TESTIMONY
Doreen Thomann-Howe, Chief Operating Officer, Project Renewal on Improving Support for Homeless New Yorkers
3:56:21
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3 min
Doreen Thomann-Howe discusses Project Renewal's contributions and the essential services needed to support homeless New Yorkers.
- Project Renewal has offered shelter, housing, healthcare, and employment services for over 55 years.
- Thomann-Howe advocates for addressing homelessness by improving stability through affordable housing and employment opportunities.
- She highlights the impact of under staffing in city agencies on affordable housing development.
- Emphasizes the importance of frontline workers and supports the Just Pay campaign for fair compensation.
- Urges the council to invest more in supportive affordable housing and workforce development, and to pay human service workers a living wage.
Doreen Thomann-Howe
3:56:21
Good afternoon.
3:56:22
My name is Doreen Thomenhow, and I am the Chief Operating Officer for Project Renewal.
3:56:27
A New York City homeless services nonprofit agency.
3:56:30
Thank you, Cherry Ale, and the city council for convening this hearing.
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For over 55 years, project renewal has provided shelter, housing, healthcare, and employment services to hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
3:56:44
We are grateful to the city council for supporting our programs.
3:56:47
We are proud to have partnered with the city to address some of the biggest challenges, including the homelessness, mental health, and overdose overdose crises.
3:56:56
A significant portion of the preliminary budget aims to treat the symptoms of these challenges, but this approach comes at the expense of addressing the root causes.
3:57:05
To make meaningful progress, we must improve stability for individuals and entire communities in the first place.
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In part by expanding access to supportive affordable housing and employment opportunities.
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Access to affordable housing creates safe, stable nurturing environments for children and families and can reduce the risk of negative outcomes later in life.
3:57:28
A recent report from the controller reveals that under staffing and city agencies is causing delays in affordable housing development.
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Fully funding and staffing city agencies in addition to investing broadly in supportive and affordable housing will go a long way to addressing our housing crisis.
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We also need more employment opportunities for New Yorkers to support themselves.
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Our workforce development programs have become a vital resource for thousands.
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Our culinary arts training program provides New Yorkers facing barriers to employment, including veterans, with the world class culinary education and a pathway to a fulfilling career.
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Graduate go on to work in settings like corporate kitchens, local restaurants, and project renewals own social purpose enterprise CityBeat Kitchens, which prepares food for other New Yorkers in need.
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To continue critical programs like this, we rely on nearly $400,000 in citywide initiative and speaker funding.
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Investing in workforce development programs generates a strong return on investment for all New York City by creating conditions for entire families to thrive.
3:58:38
Providing these services, and most importantly, requires the commitment of frontline staff to do the work day in and day out.
3:58:46
At project renewal, Our housing, workforce training, healthcare, substance use disorder treatment, and mental health support services are not only life changing, but often life saving.
3:58:57
Unfortunately, the workers delivering for our clients under city contracts earn poverty wages.
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That's why we stand with our sector colleagues to support the Just Pay campaign and give them a long overdue cost of living adjustment.
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During the pandemic, these workers were called essential.
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Unfortunately, the city contract benefit schedule treats them as dispensable.
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It is time to give human service workers their fair do and just pay them.
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We know the council is a true partner to the nonprofit sector And in the final budget, we urge the council to increase investment in supportive and affordable housing and workforce development programs and to pay our heroic human service workers a living wage.
3:59:41
Thank you for the opportunity.
