SCAN-Harbor is making a significant impact regarding the COVID-19 crisis that is afflicting the communities of Harlem, East Harlem and the South Bronx. Below you will find recognition of these efforts from a variety of community partners.

From the NYC Administration for Children’s Services

As New York City continues to confront the COVID-19 crisis, we know how hard you are all working to ensure children and youth are safe and families are supported. Your work has not gone unnoticed and we think it deserves to be recognized. This week, we’re recognizing staff from SCAN-Harbor.

Since the pandemic began, Winston Holt, Janice Harrison and Wayne Harrison have done extraordinary work on behalf of SCAN-Harbor’s Family Renewal Center, which uses a multi-disciplinary approach to provide intensive preventive services for substance abusing parents identified as “at risk” for child maltreatment. It is the largest program of its type in NYC, serving 250 high-risk families each year.

Winston Holt is a Senior Case Planner who has been with SCAN-Harbor for 11 years and he has delivered food and necessary supplies to the homes of the families in high-need on a weekly basis. He works from the office every day to ensure all his work is being captured and continues to be a tremendous support to families and children by providing ongoing supportive counseling contact daily through Zoom, FaceTime and face-to-face contact.

Janice Harrison, full-time Family Team Conference Coordinator and part time DV Facilitator, has served at SCAN-Harbor for the past 16 years. Ms. Harrison continues to go to work daily and to coordinate all the Family Team Conferences, Elevated Risk Conferences and Service Termination Conferences with ACS. These conferences, which are currently being conducted via teleconference, are vital to the success of the FTR program. She ensures that the families are notified of the conferences and coordinates with the case planners, the supervisors and ACS. In addition, Ms. Harrison has a wonderful relationship with the families and she is able to counsel families about COVID-19, ease their fears, and encourage them to talk about their feelings.

Wayne Harrison is also a senior Case Planner that has served with the agency for 12 years. Mr. Harrison deeply believes in personally serving our families despite the current circumstances, and he is one of the few Family Resource Center workers who continues to have daily in-person contacts with his families. He is of great support to them in addressing COVID-19 related issues, general concerns, and DV issues that may arise as a result of families living in close quarters. Mr. Harrison has always possessed an upbeat attitude towards every situation and has a great relationship with his families and children, especially important now, when they need it the most.

From the New York Academy of Medicine

East Harlem & COVID-19: Latest on What Can I Do?

This week, we’re highlighting resource guides that cover food access, housing, child health, local businesses and more. We’re also continuing to work closely with our East Harlem partners to identify actionable solutions to improve the health and well-being of people of all ages.

Supporting Local Meal Distribution

While NYAM’s staff continues to work remotely, we’re excited that our building is being put to good use as a meal distribution hub for SCAN-Harbor, the largest youth service provider in Harlem, East Harlem and the South Bronx. For the last three Fridays, SCAN-Harbor has used our building as a central place to distribute 800 meals a week to site directors of their various locations, who in turn distribute the meals locally to their clients.

From the Bronx Times

Garden of Dreams Foundation supports partner organizations with $1 million grant program

The Garden of Dreams Foundation recently established a $1 million grant program to assist its partner organizations during COVID-19, all of whom serve low-income areas in the Bronx and beyond.

Of Garden of Dreams’ 30 partner organizations, 26 applied for a portion of the funds and organizations such as Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCo) ($100,600), Covenant House ($24,000) and SCAN-Harbor ($64,650) were recipients of the monies.

SCAN-Harbor provides programming and assistance for families and children living in Harlem, East Harlem and the South Bronx. The organization will be using their grant money for the following services:

• to support the launch and customization of virtual education activities for youth
• hiring additional clinicians and trainers to establish interactive tele-health services
• training people to help kids express their feelings about the COVID-19 crisis via visual projective art
• purchasing laptops and software for its staff
• hiring additional IT help to support remote work
• build food distribution efforts, identifying sources for food and sites that can act as distribution locations

“The most important thing for us is the mental health issue,” said SCAN-Harbor Executive Director, Lew Zuchman. “We’re very concerned about what’s going to happen to our young people and families. We don’t want to wait until people start jumping out the window.”

Zuchman explained that the impact of COVID-19 is far worse than September 11. No one knows when it will end, people are getting sick, dying, out of work and millions are stuck home. He is in not negating the high amount of fatalities, but stressed this new unexpected stress can lead to depression, anxiety and even suicide.

In times like these, he said that people need to talk to others. Things will only get worse in a month as temperatures rise and people are stuck inside. “I think people really need to be cognizant of the fact that this is going to take a real toll,” he said.

Renee Avery, deputy executive director of SCAN-Harbor, said another issue is many families in the south Bronx face food insecurities and don’t have access to facemasks. She and her staff are working tirelessly to distribute food and hand out masks. She realized many people are struggling, and she and Zuchman expressed gratitude to the Garden of Dreams for the financial assistance.

“They’re committed to the work that we do,” she said. “We don’t just wait for a family to reach out to us.”