Testimony of Women In Need in Support of Intro 1829-2019 Make Permanent the Current Exemption of Children from PATH

Good Morning Chair Levin and Members of the General Welfare Committee. My name is Josefa Silva and I’m the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Win. Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of Intro 1829-2019, which would preclude the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) from requiring parents to bring their minor children to the intake center, known as PATH, when they apply for homeless shelter. This bill would make permanent DHS’s current exemption of children from the center, which DHS put in place in March of 2020 to protect New Yorkers from COVID-19.