New York — Today, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, New Destiny Housing, and Enterprise Community Partners issued the following statement on behalf of the Family Homelessness Coalition in response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2024 State of the State address:

“The Family Homelessness Coalition applauds Gov. Hochul’s commitment to address domestic violence, which is the main cause of family homelessness in New York City, and to tackle discrimination against housing voucher holders in New York; however the proposals she laid out in her State of the State address don’t go nearly far enough to uplift New York families with children who are in shelter or on the brink of eviction.

We know how to solve this crisis, but our state and local leaders continue to lack the political will to do what’s necessary to ensure that families with children remain stably housed. In order to truly effect change and house New York families, Gov. Hochul must pass and fund the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) and expand access to critical resources that are proven to lift families out of poverty, including cash assistance, SNAP benefits, and tax credits for the most vulnerable in our state.

This crisis is too important to get wrong in 2024. The clock continues to tick for thousands of New York families with children who do not have a stable home to sleep in tonight.”

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This statement is from the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Enterprise Community Partners and New Destiny Housing on behalf of the Family Homelessness Coalition.

ABOUT

The Family Homelessness Coalition (FHC) is composed of 20 organizations representing service and housing providers and children’s advocacy organizations. FHC is united by the goal of launching a coordinated, collaborative, multi-agency effort focused on preventing family homelessness, improving the well-being of children and families in shelters, and supporting the long-term stability of families with children who leave shelters.