TESTIMONY
Lauren Schuster, Vice President of Government Affairs at Urban Resource Institute on Strategies to Address Domestic Violence and Homelessness
5:15:38
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162 sec
Lauren Schuster discusses Urban Resource Institute's role in combating domestic violence and homelessness, emphasizing the need for increased resources and collaboration with the NYC City Council.
- Urban Resource Institute operates as the largest domestic violence shelter service provider nationwide and addresses homelessness.
- She reports a significant rise in domestic violence-related homicides and assaults between 2021 and 2022, and highlights homelessness increase.
- Domestic violence is identified as a primary cause of family homelessness, with 41% of families in the DHS shelter system having experienced it.
- Schuster urges for the identification of new funding sources, increase in dove funding in affected council districts, and $6 million for a housing stability support program.
- She also calls for timely contract reimbursements from the council to prevent financial crises for organizations like URI.
Lauren Schuster
5:15:38
Good afternoon.
5:15:38
I'm Lauren Shuster, the Vice President of Government Affairs at Urban Resource Institute.
5:15:43
But thank you, Deputy Speaker Ayala, Committee staff and members of the General Welfare Committee for the opportunity to testify today.
5:15:49
URI is the largest provider of domestic violence shelter services in the country, and we're also a leading provider of transitional housing to families experiencing homelessness, We are committed to ending the cycles of violence and homelessness, and we help families to achieve economic wellness.
5:16:03
We work with youth and in communities to interrupt cycles of violence, and we are committed to engaging people who have caused harm in the solutions to end violence.
5:16:11
The rates of homicide and felony assault related to domestic violence have increased between 2021 2022.
5:16:18
DV homicides increased 29% citywide, and 22125% in Brooklyn and 57% in the Bronx.
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Homelessness is also on the rise.
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There were 86,184 people.
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In the DHS shelter system as of March 8th.
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And DV is a leading driver of family homelessness, 41% of families in the DHS family shelter system have experienced domestic violence.
5:16:43
This increase demands a significant mobilization of resources we've submitted testimony into the record, and so I just wanna highlight some of the most important pieces of our testimony today.
5:16:53
We are pleased by the Adams Administration's commitments to reduce domestic violence outlined in the Women's Forward Initiative.
5:17:01
The administration, however, must identify new sources of funding and not simply shift around existing funding for youth violence prevention and healthy relationship education, trauma informed accountability work with who have caused harm and in financial empowerment advocacy for survivors and their families, we believe that dove funding should be increased council districts that have been hardest hit by domestic violence without reducing the total amount of overall funding available to the council as a whole.
5:17:29
Along with our partners, we are advocating for $6,000,000 for ngbb's housing stability support microgrids program to help survivors of violence access safety, human services workforce
UNKNOWN
5:17:41
Thank you so much.
5:17:42
Time has expired.
Lauren Schuster
5:17:44
Predominantly by women of color, and we are advocating for a 5% cola in FY 25 along with a 3% cola in 2627 And lastly, I will just add that we are urging the council to continue partnering with us to ensure that our contracts are paid on time.
5:18:00
As you know, reimbursements for services already performed often take up to a year and more to be made.
5:18:04
And at any given time, organizations like URI are owed millions of dollars at any change in revenue has the potential to be catastrophic for us.
5:18:13
And so we really appreciate your partnership and your advocacy and look forward to working with you all in the future.
5:18:19
Thank you.
