Blog Posts by Subject: Social Services

Join us for an Author @ the Library talk this March at Mid-Manhattan Library to hear distinguished non-fiction authors discuss their work and answer your questions.

When you are small, your parents normally take care of you. Time passes, life happens and the years fly by. Slowly, you may begin to realize that your parents can no longer cope with life on their own. One day, you may end up taking care of them. This role-reversal can be overwhelming and very challenging for many of us.

"Freedom is not free." —Walter Hithcock "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." —Franklin D. Roosevelt

American freedom has been achieved and maintained due to the perseverance and sacrifice of our service men and women. Although we show our support by honoring those in service as well as veterans twice a year, on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, this does not fulfill their daily needs as they once 

Did you know that Memorial Day goes as far back as the American Civil War in the 1860s?

Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, occurs ever year on the last Monday of the month of May and is the day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

For the past two centuries, the U.S. has been involved in many wars domestically and aboard. Many service men and women have put aside their jobs, families and lives to defend our country and principals of freedom during times of crisis. 

During World War II, when the Japanese invaded and occupied Shanghai, Nanjing and other coastal cities of eastern China, they looted, intimidated, and massacred millions of people to prove their imperial strength and mercilessness. Many children and women were raped and killed during the invasion; towns were burned to crisp and lives were forever changed and destroyed.

Five years ago, my parents told me that my grandmother had endured such a horrific event when she was in Fuzhou, the 

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, more than 13 million working-age people in the U.S. receive Social Security disability benefits; that's almost one in every 15 adults. Some may consider returning to work, but have important concerns regarding health care, cash benefits, job placement and job accommodations. The good news is that Social Security's Ticket to Work program that supports career development for people with disabilities is here to 

CUNY Career PATH is a low-to no cost program funded by the grant program of the US Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training, also known as TAACCCT.

In order to ensure career advancement and successful college transition, CUNY Career PATH participants are given career-focused academic and English language skills instruction, job training leading to industry-recognized credentials and college credits, academic advisement, career counseling and employment assistance.

Hostos 

The following post was written by guest blogger Vanna Valdez, Benefits Outreach Worker, NYC Hunger Free Communities Consortium.

The New York City Hunger Free Communities Consortium (NYCHFCC) is a collaboration of New York City’s leading anti-hunger, nutrition, and aging organizations (AARP Foundation, City Harvest, Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC, Food Bank 

I'd like to share an important message on behalf of Go Direct®, a campaign of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank from guest blogger Michelle Kloempken, campaign manager for Go Direct®.

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service

With electronic payments, you can count on your money despite severe weather.

If you get federal benefit payments by paper checks, you should know that you are required by the U.S. Department of the 

Seeking connections to people, organizations, communities, employers, resources, services, information, opportunities, potentials, and ideas? NYPL — the super-connector — is there for you.

Whew! My friend, the social protocol maven, assures me that you can extend New Year's greetings through the (blessedly vague) period of "mid January." By extension, then, perhaps it's not too late to share my New Year's resolution, inspired by a fellow NYPL blogger and 

Several times each week as part of the library’s Correctional Services Program, Nick and Luis alternate going out to Rikers Island and to other facilities in order to offer books to incarcerated inmates. Each week, Nick and Luis bring much needed volunteers to aid them. On March 3rd, I was one of those volunteers.

Are you confused about the numerous benefit and assistance programs offered by New York state and city government and whether you qualify? There is a lot of information to digest out there and it's constantly changing. Both Access NYC and My Benefits are two helpful sites that allow you to screen for your eligibility for public assistance. You can do so anonymously or by creating an account. You will be asked to enter some basic information about yourself and your family to 

The United States Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known more commonly as the Food Stamp Program, provides support to low-income New Yorkers including working families, qualified immigrants, the elderly and the disabled to increase their ability to purchase food. A household must qualify under eligibility rules set by the federal government to enroll in this program.  To determine your eligiblity for this or other goverment assistance programs, click

Looking for free GED programs in Manhattan? Here’s a list by zip code. Also, see below for PDF flyers for NYC Department of Adult and Continuing Education locations and programs. See this previous blog post for additional programs located in Harlem. Know of any other free GED programs? Please make a comment to alert us. Thanks! 

Community Impact, Inc Earl Hall, Columbia University Access 

The cold weather is approaching and heating costs can get expensive. The New York State Department of Energy Research and Development Authority has some tips on how to save on energy costs, weatherize and find emergency heating assistance near your home.  As well, you might qualify for government assistance to help pay for heating and/or utility costs.  HEAP and UAP are two programs offered to citizens of New York.  You can check here for eligibility and 

Tutoring at the Center for Reading and WritingThe Centers for Reading and Writing are recruiting volunteer tutors for our fall class cycle beginning in September, so I've been thinking about what it means to volunteer here in the library's adult literacy program.    

I decided to speak with Gale, who has been volunteering at the Center for Reading and Writing for over twenty years. When I 

If you think you can’t afford, or don’t qualify for low cost or free health insurance, maybe it’s time to get the facts. 

Too many people don’t know whether they qualify or not because they’re misinformed about existing programs offered by the city, state and federal government. 

For New Yorkers who suffer without health insurance, starting the application process for free or low cost health care is a daunting task. Those who do qualify may feel overwhelmed trying to understand the requirements for free health insurance 

Growing up, my father was the production designer for a violent television show that took place in a prison. When Nick Higgins, Correctional Services Librarian at New York Public Library, invited me to do a day of library service at Rikers, I thought: I spent my childhood in a fake jail–it’ll be like second nature, right? But then, on the Q100 out to the island, Luis Torres, Information Assistant, told me that there was the possibility that an alarm could sound during our service. “If that happens,” he explained calmly, “we’ll stop and 

Choices...

I would choose to have only 70 degree days throughout the summer, and a light breeze wafting through the air, plus a New York City to live in just as it is—but with affordable rents in midtown. Wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, these aren't choices I can make. But there is a world of choices that we can make to make our lives better, and to make an informed choice we should hear from the experts first.

Those over 50, or perhaps helping an older friend or family member with care and/or information, may want to come to one of the Consumer