Hello Residents of Beacon Housing Authority (BHA). BHA wanted to extend its sincere appreciation to all residents during these unprecedented times. We are happy to hear that many of the residents have been using the website to stay informed and access resource information.
As you are aware the physical office is closed and office staff are working remotely from home. BHA is encouraging residents to utilize E-mail as the most effective means when contacting office staff.
Here are a few updates for BHA Residents to review. BHA continues to encourage all residents to adhere to the Governor’s Executive Order regarding the use of Face Masks when in public. BHA has posted signs through out the property and has initiated a weekly Robo Call will to serve as a community reminder.
With recent changes since the Coronavirus Pandemic many of us are experiencing new challenges which are impacting us in different ways. As we go through these unprecedented times please be aware of your own physical and mental health needs. Are you feeling anxious, isolated or more depressed than usual? If so, focus on activities that will help relieve these feelings of stress and anxiety. Self care is often over looked when we are busy taking care of the needs of others. Please take some time for yourself and review the flyer below. It could prove beneficial to you or someone you know. Click on the link below to explore the MHA Website:
The
U.S. Department of Labor has issued new COBRA notices for employee benefit
plans. The press releases detailing these notices can be found HERE.
The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released guidance
for restaurants and beverage vendors offering take-out or curbside pick-up
options. You can view the guidance HERE.
The
New York Attorney General’s office has released a bulletin regarding the
Paycheck Protection Program in multiple languages. The bulletin can be
found HERE.
Having
trouble navigating the SBA PPP Loan and Forgiveness? Here are four
resources for you:
Intyllus Loan Forgiveness
Workbook
***The partners in the
Dutchess Business Notification Network have not created these tools and
we are not responsible for the accuracy of it’s content or formulas for
calculating loan forgiveness or otherwise.***
In
today’s (Friday) press conference, Governor Cuomo announced both grade
schools and colleges, would remain closed in New York for the remainder of
the school year. The decision on summer schools being allowed to operate
will be made at the end of May, and will be made in conjunction with the
decision to reopen regions. The governor also called for schools to
develop plans that take into account the new social distancing guidelines.
These plans would be used to reopen the schools at the beginning of the
next school year.
Governor
Cuomo announced the state is directing insurers to waive all cost sharing,
co-pays, and deductibles for mental health services for front-line
workers.
A
decision on whether to extend or end the eviction and foreclosure order
will be made in June, according to Governor Cuomo.
If you have
any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other
business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com.
Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as
they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this
crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the
burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so
our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your
continued support through this time.
COVID-19 been challenging for New York, but it has been particularly challenging for our mental health. From cabin fever to loneliness, stress and anxiety, the impact is very real and it’s crucial we acknowledge the toll this pandemic has taken on our mental health. I want New Yorkers to know that help is available to anyone who needs it.
To help New Yorkers during this stressful time, the State has set up an Emotional Support Hotline where people can get free emotional support, consultations and referrals to a provider.
The hotline can be reached at 1-844-863-9314.
New York has also partnered with Headspace to offer New Yorkers much-needed free meditation and mindfulness content as a mental health resource. These resources are available at headspace.com/ny
We can’t underestimate the extreme emotional trauma that many people are feeling now and no one should feel like they are alone. New York is here for you.2 days ago · Subscribers of State of New York
COVID Counts: In the county,
there are 2,075 active coronavirus cases – 129 are in Beacon. Our
counts are rising, but slowly. Keep up the social distancing – it
works.
Next Phase: The State is
working on plans to gradually open up in the next weeks. Dutchess,
Orange and Ulster counties are working together – we will come back online
sooner than Westchester and New York City, but slower than places
upstate. I will keep you posted, but it will be gradual, and we will
need to be flexible.
Schools: The Governor has
closed schools for the rest of the school year.
Pharmacy Testing: The Governor has
authorized licensed pharmacists to order COVID-19 tests, so that will be a
local option.
Nursing Homes: The County will
test all county nursing home residents, to better protect some of our more
vulnerable neighbors.
Elections: The State Board
of Elections has canceled the presidential primary. There are some
minor party primaries in Beacon on June 23rd; anyone involved will be
mailed an absentee ballot application.
Weekend: The weekend is
upon us. Remember: “In public, if there’s not social distancing,
you must wear a face covering.” Most open businesses have
asked that customers wear a face covering, so please be cooperative and
respectful.
Census: Don’t forget the
census.
Beacon has really pulled together. Thank you all for doing your part.
Watch today’s video from County Executive Marc Molinaro about the announcement that schools will remain closed through the end of the academic year. In Dutchess County as of May 1st, there have been: -2,805 confirmed cases of COVID-19 -15,085 tests administered -693 recoveries
latest
issue of Golden Living News for Seniors is now available!
Important
Notices:
Our offices remain open 9
a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. We remain able to accept visitors only under
strict limitations. Call or email before visiting. Many issues can be resolved
without having to leave the safety of your home:
845-486-2555, ofa@dutchessny.gov.
Molinaro Announces Efforts for ‘Restarting
Dutchess’
Economy,
Operations following COVID-19 Pandemic
Teams
formed to streamline transition to re-open County
Poughkeepsie,
NY…
As communities throughout the nation and state look to reconstitute their
operations in the wake of the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, Dutchess County
Executive Marc Molinaro has announced “Restarting Dutchess,” a multi-pronged
initiative to appropriately re-open the County’s economy and Dutchess County
Government operations.
As part of
“Restarting Dutchess,” County Executive Molinaro has announced the creation of
four executive-level teams – partnerships between Dutchess County Government
leaders, members of the Dutchess County Legislature and several countywide
elected officials – to guide the direction of the initiative forward to achieve
maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
County
Executive Molinaro has been working closely with Orange County Executive Steve
Neuhaus and Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan to ensure coordination among the
three counties for cohesive reopening efforts with twice weekly online meetings
– one focused on county operations and the other focused on economic
development. As Governor Andrew Cuomo begins lifting statewide PAUSE
restrictions and allows for specific activities in phases using a region-based
plan, the three counties are advocating to be considered separately from the
most southern region of New York, including Westchester County. The three
counties took aggressive measures early on, including being among the first
counties to close schools and stop gatherings. In Dutchess County, those
efforts have led to a slowing in new cases and hospital capacity has remained
stable with continued improvement. While Dutchess County Government remains
laser focused on public health and safety, work has also been underway to
ensure a successful transition to full County Government operations and
reigniting the local economy.
County
Executive Molinaro said, “Over these past months, we have been working 24/7 to
address the public health impact of COVID-19, while at the same time providing
guidance, support and assistance to our local businesses and organizations who
have been impacted by the shutdown of much of the economy. While Dutchess
County Government remains laser focused on public health and safety, we are
also working aggressively to ensure a successful transition to full County
Government operations and reigniting our local economy. This will be a careful
balancing act – enabling the acceleration of economic activity while carefully
monitoring the health data to immediately respond to any spikes in infection or
hospitalization numbers. It will be a very fluid process as we adapt to a ‘new
normal’ for the economy and Dutchess County Government.”
While the focus
of most county departments and officials has been on addressing the coronavirus
pandemic, every Dutchess County Government department has remained operational
to provide residents with essential services and programs, under the
constraints of mandatory work at home orders and drastically limited in-person
interaction to ensure proper social-distancing protocols are adhered to for
safety. County departments have continued to respond to residents needs with
online, phone or email services. This has included photo document submission
via mobile app to process temporary assistance applications through the
Department of Community & Family Services; new Telehealth services for the
Stabilization Center; and the County Clerk’s office has recorded more than
1,260 online land document transactions. Dutchess County DMV has developed a
new procedure to register vehicles through the mail at http://www.dutchessny.gov/newregistration.
County
Executive Molinaro has been leading response and planning efforts with
community partners and local elected officials as well, hosting regular
conference calls to ensure open lines of communications and to provide updates
from county government as well as updates about state and federal guidance to
help them make informed decisions and assist in their planning processes. Twice
weekly meetings are held with Mayors and Supervisors, weekly meetings are held
with legislators, hospitals, healthcare providers and nursing homes, as well as
well as ongoing meetings with area non-profits.
Town of Hyde
Park Supervisor Aileen Rohr, President of the Dutchess County Supervisors and
Mayors Association, said, “We thank County Executive Molinaro for his
transparency, cooperation and guidance during this unprecedented pandemic. We
appreciate the open lines of communication the County has engaged during these
difficult times, as well as the willingness to work with individual
municipalities to find sensible solutions to evolving challenges.”
Supporting
local businesses and organizations has been paramount through the pandemic. At
the outset in early March, County Executive Molinaro mobilized the economic
Rapid Response Team, a coalition of local business community partners, and the Dutchess Business Notification Network was established,
providing critical information and resources, including guidance about essential
and non-essential designations. Other efforts under coordination of Assistant
County Executive Ron Hicks, in addition to answering hundreds of daily calls
with specific questions, have included:
Survey
of hundreds of local businesses for their needs and resources,
Request
of bank offer forbearance,
Lobbied
for and received federal approval for Small Business Administration (SBA)
disaster loans to Dutchess County businesses adversely impacted by the
COVID-19 pandemic,
Hosted
multiple countywide Tele-Town Hall conversations with local business
community with thousands of attendees taking part online,
Pause
on the collection of the hospitality industry bed tax collection,
Promotion
of immediate job openings available for those seeking employment,
Launch
of the Business Restoration Task Force, and
Distribution
of free face cloths to local businesses, among other efforts.
Various
promotional efforts, including TakeOut Tuesday, Farmstand Friday, and Dutchess
Tourism’s #WeWillFlyAgain campaign, have also been launched to promote local
businesses during the pandemic and to position them for success when the
economic re-opening begins.
As part of
“Restarting Dutchess,” County Executive Molinaro has constituted four distinct
teams to ensure a smooth and orderly transition to a “new normal” for Dutchess
County Government and the local economy:
Led by
County Executive Molinaro and County Legislators Randy Johnson and Dierdre
Houston, the Local Governments Team is working with the County’s
30 municipalities as they devise and implement their respective plans for
re-opening.
Among the
measures being taken through the Local Governments Team include a recent
informational webinar, Conducting Public Meetings During the COVID-19 Pandemic,
held for Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeal to ensure necessary
meetings can be held to keep key projects moving forward. Over 220 attendees
participated. County Executive Molinaro will also utilize the County’s
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for creative measures to
jump-start village and city centers.
Deputy
County Executive William F.X. O’Neil, County Clerk Brad Kendall and County
Legislature Assistant Majority Leader John Metzger will serve on the County
Government Functions Team which is assessing Dutchess County Government
departments’ current level of functionality during the pandemic and working for
the full operational restoration of County Government.
Work of the
County Government Functions team includes review of the County’s years-long
Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and Coordination of Government (COG)
plans. County department heads have also all been directed to provide
comprehensive reconstitution plans, including how they will provide services in
a new environment that includes new focus of public health and safety considerations
as well as anticipated fiscal challenges.
Assistant
County Executive for Economic Development Ron Hicks, members of the Th!nk
Dutchess Alliance for Business, and County Legislator Don Sagliano will head
the Economic Development Team, continuing to provide local, state
and federal updates and guidance about a phased re-opening of the local
business community. In addition to the efforts previously noted, this team is
working closely with the Governor’s Office and Empire State Development for
latest updates and information, as well as with the Department of Behavioral
& Community Health to provide expertise and assistance to businesses and
organizations as they develop their health and safety plans.
The Fiscal/Financial
Team, with Budget Director Jessica White, County Comptroller Robin Lois
and County Legislator Will Truitt, Chairman of the County Legislature’s Budget,
Finance and Personnel Committee, is reviewing the County’s finances moving
forward following the pandemic, as well as possible state and federal
assistance available to Dutchess County.
Budget
Director White and Commissioner of Finance Heidi Seelbach have provided
Dutchess County Legislature a summary of the 2019 Annual Financial Statement
which demonstrated the success of the conservative and prudent fiscal planning
under the leadership of County Executive Molinaro over the past eight years.
Dutchess County’s fiscal position, with a solid fund balance of nearly $60
million, will be vital in the coming months as the County Government feels the impact
of lost sales tax revenue, state revenue reductions and other effects of the
global pandemic.
Dutchess
County Legislature Chairman Gregg Pulver said, “Our legislative members are
proud to work alongside County Executive Molinaro and his administration as we
collectively find solutions that are in the best interest of all Dutchess
County residents. Just as such collaborations have proved fruitful in the past,
I’m confident these four partnerships will similarly benefit the residents we
all serve.”
County
Executive Molinaro said, “These four teams will meet regularly, both internally
and externally, providing guidance and planning to ensure our successful path
forward as we begin Restarting Dutchess. There is much more to come, with a
great deal of work ahead, but we have a solid foundation to build on and are
fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated people committed to Dutchess
County’s future.”
In today’s (Thursday) press conference, Governor Cuomo announced former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, John Hopkins University, and the State’s Department of Health would manage the “army of tracers.” Tracers will include state, county, and municipal employees. The tracing program will be coordinated with New Jersey and Connecticut.
Governor Cuomo announced the MTA trains would not run between 1AM and 5AM in order to disinfect and clean the train cars. During this time, essential workers will be provided with for-hire vehicles or buses at no cost if the travel is to or from their job. This shutdown will not effect Metro-North services, but Metro-North trains will also be cleaned every 24 hours.
A decision on whether to reopen the schools or close them for the remainder of the school year will be made and announced tomorrow according to Governor Cuomo.
The New York State Association of Counties expects counties outside of New York City to lose $2 billion in sales tax and similar revenues. Additionally, they expect Governor Cuomo to cut reimbursements to counties by $1.25 billion.
If you are an essential worker, you may qualify for free childcare. To see if you qualify, and to learn more about the program, click HERE.
Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney will host a small business town hall event today (Thursday) at 4:30PM on Zoom. To participate, click HERE.
To view the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s marketing panel webinar and Virtual Business After Hours from Thursday, click HERE.
If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.
If you were forwarded this email, but would like to be added to the email list, please let us know by emailing contact@DutchessBNN.comPOWERED BY
BHA would like to extend it’s sincere appreciation to FAREGROUND CAFE for providing this service to the BHA Community. BHA looks forward to continued collaboration in the near future.
Reusable
cloth face coverings are being made available to essential businesses and
nonprofit organizations located in Dutchess County. The face coverings are
being provided by the United States Department of Health and Human
Services, in partnership with the State of New York, Dutchess County
Government, Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, Dutchess Tourism
Inc., and Hudson Cadillac-Buick-GMC. To register to pick up these face
coverings, click HERE.
Dutchess
County was listed by Governor Cuomo as one of the counties that will be
allowed to begin offering elective surgeries again. Dates of return
service and hospital requirements will follow.
In
an effort to help smaller banks process PPP loans, until 11:59 p.m. today,
only institutions with less than $1 billion in assets will be able to
file. After this time window, all institutions will once again be able to
file.
In
today’s (Wednesday) press conference, Governor Cuomo announced he has
ordered the MTA to put forward a plan to clean each subway car nightly.
This will follow MTA workers being tested for anti-bodies.
Governor
Cuomo also stated there was no way to force workers to return to their jobs
if their company is cleared to reopen. This follows concerns brought by
businesses about individuals making more on unemployment than they were
making while working.
Governor
Cuomo said he will rely on the transmission rate and hospital capacity
numbers to determine if and where the state can begin to reopen. This is
part of the 12-point guidelines he published as a road map to reopen and
can viewed HERE.
Governor
Cuomo said he does not expect the State Fair to occur this year.
Governor
Cuomo also said he would expand Coronavirus testing criteria to include
front-line workers to preserve their safety and health.
Congressman
Sean Patrick Maloney will host a small business town hall event tomorrow
at 4:30PM on Zoom. To participate, click HERE.
The
state will be sending $25 million in financial aid to food banks across
the state. If you are interested in finding a way to help food banks in
the state, you can email COVIDPhilanthropies@exec.ny.gov.
If you have
any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other
business related concerns and suggestions, please email Contact@DutchessBNN.com.
Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as
they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this
crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the
burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so
our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your
continued support through this time.
If you
were forwarded this email, but would like to be added to the email list, please
let us know by emailing contact@DutchessBNN.com
The BHA office does close due to inclement weather and dangerous driving conditions. We recommend that you call ahead if you have an appointment and the weather is questionable.
