MAYOR DE BLASIO RESPONDS TO PRESSURE FROM #JulyHomelessRights ACTIVISTS

NEW YORK, NY (07/16/2021) (readMedia)-- This morning, #JulyHomelessRights month advocates moved one step closer to their goal: Mayor de Blasio agreed to look into immediate implementation of Intro 146, passed by the City Council in May, which would increase the value of housing vouchers to an amount that is in line with market rates, and provide a path to housing for many homeless New Yorkers.

The City insists that they need six months to implement Intro 146. However, that's not necessarily true: it can actually use emergency rule-making processes to implement the bill immediately, as the bill's lead sponsor Steve Levin has said the bill allows. With thousands of homeless New Yorkers facing removal from the hotels that have kept them safer from the spread of Covid-19, Intro 146 could prevent many of them from returning to congregate shelters where there are inadequate Covid safety guidelines in place. #JulyHomelessRights activists have been demanding the Mayor use emergency processes to immediately implement Intro 146.

During "Ask the Mayor" on the Brian Lehrer show Friday morning, when asked about immediate implementation of the bill, Mayor de Blasio said:

"I have not heard that there is a way to engineer it earlier, honestly, and I'm happy to look at that. Obviously, what I cared about was making sure we increased the voucher level in a way that would really help people... In terms of whether it can be moved more quickly, I'll find out... 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."

In response, Shams DaBaron, aka "Da Homeless Hero," former Lucerne Hotel resident who has been named a finalist for the NYC David Prize for his homeless rights advocacy, said: "Myself and fellow advocate Maria Walles called for a month dedicated to homeless rights because the city has been relentlessly violating the humanity of our homeless brothers and sisters. I'm so glad to see today that our message is being heard and that the mayor is looking at immediately implementing Intro 146 so that folks in hotels can go straight to permanent housing. So much credit can be given to the coalition of directly impacted folks and advocates who are working to ensure that the rights of every Homeless New Yorker are respected. "

BACKGROUND:

While thousands of homeless New Yorkers had been moved into vacant hotels in order to slow the spread of Covid-19, New York city has been slow to implement solutions to ensure they could be offered housing instead of returning to shelters after a year in hotels. Many homeless New Yorkers wait for years to be given housing, and often simply have to find their own way out of the shelter system, despite the fact that offering subsidized housing costs the city 50% less than paying for shelter beds. In May, the City Council finally passed Intro 146, which could provide an immediate path to housing for homeless New Yorkers--but the city insists they need six months to implement it, which means a botched plan to return thousands of New Yorkers to congregate shelters with low vaccination rates and no safety guidelines in place. Once implemented, Intro 146 will increase CityFHEPS vouchers to cover the fair market rate, like the more effective Section 8 program, making thousands more apartments accessible to shelter residents, with eligible beneficiaries paying 30% of their income toward housing. The City can use emergency rule-making processes to implement this bill immediately, rather than waiting 6 months while homeless New Yorkers languish in shelters or return to the streets.

July Homeless Rights Month was the brainchild of directly impacted advocates Maria Walles and Shams DaBaron, and is being sponsored by a coalition of directly impacted New Yorkers and advocacy orgs, including Vocal-NY, UWS Open Hearts, Neighbors Together, SURJ-NY, JFREJ, Housing Works, and Human.NYC.