June 11, 2024
Testimony for the New York City Council Committees on Immigration and Small Business Joint Hearing
Win supports the bills and resolutions introduced by City Council that will improve new arrivals’ access to IDNYC cards, work authorization, and employment opportunities, and…
June 11, 2024
Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare Oversight Hearing
Thank you to Chair Ayala and the esteemed members of the Committee on General Welfare for the chance to submit testimony on behalf of Win….
May 06, 2024
Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on Finance Jointly With General Welfare Executive Budget Hearing | May 6, 2024
New York City is currently facing the worst homelessness crisis in its history: There are currently more than 140,000 individuals in New York City sleeping in shelters every night and even more individuals in eviction court proceedings. This situation demands a city budget that will include provisions to both end homelessness for those living in shelter and to prevent homelessness for at risk New Yorkers. However, the City’s response thus far has been extremely costly and inefficient. Win’s policy agenda for the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget promotes commonsense and cost-saving policies that work to end homelessness for families with children in New York City and, in doing so, save the City an estimated $3.6 billion.
April 16, 2024
Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on Immigration
We applaud the City’s introduction of legislation to increase transparency around their management of migrants, like Intro 84 and Intro 85 to elicit information related to economic opportunities and health needs of asylum seekers. Additionally, Intro 739 to receive reports on expenses, temporary housing, asylum applications, and the demographics of arriving migrants will yield valuable data. Finally, we add our support to Res 340 to call on Congress and USCIS to cover the cost of filing humanitarian benefit applications.
March 22, 2024
Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on Contracts Preliminary Budget Hearing
Urgent action is imperative. The City must deploy a Rapid Response Team to address the backlog of contracting and payments, ensuring that organizations like Win receive the compensation they are owed. Additionally, systemic reforms are needed to streamline the procurement and payment process, ensuring transparency and efficiency.
In conclusion, the current state of affairs is untenable and demands immediate attention. Win and other non-profit organizations cannot continue to bear the brunt of delayed payments without significant disruptions in the services they seek to provide. It is incumbent upon the City to prioritize this issue and take decisive action to rectify it.
March 11, 2024
Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare Preliminary Budget Hearing
Win stands with HSC and the #JustPay campaign in advocating for equal pay for City-contracted human services workers. A 5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)—permanent and not in for the form of a Workforce Enhancement Initiative—at a cost of approximately $150 million, is essential to ensure fair compensation for these workers. Additionally, a public commitment from the Mayor to fund a 3% COLA in each of the next two years will bring the full investment in human services workers to 16% over five years from FY23-FY27.
March 01, 2024
Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare
We therefore unequivocally support Intro 210, sponsored by Council member Shahana Hanif, which prohibits any city agency from imposing limits on the length of time an individual or family may remain in shelter or emergency congregate housing, provided such individual or family is eligible for temporary housing assistance under State law, as applicable. Similarly, we support the corresponding state legislation, S8493, sponsored by Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and A9129, sponsored by Catalina Cruz, to prohibit the imposition of limits on the length of stay at homeless shelters and emergency congregate housing. Together, these bills will ensure that the immigrant households and children will still have a warm and safe place to sleep during the coldest months of the year. This legislation will save families unnecessary trauma and will inevitably save the lives of those who will perish after being forced to sleep on the street. Stable shelter is not an indulgence or a perk of the social safety net, it is urgently needed emergency healthcare.
February 14, 2024
Testimony for the New York State Budget Hearing on Housing Joint Legislative Public Hearing on 2024 Executive Budget Proposal
For those experiencing homelessness, stable shelter is imperative to uphold the dignity and safety of households. We urge the state legislature to pass S8493, sponsored by Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and A9129, sponsored by Catalina Cruz, to prohibit the imposition of limits on the length of stay at homeless shelters and emergency congregate housing. The current 30- and 60-day time limits imposed by the Adams administration have forced migrants to sleep on the street during the winter months, disrupted children’s education, and displaced families far from their established communities. Additionally, shelter limits will result in an increase in street homelessness, which has costly and fatal consequences.
December 11, 2023
Testimony for the New York City Council Committee on Finance Oversight – Mayor’s November Financial Plan
As the City continues to face historically high levels of homelessness, the Mayor is scapegoating asylum seekers for the City’s budget shortfalls while simultaneously cutting funding for the very services that are addressing this influx. We cannot cut our way out of a crisis, and the City needs to invest in services and resources to see any significant savings. We call on the City to partner with the nonprofit sector and work toward creative solutions – like improving and expanding CityFHEPS – rather than hindering the organizations and agencies that are supporting it. The City cannot withstand a 5% cut to its budget, and if the Mayor continues to pursue the full 15% cut as intended, it will gut the social service sector, undermining the public safety, health, and livelihood of New York City.
December 07, 2023
Testimony for the New York City Council Committees on Mental Health, Disability, & Addiction, General Welfare, Veterans, and Housing and Buildings
Although the benefits of supportive housing are clear, there are also considerable challenges associated with operating supportive housing programs. One of the biggest hurdles is getting new families into units. Unfortunately, administrative and process issues are rampant. In New York City, supportive housing providers receive all of their referrals from the Human Resources Administration, which is supposed to screen clients for program eligibility before connecting them with a potential program. However, providers cannot rely on HRA to properly screen families, and it is commonplace to get referrals for clients who are not actually eligible for the program to which they have been referred by HRA. As a result, program staff who are already stretched too thin must comb through dozens of pages of materials just to ensure that a family meets the basic criteria for the program.