Brad Lander + New Council Members: Protect & House Homeless New Yorkers Now!

BROOKLYN, NY (07/21/2021) (readMedia)-- Today, the Democratic nominee for Comptroller, Council Member Brad Lander and 8 incoming City Council members, joined with Shams DaBaron aka "Da Homeless Hero," Maria Walles of Picture the Homeless, and homeless New Yorkers living at the Hotel Indigo, a temporary hotel shelter set to be emptied. Together, they urged Mayor de Blasio to immediately implement Intro 146, which would protect homeless New Yorkers from Covid-19 by providing a path to housing.

Watch the presser here.

"The city has been relentlessly violating the humanity of my homeless brothers and sisters. But the Mayor has the power, right now, to give thousands of homeless New Yorkers a path to housing. Instead of moving people from temporary shelters into congregate death traps, he can immediately implement Intro 146 and save lives. We all deserve safe, permanent places to live," said Shams DaBaron, aka "Da Homeless Hero," former Lucerne Hotel resident, homeless rights activist, and finalist for the David Prize for his advocacy on behalf of homeless New Yorkers.

Homeless New Yorkers staying at the Hotel Indigo and Aloft Hotel in downtown Brooklyn, in addition to temporary hotel shelters across the city, are facing a move back to congregate shelters. In congregate shelters people sleep 30-50 to a room and social distancing is not enforced. The Mayor announced his plan to complete the move-outs by the end of July, even though the Delta variant is surging and Covid numbers are rising across the city. Advocates have called the move reckless and dangerous, especially considering that the majority of shelter residents are unvaccinated.

Intro 146, passed by the City Council in May, offers a possible solution. Once implemented, it will increase CityFHEPS vouchers to cover the fair market rate, like the more effective Section 8 program. It will make thousands more apartments accessible to shelter residents, with eligible beneficiaries paying 30% of their income toward housing.

Democratic candidate for Comptroller and Council Member Brad Lander emphasized that immediately implementing Intro 146 makes good financial sense, stating "New York City has an opportunity right now to invest in permanent and safe housing that will provide stability for tens of thousands of New Yorkers in the coming years. The right choice couldn't be clearer: rather than sending New Yorkers back to costly and crowded congregate shelters as COVID-19 infections rise, Mayor de Blasio can immediately implement Intro 146 to finally get thousands of our neighbors experiencing homelessness into permanent housing. I am proud to stand with Shams DaBaron and the homeless New Yorkers living at the Hotel Indigo to make clear that a just and thriving recovery for New York City must include ending homelessness."

Mayor de Blasio has stalled implementation of the bill, leading #JulyHomelessRights activists to confront him last Friday on Brian Lehrer. In response, the mayor indicated that he would look into emergency implementation:

"I have not heard that there is a way to engineer it earlier, honestly, and I'm happy to look at that... So if there's something we can do better here, I would love to, and I'll have an update for you for next week."

??"Given the seriousness of the Delta variant surge, Mayor de Blasio and the City of New York have a moral obligation to implement Intro 146 immediately. Every moment that we fail to act is a moment where lives are being unnecessarily put at risk. I'm proud to stand with Councilmember Lander, so many fellow incoming Councilmembers to advocate on behalf of our unhoused neighbors," said Rita Joseph, democratic candidate for City Council district 40.

"We are still in the middle of an unprecedented global pandemic, and our City government must do everything it can to keep New Yorkers safe," said Tiffany Cabán, Democratic candidate for City Council district 22. "I was proud to see Intro 146 passed. Housing is a human right, and our unhoused neighbors deserve to have support that allows them access to dignified, safe, and permanent housing. We need public health solutions to public health problems and Intro 146 is just that. Mayor de Blasio and his administration must implement this legislation immediately."

"I'm proud to stand as an advocate for our unhoused community members and Brad Lander in demanding that this administration immediately reduce homelessness through an immediate implementation of Intro 146. True community care is our ability to provide permanent housing - especially during a pandemic. The changes brought with Intro 146 will expand the amount of apartments available for our unhoused communities, which will help move more people out of the shelter system," said Felicia Singh, democratic nominee for City Council district 32.

"Every New Yorker deserves a roof over their heads, and every child in this city deserves a place they can call home. Intro 146 paves the way for New Yorkers to access safe, stable and permanent housing. This new provision would make an additional 70,000 apartments accessible to voucher-eligible New Yorkers, and sets the stage for a long term solution to our housing crisis. Housing justice IS economic justice and housing justice IS racial justice. Right now the fight for justice starts with implementing Intro 146!" said Julie Won, Democratic nominee for City Council district 26

"The solution to homelessness is permanent housing. In one of the wealthiest cities in the world, our goal must be the end of homelessness. A critical step forward is the immediate implementation of Intro 146 to provide New Yorkers residing in shelter with the opportunity to move into housing they can actually afford," said Lincoln Restler, Democratic nominee for City Council district 33.

"Our homeless are and have been in desperate need of meaningful help from city government. Transfers to congregate shelters, during a time of rapidly rising COVID rates, is inhumane and simply unacceptable. Instead, the City must implement Intro 146 immediately. It is a matter of public health and housing justice. Our homeless need permanent housing, and we must end homelessnes in our city. Intro 146 provides a critically needed, and far more cost-effective, path to get there," -said Shekar Krishnan, Democratic nominee for City Council district 25.

"I stand with the homeless New Yorkers in demanding the Mayor immediately halt the transfer of vulnerable New Yorkers from hotels to unsafe congregate shelters. We must ensure the rights of our community members to safe housing conditions, especially as the Delta variant continues to spread. Right now, our government has the opportunity to break from policy failures of the past. By implementing Intro 146 we have a safe and ethical option for homeless New Yorkers. As your future City Council Member, I am calling on the City to use emergency rule-making processes to implement Intro 146 immediately," said Sandy Nurse, Democratic nominee for City Council district 37.

"Once again, the needs of our neighbors in vulnerable housing situations are being ignored during this pandemic. We must stop transfers to grossly inadequate shelters, and immediately roll out Intro 146 so New Yorkers can move from hotels into permanent homes," said Jennifer Gutiérrez, Democratic nominee for City Council district 34.