help those affected by the crisis.

via: https://www.kmov.com/news/high-school-teacher-used-stimulus-check-to-pay-utility-bills-for-3-of-his-students/article_feb81d5d-2adf-50c3-8626-4756883f566c.html

Photo Credit: Courtesy Kent Chambers