BY JESSICA PARKS
Brooklyn’s undocumented
immigrants are facing
high rates of exposure to
the novel coronavirus and
few options for financial relief
as their conditions grow
bleaker amid the ongoing
pandemic, according to advocates.
“This is already a very
vulnerable, disenfranchised
population,” said Janet
Perez, program director at
the Mixteca Organization
Inc, which works with immigrant
families. “With the
coronavirus and the spread,
especially for folks who have
been deemed essential workers,
I think a lot of the conditions
have been exacerbated.”
The Greenwood Heights
community-based organization
has been supporting
undocumented immigrants
in the area for years — but
they’ve since expanded their
coverage area to service families
from as far as Connecticut
and New Jersey because
14 COURIER LIFE, MAY 1-7, 2020
of the increasingly dire situation
brought on by the pandemic.
Undocumented immigrants
make up an estimated
6.3 percent of Brooklyn’s
population, according to immigration
research group
Partnership for a New American
Economy, and many are
employed in industries that
have been deemed essential,
such as delivery workers,
food service, and construction
— subjecting them to increased
risk of contracting
the virus.
Compounding the problem,
Perez said many of the
city’s undocumented immigrants
lack proper insurance
and do not have easy access
to a doctor in the event
they show severe symptoms.
“Many of the families we
are seeing right now are already
underinsured and uninsured,”
Perez said. “Getting
access to a doctor is
already a huge obstacle for
them to begin with.”
Some families Mixteca
serves who have visited
hospitals have been turned
away for failing to present
severe enough symptoms,
and instead are treating
themselves in their homes —
where they often succumb to
the disease, Perez said.
In some situations, infected
family members are
choosing to isolate themselves
from the rest of their
families. This often means
finding alternative housing,
as immigrants’ oftencramped
quarters — which
might span multiple generations,
or even multiple families
— do not provide appropriate
distancing space.
“Many undocumented
families are finding ways
to survive, they are renting
rooms,” Perez said. “There
can definitely be multiple
families in one place, often
multi-generational. We see a
lot of that.”
To make matters even
worse, many undocumented
immigrants are spending
the rest of their savings in
A mural outside of Mixteca Organization. Photo by Jessica Parks
order to survive, according
to Perez, who noted that noncitizens
are not eligible for
unemployment benefits, as
well as the $1,200 stimulus
checks granted by the federal
government’s coronavirus
related relief package.
“Many families are using
up their savings as a last
resort,” Perez said. “They
don’t qualify for any relief,
any stimulus package and
so that puts them at an even
greater disadvantage because
they don’t receive any
type of assistance.”
Perez said organizations
like hers are preparing relief
funds in an effort to provide
suffering families some
support.
“A lot of local-based nonprofits
have been trying to
step up. A lot of them are,
like us, trying to set up emergency
relief funds,” Perez
said “And because there is
no type of relief funds in
the state, the city, or on the
federal levels we found ourselves
organizing to get at
least some kind of economic
support for them.”
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NOTICE OF A JOINT PUBLIC HEARING of the Franchise and Concession Review Committee and the New York City Department
of Parks and Recreation (“NYC Parks”) to be held remotely via a WebEx dial-in on May 11, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. relative to:
INTENT TO AWARD as a concession for the operation, maintenance and management of a year-round tennis facility at the Parade
Ground, Prospect Park, Brooklyn for a fifteen (15) year term, with three (3) one-year renewal options, to Prospect Park Alliance, Inc.
Compensation to the City will be as follows: for each operating year of the license, Prospect Park Alliance, Inc. shall pay the City a fee
consisting of the higher of a guaranteed minimum annual fee versus 10% of Gross Receipts. When Gross Receipts exceed $3.3M for
any given year PPA will pay 15% of Gross Receipts. The Minimum Annual Fee for each operating year are as follows: Year 1: $270,000;
Year 2: $275,400; Year 3: $280,908; Year 4: $286,526; Year 5: $292,257; Year 6: 298,102; Year 7: $304,064; Year 8: $310, 145; Year
9: $316,348; Year 10: $322,675; Year 11: $329,128; Year 12: $335,711; Year 13: $342,425; Year 14: $349,274; Year 15: $356,259;
Year 16 (Renewal Option 1): $363,384; Year 17 (Renewal Option 2): $370,652; Year 18 (Renewal Option 3): $378,065
The public may participate in the public hearing by calling the dial-in number below. Written testimony may be submitted in
advance of the hearing electronically to Gregg.alleyne@mocs.nyc.gov. All written testimony must be received by May 8th 2020.
In addition, the public may also testify during the hearing by calling the dial-in number. The dial-in information is below:
Dial-in #: +1-408-418-9388 / Access Code: 716 334 820 / Press # on further prompts
A draft copy of the agreement may be obtained at no cost by any of the following ways:
1) submitting a written request to NYC Parks at concessions@parks.nyc.gov from April 27, 2020 through May 11, 2020.
2) download from April 27, 2020 through May 11, 2020on Parks’ website. To download a draft copy of the agreement, visit
https://www.nycgovparks.org/opportunities/concessions/rfps-rfbs-rfeis. Once you have logged in click on the “download” link that
appears adjacent to the agreement’s description.
3) by submitting a written request by mail to NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Revenue Division, 830 Fifth Avenue,
Revenue Division, Room 407, New York, NY 10065. Written requests must be received by May 1, 2020. For mail-in request,
please include your name, return address, and License # B68-IT.
A transcript of the hearing will be posted on the FCRC website at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/mocs/reporting/agendas.page
For further information on accessibility or to make a request for accommodations, such as sign language interpretation services,
please contact the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) via e-mail at DisabilityAffairs@mocs.nyc.gov or via phone at (646)
872-0231. Any person requiring reasonable accommodation for the public hearing should contact MOCS at least five (5) business
days in advance of the hearing to ensure availability.
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