Res. No. 749 Title Resolution calling upon the Mayor and the Human Resources Administration (HRA) to increase food stamp participation by providing help to applicants on their first visit to HRA offices and by making HRA office hours more flexible for working families. Body By Council Members Foster, Barron, Clarke, Comrie, Dilan, Gennaro, Gerson, Jackson, Jennings, Koppell, Lopez, Martinez, Monserrate, Rivera, Sanders, Seabrook, Serrano, Vann, Quinn, Brewer, DeBlasio and The Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum) Whereas, The New York City Coalition Against Hunger issued a report in November 2002 entitled "Hunger Among Hidden Victims: Annual New York City Hunger Survey" ("the Report"); and Whereas, The Report calls for Mayor Bloomberg and HRA to increase food stamp participation by providing help to applicants on their first visit to HRA offices and making HRA office hours more flexible for working families; and Whereas, New York City's soup kitchens and food pantries fed 45% more people in 2002 than in 2000; demand for food increased by 71% in the first six months of 2001; and, in the one year following September 11, 2001, 73% of the food pantries and soup kitchens fed more children, with 39% saying the number of children they fed increased greatly; and Whereas, The Report estimated that 349,776 New Yorkers have had to be turned away since 2000 because food pantries and soup kitchens only had a nominal increase in food, money, and staff; and Whereas, The Report found that "the city has allowed too few eligible families to access federal food stamp benefits," and that an estimated 800,000 eligible people in New York City are not receiving food stamps, which costs the city's economy an estimated $900 million in federal funding; and Whereas, Certain changes to HRA's administrative procedures will help to ensure that needy individuals and families who are eligible for food stamps receive them; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Mayor to increase food stamp participation by providing help to applicants on their first visit to HRA offices by and making HRA office hours more flexible for working families. LS# 2096 CM |1013|