QUESTION
What efforts are being made to decrease the shelter census, and how is the budget supporting these efforts?
1:23:47
·
3 min
The NYC Mayor's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) allocates an additional $442 million to CityFabs to help reduce the shelter system census, marking a significant budget increase focused on addressing the shelter crisis.
- The budget for CityFabs sees a $442 million increase, reflecting efforts to manage and reduce the high shelter census.
- This increase includes $300 million more than the amount allocated in the previous year.
- The budget hike is partly due to rent increases and a notable expansion in the number of city vouchers.
- Approximately 86,700 individuals are currently in the shelter system, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the crisis.
Diana Ayala
1:23:47
Because my point is that the same level of attention to escalating and moving folks out of shelter should be given to DHS shelters.
1:23:56
Because that census is, you know, significantly higher than it's ever been.
1:24:02
And, you know, Yeah.
1:24:04
We have the tools to move those families out of shelter, and we're not necessarily utilizing them.
1:24:09
I don't know that we, you know, we said that we have an inventory issue.
1:24:12
We do.
1:24:12
I get that.
1:24:13
But There there have been commitments for move outs that haven't gone through because the system that we have in place right now is just so slow that it decentralizes landlords from being able to hold apartments for too long.
1:24:28
And again, you know, I we also agreed that the census count.
1:24:31
Right?
1:24:32
It's important and that it should come down.
1:24:34
However, it's how we do that.
1:24:36
That's that's important.
1:24:37
We saw last week there were two incidents where we had closer 70 something, you know, individuals living in really unsafe situations.
1:24:45
And I think that that, you know, more of that will be encouraged if we're not as certainly do not do process and ensuring the folks have somewhere to go.
1:24:52
And I'm I'm optimistic because if we're saying, hey, you know, we had x amount of folks and this number was able to successfully move out and we know that that's true, then we should continue to do whatever it was that we did but I I'm really concerned that we're not doing the that we're not complying with the social services component in you know, enough to make sure that families are end up in shelter and that, as you know, is is it ends up being costlier at the end.
1:25:21
Right?
1:25:21
Because Now we're paying for, you know, services for folks that are on house, that are living out on the street, that are living in our encasements of churches that are now not able to feed people.
1:25:34
So it it does it does add up.
Jacques Jiha
1:25:38
To to give you a sense of comfort as you know, we added $442,000,000 in the budget for CityFabs.
1:25:49
Okay.
Diana Ayala
1:25:50
That's great.
Jacques Jiha
1:25:51
This is like $300,000,000 more than last year.
1:25:55
Again, the challenge you see is a
Diana Ayala
1:25:57
Is it an addition though?
1:25:59
Because you usually I mean, usually in the budget, you it's on the funded even
Jacques Jiha
1:26:03
Yeah.
1:26:03
Uh-huh.
1:26:04
This is this is what I said right now in the general plan.
1:26:08
Okay?
1:26:09
We have $816,000,000 for city vouchers.
1:26:13
Which is $300,000,000 more than we spent last year.
1:26:17
Okay.
1:26:18
Okay.
Diana Ayala
1:26:18
That's a good thing.
Jacques Jiha
1:26:19
Okay.
1:26:19
It's a combination of rent increases and a very it's a big increase also in the number of vouchers.
Diana Ayala
1:26:27
Okay.
1:26:29
Okay.
1:26:30
So we're all aware that the city shelter system didn't just
Jacques Jiha
1:26:32
The Oh.
Diana Ayala
1:26:33
Yeah.
1:26:34
Go ahead.
Jacques Jiha
1:26:34
Okay.
1:26:35
The shelter system right now is about 86,700 folks 47.
Diana Ayala
1:26:41
86.
Jacques Jiha
1:26:42
1047.
1:26:44
And the that include epsilon and non epsilon.
1:26:47
The epsilon piece is about 31,000.
Diana Ayala
1:26:50
Of the 86?
Jacques Jiha
1:26:51
Of the 86.
1:26:53
So you're talking about 55 is about the the normal shelter soon.
Diana Ayala
1:26:59
Yeah.
1:26:59
It's pretty significant.
Jacques Jiha
1:27:01
Yeah.
Diana Ayala
1:27:03
Alright.