QUESTION
How does the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) address older immigrant adult needs in housing and vouchers?
1:10:41
·
4 min
Collaboration between the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) and other city agencies helps address housing needs of older immigrant adults, but challenges in segmentation and focus persist.
- MOIA collaborates with various city agencies including DSS, HNH, and HPD, focusing on immigrant New Yorkers of all ages.
- Council Member Alexa Avilés urges MOIA to concentrate responses on older immigrants during a hearing specifically on this demographic.
- The discussion highlights issues related to housing vouchers and discrimination against seniors.
- The New York City Department for the Aging partners with MOIA for addressing housing voucher needs and directs older adults to legal services for additional housing-related support.
Alexa Avilés
1:10:41
So one of my greatest heartbreaks as a local elected official is the desperately unfortunate response our city has to older adults regarding housing and being and having seniors come constantly to our office who are at the point of displacement, renting a room because they can no longer afford living in the community that they built.
1:11:12
And we have no good responses for them.
1:11:16
Can you talk to me a little bit about how Moia advocates with other city agencies, particularly HPD, the mayor's public engagement unit around housing vouchers.
1:11:27
And that's another thing.
1:11:28
Seniors are getting the vouchers, and there's so much rampant income discrimination for seniors who are getting pushed out with very little support.
1:11:38
So can you just describe what this advocacy looks like, what are we committed to, and if there's ancillary investment in making sure that this this community is getting addressed.
Miguel Santana
1:11:51
Okay.
1:11:52
So again, I mean, the universe of folks that we're working with is immigrant New Yorkers in general, and that includes older adults.
1:12:01
Segmenting is the biggest challenge.
1:12:04
That being said, we still work with them regardless of of their age to ensure that they're gonna get the services that they need.
1:12:12
Now in terms of partnering or collaborating with different agencies, the agency specifically, DSS, HNH, HPD.
1:12:23
Anytime we have any kind of inquiry that comes in.
1:12:25
A lot of times, our constituency unit gets that call, gets that email, and unplugged in immediately.
1:12:33
To collaborate with those respective city agencies to address the concerns that these immigrant New Yorkers are dealing with regardless of age.
1:12:42
So I just wanted to, you know, just level set there because it's very hard to, you know, narrow it down to all the immigrants.
1:12:50
We service all immigrant all.
Alexa Avilés
1:12:52
I I understand that.
1:12:54
I understand that.
1:12:54
I I have to respond to this because it's driving me a little see.
1:12:59
This hearing is around older immigrants, and I understand that you have a challenge with your data.
1:13:04
I I understand that, but I need you to focus your responses on what your agency is learning and focusing on.
1:13:12
In this larger context, you're serving all immigrants.
1:13:15
I understand that.
1:13:16
This hearing is on older immigrants.
1:13:20
So if you can tell me 20% from what you know with the best data you have at your disposal, This is what we're facing, and this is what we're responding, is what we are trying to get at here in this hearing.
1:13:34
So You don't need to keep doing the disclaimer.
1:13:37
We understand that.
1:13:38
Give us the response to the best of your ability on what more you is seeing and responding.
1:13:43
You're the one on the ground, right, working with the Department of Aging and all the other agencies.
1:13:49
So in particular to housing, Can you talk to me about what your advocacy looks like for older immigrant adults regarding vouchers and how's conditions.
Miosotis Muñoz
1:14:03
If if I may also defer to our car leagues under New York City aging because a lot of the work that we do in in our responsibility is to also work hand in hand.
1:14:15
So whenever we do have an older adult, we want to make sure that we are referring to our sister agency that specifically works with the individual on these kind of matters.
1:14:31
So if I may just, at this moment, defer to my colleagues at the New York City Aging.
Penney Vachiraprapun
1:14:39
Sure.
1:14:40
So housing is a top age agent connect call category, and we make those connections to HRA, HPD, and other sister agencies.
1:14:49
With regard to housing vouchers and and things of that nature.
1:14:53
So we obviously work very closely with our sister agencies as they're the experts in housing.
1:14:59
In addition, our legal services providers do provide housing services.
1:15:05
So we do refer to our we do connect our clients to our legal services providers for tenant issues, foreclosure, home repair fraud, utility shutoffs, energy issues, home ownership issues, real property, home equity, conversion, homelessness issues, things of that nature.
1:15:27
Those are issues that our legal services providers do handle.
1:15:31
And in addition to that, HRA and HPD are part are part of our cabinet for older New Yorkers as well.