NY Family Homeless Advocates Applaud Housing Investments in Senate and Assembly One House Budget Resolutions


Press Releases

March 14, 2022

 

NEW YORK, NY – In response to the release of the One House Budget Bills, the Family Homelessness Coalition issues the following statement:

The Family Homelessness Coalition applauds the New York State Senate and Assembly for making critical investments in the one house budget proposals to ensure more New York families can remain in or access a stable home. We are especially pleased to see the commitment of $250M for the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) and thank Senator Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz for championing the creation of a new permanent statewide rental subsidy as well as Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for their leadership. We are also grateful for the commitments toward the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), with $1.6B in the Senate resolution and $1.2B in the Assembly resolution, providing the much needed emergency assistance to the many New Yorkers still in need, who fell behind on their rent during the pandemic.

We commend both houses on including a new 5 year affordable housing plan, which is critical for ensuring the continued availability of homes for low-income families. We thank the Governor, Assembly and Senate for all agreeing on $1.5 billion for the construction of 7,000 new supportive housing units and the rehabilitation of existing 3,000 supportive housing units. We urge the Governor to include in the final budget the Assembly’s proposed 11% Cost of Living Adjustment and have this apply to NYS Supportive Housing Program workers.

Thousands of families continue to be at risk of falling into the cycle of homelessness and the life-altering trauma that comes with it due to the effects of the pandemic and the recent expiration of the eviction moratorium. The Senate and Assembly one house budget bills show families across New York State that their elected leaders are serious about tackling the current homelessness and housing insecurity crisis and are willing to commit the necessary funds to keep families safe and stably housed. These investments will go a long way to help prevent a tidal wave of children and families from entering New York’s shelter system. We urge Governor Hochul to include these proposed investments in the final budget and look forward to working with the State Legislature to end the chronic cycle of generational homelessness once and for all.

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ABOUT

The Family Homelessness Coalition (FHC) is composed of 16 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.

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