Jie Jenny Zou covers social services and public benefits for New York Focus. She previously worked as an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Public Integrity where she delved into topics ranging from environmental health and worker safety to immigrant detention and scientific integrity. Her award-winning work has appeared in dozens of national outlets including the Associated Press, The Guardian, Vox, NPR, VICE, The Marshall Project and more. She was raised in Brooklyn and is an alumna of Stony Brook University and Columbia University.
Nonprofits form the backbone of the state’s social service sector, and they may be getting some overdue relief in this year’s budget.
The social services commissioner says New York wants to join other states adopting more secure cards, but lacks funds for the upgrade.
Chip technology has been standard in credit and debit cards for a decade. It could stop New York’s surging rate of stolen benefits.