PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Stephanie Woodbine, Co-chair of Advisory Council at Mayor's Office to End Gender-Based Violence (MOEGBV)
1:45:34
·
5 min
Stephanie Woodbine, a domestic violence survivor and advocate, shared her personal experience with homelessness and housing instability due to domestic violence. She emphasized the critical need for permanent and affordable housing solutions for survivors in New York City.
- Woodbine highlighted the assistance she received from New Destiny Housing, which helped her secure stable housing.
- She stressed the importance of housing navigation services, aftercare support, and policy changes to improve housing access for survivors.
- Woodbine advocated for expanding housing options, including legalizing ADUs and providing landlord incentives to accept vouchers from survivors.
Stephanie Woodbine
1:45:34
Good morning.
1:45:36
Committee chairs Ayala and Lewis, members of the city council and council staff.
1:45:42
Thank you for holding this oversight here in on supporting survivors in NYC's shelter system and for the opportunity to testify on behalf of DV survivors.
1:45:53
My name is Stephanie Woodbine.
1:45:56
I am a member of New Destiny's SVP, survivor voices project, and cochair of the advisory council at the mayor's office and under based violence.
1:46:06
The lack of permanent housing solutions for survivors is compounded by the lack of affordable housing solutions across the city.
1:46:15
New Destiny Housing is the only organization committed to end in the double trauma of gender based violence and homelessness.
1:46:23
I'm here today securing my home now only because of the assistance I received through them.
1:46:29
After years of housing instability, my family was evicted from our apartment post COVID.
1:46:36
For months, we stayed in friends' homes, hotels, and Airbnb when I could afford it.
1:46:42
We did not qualify for DV shelters.
1:46:45
And I was afraid of entering the DHS ones.
1:46:50
I received I received housing navigation services from New Destiny.
1:46:56
This was a godsend as I didn't have to go through too much re traumatization where that was concerned.
1:47:03
My navigator acting as a liaison between me and potential landlords cleared the way for me to maneuver homelessness, mentally and emotionally.
1:47:14
I felt overwhelmed and ashamed that I had lost my home, even though much of this had to do with my mental trauma, and financial insecurity due to vexatious litigation and family court and post separation abuse from my former from my former partner.
1:47:36
I have done DV advocacy and outreach with the voices committee at the mayor's office to end gender based violence, sharing information and supporting community events to prevent, recognize, and respond to everything from intimate partner violence, to sex trafficking and elderly abuse.
1:47:55
But when I joined you Destiny's SVP after I was rehoused last year, it was an opportunity to learn more about how things worked at the policy level and to further use my voice as a lived expert.
1:48:07
Domestic violence, course of control, and post separation abuse are insidious.
1:48:12
They are interwoven in all facets of society at every social level and across every economic class.
1:48:19
The effect of this is a pervasive and continuous rise in family home lessness with women and children accounting for 57% of those trapped.
1:48:28
When home is not safe, where does one go?
1:48:31
A good home is a stabilizing factor in a survivor's journey.
1:48:38
From surviving to thriving, I felt so humbled and grateful when I moved into our new home.
1:48:44
I was able to focus on exiting survival mode and reentering society as a contributor.
1:48:51
More survivors in their families should be afforded the tools and the opportunity to thrive.
1:48:56
This begins with them being stably housed and being able to parent responsibly.
1:49:01
The city must work with the advocates to strengthen survivor's abilities to access housing and to sustain housing security while creating pathways to long term stability and growth.
1:49:14
A big step towards this is after their house, housing aftercare services.
1:49:19
Just you know, a team to check-in, make sure everything is going on.
1:49:23
That goes a long way as well.
1:49:28
This also means robustly fund in micrograds, for example.
1:49:32
It should be it should the city mean and should look into legalizing ADUs.
1:49:37
Like basements and cottages where vouchers can be used, maybe provide landlord incentives to accept survivors with vouchers so they won't be shuttled around the various systems.
1:49:48
I broke my foot when I was homeless, My thing is not.
1:49:57
I broke my foot when I was homeless and travers in the city.
1:50:00
It was a different kind of angst from that of my fellow survivors in the shelter system, but no less traumatizing.
1:50:11
This computer.
1:50:13
But no less traumatizing.
1:50:24
I'm sorry.
1:50:26
I'm trying to get to the rest of this and, like, computer.
Sharlena Powell
1:50:37
Down.
Stephanie Woodbine
1:50:46
Down.
1:50:46
Sorry about that.
1:50:48
It should look into legalizing ADUs like basements and cartridges where vouches can be used and maybe provide landlord incentive to accept the virus with voucher so they won't be shuttled around the various systems.
1:50:59
I broke my foot while I was homeless and traverse in the city.
1:51:03
It was a different kind of angst from that of my fellow survivors in a shelter system, but no less traumatizing, and the situation which would have been avoided had I been in my own domicile.
1:51:13
A stable home therefore is also a safety factor for survivors.
1:51:18
Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
