Staying Connected in the Community

Streetwork has explored new avenues to keep connected during this era of social distancing – including in-person, virtual and hybrid. Take a look at some of our redesigned and newer offerings! 

Fall Harvest: This year, our Thanksgiving celebration took place with small groups but lots of heart and joy! Today, we are hosting our holiday party at both drop-ins. 

@StreetworkNYC: Our Instagram page following has grown exponentially, as young people learn about resources, our outreach hours, and special events.  

Peer groups: Young people are supporting each other through our parenting group (virtual), men’s group (in person), men as prevention partners sessions (hybrid internship program), and community promise (internship program for female-identified clients). 

Client newsletter: With all that is going on, it can be hard to keep up. Our Streetwork team is putting together a monthly newsletter for young people to learn about new services and resources. 

Teletherapy: Our therapist Veronica has been fully booked with appointments by young people, as young people seek to manage isolation and loneliness, as well as trauma.  

Sexual health education: Sex ed is a big focus of our prevention work with young people. Our approach is nonjudgmental and sex positive. We partnered with Planned Parenthood earlier this year for Sexual Health Education Week.  

Medical services: Montefiore and Callen-Lorde are offering COVID-19 tests and other medical services at our Drop-In Centers. 

Know Your Rights Trainings: Youth Represent provided training and education on civil rights and how to safely engage with law enforcement. 

Azul’s Path to Justice During COVID-19 

The challenges that NYC’s homeless youth are currently experiencing are not new. They are enduring challenges that have become more difficult to address because of the pandemic. Many young people experience homelessness after aging out of public systems such as foster care and juvenile justice systems or after being abandoned by their families. Before the pandemic, young people were already struggling to access essential resources and find safety. Through the pandemic, their struggle has become even more challenging as public resources became scarcer.

Over the summer, Streetwork advocates had worked with City partners to overturn regulations that prevented homeless youth from accessing specialized shelter beds that are private. While adults who had been reached through the NYC contract tracing program were eligible for free hotel beds, homeless youth were not able to access these beds, not even with expert advocacy by Streetwork staff or letters of support from our psychiatrists. Recently, however, access to these specialized beds has ended. As of late October, the Coalition for Homeless Youth reported that isolation hotel beds are no longer available. Young people must now rely upon City isolation beds when seeking special care for their specific mental and physical health needs.

In addition to difficulties securing safe shelter, two of the most common challenges for young people are access to technology and respite. From our assessments of the young people engaging with Streetwork’s services today, we learned that young people are having trouble continuing their education and seeking employment without consistent access to technology. Streetwork’s Drop-In Centers offer computer labs, but not through all hours of the day and week. Without respite, youth are having trouble focusing on their goals and creating sustainable safety plans for themselves. Streetwork’s youth spaces provided youth with opportunities to share information on services and resources. Now, without a sense of community due to social distancing measures, young people are concerned about their mental and physical health.

In the coming year, these trends will likely continue. The young people Streetwork works with are not giving up. There have many inspirational examples of youth who have made progress on their goals this year. Some are continuing their education through remote learning, while others are exploring job opportunities with delivery services for companies like Postmates and GrubHub. At Streetwork, through the pandemic, there have also been many young people who have been successful in accessing public benefits and supportive housing.

Young people have not given up. Neither will Streetwork. We will continue to collaborate with our partners, communicate with youth to ensure their voices are leading the program, and persevere through this pandemic.

What’s for Dinner? Salsa Verde! 

Cains Corner:  

Hello friends! From my corner, I have many things to say to you! We miss you all deeply. This pandemic has not allowed us to express to you our affection through food; that we care and miss you. 

We have products available in our food pantry that can help with your nutrition. So, if you’re a client who uses this service, please consult the list that we have to see what options you can get; remember that one of our drop-in staff will help you get your food pantry bags. If you need any specially cooked meal (vegetarian, vegan) leave your suggestion with drop-in staff. 

About Salsa Verde or “Green Sauce”

Salsa verde is a staple in every Mexican kitchen. It’s great for making enchiladas verdes or for topping carne asada tacos. It’s a simple versatile salsa that you can use on just about anything. Give this one a try! 

Simple and Delicious: Our Salsa Verde recipe is easy to make and the ingredients are available at almost every supermarket. You can use tomatillos that look like small green tomatoes and are covered in a papery husk or the larger green tomatoes, tomates verdes. 

The tomatillos in the picture already have the papery husks removed. The taste is tart and vibrant and adds a lot of pop to any dish that you use it on.

The recipe calls for three serrano chiles or jalapeño pepper, but you can use fewer if you want to reduce the heat. We like it on the hot side. 

How to Make 

The preparation is simple. Add all the ingredients to your pot except the cilantro and just cover with water. 

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Notice how the ingredients change color. This lets you know that the ingredients are fully cooked. 

Next, blend the ingredients with the cooking water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You want the salsa to keep a little bit of texture. It shouldn’t be liquified. Use the picture of the prepared salsa to guide you. 

The next thing you are going to do is fry the salsa. This is the magic step that is used in making almost all cooked salsas. Do not skip this step. It gives a superior result.  

Heat two tablespoons of oil on high. Slowly pour the blended salsa into the pan. This develops a deeper richer tasting salsa. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt to taste.  

Now you have the perfect salsa verde! 

Corrections, If Needed 

Sometimes your salsa doesn’t come out exactly to your liking. Keep in mind that the ingredients are all-natural products and can vary in freshness and flavor due to seasonal differences and how the ingredients have been handled. One time when you buy peppers, they may be hot and the next time you buy the exact same pepper is very mild. 

Here are a few methods to correct your salsa: 

• Too runny? Simmer until it has reduced to the desired consistency. 
• Too thick? Add water 2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached. 
• Too hot or acidic? Add only one of the following to reduce heat or acidity: 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup. 
• Too bland? Try adding more salt 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time until you get the desired taste. 
• Pale color? Try simmering for 10 extra minutes to deepen the color. 

When you make adjustments add ingredients a little at a time. A small modification can have a surprisingly large effect. 

What are you going to use it on?  Chicken enchiladas, tortilla chips, pork, chops, chilaquiles, and many more dishes pair well with this salsa. Be adventurous.