Latest News

May 7, 2020

Statement of Support for the Erie County Corrections Specialist Advisory Board's Call for Jail Releases

Partnership for the Public Good joins with the Erie County Corrections Specialist Advisory Board in calling for the release of prisoners from county jail facilities to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.

May 6, 2020

Policy Solutions for COVID-19 Response and Recovery in Buffalo-Niagara

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. On Thursday, April 30, Partnership for the Public Good and the Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, in collaboration with ANCHOR, hosted a Buffalo Commons Community Conversation on policy solutions for COVID-19 response and recovery. The discussion …

April 23, 2020

Free Legal Services and Advice Still Available During COVID-19 Crisis

Our partners at Volunteer Lawyers Project, Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, Center for Elder Law and Justice, Western New York Law Center, and Neighborhood Legal Services remain available for extensive legal services by phone. Please click through the image gallery below to learn about the available …

April 22, 2020

Recommendations for Erie County Jails to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19

Infectious disease can spread rapidly in jail settings. Because of the daily turnover in staff and inmates, outbreaks are not contained within the walls of the jail but can quickly affect the health of the whole community. The speed at which an outbreak can spread within jail settings is worse than …

April 17, 2020

The Marshall Project: "Court Is Closed Due to Coronavirus. But You Still Owe Those Fines and Fees"

Jalonda Hill, a community organizer in Buffalo, New York, who organized the Fair Fines + Fees Coalition there, points out that the communities with the highest rates of dying from COVID-19—low-income communities of color—are also those most affected by the previous recession’s …

April 6, 2020

Buffalo News: "Coronavirus may stop a lot of things, but not parking tickets and auto impounds"

By Robert J. McCarthy|April 6, 2020 A coalition of community groups Monday called on the City of Buffalo to suspend many traffic summons, parking tickets and vehicle impoundments "in view of current hardships" stemming from the Covid-19 crisis. But city officials say they …

April 3, 2020

Already ‘a Crisis Before the Pandemic,’ Access to Water Should Be Top Priority

While access to water is increasingly recognized as a basic human right, “access to and affordability of clean, healthy water was a national crisis before the COVID-19 pandemic, including right here in Western New York,” said Rahwa Ghirmatzion, Executive Director of PUSH Buffalo. This …

April 3, 2020

Read the Full Transcript: Press Conference on Water Access During COVID-19

This transcript is from the 4/2/2020 10am press conference urging the City of Buffalo to proactively restore water services to Buffalo residents amidst the COVID-19 crisis.  Speakers include: Rahwa Ghirmatzion (Executive Director, PUSH Buffalo), Andrea Ó Súilleabháin …

April 2, 2020

WBFO: "City, Water Board urged to restore shut off water service during pandemic"

By Michael Mroziak | April 2, 2020 Dozens of local community advocacy agencies and individuals are uniting in a call to the City of Buffalo and the city’s Water Board, urging them to restore service amidst the pandemic to those whose water has been shut off.

April 2, 2020

WBEN: "City of Buffalo asked to restore water to those without it"

By Mike Baggerman | April 2, 2020 BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – After a stroke two years ago caused a Buffalo man named “Mike” be to laid off from his job, he said his water was turned off because he could no longer make payments and had to prioritize where whatever …

April 2, 2020

Deadline to Challenge Property Tax Reassessment is Extended: April 29 (Edited 4/17/20)

Many homeowners in Buffalo have struggled this year as their home assessments have increased sharply and will likely result in July 2020 tax bills that they cannot afford. For those went through the Board of Assessment Review (BAR) process but would still like to challenge their assessment, there's …

April 1, 2020

Community Groups call on the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Water to Restore Services to Combat COVID-19 in Buffalo

Help us call on the City of Buffalo and Buffalo Water to restore services to households without water. For almost two weeks, community and legal services organizations have pressed the City to do two things: communicate more widely and effectively about how people can get …