Eight weeks have flown by since the website’s launch and just over three weeks ago we published our first update. So, what’s new on the Points North Housing Coalition’s website? The short answer is plenty, but let’s dive more into that. Developers have added more resources for members of the community and for the Continuum of Care’s (CoC) service providers. In addition to that, the website got some minor touch ups in styling and functionality. Learn more about all the changes by reading below!
Food Pantries in the North Country
Access to a nutritious diet is a fundamental human need and if we want to support an individual or family in crisis, we need to make sure they are getting the fuel they need to be successful. One of the most exciting developments in this update is the creation of a new page on the website to help community members find food pantries in the North Country. The highlighted resource on the new page is the Regional Map of North Country Food Pantries. Currently, the map includes food pantries in Jefferson County, but we are already in conversations with partners in Lewis and St. Lawrence counties to get a complete listing of all food pantries in the tri-county area.
How You Can Help
Do you know about resources available in the community that are not listed in the community? If so, we could use your help so we can make that information known to the entire North Country. If you have suggestions for this page or any other, please submit our Contact Us form. Following the submission of suggestions, staff will review the comments submitted. Please include contact information in the form submission if you would like to receive follow up on the submission.
Organizing Our Updates
It may not seem like it now, but eventually we will have so many updates that users will want easier ways to navigate the site. The developers took a proactive approach and created two categories to help divide up our updates. If you are interested in updates on the website itself (like this one), then you can go to our Website Updates Archive. Users can find updates on new resources available by visiting our Resources Updates Archive. If a user wants to see all the updates we posted, then visit our Updates page and navigate the postings available on that page.
New York State Publishes New Find Services App
Extra, extra, read all about it. New York State, in partnership with Google.org, developed a new easy to navigate tool to help individuals and families in crisis. Information on the new tool and how to use it can be found by reading this update.
New York State Services and Resources
If you have been on the home page of the website recently, then you would have noticed that there is a new section on the page, New York State Programs and Services. In this section, users can visit New York State’s MyBenefits portal or New York State’s Find Services tool.
Did you know that you can send people to specific parts of the homepage? Users can go directly to North Country Assistance Programs and Services, New York State Programs and Services, or CoC Provider Resources, by clicking on their respective links.
It’s the Little Things That Matter
Lastly, the developers took some time to add more style to the website. When using a desktop or laptop computer when a user hovers their mouse over the top navigation menu options, they will change color to help the user navigate to the page they desire. Next, the developers added a link to the Contact Us form to the site footer to encourage users to send staff a message. Lastly, while looking at the site footer, users can click on the address, 50 Arsenal St Watertown NY 13601, to be brought directly to Google Maps.
Tell Us How We Are Doing
This website is a tool for our CoC service providers and members of the community. If you have feedback for the staff, we would love to hear it. Our goal is to improve this site and the user’s experience so together we can help individuals and families in crisis. Please use our Contact Us form to give us some feedback. If you would like a response, please include your contact information so staff can get back to you.
