Categories: New York City
04.02.2014
Addresses NY/NY III Agreement, new NYC rental subsidy program
On March 24, Network staff provided testimony to the New York City Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee on the 2015 preliminary budget. We used our time before the committee to stress the importance of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)’s ongoing commitment to supportive housing. We specifically stressed for a successor agreement to New York/New York III in Mayor de Blasio’s forthcoming 200,000-unit housing plan.
The hearing was led by new Committee Chair and Council Member Jumaane Williams, who was joined by several of his fellow Council members. HPD Commissioner Vicki Been began the hearing with a report on the department’s budget. The Network was pleased to hear Commissioner Been tell the committee that supportive housing would indeed be part of the soon-to-be released housing plan.
You can read our testimony here.
The Network also testified on March 26 on the topic of a new rental subsidy program for homeless people in New York City. The Council’s Committee on General Welfare held the hearing to elicit feedback on their Resolution 123-A, which called on the Gov. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature to remove longstanding language in the budget that bars New York City from using State reimbursements for rental subsidy programs for homeless people. The Resolution also called on New York City and State to work together to create that rental subsidy program.
The hearing was held by the new General Welfare Committee’s Chair, Council Member Steve Levin, and the proposal’s co-sponsor, Council Member Ruben Wills. The Network testified along with fellow advocates in support of the proposal, which was supported unanimously by the committee. Click here to read our testimony.
The rental subsidy language was ultimately fixed in the State’s final budget, allowing the City to move forward with a rental subsidy program. See this story to learn more about the State budget.