Q&A
Council Member Brewer questions Commissioner Park about $8 million funding cut for homeless outreach
2:45:33
·
75 sec
Council Member Gale A. Brewer inquires about a proposed $8 million funding cut for homeless outreach workers by the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). Commissioner Molly Wasow Park responds, emphasizing the importance of street outreach work and explaining the budget situation.
- Brewer expresses concern that the cut will reduce the number of outreach workers helping keep people off the streets.
- Park acknowledges the challenging nature of street outreach work and states the department's commitment to it.
- The commissioner explains that they are working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to address funding needs on a year-by-year basis.
Gale A. Brewer
2:45:33
Thank you.
2:45:34
I know that the commissioner has to leave at 1.
2:45:36
I just have one question.
2:45:38
The people who are sometimes coming into the shelter come from off the street.
2:45:42
And my understanding is that there's an $8,000,000 hot spot funding cut that DHS is proposing for those who are doing the outreach.
2:45:50
Can you just talk about that?
2:45:51
Because it does seem to me that that's gonna cut an awful lot of outreach workers who do help keep people off the street and then go into your shelters.
Molly Wasow Park
2:45:59
Yep.
2:45:59
Street outreach is some of the, most challenging and most important work that we do.
2:46:04
I I think you probably heard me say this last night, council member.
2:46:08
I think, street outreach is probably the hardest job in the city of New York, and we are totally committed to it.
2:46:14
We have a number of places in our budget where, court where there's funding that for a whole variety of reasons isn't baseline.
2:46:23
So this isn't a place where we're requesting a cut, but where we're working with OMB to, address funding needs on a year by year basis.
2:46:30
But we are completely committed to our street average.
Gale A. Brewer
2:46:31
But we need the $8,000,000 back.
2:46:33
We do not need it cut.
2:46:35
We are losing people who will be keeping those off the street.
Molly Wasow Park
2:46:38
We we are working very closely with OMB on that.
2:46:41
Okay.
2:46:41
I will
Gale A. Brewer
2:46:42
be talking about that.
2:46:44
Street address.
2:46:44
Council member want to close it out because the commissioner has to leave if you have a quick question.
