Hochul broke her promise to protect SNAP. She has to fix it | Opinion Gov. Kathy Hochul must maintain her promise to protect some of New York's most vulnerable residents — SNAP recipients

New op-ed from VOCAL-NY Leader Pam Stephens telling @governor.ny.gov: TAX THE RICH!

www.lohud.com/story/opinio...

Trump admin intensifies attacks on homeless people; ignores real cause of and solutions to homelessness In the past month, the Trump administration has intensified its multi-agency assault on our homeless neighbors and has issued several policies and funding changes that will make homelessness worse.…

In the past month, the Trump admin has intensified its multi-agency assault on our homeless neighbors and has issued several policies and funding changes that will make homelessness worse. These policies all tie back to Trump's anti-homeless order issued in July 2025.

Read more: buff.ly/htgekaz

Mamdani to Reinstitute Homeless Encampment Sweeps

“Homeless encampment sweeps are ineffective, they are costly and they don’t actually solve the problem of homeless,” said Jeremy Saunders, an executive director of VOCAL-NY.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/n...

'Honor His Promise': Advocates Criticize Mamdani's CityFHEPS Reversal, and What Else Happened This Week in Housing - City Limits Faced with steep fiscal challenges, Mamdani said the city is now pursuing a settlement over the CityFHEPS expansion laws that will balances housing needs and budget sustainability.

"We got the promise of how this is going to be a new era in City Hall, but it feels like the mayor is replicating similar failures from previous administrations in not really being bold and centering solutions," said Adolfo Abreu of @vocal-ny.bsky.social citylimits.org/honor-his-pr...

Today we released an Emergency Response Plan for @governor.ny.gov, the exec branch, and mayors across NYS to end homelessness. We’ve got the solutions to stop the senseless deaths like we saw from Storm Fern - now we need the political will and funding.

www.vocal-ny.org/wp-content/u...

Our tax dollars should fund housing and healthcare, not detention camps. The No Federal Funding for Homeless Detention Camps campaign is working to prevent elected officials from using homelessness funding for jails and detention centers.

Add your voice here!
www.votervoice.net/NHLC/campaig...

@handsoffnyc.bsky.social

EMERGENCY PROTEST TODAY. ICE just murdered another person in Minneapolis.

Union Square. 4PM.

Graphic reads " EMERGENCY PROTEST, STOP ICE TERROR, SATURDAY 1/24 4PM UNION SQUARE

@handsoffnyc.bsky.social

EMERGENCY PROTEST TODAY. ICE just murdered another person in Minneapolis.

Union Square. 4PM.

VOCAL-NY Applauds Mayor Mamdani’s Announcement to Expand Public Restrooms Across NYC | VOCAL-NY CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY APPLAUDS MAYOR MAMDANI’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO EXPAND PUBLIC RESTROOMS ACROSS NYC Expansion Marks Win for the #FreeToPee Campaign Started by Picture the...

A win for #FreetoPee!

Over the weekend, @mayor.nyc.gov announced an expansion of public restrooms in NYC. Everyone deserves the access to the bathroom - especially though without living on the streets.

See our statement here:

www.vocal-ny.org/press-statem...

VOCAL-NY Applauds Mayor Mamdani’s Commitment to End Solitary Confinement in City Jails | VOCAL-NY CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org  VOCAL-NY APPLAUDS MAYOR MAMDANI’S COMMITMENT TO END SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN CITY JAILS VOCAL-NY Supports the Full Implementation of Local Law 42  NEW YORK...

Good news! Mayor @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social committed to enacting Local Law 42 and ending solitary confinement in NYC jails.

As Civil Rights Union leader, Roger, shares in a statement: "Solitary confinement is torture and must end."

vocal-ny.com/uek

NYPD cop shoots to death man with boxcutter who charged at police while fighting father The clash erupted in an apartment building on Nameoke St. near Central Ave. in Far Rockaway about 12:25 a.m. Sunday.

Just keeps happening. A family calls 911 for help during a dispute. NYPD arrives and kills someone.

The police should not be first responders to calls for mental heath distress. They cannot effectively mitigate these types of issues.

www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/21/n...

VOCAL-NY Applauds Mayor-Elect Mamdani's Commitment To End Harmful, Ineffective Homeless Sweeps | VOCAL-NY CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-us.org  VOCAL-NY APPLAUDS MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI’S COMMITMENT TO END HARMFUL, INEFFECTIVE HOMELESS SWEEPS The Adams Administration Spent $3.5 Million in Taxpayer Dol...

"Sweeps as an approach to homelessness is just wasting millions of dollars moving people out of sight and out of mind, so I’m looking forward to seeing this new administration prioritizing housing and services instead.”

www.vocal-ny.org/press-statem...

Arresting or fining people who can’t afford housing is cruel AND ineffective.

It does nothing to solve homelessness, OR to decrease the number of ppl sleeping on trains.

This is @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social promising NYers REAL SOLUTIONS! This is what leadership and good governance looks like

Mamdani Vows to Sweep Out Crackdowns on Homeless Camps City numbers show that sweeps started under Mayor Eric Adams have not delivered on referrals for housing in more than a year.

NEW: Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Thursday he will not continue sweeps of homeless encampments — which city data shows have not yielded any permanent or supportive-housing referrals in more than a year.

www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/04/m...

Monroe County should prioritize family investment over surveillance - Rochester Beacon The county’s 2026 budget is an opportunity to redirect family policy away from racial discrimination, implicit bias, and suspicion of neglect.

"CPS should not be a weapon against us, but utilized only after prevention & intervention services have been exhausted." — Elaine Smith, a parent who experienced family policing.

Read her op-ed here on investing budget funding into families, not surveillance:

rochesterbeacon.com/2025/12/04/m...

Police sexual violence is an insidious problem impacting NYers across all communities. Our new report with CUNY Graduate Center’s Public Science Project exposes how police sexual violence is one of the largest threats to public safety in NYC. Learn more at bit.ly/psvinnyc

NEW Blueprint to End Deadly NYC Jails Crisis:
1. ⬇️Incarceration
2. End Solitary
3. ⬆️Medical/Mental Health Care
4. Divert People
5. Close Rikers
6. ⬆️Programs
7. ⬆️Standards
8. Protect Young People
9. Protect Women & LGBTQIA+ People
10. 🛑Crises Statewide
nycaic.org/wp-content/u...

VOCAL-NY Responds to Gov. Hochul Budget Letter Directing State Agencies to Do More With Less Funding  | VOCAL-NY CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org  VOCAL-NY RESPONDS TO GOV. HOCHUL BUDGET LETTER DIRECTING STATE AGENCIES TO DO MORE WITH LESS FUNDING NEW YORK — Yesterday, Governor Hochul’s Division of B...

Low-income New Yorkers are not part of Gov. Kathy Hochul's affordability agenda. She's cutting programs we rely on, and her tax rebate is sending checks to everybody but us! Trump gets $200 million, wealthy New Yorkers get up to $400 & poorest New Yorkers get zip.

www.vocal-ny.org/press-statem...

Today we joined 100+ organizations with a message for Trump: Hands Off NYC!

We pledge to organize together, build local power, and stand in solidarity with every city facing military intervention. Our cities and our people are our greatest strength.

Still feeling the love after another amazing Gala for Justice, Compassion & Love. Ain't no party like a VOCAL-NY party!

Didn't get a chance to attend? You can still support are work here:

give.vocal-ny.org/give/699630/...

As of September, 91 people have died in NYS prisons this year alone. Claims from the Governor of understaffing and clear overpopulation in prisons has a logical solution: release those languishing in prison due to over sentencing, continuous denial of parole, and wrongful convictions!

We're outside @governor.ny.gov's Manhattan Office w/ @rappcampaign.bsky.social and the People's Campaign for Parole Justice to demand she use her executive powers to grant clemency to people in prison!

Today, we are standing with the family of Win Rozario and @justicecommittee.bsky.social to demand NYPD Commissioner Tisch fire the cops who killed him.

No obstruction, no delays!

Congress has already cut SNAP and Medicaid — now they’re setting their sights on housing and homeless assistance. These programs keep people housed and alive! More cuts will push more people into homelessness. #StopTheFederalCuts

Contact your rep today: endhomelessness.org/action/act-n...

Gov picks tax breaks over saving lives We live in the Bronx, the borough most ravaged by the overdose crisis. And every year, on Aug. 31, International Overdose Awareness Day reminds us of the lives lost and the policies that failed the…

New Op-Ed for International Overdose Awareness Day 💜

“In the face of federal cuts, Albany can — and must — reconvene a special session…Instead, the next wave of preventable overdose deaths is being set in motion by people in power, including Hochul.”

www.nydailynews.com/2025/08/31/g...

VOCAL-NY Praises New IBO Report Outlining NYC Programs Available to People Struggling With Homelessness, Unmet Mental Health Needs, and Substance Use | VOCAL-NY CONTACT: : Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY PRAISES NEW IBO REPORT OUTLINING NYC PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH HOMELESSNESS, UNMET MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, AND SUBSTANCE USE VOC...

NEW REPORT: @nycibo.bsky.social shows that NYC has a variety of programs to help those dealing with homelessness, mental health complexities, or drug use.

But do people know how to access these programs? Are these programs working with each other?

Statement here: vocal-ny.com/f19d41

'This isn't broken windows,' NY officials say as they expand quality-of-life policing Mayor Eric Adams said the initiative is meant to help New Yorkers feel safe.

Nick Encalada-Malinowski with VOCAL-NY said the Adams administration hasn’t been addressing housing issues but instead using NYPD to solve a wider and wider array of problems much like “ if you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

gothamist.com/news/this-is...

Most recent data shows NYC overdose deaths are down. Will the trend continue? During last year’s third quarter 498 people died from overdoses in New York City — according to new preliminary data from the DOHMH.

“The Medicaid cuts will be devastating to our ability to continue to downward turn the overdose crisis,” said Jasmine Budnella, VOCAL-NY director of drug policy. “Medicaid is the single largest payer of substance use disorder treatment.

amsterdamnews.com/news/2025/07...

Everyday, all day and forever - Carl Stubbs Way!