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‘Slow Streets' Disrupted City Planning. What Comes Next?

Laura Bliss

January 06, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

When city planners rushed early in the pandemic to close streets to automobile traffic in order to give residents a safe space to roam outdoors, they ended up learning lessons entirely apart from their original goals rooted in public health and traffic safety. In Durham, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Oakland, community groups pushed back at the cities' initial failures to consider the opinions of communities of color whose neighborhoods were affected by the changes. The pushback led to collaborations and modified plans that redefined the problems at issue and the ways to address them.

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How one Texas non-profit is helping foster children learn and stay safe during the pandemic

Jennifer Sanders

December 14, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Austin, Texas

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way foster care works. The SAFE Alliance, a merger of Austin Children’s Shelter and SafePlace, had to change the way they do things to ensure the safety of children and teens. “In late February we decided we needed to create a COVID-response team, so the executive team got together and created what we call a COVID coordinator.” Apart from implementing safety protocols, they also found ways to avoid staff burnout, and restructured their teen parent and early childhood programs.

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The Cleveland Hostel opens its doors to help homeless

Mike Brookbank

December 11, 2020 |

WEWS-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Pandemic shutdowns have led to empty beds at the Cleveland Hostel which it has offered to local homeless shelters to help lighten their load. Although the hostel only offers several dozen beds, it’s filling a critical need in the community at a time when the coronavirus is expected to lead to higher rates of homelessness.

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Coat as shelter: Designer Bas Timmer creates for people who have no home

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

December 08, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Amsterdam

Since 2014, the Sheltersuit Foundation has distributed more than 12,000 combination jackets and sleeping bags in multiple nations to protect unhoused people from cold weather. Dutch clothing designer Bas Timmer designed the Sheltersuit, and a warmer-weather version, using donated leftover fabrics with liners from sleeping bags donated or discarded at festivals. Since the pandemic increased homelessness, the foundation has distributed the clothing to nearly 2,000 people in the Netherlands and South Africa. The foundation's workforce is made up mostly of refugees and the formerly homeless.

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The New York Farmers Responding to Food Insecurity

Jake Price

December 08, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Ithaca, New York

Small businesses, such as Lively Run Goat Dairy, were able to quickly pivot during the initial chaos in the aftermath of pandemic shutdowns. The small dairy farm was able to salvage hundreds of pounds of milk that was set to be dumped by large industrial farms. It bought the milk with initial donations through GoFundMe and made cheese which was delivered free of charge to local food banks. Their nimble pivot to “strengthen distribution systems and feed their community” was even praised by the governor of NY who went on to create a project that connects farmers with food banks.

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Hunger Fight

Jessie Raymond

December 03, 2020 |

Middlebury Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

When the coronavirus pandemic forced a restaurant in Vermont to close its doors and lay off hundreds of employees, the owner worked with investors to shift his business model so that he could provide meals for those now without work using the backlog of perishable foods. His initiative has now expanded with donations and contributions from community corporations and has even received funding from the state as it has grown to include “collective community gardening.”

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Social distancing is a luxury many can't afford. Vermont actually did something about it.

Julia Belluz

November 19, 2020 |

Vox |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

The state of Vermont has been able to keep COVID-19 cases to a minimal, at least in part by focusing on offering preventive protections for the most at-risk and vulnerable – such as the unhoused. The state's response has included "state-supported housing for the homeless, hazard pay, meal deliveries, and free, pop-up testing in at-risk communities," all of which prioritize high-risk populations rather than those who can easily self-isolate at home.

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Should you recycle your disposable mask?

Jane C. Hu

October 29, 2020 |

High Country News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

A company known as TerraCycle recycles "items other companies won’t accept" – including the many masks, gowns, and gloves that have been used during the coronavirus pandemic. While the service is free for those who can access one of their ZeroWaste box locations, individuals must request and pay for a box if they wish to participate. Environmentalists say that there is still debate about "whether it’s more environmentally friendly to throw away masks or recycle them," the service itself helps "remind consumers and companies that trash doesn’t disappear after it’s thrown out."

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'I feel human again' — At three hotels, formerly incarcerated New Yorkers get the support they need

Ilyssa Daly

October 12, 2020 |

Queens Daily Eagle |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

When jails and prisons released people early as a pandemic precaution, New York City responded to the threat of increased homelessness by temporarily housing more than 400 people in hotels while providing them with re-entry services aimed at preventing new crimes. Exodus Transitional Community, the city's contractor, provided a combination of emergency shelter and counseling that would be unavailable in standard homeless shelters. No COVID-19 cases have been reported in the hotels, while residents praise the service for giving them the stability and safety they need to restart their lives.

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No ‘take-out' option: How are metro Detroit's music venues surviving?

Kate Roff

October 07, 2020 |

Metromode |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Lake Orion, Michigan

The music industry has been uniquely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, as described by the co-owner of a boutique music venue in Lake Orion who says, "We were the first to close and will be the last to re-open." To adapt to the constraints of the pandemic and generate revenue, artists and businesses have turned to livestreaming performances and partnering with entities such as the Downtown Development Authority and a local hotel to host concerts that respect the social distancing guidelines.

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