Res. No. 1006
Resolution calling upon the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate to reintroduce and pass and the Governor to sign A.2971/S.1063, previously introduced by Assemblyman Keith Wright and Senator Kevin Parker in the 2011 legislative session, which would amend the Social Services Law in relation to the creation of a homeless housing task force by each social services district in order to develop a ten year plan and guidelines to address short and long-term housing.
By Council Members Palma, Brewer, Comrie, Dickens, Dromm, Ferreras, James, Lander, Mark-Viverito, Mendez, Rose, Vann, Williams, and Rodriguez
Whereas, Under the New York State Social Services Law, the term "social services district" refers to the department of social services for each county, and in New York City this is the Human Resources Administration ("HRA"); and
Whereas, HRA provides temporary assistance to individuals and families with economic and social service needs through programs including, but not limited to, Food Stamps, cash assistance, and public health insurance; and
Whereas, In New York City, homeless individuals and families are referred to the Department of Homeless Services ("DHS") where they can obtain transitional housing and case management services to assist them with securing permanent housing; and
Whereas, Additionally, the New York City Housing Authority ("NYCHA") provides affordable housing for low-income residents in New York City; and
Whereas, According to a May 2011 Policy Brief by the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness ("ICPH") titled, "The Beginning of The End of Transitional Housing" (the "Policy Brief"), in 2010 New York State had the highest number of individuals and families in emergency shelter, however New York State did not have the highest number of people in transitional housing or permanent supportive housing; and
Whereas, According to the Coalition for the Homeless (the "Coalition"), fiscal year 2010 had a record number of 113,553 homeless people sleeping in shelters, an 8 percent increase from the previous year and a 37 percent increase from fiscal year 2002; and
Whereas, According to the Coalition, in fiscal year 2010, only 1 percent of all homeless families in New York City received federal housing assistance, 2 percent of families were placed into NYCHA public housing apartments, and 3 percent of families were placed with NYCHA Section 8 vouchers; and
Whereas, According to the Office of the State Comptroller, Report No. 2-2010, "The Decline of Affordable Housing in New York City," there is a serious lack of affordable housing in New York City and the availability of affordable rental apartments is declining as more households are spending at least 30 percent of their income towards rent; and
Whereas, As of December 2009, Section 8 housing is no longer available from NYCHA and DHS does not accept applications for this form of rent subsidy; and
Whereas, Additionally, Advantage, a rental subsidy program that helped clients transition from shelter to permanent housing, was eliminated in the fiscal year 2012 budget; New York City therefore no longer has a subsidized rental assistance program; and
Whereas, In 2005, DHS commissioned a report by the Vera Institute titled, "Understanding Family Homelessness in New York City: An In-Depth Study of Families' Experiences Before and After Shelter," which found that families without rental assistance return to shelters and homelessness at high rates and families with long-term, non-limited subsidies, such as public housing and Section 8 vouchers, have remarkably low rates of return to shelters; and
Whereas, Without available programs, such as rental assistance and public housing, there does not appear to be a plan in place in New York City to help transition people out of shelters and into permanent housing; and
Whereas, According to the ICPH Policy Brief, federal homelessness policy is focusing on ending chronic homelessness and states are encouraged to develop ten year plans to address the needs of the homeless population; and
Whereas, Also according to the ICPH Policy Brief, federal funds are earmarked for those states developing ten year plans to address the needs of the homeless population and end chronic homelessness; and
Whereas, An ICPH Opinion Poll released in July 2011 titled, "Failures and Solutions: New Yorkers' Views on Homelessness," found that the public believes that the City's homelessness strategies are ineffective and 38 percent of those surveyed said that the City's solutions for ending homelessness have not met their expectations; and
Whereas, According to a Fall 2010 National Survey of Programs and Services for Homeless Families (the "Survey") conducted by ICPH, New York State does not have active taskforce on homelessness, which could develop guidelines for addressing homelessness and the lack of affordable housing; and
Whereas, According to the ICPH Survey, New York City offers the most comprehensive system of shelter and services in the country and is the only jurisdiction in the country that guarantees the right to shelter for homeless people, including families; and
Whereas, According to the Survey, the majority of homeless families and individuals in New York reside in New York City; and
Whereas, With varying degrees of needs for homeless services throughout New York State, each social services district should develop a plan to address both short and long-term housing needs in their district; and
Whereas, In New York City HRA, DHS and NYCHA should create this plan; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate to reintroduce and pass and the Governor to sign A.2971/S.1063, previously introduced by Assemblyman Keith Wright and Senator Kevin Parker in the 2011 legislative session, which would amend the Social Services Law in relation to the creation of a homeless housing task force by each social services district in order to develop a ten year plan and guidelines to address short and long-term housing
EH
LS 2657
8/11/11