During the month of May, our Prayer Guide focuses on the currently and formerly incarcerated incarcerated, including adults and youth. As COVID-19 concerns has increased, the prison and juvenile detention systems in the U.S. have been faced with the overwhelming challenge of trying to isolate inmates and youth from each other, not just outside visitors.
May is a special month for most students, with the school year coming to a close and prom and/or graduation on the horizon. But, this year, COVID-19 has impacted how youth engage with their classes, studies, friends, and important milestones. So we’re focusing on some encouraging updates from a few affiliates that help students of all ages from in different communities across our city.
Once a week, we will share quick updates from our affiliates who are still supporting various communities in need across New York City. Hear from our affiliates as they mention how COVID-19 has impacted their programs and services, and how they're still remaining hopeful about God continuing to work in our city.
Also:
As the COVID-19 situation became more and more “real,” Hope for New York continued to refer to our core mission and ask the hard question, “How is God calling us to respond?” For HFNY and our affiliates, the collective response is that we must continually innovate our strategies in order to meet those who are most vulnerable in our City. Across the HFNY affiliate network, organizations are re-imagining how we can most effectively meet the growing need for physical, emotional and spiritual care during this season.
Two weeks ago, in order to mobilize resources for the financial needs of our affiliates, we opened up the Hope for New York Relief Fund. With the incredible generosity of the HFNY community (thank you!), we provided $375,000 in the first round of grant funding to 27 affiliates, and this will support the relief efforts of their network.