3 Things To Know About NYC Today

NYC Unemployment. Coronavirus. Rent. Eviction Moratoriums. Keep reading for the three things you need to know about in NYC today. Sign up for our newsletter or follow us on Instagram to stay up to date.

1. Pandemic Unemployment runs out this week

As of press time – the $600 Pandemic Unemployment Compensation is ending the week of July 26, 2020. However, traditional unemployment insurance is not. The NYS is now offering EXTENDED BENEFITS once your regular benefits and 13 weeks of PEUC ($600) are done for an extra 20 weeks, set to expire in December 2020.

While this will most likely not cover rent, and the disappearance of the $600 a week will be a huge punch in New Yorkers faces, there will be some light cushioning. The NYS claims below:

New Yorkers who are receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits are eligible for up to 59 weeks of benefits. (This includes 26 weeks of regular benefits, 13 weeks of Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and up to 20 weeks of Extended Benefits (EB).)

Read our FULL guide on Everything You Need to Know to find out when the next Stimulus checks may be coming in.

2. Renters. Some Hope…Get up to 4 months of Rent Paid

Eviction proceedings have been suspended and no one can be evicted in New York State until at least August 20 due to non-payment of rent.

Covid Rental Assistance is a new initiative that came into play on July 16th, 2020, and is ONLY avail until July 31st. There is only a TWO WEEK window to apply for up to 4 months of rent coverage so make sure to apply now. The details are as follows:

Must be a renter with a primary residence in New York State.
Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, household income (including unemployment benefits) must be below 80 percent of the Area Median Income, adjusted for household size. Applicants can find the Area Median Income for their county, based on household size, on HCR’s website here.
Before March 1, 2020 and at the time of application, the household must have been “rent burdened,” which is defined as paying more than 30 percent of gross monthly income towards rent.
Applicants must have lost income during any period between April 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020.

3. 100 years later…still no change?

July 28 marks the anniversary of the Silent Parade (1917). Nearly 10,000 participants marched down Fifth Avenue to silently protest the discrimination against African Americans. It was a direct response to the brutal attack on the black community that occurred in St. Louis, leaving dozens dead and thousands homeless because their houses had been burned down. Protestors were also pushing back at the waves of lynching and mob violence throughout the country that others were turning a blind eye to. The parade is considered to be the first of its kind in New York and inspired a series of additional marches.

Plus some extras…

4. Lots of Ch Ch Changes to Your Outdoor Social Lives

Governor Cuomo has stated that Phase 4 will no longer include indoor activities like malls, museums, and cultural institutions. All other regions of New York have already entered Phase 4 with low- risk outdoor and indoor activities (indoor malls, cultural sites, and zoos included). As of last week, you will no longer be able to order a drink from your local bar without ordering food too.

You’ve been acting wild on these streets (Astoria, East and West Villages I’m looking at you). With the marriage of outdoor drinking and maskless, inebriated 20-30 somethings, Gov Cuomo and the State Liquor Authority issued a new requirement: Restaurants and bars can no longer sell alcoholic beverages without the accompaniment of a food item. With the US hitting 75,600 new cases, the restrictions are set in the hopes of ending “the congregating and mingling that arise in a bar service/drinking only environment”.

If you’ve got friends in the biz – we suggest they follow the path of what underground club ROMA did in Havana, Cuba a few years back. To work around the rule of serving food with alcohol, they bought up all the snacks from local street vendors and “sold” the snacks to go along with each drink. So bars, it’s time to befriend your local churro lady! PS – Cuomo is adding a “Three Strikes” rule, meaning 3 violations and your business could lose their liquor license and some hefty fines.

Earlier this week, the State Liquor Authority REVOKED over 27 liquor licenses from businesses that broke social distancing rules.

5. Summer Sun, Here We Come

It’s time to pull those bathing suits out from the bottom of the draw! On July 24, public pools in the city will start to re- open. The first three to kick off the re- opening are Mullaly in the Bronx, Wagner in Manhattan and Liberty in Queens. 12 More pools will open on August 12. These include Crotona and Haffen in the Bronx; Astoria and Fisher in Queens; Lyons and Tottenville in Staten Island; Hamilton Fish, Jackie Robinson, and Marcus Garvey in Manhattan; and Sunset Park, Betsy Head, and Kosciuszko in Brooklyn.