Dear Neighbors,
I am thinking of you during our period of self-isolation and want to bring you up to speed on what is going on in our Community. This second April newsletter is one way to stay connected with you and to send you my best wishes. Please know we will get through these hard times together.
Please wear face covers in supermarkets, when going outside, and as you visit any essential business.
Please wear a face cover and maintain a social distance of 6 feet from others at all times when in stores and outdoors, as in all other places on those rare occasions when you must leave your home.
Wearing a face cover for your 15-minute walk is no doubt inconvenient. But the inconvenience is nothing compared to the pain and suffering some families are going through right now. Taking on this small task of wearing a face cover could very well save the life of one of your neighbors.
Although the number of active COVID-19 cases in Hoboken may be decreasing, we must continue to be vigilant to ensure COVID-19 does not spread further.
COVID-19 Incidence Update and Heartbreaking Losses
As of Thursday, 404 Hoboken residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
It is heartbreaking whenever someone passes away in our community. These are not numbers, but cherished family members for whom each loss weighs heavily on our friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, since March 30, 23 Hoboken residents have died due to COVID-19. I want to offer my heartfelt condolences to each Hoboken family that has endured this unimaginable pain at what is already an extraordinarily challenging and stressful time. Please know that you have the full support of your neighbors and our entire Hoboken community. We are with you. Together, we send you our prayers and extend to you our wishes for your comfort, healing, and peace.
It is important to note that the rate of new cases is significantly slowing. The number of patients at HUMC being treated for COVID-19 and the number of ventilators in use at HUMC has dramatically decreased such that 15 ventilators on loan from Washington State have been returned to Washington, and more than 109 Hoboken residents have recovered from the virus.
Coffee with Cohen . . . the home edition
To practice social distancing, rather than eliminate our monthly Coffee with Cohen constituent events, I have turned to the internet. On Monday, I hosted my second April Coffee with Cohen Livestream event. More than 30 people attended live (more than the number of people who ever met me in a cafe for this monthly event pre-pandemic!). At this Coffee with Cohen, I offered practical information and resources available to you related to COVID-19, described the virus’s impact on the City, the critical need for participating in the Census, and answered many questions emailed me before the event began. The event is hosted on my Facebook page @Philcohenforcouncil. As of yesterday, it has been viewed over 330 times. You can view it here.
As long as we have this state of emergency, I plan to continue hosting this event twice a month on the internet, and I hope you join me at noon on Monday, May 4th for the next one!
Food for our Seniors
It was special to work with leaders of the City of Hoboken’s Department of Emergency Management, leaders of Hoboken’s CERT team, Councilman Doyle, members of Mayor Bhalla’s administration and City Hall employees, off-loading cases of food from refrigerated trucks, bagging and distributing 1,200 meals to my friends at Fox Hill Gardens on April 11th, the first day of this City program, including three days of hot and cold meals for each resident.
These meals were funded by federal Community Development Block Grant funds. By the time this weekend is over, this program will have provided over 25,000 nutritious hot and cold meals to our most vulnerable residents, allowing them to self-isolate and stay put in their apartments, where they can stay safe. The packages have also included helpful information in English and Spanish, face masks, and hand sanitizer, as well as the food. Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who stepped up these past two weeks to distribute these care packages on all of our Housing Authority campuses. I am pleased to announce that Mayor Bhalla and the City Council have extended this program for another two weeks, beginning today, April 24th through May 8th!
I can tell you first hand, these packages are packed with 💕 💕 and have made a real difference for my friends at Fox Hill 🦊⛰. I appreciate the kind words of thanks that I have received for Mayor Bhalla and my City Council colleagues from friends in 🦊⛰ for getting an extra hand at this difficult time.
🦊⛰ ❤️
If you know a senior who does not live in a senior building and would like to confidentially arrange a delivery of groceries, please call the Hoboken Food Pantry at 551-285-6555 or email hobokenfoodnow@gmail.com. If you’d like to lend-a-hand packing food for the pantry, you can email our City’s Director of Constituent Affairs, Caroline Caufield, at ccaulfield@hobokennj.gov to sign-up. Please include the subject “packing volunteer”.
Hoboken Relief Fund
Mayor Bhalla has asked me and Council President Giattino to co-chair a new community-based relief fund focused on supporting our locally-owned Hoboken businesses and Hoboken residents suffering economic distress because of COVID-19. This new effort, called the Hoboken Relief Fund, will be the City’s official Pandemic Relief Fund. We are planning events to allow individuals and corporations alike to support this Fund and help show support for our struggling business community and our neighbors. I hope you will join me and generously support this effort. Stay tuned! You will hear much more about the Hoboken Relief Fund in the coming days!
COVID-19 Rapid Testing
Hoboken’s collaborative COVID-19 test site, administered by Riverside Medical Center, is offering 15-minute rapid testing for all symptomatic Hoboken residents. To get tested for COVID-19, residents with COVID-19 symptoms must schedule an appointment. Call 201-420-5621 Monday through Saturday, from 9 am to 5 pm to make your appointment. Proof of Hoboken residency is required (driver’s license or utility bill). The center is located on 14th street between Jefferson and Madison. The test will either be covered by your insurance plan or will be paid for by the City of Hoboken. Either way, the test will be done at no cost to you.
For those residents waiting on your test results, you may be able to access them through the online portal on BioReference’s website, as there have been backlogs at the test laboratories. You can visit https://bioreference.com/patient-portal and click on “test results”.
Tenants and COVID-19
On April 15, the City Council formally passed an emergency ordinance temporarily suspending all rent increases on Hoboken’s rent-controlled units during the City’s State of Emergency. The purpose of this resolution was to prevent landlords from placing unexpected increased burdens on struggling renters. This ordinance does not mean that tenants should not pay their rent. They should! However, this ordinance protects against rent price hikes during this State of Emergency and should give tenants some peace of mind on that score.
Tenants or landlords with questions about the new regulations should call the Hoboken Rent Leveling Office at (201) 420-2396 between 9 am until 4 pm on weekdays or email shetman@hobokennj.gov.
If you are a tenant in Hoboken and need free legal advice related to your tenancy, please contact Hoboken’s Tenant Advocate, Andrew Sobel, Esq. via email bevans@sobelhan.com or call 201-470-6233 to schedule an appointment with Mr. Sobel.
PPE Donations
HUMC and Hoboken’s OEM are still in need of PPE (personal protective equipment). If you, or someone you know, have PPE that can be donated, please contact Brian O’Nieal from our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) at bonieal@hobokencert.org as we continue collecting donations at City Hall.
Responding to the Census is Critical!
Despite the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoboken’s 2020 Census participation rate has been impressive, and as of April 7th, we are over 50% participation citywide, tops in Hudson County! However, this means that half our residents still haven’t responded, and as our response rate has begun to plateau, we still have a ways to go.
I strongly encourage all residents to respond online at www.my2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail. To read more on how to participate go here. While the self-response period has been extended through August 14th, we need you to respond ASAP to avoid the need for in-person follow-up from the Census Bureau, scheduled to begin in late May.
In order to be eligible for critical funding for our schools, roads, housing initiatives, non-profits, and so much more, it is critical that all Hoboken residents complete the 2020 Census. It takes less than ten minutes to fill out the questionnaire online, but your response makes a big impact on our community. To receive the necessary funding we need from our state and federal government in response to COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicare, and more, we must be counted. You can learn more about the importance of completing the Census here.
If you want to reach out, or if I can be of any assistance to you or to your family, please do not hesitate to contact me at HobokenPhil@gmail.com
Stay safe everyone!
Phil Cohen
5th Ward Councilman
City of Hoboken, New Jersey
HobokenPhil@gmail.com
(862) 234-9053
P.S. You can learn more about me and my ideas for Hoboken on my website,
