Categories: New York City
06.24.2013
Budget restores proposed cuts to case management services for HIV/AIDS supportive housing
Great news: The NYC Council has approved a budget that restores $5.1 million in proposed cuts to HIV/AIDS supportive housing contracts!
The cuts, proposed in Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2013-2014 fiscal year budget for the fifth year running, would have impacted tenants in 4,500 supportive housing units funded by the NYC Human Resources Administration HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HRA HASA). Because the program receives a 29% match from New York State, the total budget cut to HASA supportive housing contracts would have been $7.2 million. The cuts would have also resulted in more than 200 social workers being laid off. Thanks to this restoration, thousands of vulnerable tenants will get to keep their case workers.
The final budget used the Council's legislative initiative funding to restore both HASA supportive housing contracted case management cuts ($2.718 million) and HASA supportive housing contract cuts ($2.368 million). These restorations were made possible thanks to the leadership and unwavering support of Council Speaker Christine Quinn and General Welfare Chair Annabel Palma. The Network also wishes to thank the many Council members who fought hard to restore this funding, especially the members of the General Welfare Committee.
We extend our gratitude to a host of Network members and fellow advocates who attended our Advocacy Day, rallies and press conferences and made phone calls to Council members on behalf of this restoration. In a difficult budget year, supportive housing tenants and staff members worked tirelessly to demonstrate that cuts to supportive housing would hurt the city financially in the long run and, more importantly, hurt tenants now.
Caption: NYC Council Member Stephan Levin delivers remarks at a March rally against proposed cuts to human services programs. Led by NYC Council Member Annabel Palma, the Council has successfully restored a proposed $5.1 million cut to case management services for HASA supportive housing.