Q&A
Current vacancy rates and capacity of NYC's domestic violence shelter system
0:21:16
·
3 min
Council Member Diana Ayala inquires about the current vacancy rates in HRA's domestic violence emergency and tier 2 shelters. HRA officials provide the following information:
- The vacancy rate for emergency shelters is 12.7% and for tier 2 shelters is 7.6%
- These rates are considered within the normal range
- The current capacity is 2,290 emergency beds and 628 tier 2 units (recently increased from 503)
- HRA officials explain that finding appropriate shelter for survivors is complex due to safety concerns and family composition needs
- The agency is continuously reviewing and assessing the need for increased capacity
- HRA emphasizes the complexity of matching survivors with appropriate shelter spaces
- Officials note that most DV shelters have shared living areas, which may not be acceptable to all families
- The agency indicates they would consult with budget offices if there's a need to increase capacity
Diana Ayala
0:21:16
Good morning, and thank you all for being here to testify.
0:21:20
I I I'll start my questions with the the vacancy rates.
0:21:23
I DB shelters.
0:21:25
Can you tell us what the current vacancy rate for each HRA DB emergency shelter and HRA's DV tier 2 shelter is?
Rima Rivera
0:21:36
Good morning.
0:21:38
So happy to be here, able to speak today and answer any questions you may have.
0:21:43
So your question was the occupancy vacancy fees.
0:21:47
The vacancy rate for our emergency shelters is 12.7% and the vacancy rate for our tier 2 shelters is 7.6%.
Diana Ayala
0:22:03
Now would you consider those to be relatively lower than usual or is it Usually,
Rima Rivera
0:22:09
it it's within the right.
0:22:11
It's it's within the range.
0:22:12
I had to really decrease or or
Diana Ayala
0:22:14
alright.
0:22:15
And in the MMR, HRA stated that they have a capacity of 2290 for domestic violence emergency beds and a capacity of 500 and 3 for domestic violence tier 2 units.
0:22:27
Does HRA feel that the current DV shelter system has enough capacity to fully meet the level of demand?
Rima Rivera
0:22:33
Actually, now it's 628 tier 2 units.
0:22:37
We recently added a 105 units.
0:22:42
So there were 96 units that came on board at the end of December 2023 and an additional 9, 88 units that came on board in March.
0:22:53
Of 2024.
0:22:55
Currently, our portfolio serves all in regards to your question regarding capacity, our portfolio serves all family compositions and really it's based on the availability of occupancy.
0:23:08
There may be a unit that is available, but it doesn't meet the needs of the client who is searching for accommodations at the time.
0:23:20
It's a very complicated search for a survivor in the sense that they have to find accommodations that are safe for them in a safe area, and that meets the needs of their family composition.
0:23:36
Also something to consider is that unlike DHS, TV shelters, most of TV shelters are configured in a way where it's shared living.
Farah Louis
0:23:45
Mhmm.
Rima Rivera
0:23:46
So it could be that families seeking shelter to the TV system may not be accepting of that shared living experience.
Diana Ayala
0:23:55
By shared living, you mean the same room or are they sharing the bathroom?
Rima Rivera
0:24:00
They they share the living area, like the a bathroom living area, and each family has their own.
Diana Ayala
0:24:06
Common space competition.
0:24:07
Mhmm.
0:24:07
But they don't share the same sleeping quarters?
0:24:10
No.
0:24:10
They don't.
0:24:11
Okay.
0:24:11
Okay.
0:24:12
So I mean I mean, but I guess the question is really, do you feel that there is adequate capacity to fully meet the needs.
Rima Rivera
0:24:22
We are always reviewing our portfolio and assessing need.
0:24:28
And we would we will speak to our office of budget administration and OMB.
0:24:34
If there's a need to increase capacity.
