Newsfeed Category: New York City

NYC Council, Mayoral Administration Takes Shape

Jan.30.2014

Mayor de Blasio Names Key Deputy Mayors, Commissioners

Jan.13.2014

(lefto to right) NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Lilliam Barrios-Paoli and First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris.

New York City’s 109th mayor has taken office. Following a campaign in which he regularly cited affordable housing as a key issue facing NYC, Mayor Bill de Blasio has begun the day-to-day work of running America’s largest city. The de Blasio administration continues to take shape as the mayor appoints deputy mayors, commissioners and other key officials. Many of these new appointees will have a direct impact on supportive housing and homelessness.

Key figures in the new administration so far include:

Alicia Glen, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development. In a symbolic break from her predecessors, Ms. Glen will explicitly include “housing” in her job title. She arrives at city government by way of Goldman Sachs, where she served for 12 years as the Managing Director of the Urban Investment Group, an entity that offers investments and loans in underserved neighborhoods. Prior to that, she served as Assistant Commissioner for Housing Finance at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). She is deeply familiar with supportive housing, having served on the board of CSH.

In her new position, Ms. Glen will oversee all economic development and housing-related city agencies, including HPD, the NYC Housing Development Corporation (HDC), and the NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA). Ms. Glen said in a statement: “We can’t remain the greatest city in the world when half of New Yorkers are living in or near poverty. We can do so much more to lift people up by investing in our neighborhoods, especially in the outer boroughs. Mayor de Blasio and I share the same vision. We believe in tough bargains that get the most out of every dollar we invest. And we believe that, with the right policies, we can raise the floor on workers’ wages, develop and preserve more affordable housing and give families a shot to make it here.”

Ms. Glen also served until recently on the Boards of Directors for Network members BRC and Enterprise Community Partners. Her appointment has been praised by members of the nonprofit and private sectors alike.

“Alicia Glen brings an unparalleled commitment, tenacity and a hefty dose of experience from the public and private sectors to helping the most underserved neighborhoods across New York,” said Terri Ludwig, President and CEO of Enterprise Community Partners.

Community Comes Together to Focus on Youth Homelessness

Jan.13.2014

Advocates, government officials, formerly homeless youth and others gather to map out ways to lower the number of NYC homeless youth on December 10, 2013.

Some 70 stakeholders working to end youth homelessness congregated on December 10 to map what resources NYC has and what it lacks to address the needs of homeless young people. The day-long work session, hosted by Robin Hood and led by the Youth Committee of the NYC Coalition on the Continuum of Care (CoC), brought together representatives from nine different city, state and federal government agencies; youth outreach, drop-in, housing and service provider organizations; homeless youth advocates and foundations; and most importantly, a number of young adults who had experienced homelessness themselves.

The forum was brilliantly facilitated by Abt Associates, courtesy of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and its continued provision of technical assistance experts to New York City.

While there is no comprehensive count of the number of homeless youth today, previous counts and a recent pilot count point to thousands of runaway and homeless youth in New York City, most of whom have no access to crisis, transitional or permanent housing. Further, in a survey of homeless youth conducted in January 2013, the findings showed that NYC youth aren’t temporarily homeless but staying homeless for a disturbing average duration of 927 days. The findings also showed, as with most other recent research, that the majority of homeless youth had been in foster care and/or the criminal justice system and nearly half lacked a high school degree.

RIP Robert Hess, Former Department of Homeless Services Commissioner

Jan.09.2014

The Network is deeply saddened to report the passing of Robert Hess, former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS). Mr. Hess passed away on Christmas Eve after being diagnosed with liver cancer in 2013. He was 57 years old.

As DHS Commissioner from 2006 to 2010, Mr. Hess oversaw a period of great change and experimentation, despite a major recession and multiple fiscal challenges. During his time at DHS, the agency reduced the number of long-term shelter stayers and people living on the streets by nearly half. Mr. Hess also worked hard to improve and expand homeless families’ and individuals’ access to rent subsidies and permanent housing.

“Rob Hess was among the best of DHS commissioners,” says Tony Hannigan, Network Board Member and Executive Director of the Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS). “In addition to completely reorienting street outreach services to prioritize chronically homeless people, he also implemented a design for accountability, including performance-based contracting, that ensured the job got done. Commissioner Hess truly cared about homeless people.”

“Rob Hess transformed DHS and homeless services in New York City by demonstrating that even the most intractable problems are in fact solvable,” says George Nashak, Executive Vice President at HELP USA. “The best example of this was his leadership on street homeless services.  Rob invented safe havens and reengineered the street outreach contracts so that we were moving street homeless clients indoors at a pace that had never been seen before. I will miss him enormously.”

A U.S. Army veteran and Baltimore native, Mr. Hess came to fight homelessness in New York after witnessing the scourge of veteran homelessness. For 16 years, Mr. Hess ran a chain of thrift stores for the Baltimore chapter of Disabled American Veterans. Encountering firsthand the appalling number of homeless veterans in America, Mr. Hess committed the rest of his career to ending homelessness.

New Report: NY/NY III Supportive Housing Saved City $10,100 Per Tenant Per Year

Jan.02.2014

On New Year’s Eve, New York City released the first major report on the cost-savings impacts of supportive housing created under the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement. Reviewing data from the first years of the agreement, the report found that homeless or institutionalized people placed into NY/NY III supportive housing saved taxpayers a net average of $10,100 per person per year. The entire report is available here.
 
The report’s analysis confirms similar findings by more than 30 studies nationwide that showed how supportive housing can significantly reduce the costly public expenses associated with homelessness. You can read the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)'s press release for the repot here.

The New York/New York III Supportive Housing Evaluation was conducted by DOHMH in collaboration with the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH). The evaluation is particularly significant because it compared those found eligible for and placed into NY/NY III housing with a control group made up of those who were also found eligible but did not receive a supportive housing placement. The study looked at two years of costs prior to placement/non-placement and one year post for everyone who was placed or not placed into NY/NY housing between 2007 and 2009.

The study measured public costs associated with participants’ use of shelter, jail, cash assistance, food stamps, state psychiatric care and Medicaid. The report found that, after subtracting the NY/NY III housing and service costs, each NY/NY III tenant housed saves the public an average of $10,100 a year.
 
The savings occurred across many public systems and varied widely by tenant population, with supportive housing for tenants coming from State-operated psychiatric facilities saving on average an impressive $77,425 per tenant per year. The NY/NY III housing achieved either a complete cost offset or significant savings for all but two of the tenant populations.

Housing Works Opens Doors at Jefferson Ave. Residence

Dec.16.2013

Dozens of supporters gathered last Friday to celebrate the opening of Jefferson Avenue Residence, a 12-unit supportive housing residence in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford Stuyvesant.

Attendees braved below-freezing temps to hear from the project’s partners and witness the ceremonial ribbon cutting just outside the building. Jefferson Ave. brings the total number of supportive housing units from Housing Works, the versatile NYC nonprofit known for its commitment to individuals with HIV/AIDS, to 214 units.

Twelve formerly homeless New Yorkers will soon have a place to live thanks to this $3 million development. The residence will house individuals coping with both mental illness and chemical addiction (MICA). A preference will be given to individuals who also have HIV/AIDS.

In addition to their very own studio apartments, tenants will have access to an array of on-site social services, including case management, health care and life skills classes. Housing Works hopes to have the building rented up within the next few weeks.

Last week's outdoor ceremony was a quick one given the frigid weather. Housing Works President Charles King began the morning with some words on the importance of Jefferson Avenue Residence.

“This building is a testament to something we say all the time: that housing works. That housing is healthcare. That housing is HIV prevention,” Mr. King said.

HUD Announces Continuum of Care NOFA

Dec.05.2013

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has opened the competition for Continuum of Care (CoC) funding for the 2013 and 2014 fiscal years. New York State’s 25 CoCs must each submit a comprehensive application by February 3, 2014. Providers must submit their project applications in e-snaps at least 30 days prior to this. You can read the HUD Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) here.

Unlike previous applications, the recently-released community application spans two years: FY 2013 and 2014. This move will allow HUD to get its application process back on track and hopefully avoid cutting funding for renewal projects, as is happening in this round. It is also a strong indication that there will likely be no new funding to address homelessness for the foreseeable future.

This application includes a number of other noteworthy changes from prior years. Chief among them is the stipulation that the only way to create a new project is through reallocation of existing funding. This is due to sequestration, which has eliminated any funding for bonus projects this year. HUD further stipulated that new (reallocated) project funding can only be used for supportive housing for people who are chronically homeless or rapid rehousing for families.

HUD has also required CoCs to create two tiers of projects -- the second tier being the list of projects that will likely get defunded due to sequestration. Like other HUD programs, CoCs are being told to plan for a 5% reduction in funding. In New York City alone, that is a loss of nearly $6 million, affecting housing and services for over 1,200 homeless individuals and families.

Other noteworthy changes in the NOFA include:

Network Delivers Testimony on NY/NY III

Dec.05.2013

The Network testified at a New York City Council hearing on the status of the New York/New York III Supportive Housing Agreement on December 3. The public hearing, held by the Council Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services, provided an opportunity for government agencies and advocates to present on the status of the agreement now in its eighth year of implementation.

The hearing was led by the chair of the committee, Council Member G. Oliver Koppell. He was joined by fellow Council Members Gail Brewer and Ruben Wills.

Dr. Adam Karpati, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Mental Hygiene at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), provided a thorough testimony on the status of DOHMH’s NY/NY III commitment. Dr. Frank Lipton, Executive Deputy Commissioner for Customized Assistance Services for the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA) and Jessica Katz, Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Special Needs Housing at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), were also on the record for the question-and-answer portion of the testimony.

The Network provided testimony following the City, highlighting the major successes of the agreement and the tremendous progress that has been made thus far. You can read our testimony in full here.

Mayor Bloomberg Fully Restores HASA Cuts

Nov.22.2013

We are delighted to announce that, as part of his final budget modification yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg fully restored all cuts to HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) supportive housing contracts.

Five years ago, Mayor Bloomberg proposed cutting HIV/AIDS supportive housing contracts by $1.876 million. In subsequent years, he increased that cut to $5.1 million. Each year, the Network’s staff and members fought vociferously alongside VOCAL, Housing Works, the Momentum Project and other advocates to convince the City Council to restore the funding. Thanks to the leadership of Speaker Christine Quinn and General Welfare Chairs Annabel Palma and then-Council Member Bill de Blasio, the funding was restored each of the past five years. Each year, however, the administration failed to restore this funding to what’s known as “the baseline budget” for permanent restoration. Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg did just that. In short: The annual HASA budget dance is no more.

The Network staff wants to thank all the members, tenants and advocacy partners who came out year after year for rallies, press conferences, meetings and testimony. We also want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for making this permanent restoration and applaud his efforts to leave Mayor-elect de Blasio with a balanced budget.

For more information on this multi-year budget battle, visit here.

To see Mayor Bloomberg’s press release and budget documents visit, here and here (p.29).