Categories: New York City
03.22.2023
The Network testified at three New York City Council committee budget hearings in March: General Welfare, Housing and Buildings, and Health and Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction joint hearing.
At each one the Network emphasized the urgent need to re-allocate funding under the NYC 15/15 initiative in order to meet the City’s goal of creating 15,000 supportive housing units by 2028. The Network let City Council know that although the Initiative has been very successful awarding the 7,500 congregate units promised under 15/15 – with 70% awarded by year six – only 17% of the scattered site’s promised units have been awarded due to systemic problems with the model coupled with underfunding. At the General Welfare, Housing and Buildings and Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction committees, the Network recommended that the funding for the remaining 6,200 scattered site units be split among four types of supportive housing: congregate, scattered site (although funded at the same rate as congregate $17,500 per person); scattered site in existing and future homeless set-aside units and a flexible preservation fund.
Additionally, the Network testified about the need to allow time incarcerated to count toward time homeless and supported investing in non-police response teams for mental health crises.
See Network testimony HERE.