Categories: Funding, New York State
04.28.2023
The governor and state lawmakers have missed an important opportunity to address the mounting crisis in the state’s supportive housing system, failing to invest in sorely needed funding to shore up an aging housing infrastructure and programs that are stretched to the limit.
While the conceptual budget agreement funds new supportive housing, existing supportive housing continues to be shortchanged.
Most egregious, however, is the lack of a meaningful cost of living increase for the essential workers struggling to meet the needs of supportive housing tenants who require a more intensive level of services than ever before.
These workers are burned out and leaving the field in droves due to a lack of financial and emotional support, exacerbating an already acute labor shortage. Those who remain are shouldering an ever-increasing workload, creating potentially dangerous situations for employees and tenants alike.
We are deeply disappointed with the outcome of this year’s budget negotiations. However, we will not stop fighting for and advocating on behalf of the supportive housing workforce - some of whom have not seen a significant wage increase for decades.
We will redouble our efforts to educate lawmakers about the challenges facing providers and tenants across New York and advocate for meaningful policy changes and investments, without which the current system is in danger of being unable to continue.