J. Antonio Fernández es el primer miembro no clerical en dirigir Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, una red de agencias de servicios sociales y proveedor de viviendas asequibles. ¿Cuál es la mayor necesidad que observa entre las personas a las que atienden? “La inseguridad alimentaria y de vivienda, sin lugar a dudas”, dijo.

J. Antonio Fernández, nuevo presidente y director ejecutivo de Catholic Charities de la Arquidiócesis. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 12 de enero. Traducido por Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

Para Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York (CCANY), 2025 fue un año de cambios. La institución sin ánimo de lucro dedicada desde hace más de un siglo a los servicios sociales y a la provisión de viviendas asequibles trasladó su sede principal el verano pasado y cambió de director ejecutivo por primera vez en 25 años. Y por primera vez en su historia, no eligió a un clérigo para el cargo. 

El nuevo director ejecutivo, J. Antonio Fernández, no es neoyorquino de nacimiento ni viste sotana o vestimentas sacerdotales, como hacía su predecesor.

En octubre, Fernández se convirtió en la primera persona laica en ocupar el cargo de director ejecutivo de CCANY. La red de agencias de servicios sociales proporciona una amplia gama de ayudas —entre las que se incluyen alimentos, alojamiento, ropa, servicios sanitarios y de inmigración, ayuda en caso de catástrofes y desarrollo de la fuerza laboral, entre otras— a personas necesitadas en todo el estado de Nueva York. 

En lo que respecta a la vivienda, CCANY ofrece programas que proporcionan refugio de emergencia, evitan desalojos y pagan el alquiler de familias con bajos ingresos en los tribunales de vivienda. La organización también se dedica al desarrollo inmobiliario a través de Catholic Homes, una agencia de CCANY que posee aproximadamente 3.000 viviendas.

Más de la mitad de ellas se adquirieron gracias a iniciativas de conservación, en las que CCANY se hizo cargo y rehabilitó apartamentos ya existentes. El objetivo de la organización para 2026 es refinanciar y conservar alrededor de 1.120 unidades.

Pero Fernández, quien emigró desde España y anteriormente fue presidente y director ejecutivo de Catholic Charities en San Antonio, Texas, admite que incluso el sólido nivel de servicios que ofrecen es una gota en el océano si se compara con la magnitud de las necesidades en la ciudad de Nueva York, donde más de la mitad de los inquilinos tienen dificultades para pagar el alquiler.

City Limits se reunió con Fernández para hablar sobre sus planes para la organización, las necesidades más urgentes que observa tanto entre los neoyorquinos de toda la vida como entre los nuevos inmigrantes, y la nueva administración municipal.

Esta conversación ha sido editada por motivos de extensión y claridad.

City Limits: Usted emigró a Estados Unidos para estudiar inglés. Por primera vez, CCANY será dirigida por una persona laica que también es inmigrante. ¿Qué cambios podemos esperar bajo su liderazgo? 

Fernández: No sé si alguno de los cambios tiene que ver con mi condición de no ser clérigo o ser inmigrante, porque mi trabajo siempre ha sido ayudar a otras personas necesitadas. Creo firmemente que Catholic Charities ayudará a todo el mundo, independientemente de su procedencia: España, China, Polonia, Ucrania, o independientemente de si son católicos o no.

¿Conoces el concepto de “cadena de favores”? La gente fue muy amable conmigo cuando llegué a Estados Unidos. Me quedé, me encanta este país, así que siento la responsabilidad de ser muy amable con otras personas que vienen aquí o con quienes simplemente necesitan algo. No lo hago por moralidad, sino porque tengo mis propios principios.

¿Es único que yo sea el primer laico? Sí, lo es. ¿Te da más responsabilidad? Quizás. Durante más de 117 años, esta organización ha estado dirigida por clérigos. Pero al fin y al cabo, todos somos seres humanos. No importa si eres clérigo o no.

CL: Ha trabajado en San Antonio, con comunidades inmigrantes, y en Chicago.

Fernández: En San Antonio, atendimos a más de 350.000 inmigrantes en los últimos tres años. Mucha gente cruzó la frontera. Algunas personas llegaron y se marcharon en menos de 72 horas: a Nueva York, Boston, Chicago, etc. Con el paso del tiempo, la gente empezó a quedarse cada vez más tiempo. Pero para nosotros, el trabajo no consistía en la gestión de casos a largo plazo, como ocurre en Nueva York.

En Nueva York, la conversación se centra en el servicio a largo plazo, en una mayor asistencia jurídica y mayor gestión de casos.

CL: CCANY atiende a más de 400.000 personas al año. ¿Cuáles son las necesidades más urgentes que la organización observa entre los neoyorquinos de bajos ingresos a los que atiende?

Fernández: Llevo aquí dos meses y medio. He visto pobreza. He visto gente hambrienta, gente que necesita ayuda para llegar a fin de mes. La inflación ha subido tan rápidamente que la gente no ha podido hacer los cambios necesarios.

¿Qué podemos hacer por estas personas cada semana? Ese debe ser el objetivo, no solo una semana al año, durante el Día de Acción de Gracias. ¿Cómo puedo explicar a la gente la necesidad de más alimentos y otras necesidades humanas básicas, al tiempo que se aumenta la gestión de casos para ayudar a las personas a salir de la pobreza y ser autosuficientes? Cuando analizamos el plan estratégico de Catholic Charities, debería incluir más bancos de alimentos.

CL: ¿Ha observado algún otro problema común relacionado con la vivienda entre las personas atendidas por CCANY?

Fernández: Las personas necesitan vivienda, pero la inseguridad alimentaria es enorme. Para mí, la gestión de casos es muy importante, aunque no tenga la misma relevancia. Durante la pandemia, las personas recibían alimentos. Pero, ¿cómo podemos asegurarnos de que no solo les estamos dando comida, sino también los medios para salir de la pobreza? 

Mudarme a Nueva York fue toda una experiencia. Aprendí lo caro que es vivir aquí. Lo sentí en mi propia piel. Creo que todo el mundo, todos los seres humanos, tienen derecho a una vivienda, a comida y a ropa. Por lo tanto, la vivienda es un problema importante, junto con la inseguridad alimentaria.

CL: Catholic Homes New York, una agencia de CCANY, gestiona viviendas asequibles para familias y personas mayores. ¿Podría contarnos más sobre esto?

Fernández: Tenemos proyectos en el centro de Manhattan, el Bronx y Harlem. El problema es que están completos. Por mucho que hagamos, parece que siempre vamos a estar llenos. La necesidad es enorme.

Recientemente, en octubre, completamos el proyecto St. Anselm en el sur del Bronx y, en junio, comenzamos la construcción en Broome Street, en el Lower East Side, situado en el campus de Grand Street Guild. Si pudiera pedirle algo al gobierno, sería que destinara más dinero a la vivienda, porque se tarda mucho tiempo en construir un nuevo edificio.

CL: ¿Ya se ha reunido con el alcalde Zohran Mamdani o con su equipo?

Fernández: Sí, tres veces: una antes de las elecciones y dos después. Una durante SOMOS en Puerto Rico con su equipo y otra en una de las agencias de Catholic Charities. Nuestro componente de justicia social es similar a sus objetivos, ya que tiene como fin ayudar a los pobres. Creo que nuestras misiones son muy similares.

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 ‘La necesidad es enorme’: Nuevo líder de Catholic Charities habla sobre hambre y vivienda en Nueva York appeared first on City Limits.

In her annual State of the State address, the governor laid out dozens of proposals to “make life more affordable” for New Yorkers. She pledged to raise the income threshold for two key rent freeze programs, and to finally upgrade New York’s EBT cards with security chips—an effort to tackle “skimming” that’s stolen millions in benefits from SNAP participants.

Gov. Kathy Hochul laid out her priorities for the year ahead during her State of the State address on Tuesday. (Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her annual State of the State address on Tuesday, laying out her priorities for the year ahead and unveiling dozens of proposals to “make life more affordable” for New Yorkers. They include pledges to expand access to free childcare, extend the Second Avenue Subway across 125th Street and update the state’s environmental review process to make it easier to build housing, among others.

Hochul also committed to reforms impacting some of the city’s most vulnerable residents—including senior tenants and food stamp recipients—that advocates say are long overdue.

The first would upgrade the state’s Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards with chip-based technology to protect them against theft, an ongoing issue for low-income New Yorkers who receive either cash assistance or food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Without the security chips, the cards are vulnerable to “skimming”—in which thieves install devices on ATMs or checkout machines that can capture the account number and PIN, allowing them to drain the cardholder’s funds.

Between August 2023 and March 2025, the city’s Department of Social Services processed more than 142,178 SNAP reimbursement claims from victims of EBT theft amounting to $43.7 million in stolen benefits. At the end of 2024, the federal government stopped reimbursing states for such incidents, leaving SNAP recipients with no recourse to recover the lost funds—forcing many to seek out food pantries or soup kitchens to make ends meet.

“They took every penny,” one great-grandmother, a resident at NYCHA’s Red Hook Houses, told City Limits in December 2024 after she attempted to use her EBT card to buy groceries at a store nearby, only to learn that her account had been drained.

In June, Legal Services NYC sued the state on behalf of several SNAP recipients who’d been similarly robbed, saying New York’s delay in upgrading its card technology “has left tens of thousands of low-income residents exposed to repeated theft, food insecurity, and financial harm.”

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the timing of the card upgrades.

Expanding rent freeze eligibility

As Mayor Zohran Mamdani still looks to fulfill his promise of a rent freeze for tenants in stabilized apartments later this year, Hochul says she’ll expand eligibility for two longstanding programs that exempt low-income seniors and people with disabilities from rent hikes.

Under the Senior and Disability Rent Increase Exemptions, known as SCRIE and DRIE, tenants who qualify can get their rent frozen to its current amount, exempting them from annual increases and providing property tax credits to their landlords to offset the difference.

To qualify currently, New York City applicants must live in a regulated apartment, spend more than a third of their monthly income on rent, and earn no more than $50,000 a year—criteria that advocates have long complained is too narrow. Hochul said she will work with lawmakers to pass legislation that increases the income eligibility threshold to $75,000 a year.

Doing so “will account for inflation since the last increase in 2014, and keep pace with today’s economic realities, helping to ensure that these critical programs continue to serve the New Yorkers they were designed to protect,” said several State Senate and Assembly leaders—including Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Deborah Glick, who sponsored a bill to raise the income cap—in a statement Tuesday.

Tenant advocates said they welcomed the move, but urged additional reforms to SCRIE and DRIE.

“This change is long overdue,” the grassroots group, Tenants & Neighbors, said in a statement in response to Hochul’s address. The organization called for lawmakers to pass several bills that would further expand eligibility: one would lower SCRIE and DRIE recipients’ rent contributions to a third of their household income, while another would link the programs’ income eligibility threshold to inflation, in order to keep pace with rising costs.

“If we do not tie the income threshold to a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), this will be a temporary fix,” said Genesis Aquino, executive director at Tenants & Neighbors. “Tenants will continue to lose eligibility every year as rents and basic expenses rise, and the state will be back here again while more low-income people are pushed toward displacement.”

 To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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The post Hochul Pledges to Combat Food Stamp Theft, Expand Rent Freeze Programs appeared first on City Limits.

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled House on Tuesday advanced legislation aimed at fulfilling President Donald Trump’s long-running desire to “make showers great again” by voting to loosen federal efficiency standards for showerheads.

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The bill — dubbed the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing, or Shower ACT — passed 226-197, with 11 Democrats crossing the aisle in support.

Republicans have argued the measure would wash away unnecessary regulations and allow more water to flow through showerheads. Democrats warn the relaxed standards could soak consumers with higher utility bills and worsen environmental impacts.

“If they want a nozzle that dribbles on their head, well then go get one of those. If you want something that slices an orange, well then go get one of those. That should be your choice as a consumer,” said GOP Rep. Russell Fry, sponsor of the bill.

The legislation is light on details, and its prospects in the Senate are uncertain as members of that chamber focus attention on government funding and foreign policy. Still, it’s part of a broader effort by House Speaker Mike Johnson to codify Trump’s executive actions in federal law.

In April, Trump signed an executive order calling for an immediate end to water conservation standards that limit the gallons per minute flowing through showerheads and other household appliances, including dishwashers, washing machines, and toilets. The House bill builds on that directive, seeking to reduce what Republicans view as overregulation by permitting stronger water flow in homes than current standards allow.

Environmental groups have criticized the proposal, warning it would increase water consumption and energy use. Democrats echoed those concerns and questioned why Republicans were spending time on the issue.

“Why on God’s green earth, on the first full day that this Congress is back in 2026, are the Republicans using the floor time — in the midst of armed conflict and daily corruption by this administration — to run a bill on rich people showers?” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., during debate last week.

For over three decades, federal energy law has outlined appliance standards that determine new showerheads shouldn’t pour out more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute (9.5 liters). The Obama administration refined the restrictions and applied those limits to the water that comes out of the entire showerhead, even ones with several nozzles.

During his first term, Trump relaxed that rule to allow each nozzle of a showerhead spray as much as 2.5 gallons. The Biden administration reversed Trump’s action in 2021.

Republicans defended the bill as a necessary corrective. GOP Rep. Michael Rulli of Ohio said Republicans are “worried about the working man.”

“You go on vacation, you go to a motel and you get a shower, it’s the worst shower you ever had. It’s cold. It’s dripping out there. The working man cannot even enjoy his daily life,” Rulli said.

Snowboarder Chloe Kim says she’s “good to go” for the Milan Cortina Olympics despite tearing the labrum in her shoulder during a training run last week in Switzerland.

Now comes a race against the clock to see if she can get ready for a contest that starts in less than a month.

The winner of the last two Olympic gold medals in the halfpipe posted an update to Instagram on Tuesday, saying she wasn’t surprised to learn she had torn her labrum — the lining of the socket that holds the shoulder together. She did not say which shoulder she injured when she fell while getting ready for this weekend’s Laax Open.

“There are two ways to do it, and the way I did it is less severe than the other, so I’m really happy about that,” she said. “Obviously, I’m really disappointed that I can’t snowboard until right before the Olympics, which is going to be hard. I haven’t gotten nearly the amount of reps that I would have liked, but that’s OK.”

The women’s Olympic halfpipe contest starts Feb. 11.

The 25-year-old Kim, who already has qualified for the U.S. team, would be the heavy favorite to win in Italy if she’s completely healthy. She said she won’t compete this weekend in Laax. She didn’t mention the Winter X Games in Aspen later this month, which are the last big contest before the Olympics.

Kim has only been in one competition this season — last month in Copper Mountain — and while warming up for the final there, she suffered a shoulder injury, as well.

Last week, she posted video of her fall in Switzerland, which showed her skittering across the halfpipe after losing her bearings on the landing of a jump. At that time, she said she dislocated the shoulder and wasn’t in that much pain. An MRI from last Friday revealed the labrum tear.

In her video, Kim said she’ll have to wear a “super-sexy shoulder brace” that is uncomfortable.

“I went through a bunch of different waves of emotions, but honestly, I’m really excited for this week,” she said.

The end of the video flashed to her picking up her boyfriend, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, at a train station.

“I’m so grateful to be able to do this even though the lows can get pretty damn low,” Kim wrote on the post that went along with her video. “Excited for a week of exploration!”

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