From home repairs to benefit applications assistance —see how we’ve already distributed $20 million in Relief Fund donations to organizations throughout the tri-state area.
Learn more here: http://www.robinhood.org/rhsandy
- 29% has gone to provide individual and emergency assistance, such as water, blankets, cash grants and organizational support in the immediate wake of the storm; also includes $2 million grant to New York City Non-Profit Recovery Loan Program.
- 27% to groups offering housing assistance, such as home repairs and renovations, mold remediation, rental assistance and moving fees.
- 18% to benefits/legal counseling which includes helping people apply for FEMA and other benefits (unemployment insurance, food stamps), assistance navigating insurance claims, filing appeals for insurance/FEMA denials, and other legal assistance.
- 13% to medical and mental health support, including counseling services, nursing care and medical supplies
- 10% to food pantries and soup kitchens which provided hundreds of thousands of meals to storm victims.
- 2% to groups helping people find/train for new jobs.
- 1% to education programs that provided tutoring to displaced students and day care services.
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.” ― Nelson Mandela
Counting the Uncounted
Thank you to the group of 40 Robin Hood staff, volunteers, donors and friends who participated in last night’s Homeless Outreach Population Estimate. Armed with hats, hand-warmers, maps, pens, and clipboards, teams walked streets, public parks, and subway platforms on the west side of Manhattan surveying individuals about their housing status.
Of the many people surveyed, over 100 people were counted as homeless in the blocks canvassed by the Robin Hood teams. One team encountered a pregnant woman and her husband living in 23rd Street A/C subway station and connected them with a family shelter where they would not be separated.
A Robin Hood-staffer who experienced her first HOPE Count last night said, “In the most tactile and clearest way, it brings you face-to-face with poverty in the city.”
Last night’s experience provided a new perspective on our fellow citizens who are trying survive in New York City each day.
Robin Hood 2011 Moments
#10 - Year end fundraising and the $20 Million matching challenge.
In the final hours of 2011, we reflect upon that great generosity of all our donors who have joined us in the battle against poverty this year.
There is still a chance to make a tax-deductible donation. As always, a 100 percent of every dollar donated goes directly to poverty-fighting programs. And any donations that come in before the end of the day, will be matched! Click here to donate: http://bit.ly/HelpRH
Thank you all for a great 2011. We have our arrow aimed at 2012 – see you then!
The Robin Hood Foundation, which has targeted poverty in New York City since 1988, offers a telling example. The group evaluates the return on investments it makes in various programs around the city. It doesn’t make funding decisions based solely on metrics, however. It also relies on the experience of managers in the field and makes qualitative judgments based on comparing benefits with costs.
Robin Hood deals only with an impoverished population, but its principle of being businesslike has served both its clients and its investor donors quite well.
We’re spreading our fight against poverty to Google Plus! Add us to your circles and reblog in support of New Yorkers in need.
- 10,000 families entered the city’s homeless shelter system last year.
- New York City’s poverty rate is growing faster than that of the nation.
- One in three NYC children live in poverty, an 11 percent increase over 2009.
- 43,000 students in New York City schools are without a home of their own (compared with 10,000 in 2008), according to school records.
You can do something about it. Learn more.
Watch will.i.am, backstage at the Concert 4 NYC (15:32 in), signing the custom Yamaha guitar that you could win by fighting poverty in NYC.
After last night’s cancellation of the Concert 4 NYC, the Black Eyed Peas were truly heartbroken. A devastated Fergie called in to Z100 New York this morning to share her feelings with fans. “I hope that people really focus on what this is about—it was for poverty in New York and making New York City a better place.” Listen to the call.
