TESTIMONY
Anthony Feliciano, Vice President for Advocacy at Housing Works, on the Challenges and Support for Asylum-Seeking Families in NYC
2:39:28
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172 sec
Anthony Feliciano testifies on the hurdles faced by asylum-seeking families in New York City and the support Housing Works provides.
- Housing Works operates two hotels for asylum-seeking families, housing 535 individuals, nearly half of whom are children.
- Feliciano highlights the families' eagerness to work, integrate, and contribute to the city, mirroring the aspirations of previous immigrant groups.
- He raises concerns over legal, language, and cultural challenges that these families face, including barriers to basic services.
- Criticizes the proposed 60-day shelter limit for asylum-seeking families, which could deepen their marginalization.
- Calls for political will to address homelessness, deploy resources efficiently, and urges for federal support and immediate work authorization for new arrivals.
Anthony Feliciano
2:39:28
Thank you, chairperson Ayala and Confirm Manif.
2:39:32
For opportunity to testify today.
2:39:33
My name is Anthony Feliciano, vice president for advocacy at HousingWorks.
2:39:38
Hardware comes today because we are a part of the proposed local laws under consideration by the council.
2:39:44
Hasn't worked his trial to operate 2 hotels for a items seeking families that currently have 535 individuals, of whom almost half, 244 are children.
2:39:54
Each household we serve is eager to work, to contribute to life of New York while bettering their lives.
2:40:00
They have the same hopes and the dreams as every group of immigrants that have come to our city and have made it the rich and diverse place that we all love.
2:40:08
Indeed, the asylum seekers we have have a deep culture of working and are eager to gain employment.
2:40:13
They take the best possible care of their children and their families, and the endeavors ensure that their children receive education they deserve.
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By, like, every group of New York immigrant immigrants, they are dealing with vulnerable, legal language, and cultural challenges.
2:40:27
You read the additional barriers to basic survival services can only deepen their marginalization.
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Husband believes that as a city, we have not only illegal, but also a more obligation to provide safe shelter for new arrivals.
2:40:40
We are hard to deeply relieved that there are some seeking families.
2:40:44
We serve in our department of Home And Services Fundi Hotel are not impacted by the major 60 day shelter limit, but at least not yet.
2:40:53
At least not yet.
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We've been shocked by everything, but nothing could help prepare us for unmanageable next death of imposing a 60 day limit on safe shelter for families who have happened to be housing shelters operating under agencies such as OEM And Health And Hospital System.
2:41:09
HousingWorks and the new immigrants we have had every reason to believe that this lawlessness and uncomfortable process of denying shelter will continue unless the city council steps in to stop it as you're doing.
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Now.
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We all are proud that our New York State Constitution, reflecting in over 40 years of court orders and local laws required that our city and state provides shelter and service to all single adults and family's experienced homelessness.
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It is not simply not true that we lack the resources and the capacity to meet current needs.
2:41:41
What we lack is political will in the face of record homelessness and record number of visions and honest acceptable number of vacant affordable and supportive housing units, we can and must deploy every 2 at our disposal to keep low income households from losing housing and get New Yorkers experiencing homelessness back into permanent housing more quickly.
2:42:01
We, of course, joined the call for federal government to increase funding to help the city, meet the needs, and to grant immediate work authorization for new arrivals, also desperately wind employment.
2:42:11
But meanwhile, these new immigrants, we have undertaken long and audios journeys at the risk of their lives, and I don't are our neighbors, and we cannot abandon them.