PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kate Barnhart, Executive Director of New Alternatives for Homeless LGBT Youth
1:27:14
·
157 sec
Kate Barnhart, Executive Director of New Alternatives for Homeless LGBT Youth, expressed concerns about the Port Authority Bus Terminal project's impact on their organization and clients. She highlighted issues related to air quality, accessibility, safety for LGBTQ individuals, noise pollution, and the need for affordable food options in the new terminal.
- Requested assistance with maintaining air quality inside their building, which serves clients with health concerns such as HIV and asthma
- Emphasized the importance of safe and well-lit access routes for LGBTQ youth who are vulnerable to hate crimes
- Voiced concerns about potential harassment from construction workers and requested a system for addressing such incidents
- Asked for help in mitigating sound pollution that could affect their counseling and therapy services
- Urged the inclusion of affordable food options in the new terminal to serve lower-income bus passengers
Kate Barnhart
1:27:14
Hello.
1:27:14
I'm the executive director of new alternatives for homeless LGBT youth.
1:27:20
We are located in the Metro Baptist building at the front of the building, behind the stained glass windows.
1:27:28
You know, we have a number of concerns.
1:27:29
One is the air quality in the area where we have clients living with HIV, with asthma, various other health concerns where, inhaling particulate matter would be problematic.
1:27:43
And so we really not only want to, urge close monitoring of the air quality, but also assistance with maintaining the air quality inside the buildings.
1:27:58
You know, we're a very small program, and we can't afford a lot of technology to filter out particulate matter.
1:28:06
We're also pretty concerned about access.
1:28:09
A lot of our young people walk here from the 42nd Street train stations, and they need to be able to get here safely.
1:28:18
Because they're LGBT people, they're particularly vulnerable to various types of crime, hate crimes in particular.
1:28:27
And so it's really important to us that it's well lit, accessible, especially for those who may be using, walkers, canes, etcetera.
1:28:36
And also that, personnel working on the project, Construction workers sometimes have, tendencies to make comments towards LGBTQ people, and we would like some recourse in case that happens.
1:28:52
I'm hoping it won't, but I'd like to be prepared.
1:28:55
And the final thing is we are concerned about sound pollution.
1:28:58
A lot of what we do is counseling, therapy, etcetera.
1:29:02
And, obviously, we need to hear the clients, and we will need assistance, reducing the impact of the sound inside the building.
1:29:12
And the final thing is this is more personal than about the, program, but I walked through port authority I walked through port authority every day on my commute, and I'm just concerned that the lower income people are tend to use the buses as transportation.
1:29:30
And if the new building and the retail included is anything like what's happened to the Moynihan station, the, availability of affordable food will be an issue, and I'd like to encourage you to make sure to include in the options in the new building some type of affordable food availability.
1:29:50
Thank you.
