A dozen representatives from New York’s Congressional Delegation – among them Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Upper East Side) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-Washington Heights, Sugar Hill) – wrote a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), beckoning him to include an anti-homelessness program in the budget.
The letter, submitted on Mar. 14, calls for the inclusion of Home Stability Support (HSS), a program that provides financial support to New Yorkers threatened with eviction or homelessness.
Since the program was first proposed in 2016, it has gained support from a plethora of elected officials. A bill that would enact the program, sponsored by State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Upper East Side, Lenox Hill) passed the State Senate Committee on Social Services earlier this month.
But the membership of New York’s Congressional Delegation wants to see the proposal become a reality as soon as possible. The first half of the letter serves to outline just how dire our homelessness crisis truly is.
“The growing crisis of homelessness must be a priority,” reads the letter. “In fact, the number of homeless New Yorkers in the city rivals the population of some of our state’s largest cities. Even worse, children represent the greatest demographic increase in our homeless population, subjecting them to additional significant risks and creating a lifetime of challenges.”
The latter half of the letter makes the case for HSS being the ideal solution to the problem.
“[HSS] will provide rent supplements to bridge the gap between the current shelter allowance and 85 percent of the local fair market rent as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,” reads the letter. “This much-needed program will keep families and individuals in their homes and out of homeless shelters, provide relief to communities across the state by stabilizing families and reduce costs to taxpayers by preventing evictions.”
