Some 1.4 million residents living in the CoViD-19 capital of New York City, the Bronx, now have access to a website, “Help for The Bronx,” that provides fast, clear, multilingual, streamlined access to critical resources for families, students, business owners, and everyone in the community. The innovative website offers access in four languages: English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Arabic.
The new website was launched today by The Bronx Community Relief Effort, a 501(c)3 that was born in the South Bronx immediately after the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City. Innovative partners include DreamYard, a nationally-recognized community arts and social justice organization, and a collective of other Bronx-based organizations.
In addition to hosting “Help for the Bronx,” The Bronx Community Relief Effort also offers a link to the free search and referral website called my.BronxImpact.org, which connects all people in need with existing programs in the Bronx. Searching via their zip code, residents can find information for over 3,000 Bronx based programs and services for food, shelter, health care, work, financial assistance. The site can be viewed in over 100 languages, offering accessibility to the diverse population in the Bronx.
Derrick H. Lewis, founder and chair of The Bronx Community Relief Effort, said “Help for The Bronx” was designed to be user-friendly for Bronxites who face unprecedented hurdles as a result of the global pandemic.
“The Bronx is the most underserved community in the entire country in terms of health disparity, economic security, housing inequality, food insecurity, access to the digital future, and equity and justice for our people,” Lewis said. “Bronx residents are inundated with multiple websites, newsletters, and resources to provide support to them during the CoViD-19 health pandemic. The “Help for The Bronx” platform was built to be a single, multi-lingual source for Bronxites to identify the necessary resources during CoViD-19 and beyond.”
Tim Lord, co-executive director of DreamYard, said “Help for The Bronx” would not be possible without the support of so many caring collaborative partners.
“Thanks to our partners for their amazing work; this is the Bronx caring for and uplifting the Bronx, so many thanks to community partners like the Bronx Documentary Center, The Knowledge House, The Point, the NYCDOE’s Division of Instructional Information and Technology, The Third Avenue BID, Here to Here, the Bronx PIC and others for working together to put out fires with one hand while planting seeds for the future with the other,” Lord said.
Phoebe C. Boyer is president and CEO of Children’s Aid, a nonprofit organization that has been helping children in poverty succeed and thrive for more than 160 years.
“We are proud to support the launch of The Bronx Community Relief Efforts ‘Help for The Bronx’ website, which provides information about essential services for Bronx residents during this crisis,” Boyer said. “We know through our Bronx Impact work how important it is to connect Bronxites to much-needed resources. In addition to the many services Children’s Aid provides directly to Bronxites, we are committed to maintaining our online search and referral platform, my.BronxImpact.org, as a way to connect residents to The Bronx Community Relief Effort and the full array of solutions offered by partner organizations across the borough. We look forward to being part of this critically important initiative.”
Lewis said “Help for the Bronx” also includes downloadable social media assets so users can help spread the word.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with so many wonderful Bronx organizations who are providing critical on-the-ground support to Bronx residents, but we need help spreading the word about “Help for the Bronx,” he said. “Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @BXReliefEffort, and share our updates using the hashtag #BronxReliefEffort.”
About DreamYard
DreamYard is a Bronx-based arts and social justice education organization that collaborates with young people, families, schools and communities to build pathways to equity and opportunity. DreamYard works with 50 Bronx public schools K-12th Grade, is the founding CBO partner of the DY Prep High School, operates after school, Saturday and summer programs at the DreamYard Art Center in Morrisania, and is one of the founding organizations of Here to Here, with which it collaborates to build work-based learning opportunities with and for Bronx teens, high schools, employers and CUNY colleges.
About Children’s Aid
For more than 165 years, Children’s Aid has been committed to ensuring that there are no boundaries to the aspirations of young people, no limits to their potential. We know what it takes to ensure children and youth grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong stable families. Today, we serve nearly 50,000 children, youth, and their families at more than 40 sites in four under-resourced neighborhoods in New York City.
About The Bronx Community Relief Effort
The Bronx Community Relief Effort was born in the South Bronx immediately after the Coronavirus hit New York City. The Effort aims to raise $10 million to support effective, on-the-ground operations that are focused on meeting the most essential needs of the Bronx community. This includes filling gaps in public financing and broader grant programs. Donations collected are distributed in real-time within the community to eight critical areas of need: Food Insecurity, Small Business Relief, Distributing Microgrants, Personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline responders, Nonprofit Economic Relief, Connectivity and Technology Gaps, Equity & Justice, Housing Stability.
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