The neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Height were ravaged this spring during the COVID-19 pandemic with a disproportionate death rate, extreme unemployment, and hunger. Now, they’re dealing with trash piled high on the streets as a result of the city’s budget cuts.
After the Department of Sanitation was forced to slash more than $100 million, Councilman Francisco Moya has allocated $160,000 to deal with the latest health crisis in his neighborhoods.
“The conditions of our streets is simply unacceptable right now,” Moya said. “Our community is still grappling with the devastating aftermath of being the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and the last this they should have to deal with is garbage piling up on every corner on top of it.”
Moya secured $80,000 to the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and $80,000 to ACE programs for the Homeless, a non-profit organization that provides homeless New Yorkers job training, work experience, and a support network to help them reach financial independence.
The new DSNY funding will be used to add eight hours of additional litter basket service along 16 routes in the district on Sundays and three hours of overtime litter basket pickups along five routes Tuesday through Thursday. The additional service will last 36 weeks until June 2021, with an 8-week service break during winter. ACE will continue to focus on Corona Plaza and work with Moya to identify areas that require additional attention.
“I’m proud to allocate these funds to clean up our community and provide residents with the quality-of-life conditions they deserve,” Moya added. “Thank you to DSNY and ACE programs for the Homeless for all their hard work in building a safer and cleaner community.”
The Cleanup Initiative funding follows Moya’s Park Cleanup Day on Aug. 15 with the NYC Parks Department, DSNY and the Corona-East Elmhurst Civic Association. Together with dozens of community volunteers, they picked up trash around Flushing Meadows Corona Park and repainted damaged benches.
