“It is time for New York City to pave the way to a modern, functioning FOIL landscape. The public is unable to understand, debate, and challenge government practices if it is kept in the dark about what they are.”

Government documents City Limits previously obtained via FOIL requests. (City Limits)

The New York City Office of Technology and Innovation recently extended its deadline to respond to a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request by The Legal Aid Society—for a whopping 40th time. The request, which was submitted back in January of 2021, sought access to records related to the agency’s purchase and/or use of surveillance giant Palantir’s products.  

This more-than-four-year wait for records is not an aberration. Legal Aid is still waiting on responses to a 2022 FOIL request to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for records related to the accuracy of ShotSpotter (a tool the NYPD uses to try to detect gunshots), a 2023 FOIL request to the NYPD for video from the Knightscope K5 Times Square Robot from a single day, and many more. 

Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm for New York City residents who are unable to afford private counsel, and our Digital Forensics Unit submits FOIL requests like these to maintain an up-to-date understanding of the surveillance technologies and practices that affect the people we serve. We believe—and the text of FOIL itself recognizes—that “government is the public’s business.” But agencies’ seemingly endless delays leave us, our clients, and the public at large, without access to information about how our government is using its power and resources. 

That’s why we’ve been pushing for legislation both in Albany and at City Hall that would significantly improve FOIL processes. This year, the full New York State Legislature passed the FOIL Timeline Act, which would have imposed limitations on agencies’ delays in producing responsive records. Unfortunately, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed it. 

But there is still hope for greater transparency in New York City. Intro 1235 aims to make the FOIL process more efficient and auditable by allowing the public to access and search all records produced by city agencies in response to FOIL requests, and by providing statistics on city agencies’ FOIL practices—including their average response times.

All requests to city agencies would be processed through an online portal that would also indicate relevant dates, extensions, and decisions with respect to each request. The portal would also contain information about any appeals to agencies’ denials of FOIL requests and any subsequent lawsuits. And the portal would show the amount that the requester paid to the agency in fees, and any attorney’s fees that the agency was required to pay to a requester in a FOIL-related lawsuit against the agency.  

Intro 1235 would reduce unnecessary inefficiencies in the FOIL process for both requesters and agencies. The ability to access other FOIL requests and responses through the portal would obviate the need to submit duplicative requests—which in turn would obviate the need to fulfill duplicative requests. And publicizing agencies’ patterns and practices with respect to producing records would make clear where additional reforms or resources are necessary.  

It is time for New York City to pave the way to a modern, functioning FOIL landscape. The public is unable to understand, debate, and challenge government practices if it is kept in the dark about what they are. Intro 1235 is urgently needed to allow FOIL to serve its intended purposes, and improving the portal would demonstrate that FOIL reforms can be not only workable, but also more efficient for all parties involved.

We support the passage of Intro 1235, and we hope New Yorkers will join us in pushing for greater transparency across our city.  

Laura Moraff is a staff attorney with the Digitial Forensics Unit at The Legal Aid Society.

The post Opinion: Fixing Flaws in New York’s Freedom of Information Law  appeared first on City Limits.

Solo este año, miles de neoyorquinos con bajos ingresos han sufrido el robo de los fondos de sus tarjetas EBT, que les permiten comprar alimentos en ciertas tiendas. “Fue muy duro”, declaró una víctima a City Limits después de que le vaciaran su cuenta SNAP en tres ocasiones distintas.

Un cartel de EBT en una tienda en East Gun Hill Road, en el Bronx. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 16 de octubre. Traducido por Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

En solo un año, Theresa Price, residente de Woodside Houses de NYCHA, ha sufrido tres robos del dinero de la ayuda alimentaria del Programa Federal de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria (SNAP por sus siglas en inglés, y también conocido como cupones de alimentos).

Cada vez que ocurría, eran $292 dólares menos para comer ese mes.

Cada vez, debía pedir dinero prestado para cubrir lo que le habían quitado.

Dos de los robos ocurrieron en abril y septiembre, después de que expirara el período de reembolso del gobierno federal a finales del año pasado, lo que significaba que lo robado no sería reemplazado.

“Te decían que fueras a la despensa [de alimentos]”, recuerda Price que le dijo el personal de la Administración de Recursos Humanos (HRA por sus siglas en inglés) de la ciudad después de que denunciara el incidente. “Fue duro. Fue muy duro”.

Price, de 61 años, es una de las decenas de miles de personas a las que les han robado dinero de sus tarjetas de transferencia electrónica de beneficios (EBT por sus siglas en inglés) en el estado de Nueva York este año.

Ella y otras víctimas se han quedado sin ningún recurso: el gobierno federal dejó de aceptar solicitudes de reembolso a finales de septiembre y solo para los robos que tuvieron lugar antes del 21 de diciembre de 2024. Los congresistas no renovaron la ayuda para sustitución.

Nueva York ha sido un nido del llamado “skimming”, en el que dispositivos ocultos roban la información de pago después de que alguien pase su tarjeta. Según la Oficina de Asistencia Temporal y por Discapacidad (OTDA por sus siglas en inglés) del estado, que administra el SNAP en Nueva York, se pagaron $51.8 millones de dólares en reembolsos entre el 23 de agosto de 2023 y el 30 de junio de 2025.

Solo en los primeros seis meses de este año, del 1 de enero al 30 de junio, los neoyorquinos denunciaron un total de $14.5 millones de dólares en beneficios de SNAP robados en todo el estado, según informaron funcionarios de la OTDA a City Limits.

“La OTDA se toma muy en serio cualquier denuncia de robo de prestaciones y mantiene su compromiso de proteger las prestaciones de los neoyorquinos frente a los estafadores. Se insta a los usuarios de EBT a que sean conscientes del fraude por skimming y estén revisando sus prestaciones”, afirmó un portavoz de la OTDA en un comunicado.

Aunque el programa SNAP está financiado por el gobierno federal para ayudar a los hogares con bajos ingresos a pagar los alimentos, son los estados los que se encargan de su gestión. En Nueva York, la OTDA lo supervisa, mientras que la HRA opera y gestiona el programa en la ciudad.

El Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos, responsable del SNAP a nivel federal, no respondió a las preguntas sobre el impacto de los robos y su oficina de prensa afirmó por correo electrónico que no podía responder inmediatamente a las preguntas de los medios de comunicación debido al cierre del gobierno. 

Según la HRA, que forma parte del Departamento de Servicios Sociales (DSS por sus siglas en inglés) de la ciudad de Nueva York, hasta septiembre los residentes de la ciudad de Nueva York habían presentado más de 34.000 reclamaciones de robos por skimming de tarjetas EBT.

El DSS también afirmó que, tras finalizar el periodo de reembolso federal, menos personas han presentado reclamaciones porque sabían que sus prestaciones no serían sustituidas, lo que dificulta determinar el alcance total del problema.

En abril, por ejemplo, después de que le robaran los fondos por segunda vez, Price no volvió a la oficina de la HRA para denunciar. Tampoco presentó ninguna denuncia ante la policía cuando le robaron las prestaciones por tercera vez en septiembre.

“Grité. Grité de verdad”, dijo sobre el tercer robo. “No fui a la comisaría ni nada, porque era una pérdida de tiempo”.

Desde el 2023, los legisladores estatales han presentado proyectos de ley que obligarían a Nueva York a actualizar las tarjetas EBT con chip de seguridad, pero la legislación aún no se ha aprobado. Otros estados, como California y Oklahoma, ya han realizado la transición a tarjetas más seguras.

En julio, Legal Services NYC presentó una demanda exigiendo al estado que cambiara a una tecnología de tarjetas más segura y que elaborara un plan para reemplazar los beneficios del SNAP que se pierden por el skimming hasta que se disponga de tarjetas más seguras.

Días más tarde, la OTDA publicó una convocatoria de propuestas para buscar un proveedor que suministrara una tarjeta de identificación de varias prestaciones, que permitiría a los neoyorquinos acceder a diversas prestaciones gubernamentales, como SNAP, Asistencia Temporal para Familias Necesitadas, Medicaid y subsidios de EBT de verano para alimentos.

El 7 de octubre, decenas de organizaciones de Nueva York, entre ellas defensores de la lucha contra el hambre, enviaron una carta a la gobernadora Kathy Hochul instando al estado a asignar fondos, tanto para actualizar las tarjetas de prestaciones con banda magnética actuales con tecnología de chip cifrada más segura, como para reemplazar las prestaciones robadas a los afectados después de la fecha límite de 2024.

“El skimming agrava la inseguridad alimentaria y el estrés financiero de los hogares ya vulnerables, lo que les dificulta satisfacer sus necesidades básicas y mantener la estabilidad”, dice la carta. “Hemos escuchado innumerables historias desgarradoras e inaceptables de familias que han tenido que saltarse comidas o devolver los alimentos a las estanterías después de descubrir en la caja registradora que les habían robado sus prestaciones alimentarias”.

Una mujer que habló con City Limits, y quien pidió permanecer anónima, dijo que su familia tuvo que retrasar el pago del alquiler después de que les robaran el dinero de la tarjeta EBT durante el verano. “Tuvimos que atrasarnos en la renta para poder comprar comida”, dijo ella, de 31 años, madre de un bebé de un año.

Para compensar los fondos robados, su marido, que trabaja en un restaurante, vendió flores cerca de su casa en el sur del Bronx después de su turno durante un par de semanas.

Una tienda en la calle East 204th Street, en el Bronx. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

No es 100 por ciento eficaz

Tres personas afectadas por el robo de fondos que hablaron con City Limits sobre sus experiencias dijeron que habían tomado precauciones para evitar el skimming. Habían descargado la aplicación móvil ebtEDGE, que les permite “congelar” la tarjeta cuando no la utilizan. Dos de ellas también habían desactivado las transacciones fuera del estado.

Susan Kingsland, subdirectora de servicios sociales de Red de Pueblos Transnacionales (una organización comunitaria que es parte de la demanda de Legal Services NYC), dijo que es frustrante impartir talleres para enseñar a sus clientes cómo usar las tarjetas EBT de forma segura, para luego seguir viendo cómo roban a la gente.

“Lo que también es muy importante es [que] hay algunas medidas que se pueden tomar para prevenirlo, pero nunca hay una garantía del 100 por ciento”, dijo Kingsland.

Los funcionarios del DSS reconocieron que esta es la razón principal por la que abogan por el cambio a tarjetas con tecnología con chip.

Aunque no es infalible, los funcionarios y defensores recomendaron lo siguiente:

Utilice la función de bloqueo de la tarjeta EBT en la aplicación ebtEDGE (disponible en Apple App Store y Google Play Store) o en el sitio web de ebtEDGE. Desbloquee la tarjeta solo justo antes de realizar una compra y bloquéela inmediatamente después para evitar nuevas transacciones.

Cambie el PIN con frecuencia y no lo comparta con nadie.

Realice un seguimiento de su cuenta EBT y sus transacciones.

Evite hacer clic en enlaces desconocidos en correos electrónicos o mensajes de texto para no caer en el llamado “phishing”.

Cuando pague en una caja registradora, revise y sacuda un poco el lector de tarjetas, ya que los dispositivos de skimming a veces están mal fijados a los teclados o lectores de tarjetas. “Esté atento a cualquier irregularidad en el lector de tarjetas de los comercios, y sus teclados, antes de utilizarlos”, aconseja un portavoz de la OTDA.

Si encuentra un dispositivo de skimming, llame a la Unidad de Fraude de la HRA al 718-557-1399.

Si me roban mis fondos en la tarjeta EBT, ¿qué debo hacer?

Si utiliza la aplicación ebtEDGE, bloquee la tarjeta inmediatamente. Denúncielo de inmediato y solicite una nueva tarjeta en una oficina de la HRA o en www.ebtEDGE.com, en la aplicación ebtEDGE o por teléfono a través de la línea de atención al cliente de EBT al 1-888-328-6399.

Aquellos que han logrado robar fondos de una tarjeta pueden volver a hacerlo de la misma tarjeta, por lo que se recomienda solicitar una nueva.

Para ponerse en contacto con el reportero de esta noticia, escriba a Daniel@citylimits.org. Para ponerse en contacto con la editora, escriba a Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.

The post Más de $14 millones de dólares en beneficios de SNAP han sido robados de neoyorquinos tras el fin del programa de reembolso appeared first on City Limits.

The number of homeless children attending New York City public schools increased again in 2024-2025—rising for the fifth consecutive school year, and surpassing 150,000 for the first time. Some school districts had a deeper crisis than others

Students head into school in New York City in February 2021. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

The number of homeless children attending New York City public schools increased again in 2024-2025—rising for the fifth consecutive school year, and surpassing 150,000 for the first time.

This latest count, obtained from the state’s education department and released by the nonprofit Advocates for Children (AFC), tallied more than 154,000 students experiencing some form of homelessness in city schools, a new record.

“There are now more students who are homeless in [New York City] than the entire Dallas public school system,” Jennifer Pringle, director of AFC’s Learners in Temporary Housing Project, said in a statement accompanying the new data.

The total number of students experiencing homelessness nearly doubled from 11 years ago. It dipped slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when eviction protections and other relief programs were in effect.

In all, one in seven public school students were homeless during the 2024-2025 school year, a higher proportion than any previous year on record. The most common form of homelessness students experienced was “doubling up,” where families have an unplanned stay in a home with another family or friends. A record high 65,000 stayed in city shelters. 

Some school districts had a deeper crisis than others. In school districts in Northeast Brooklyn, the Northwest Bronx, and Upper Manhattan, over one in five students experienced homelessness last year. 

Being unhoused poses significant hurdles to education, AFC says, pointing to its analysis of data from the 2023-2024 school year which found students experiencing homelessness were more likely to drop out than their permanently-housed peers. They also had lower state test scores, and two out of three students in shelter were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least one out of every 10 school days.

“This year alone, we’ve worked with families whose children already missed an entire month of school because of the lack of coordination between the shelter and school systems,” Pringle said in a statement.

AFC and other family homelessness advocates are calling for the city’s next mayor—who will take office in January following next month’s election—to make a number of policy changes to tackle the crisis.

That includes increasing access to early childhood education programs, ensuring families are placed in shelters near their children’s schools, and addressing delays and inefficiencies with the city’s school bus network.

Christine Quinn, the former City Council speaker who now runs Win (Women in Need), a family shelter provider, called the uptick in student homelessness “a moral failure and a stark indictment on our city.”

Win has released its own set of recommendations for the next mayor, which calls for expanding and streamlining CityFHEPS—the city’s main rental assistance program—and building more apartments set aside for the lowest income households. The group wants the city to hire more shelter-based community coordinators, who help families navigate the school system, and to increase the number of school social workers that counsel kids in shelter.

“We know that homeless students face an uphill climb, from battling chronic absenteeism to struggling to meet the benchmarks their housed peers routinely meet,” Quinn said in a statement Monday. “As our city prepares to welcome a new mayor, we have a ripe opportunity to bring new attention to this crisis and to finally end the family homelessness epidemic.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Mariana@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post NYC’s Record-High Student Homelessness Numbers, by Neighborhood and Shelter Type appeared first on City Limits.

In an effort to fast-track a proposed five-mile bike trail along Summit Avenue, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s office allegedly altered the scoring criteria considered by St. Paul Public Works, which helped get the avenue’s $100 million rebuild added to the department’s five-year plan and the city’s short-list of construction priorities for 2028.

That’s the primary accusation fueling the latest legal filing from SOS, or Save Our Street, a coalition of homeowners and other interested parties worried that a sidewalk-level bike trail would hurt aesthetics, trees and parking.

The 21-page civil complaint filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court includes a preliminary injunctive demand for data.

The city has yet to file an official legal response, but a spokesperson for the mayor said Monday she would look into the matter, which has at times overshadowed other issues in this year’s five-way mayoral race.

Calling themselves “Historic Summit Avenue,” the SOS plaintiffs allege that the mayor’s office has repeatedly violated the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act by failing to provide certain documents requested between September 2024 and June.

Those requests seek among other things, “all data, including analysis, communications (including text messages) regarding any evaluation or assessment of determining which portions (of the Summit Avenue regional trail) will be prioritized for construction.”

Later requests specified “all data, including studies, analysis, computations, scoring, and communications relating to, recommending, or discussing” the city’s proposal to put $3.57 million toward Summit Avenue trail planning in the 2026 budget. The money is part of the city’s five-year budget to plan for major capital projects and road construction.

That request specified communications from the city’s Capital Improvement Budget committee and its staff, including a senior budget analyst for the city and a working group composed of representatives of different city departments and the CIB committee.

Public Works officials have maintained that Summit Avenue needs to be rebuilt regardless of whether a bike trail is part of the package, given the condition of the road surface and the water mains beneath it.

Carter often says that Summit Avenue is overdue because it last was fully reconstructed when William Howard Taft was president (1909-1913).

However, a Public Works map of Summit Avenue road work obtained by SOS indicates much of the avenue’s western edge near the University of St. Thomas was reconstructed in 1979 and 1989.

Project moves up

The lawsuit alleges Carter had long maintained that the city would institute a new 1% sales tax to pay for road and parks projects based on “objective scoring criteria,” but the administration instead “improperly manipulated the scoring to fast-track projects that it believed were politically beneficial to the mayor and some of his supporters.”

The alleged manipulation began Aug. 14, 2024, according to the legal filing, when St. Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw “expressed the ‘need to prioritize’ the reconstruction of Summit Avenue to avoid ‘get(ting) real pushback.’”

Thirteen days later, the scoring criteria for the reconstruction of the western portion of Summit Avenue was “enhanced” so that Summit “can move up the list,” according to the legal filing. And on Sept. 16, 2024, staff reported to Kershaw and Chief Resilience Officer Russ Stark that the reconstruction of Summit had been “moved up to 2029.”

The city’s latest five-year construction plan lists Summit Avenue reconstruction starting even earlier, in 2028.

The lawsuit alleges that the mayor’s office indicated last month that it had satisfied all requests for information. But SOS attorney and Summit Avenue resident Robert Cattanach provided evidence from June and July showing the existence of meeting notes and other data the city had not released.

Citing the state’s Government Data Practices Act, the lawsuit requests the city safeguard the requested data from deletion and produce the documents without redaction. A second count asks the court to impose damages of between $1,000 and $15,000 per day until that happens.

Cattanach’s previous efforts to gather copious information about the proposed sidewalk-level bicycle trail earned him a court-ordered financial award from the city a year ago. Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond found the city liable for 14 violations of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act and ordered the city to pay $30,000 in damages.

A spokesperson for SOS said that money has not been paid and they expect the city to appeal the order.

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