Mariah McGough

After a Fight Spanning Over a Decade, VOCAL-NY Celebrates the Senate’s Passage of Lifesaving Bill to Decriminalize and Expand Access to Syringes in New York

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, June 7, 2021 CONTACT Jasmine Budnella, jasmine@vocal-ny.org Mariah McGough, Mariah@vocal-ny.org AFTER A FIGHT SPANNING OVER A DECADE, VOCAL-NY CELEBRATES THE SENATE’S PASSAGE OF LIFESAVING BILL TO DECRIMINALIZE AND EXPAND ACCESS TO SYRINGES IN NEW YORK ALBANY, N.Y. — Today, the New York State Senate passed S2523/A868, legislation to decriminalize syringes and […]

After a Fight Spanning Over a Decade, VOCAL-NY Celebrates the Senate’s Passage of Lifesaving Bill to Decriminalize and Expand Access to Syringes in New York Read More »

NBC News: Forty years after first documented AIDS cases, survivors reckon with ‘dichotomy of feelings’

In the News / By

“AIDS in the United States is not over, and especially it’s not over in the Global South or around the world,” said Jawanza James Williams, the director of organizing at VOCAL-NY, a nonprofit that helps low-income people impacted by HIV and AIDS. “There’s a sort of tendency to talk in the past tense, as if HIV and AIDS, as an epidemic, has been ended in the States, and it erases the realities and the experiences of Black people, of brown people, or poor people, people that are uninsured, and it really misses the mark.”

NBC News: Forty years after first documented AIDS cases, survivors reckon with ‘dichotomy of feelings’ Read More »

City Limits: City Council Votes to Raise Value of Housing Vouchers for Homeless New Yorkers

In the News / By

VOCAL-NY Housing Campaign Coordinator Joseph Loonam said the “victory is a testament to the power of homeless New Yorkers who fought for this bill.”

“But unfortunately, we did not get all the reforms we needed,” Loonam added. “In the last days of negotiations with the Administration, the City Council negotiated away key provisions that protected people from losing their voucher — without any input from directly impacted New Yorkers.”

City Limits: City Council Votes to Raise Value of Housing Vouchers for Homeless New Yorkers Read More »

The Clock is Ticking: VOCAL-NY Calls on Senate and Assembly Leadership to Pass Unfinished Business in Last Days of Session

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, May 28, 2021 CONTACT Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org, 203 470 9979 THE CLOCK IS TICKING: VOCAL-NY CALLS ON SENATE AND ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP TO PASS UNFINISHED BUSINESS IN LAST DAYS OF SESSION Lawmakers Joined VOCAL-NY at Press Conference in April to Demand Legislation to Support New Yorkers Left Out of Final State Budget

The Clock is Ticking: VOCAL-NY Calls on Senate and Assembly Leadership to Pass Unfinished Business in Last Days of Session Read More »

Homeless New Yorkers Win Historic Passage of Intro 146; Fight Continues to Make CityFHEPS Stronger

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, May 27, 2021 CONTACT Mariah McGough, Mariah@vocal-ny.org, 203-470-9979 Homeless New Yorkers Win Historic Passage of Intro 146; Fight Continues to make CityFHEPS Stronger NEW YORK — In response to the passage of Intro 146, VOCAL-NY released this statement attributable to Joseph Loonam, Housing Campaign Coordinator: “After years of fighting to end

Homeless New Yorkers Win Historic Passage of Intro 146; Fight Continues to Make CityFHEPS Stronger Read More »

Historic Victory: Assembly Joins the Senate in Passing Life-Saving Legislation to Ensure Access to Medication Assisted Treatment in Jails in Prisons

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, May 26, 2021 CONTACT Jasmine Budnella, jasmine@vocal-ny.org Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org HISTORIC VICTORY: ASSEMBLY JOINS THE SENATE IN PASSING LIFE-SAVING LEGISLATION TO ENSURE ACCESS TO MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT IN JAILS IN PRISONS Assembly Vote Marks Major Progress After the Legislation was Set Aside in the Last Hours of the 2019 Legislative Session;

Historic Victory: Assembly Joins the Senate in Passing Life-Saving Legislation to Ensure Access to Medication Assisted Treatment in Jails in Prisons Read More »

New Poll: Homelessness and Housing Top Two Issues for NYC Voters in Mayoral Race

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 18, 2021 CONTACT Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org NEW POLL: HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING TOP TWO ISSUES FOR NYC VOTERS IN MAYORAL RACE NEW YORK —Today, WPIX 11 and Emerson College released new polling showing that homelessness and housing are the top issues for voters in New York City’s mayoral race, polling at 20% and

New Poll: Homelessness and Housing Top Two Issues for NYC Voters in Mayoral Race Read More »

VOCAL-NY Responds to Candidate Comments on Policing and Criminalization During First Mayoral Debate

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, May 14, 2021 CONTACT mariah@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY RESPONDS TO CANDIDATE COMMENTS ON POLICING AND CRIMINALIZATION DURING FIRST MAYORAL DEBATE VOCAL-NY Called for Candidates to Commit to the Caring & Compassionate New Deal Ahead of Last Night’s Debates Candidates Discussed Public Health Issues Facing New Yorkers, Including Housing, Policing, and Rising Violence in

VOCAL-NY Responds to Candidate Comments on Policing and Criminalization During First Mayoral Debate Read More »

VOCAL-NY Calls on Mayoral Candidates to Commit to ‘Caring & Compassionate New Deal for NYC’ in Tonight’s Debate

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 13, 2021 Contact: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY CALLS ON MAYORAL CANDIDATES TO COMMIT TO ‘CARING & COMPASSIONATE NEW DEAL FOR NYC’ IN TONIGHT’S DEBATE NEW YORK — In advance of tonight’s Democratic mayoral debate, VOCAL-NY, a statewide grassroots organization fighting to end homelessness, the War on Drugs, mass incarceration, and AIDS,

VOCAL-NY Calls on Mayoral Candidates to Commit to ‘Caring & Compassionate New Deal for NYC’ in Tonight’s Debate Read More »

VOCAL-NY Statement on Gov. Cuomo Signing Bill to Codify Voting Rights For All Formerly Incarcerated People

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 4, 2021 Contact Nick Encalada-Malinowski, nick@vocal-ny.org VOCAL-NY Statement on Gov. Cuomo Signing Bill to Codify Voting Rights For All Formerly Incarcerated People ALBANY, N.Y. — Today, Governor Cuomo signed S830/A4448 into law codifying voting rights for people on parole who had been barred from voting due to Jim Crow-era disenfranchisement laws.

VOCAL-NY Statement on Gov. Cuomo Signing Bill to Codify Voting Rights For All Formerly Incarcerated People Read More »

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