Youth Represent’s commitment to young people in this uncertain time is more critical than ever.
We have deployed our legal department to make calls, text clients, and e-mail the young people we serve to let them know we’re still here for them. It is during these wellness checks that we are reconnecting with clients in need, like 19-year-old “Jay”.
Youth Represent met Jay a year ago through our partnership with a neighborhood-based Department of Probation site. We helped him to understand his RAP sheet and represented him on an employment discrimination matter. When we spoke with him last week, he told us about how his mother had just been laid off, and while the family waited for unemployment benefits to begin, they couldn’t afford to put food on the table.
We were able to immediately buy the family food using our newly created Emergency Fund. To ensure Jay and his family have sustained access to food, we tapped into our citywide network of community partners and connected them to the Community Navigator Program. Jay’s family is now linked with food pantries, free food delivery services, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Finally, we’re navigating the complex and ever-changing world of unemployment benefits with the family to help secure some form of financial support as this crisis unfolds.
I am inspired everyday by our incredible clients, our staff, our network of community partners, and you, our network of supporters. This virus will not stop our fight for Jay and the thousands of other young people across New York City. Thank you for your support.
Best,
Michael Pope
Executive Director