Resources for Youth and Families During Coronavirus

Below is a list of national, state, and local resources that may help us all during these difficult times. We will continue to update this list daily.

If you have an addition to this list, please email us at info@harlemdowling.org.

Food Assistance

• Exspensify.org, “Reimbursement for Essential Goods to Families on SNAP Benefits”(national)
• US Food Banks, “Database of U.S Food Banks by State” (statewide)
• Feeding America, “Find Your Local Food Bank” (local)
• Meals on Wheels, “Find Your Local Program” (local)
• Coalition for the Homeless (NYC-based) “Mobile Soup Kitchen Routes” (local)
• NYC Department of Education, “Grab and Go Breakfast and Lunch” (local)
• NYC Department of Education, 3 Free Meals Available Daily for Any New Yorker
• NYC.gov Food Assistance Resources
• Community Food Advocates, “Find a School Hub to Retrieve Meals” (local)
• Food Education Fund, “COVID-19 Food Hub NYC” (local)
• Community Food Advocates School Hub Tool (local)
• HD’s Harlem Food Resource List
• HD’s Queens Food Resource List
• Purchasing Food Gift Cards By Store: Shoprite, Stop & Shop, Fairway, Target, Walmart

Health and Safety (General)

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Coronavirus (COVID-19)”(national)
• World Health Organization, “Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak” (national)
• New York State Department of Health, “Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)” (statewide)
• County Health Officials of New York, “Contact Your County Health Office,” (local)
• NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, “Information on Coronavirus” (local)
• NYC Community Reproductive Health Resource Directory
• Resource List from the AAPA
• From ACS: Coping Through COVID-19 Resource List
• Free Digital Fitness App from PwC

Health Care Services/Assistance

• National Association of Community Health Centers “Novel Coronavirus Information and Resources for Community Health Centers“
• The Assistance Fund
• Patient Access Network “FundFinder“
• Center for Connected Health Policy, “Telehealth Coverage Policies Fact Sheet”
• National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers, “COVID-19 Telehealth Toolkit“

Health Insurance Coverage

• NY State of Health, “Special Enrollment Period Open Through April 15th for Uninsured Individuals” (statewide)
• Community Service Society of New York, “Community Health Advocates” (statewide)

Childcare

• NY CARES Childcare Scholarship Application for Parents

Remote Learning & Education

• Some great e-learning tools from the New York Public Library: Remote Learning for Kids & Teens, High School e-book Collection, Audio Books and Other Listening Tools, and Online Tutoring with BrainFuse. Some of these programs require a NY library card, which you can sign up for using the SimpleE app for iPhone or Android.
• NYC Department of Education Resource List
• Free Learning Resources, Grades K-12
• Brain Pop: Free app featuring short animated videos and quizzes for grades 3-8
• Brain Pop Junior: See above, but for grades K-3
• Brain Pop ELL: See above, but for English language learners, also available in Spanish and French
• At home resource list for educators and kids from First Book
• Free children’s books from Storyline
• Free children’s stories in Spanish
• Commonsense Education: 10 Great Free Websites for High School Learning
• Compelling science videos, pre-k through 12 years old
• Solutions for distance learning from Newslea
• Google Arts & Culture, Grades 6-12
• Adobe Spark: Create graphics, web stories, and more, grades 6-12
• Fascinating lessons for history, science, and more, grades 9-12
• Learn digital skills using project-based curriculum, grades 9-12
• Rye Arts Center Online Resource List
• Learn about animals online from the San Diego Zoo (specifically for kids)
• Great resources from National Geographic for Kids
• Elementary school level story makers and read aloud projects
• Children stories in Spanish – PreK through Grade 2
• Help kids master basic math

Activities

• Fun things to do outside from Very Well Family
• Fun with music from FunikiJam
• Get Moving! Moving and mindfulness videos
• Some great apps to check out on the app store or Google Play: ChatterPix (free app to upload a photo and animate it), Draw & Tell (free app for drawing and recording audio), Sock Puppets (free app for digital storytelling).
• Fun Brain: Online games, books, comics, and videos, grades pre-k through 8th
• Ideas for family engagement at home
• Great boredom busters
• Virtual tours of famous museums
• Activities for families with 1-6 year olds
• Make Your Own Comics for Kids
• Comics for all ages
• Enjoy NYC Parks from Home

Housing

• Homeless Shelter Directory, “New York Homeless Shelters and Social Services” (statewide)
• Coalition for the Homeless (NYC), Crisis Hotline, 212-776-2177 (local)
• Airbnb Providing Stays for COVID-19 Responders

Immigration

• Protecting Immigrant Families, “Factsheet: Know Your Rights, Protect Your Health“
• New York State Youth Leadership Council, “Emergency Funds for Undocumented Youth and Families” (local)

Mental Health Resources

• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Hotline, 1-800-985-5990, 24/7 (national)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline 800-950-6264 M-F 10am-6pm (national)
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) “Free Support and Education Programs” (statewide/local)
• NYC.gov, “NYC Well: Text, Call, or Chat” (local)
• Richmond University Medical Center Crisis Hotline (Staten Island): 718-818-5766 (local)
• Office of Mental Health Emotional Support Hotline: Call 1-844-863-9314.

Free Internet

• Charter to Offer Free Access to Internet and Wifi Hotspots for 60 Days 
• Free Internet Directory from CV – includes Spectrum, Comcast, ATT, Altice, Optimum, T-Mobile

Employment/Workers’ Rights

• U. S. Department of Labor, “Coronavirus Resources for Workers and Employers” (national)
• U.S. Department of Labor, “Disaster Unemployment Assistance” (national)
• New York State Department of Labor, “Unemployment Insurance” (statewide)
• New York State Department of Labor, “ Worker Adjustment and Retraining (WARN) Act” (statewide)
• NYC Small Business Services “Assistance & Guidance for Businesses Impacted Due to Novel Coronavirus” (local)
• NYC Department of Education, “Regional Enrichment Centers for Children of Front-line Workers” (local)

Guidance/Assistance for Nonprofits and Community-Based Organizations

• 211.org, “COVID-19 Pandemic Assistance” (national/statewide/local)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “COVID-19 Response News Alert: FAQs for State Medicaid and CHIP Agencies” (national)
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: Resources to Help Nonprofits” (national)
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Help for Nonprofits During the Coronavirus and Uncertain Economic Times” (national)
• Find Help, “Free or Reduced-Cost Programs for People Affected by COVID-19” (search by ZIP code)
• Long Island-Based Organizations: “NYVOAD COVID-19 Rapid Support Survey” (local)
• NYC.gov, “Health Care Surge Staff Support” (local)
• Brooklyn Community Foundation, “Brooklyn COVID-19 Response Fund” (local)
• Mutual Aid NYC Network, “Coronavirus Response” (local)

Transportation

• Overnight Resources for Essential Workers from the MTA

For a full list from the NYS Health Foundation website, click here.

For the LSNYC list of Resources and Responses specifically for social workers, click here.

For the NYC specific list from NYC Emergency Management, click here.