Services to your community may be provided by government or non-profit agencies.
To find out about government services, see the Westchester Department of Social Services Website (http://socialservices.westchestergov.com/) or, for New York City Information, go to the City's Website (http://www.NYC.gov) and click on the "Residents" link. If your community is in New York City, you might also want to consult the Public Advocate's Website (http://www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/) for social service information, and the Mayor's Management Report (http://www.nyc.gov/html/ops/html/data/mmr.shtml) to find out how city agencies are performing.
To find out about other types of community service agencies, try the following:
CARES Database
http://www.unitedwaynyc.org/?id=86
The United Way of New York City gives a brief list of social services on the Local Helplines page. They also suggest the 311 service which includes information and referrals for social services provided by nonprofit and community-based organizations in New York City
Community Information Websites
http://www.nypl.org/weblinks/community-information
The New York Public Library's database of community service organizations and groups in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Look for the Directory of Community Services database that now has links for an English and a Spanish version.
National Directory of Children, Youth & Families Services
Beekman Ref Reserve; Mortola Ref HV741 .N3157
Directory of state and local level services for children and families in the areas of social and health services, education, juvenile justice and special services.
Services for Seniors:
New York State Office for the Aging
http://www.aging.ny.gov/
The New York State site includes links to Reports and Data gathered by the program and a Find Help page. They also link out to County Area Agengies.
New York City Department for the Aging
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dfta/html/home/home.shtml
Includes information on services for seniors and caregivers as well as demographic information.
Westchester County Senior Programs and Services
http://seniorcitizens.westchestergov.com/
This site includes quick links to information on Social Security, Medicare, Nutrition Programs as well as listings of Senior Centers and Caregiving.
Child Welfare
Keeping Track Online: The Status of New York City's Children
This site, from the Citizens Committee for Children of New York, allows users to create customized maps and data tables. The site features demographic information on New York City's children and a wide variety of measures of child welfare. Data can be customized at the city, borough, community district and school district level.
Library Services in New York State are overseen by the New York State Library, which is part of the New York State Education Department. To find the public, academic and research libraries serving your community, go to the New York State Library home page (http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/), and click on "Find Your Public Library." Specific library systems that may be of interest include:
Westchester Library System
http://www.westchesterlibraries.org/Mid-Hudson Library System
http://midhudson.org/Metropolitan New York Library Council
http://www.metro.org/New York Public Library (Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island)
http://www.nypl.org/Queens Library
http://www.queenslibrary.org/Brooklyn Public Library
http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/
Police Protection in your community may be provided by several police departments simultaneously. To find information about these various departments, try the following:
New York Division of State Police
http://www.troopers.ny.gov/
See "Troop Information" in the "Contact Us" section for information on personnel in various areas of the state, or link to your local police department. If you do not find your local department listed here, you might find police department information on the city/village/town's main Website.
New York City Crime Statistics
http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.880f9b10bdca55f6a62fa24601c789a0/
New York City provides detailed crime statistics by borough and police precinct.
Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
Find out about federal law enforcement activity and access state and local data. Use the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) feature to find information on the structure and operations of state and local law enforcement agencies.
Information on Fire and Emergency Services may be available on your community's local government Website. Be aware that local department Websites may or may not give information on operations or personnel. You may need to contact the department directly.
If your community is in Westchester County, visit the County's Department of Emergency Services Website (http://emergencyservices.westchestergov.com/). Here you can find information on the County's role in service provision relative to the role of the local departments, and links to local departments themselves.