Res. No. 514

Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.183/A.2418, which would amend the Social Services Law to mandate each local department of social service link persons living with HIV with benefits and services and provide that persons living with HIV who are receiving housing assistance shall not be required to pay more than 30% of household income towards shelter costs.

By Council Members Ossé, Hudson, Sanchez, Cabán, Louis, Richardson Jordan, Hanif, De La Rosa and Restler

Whereas, When the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) created what would become the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) in 1985, it became one of the first government agencies to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and

Whereas, Since that time, a series of laws have been passed in New York City to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS receive access to numerous benefits and services; and

Whereas, Since the mid-1980s, New York City has recognized the connection between stable housing and health by providing rental assistance to help persons living with HIV/AIDS maintain stable housing; and 

Whereas, According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), New York City remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with more than 125,000 New York City residents living with HIV; and

Whereas, According to DOHMH, despite great progress toward New York City’s goals related to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic, inequities in HIV persist and the highest rates of new diagnoses are among people and ZIP Codes with the highest levels of poverty; and

Whereas, HASA provides a range of services to low income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS, including linkage to social services benefits such as food stamps and cash assistance, help applying for supplemental security income (SSI) and social security disability income (SSDI), improved access to medical services and Medicaid, individualized service planning, and rental assistance, among other things; and

Whereas, In 2022, HASA served 41,654 persons and provided housing assistance to over 25,000 clients; and

Whereas, In 2014, the state Department of Health announced a goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York by 2020, halting the disease’s spread and eliminating the emergence of new cases; and

Whereas, New York State’s 2015 Ending the Epidemic Blueprint recommends concrete action to ensure access to adequate, stable housing as an evidence-based HIV health intervention; and

                     Whereas, In support of this recommendation, New York State established an affordable housing protection for HASA clients that caps their rent at 30% of their income; and

                     Whereas, People living with HIV upstate and on Long Island are denied the same housing assistance, leaving over 4,000 households living with HIV homeless or unstably housed, according to Housing Works; and

Whereas, There is no statewide equivalent to HASA that ensures low-income individuals living with HIV/AIDS receive access to relevant public benefits and services; and

Whereas, According to the New York State Department of Health, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been increases in HIV cases in certain parts of the state, significant reductions in HIV testing and reporting of diagnoses, and decreases in the number of persons accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis; and

Whereas, As a result, the state has pushed back its Ending the Epidemic goals from an original target of 2020 to 2024; and

Whereas, The lack of assistance for people with HIV/AIDS in upstate New York and on Long Island undermines New York State’s Ending the Epidemic efforts; and

Whereas, S.183, introduced by State Senator Brad Hoylman and pending in the New York State Senate, and its companion bill A.2418, introduced by Assembly Member Harry Bronson and pending in the New York State Assembly, would provide all low-income New Yorkers with HIV equal access to the housing assistance currently available only to residents of New York City and require each local department of social services assist individuals with HIV to apply for publicly subsidized benefits and services; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.183/A.2418, which would amend the Social Services Law to Social Services Law to mandate each local department of social service link persons living with HIV with publicly funded benefits and services and provide that persons living with HIV who are receiving housing assistance shall not be required to pay more than 30% of household income towards shelter costs.

NM

LS # 9669

2/27/2023