Support our COVID-19 Response Fund
RHI's Community-Led Response
In keeping with RHI’s mission to lead change from within, we are responding to the COVID-19 crisis by following the lead of our staff who are also local residents and are best able to advocate and identify the needs of their neighbors. Our team is on the front lines to provide support and advocacy for families who are most vulnerable. To understand and plan around the most pressing community issues RHI conducted a 400-family survey to identify urgent needs. More rounds of this survey are to follow, but we have used the results to help drive our response model:
- Gather and distribute accurate information to the Red Hook community
- Identify families and residents in need of food support, medical attention, mental health care and digital access
- Advocate for Red Hook's public housing residents with elected officials helping to craft and implement their response plans
- Support RHI youth with remote learning, tutoring opportunities, mental health care and employment needs
Red Hook Farms Food Distribution $1,000
Supports weekly distribution of 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to families unable to leave their homes or access produce.
Virtual College Tours $500
Send a group of Red Hook high school seniors on a virtual tour with college admission staff.
Who we serve
As we head into the second month of NYC’s struggle at the epicenter of the global pandemic, the city-wide and national statistics confirm that Red Hook’s Black and Latinx low-income community will endure disproportionately high exposure risk, hardship, and death from COVID-19. RHI exists in order to confront the systemic inequities that have persisted in our community for decades.
Our legacy of emergency response
For 18 years, RHI has worked to interrupt cycles of injustice, address systemic challenges, and promote racial equity by ensuring that low-income black and Latinx residents of Red Hook do not just receive services – they lead the conversation. An anchor in Red Hook and one of the largest employers in the neighborhood, RHI is the place where residents turn, especially during times of crisis.
During Hurricane Sandy, RHI's community center became the defacto hub of emergency relief and rebuilding work in Red Hook. Our role in the response and recovery work lead to the creation of the Local Leaders program. Since 2013 this training cohort has been empowering community members to lead during crisis. Today, we are working with our Local Leader graduates - over 250 bi-lingual Red Hook residents - to support identification of vulnerable neighbors, share critical information and further the identification of community needs.
Learn more about our community response to Covid-19
Our partners include NYU Langone Hospital, NYC Councilmember Carlos Menchaca, NYC Greenmarkets, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, NYCHA, and other local institutions to coordinate the Red Hook community’s response to this public health crisis. Thank you to this network for the planning, support and dedication to an equitable recovery.
