PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by William Botchway, Legal Advocate of the Housing Defense Team at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem
1:39:41
ยท
3 min
William Botchway, a legal advocate from the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, testified about systemic delays and inefficiencies in the CityFHEPS program. He shared client stories highlighting the negative impacts of these delays on housing security and family reunification.
- Botchway contradicted the commissioner's earlier statement, asserting that there are indeed systemic delays in the CityFHEPS program.
- He provided examples of how delays have led to increased costs for the city and prolonged family separations.
- Botchway proposed directives for improving the administration of CityFHEPS, including better client communication and faster response times from caseworkers.
William Botchway
1:39:41
I'm William Beauchway, a legal advocate on the Housing Defense Team and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem.
1:39:47
NDS is a community based public defender office that provides high quality legal services to residents of Northern Manhattan, your district, including representation in housing court through the right to counsel program.
1:40:00
My main duty as an advocate is to assist clients in obtaining public benefits such as city thefts to settle their cases and provide them with long term stability.
1:40:09
The commissioner's statement earlier that there are no systemic delays in the city thefts program is plainly false.
1:40:15
So I'd like to share some stories about how deep delays with the current system have impacted our clients.
1:40:22
A year after submitting the application and subsequent contact with Home Based Adult Protective Services NHRA, It was only when an impending marshal's notice loomed over our client, mister f, did we learn that APS should have been processing his case instead of Homebase.
1:40:37
These cases are serious and life changing, yet dozens of people watch mister f and my team mistakenly believe that his his application was being processed for over a year.
1:40:47
The inefficiencies not only deprive our clients of housing but are costly.
1:40:51
Ensuring the efficiency of the city theft program will alleviate pressure on every government system, save the city money, and provide housing security to our city's most vulnerable residents.
1:41:01
We once negotiated an arrears abatement, decreasing the amount owed by $25,000 if paid by a set deadline.
1:41:09
CitiFEP's delayed the process, blowing past the deadline and being forced to pay that extra 25,000 when the client was approved.
1:41:17
These inefficiencies not only, deprive clients with the ability to secure housing, but they also continue to perpetuate family separation.
1:41:26
For example, my client, miss s, who was already receiving CityFabs, needed a transfer voucher to move to a larger apartment suitable for her family and would not be reunited with her children until that happened.
1:41:38
Her application was submitted in April.
1:41:40
She did not receive her voucher until September without any substantive updates from home base in the meantime.
1:41:46
The unnecessary delay kept miss s and her kids apart for many extra months, creating an extra cost in the foster care system that housed her kids in the meantime.
1:41:56
We also find that clients are simply unaware of their housing options.
1:42:01
On behalf of our clients, we ask that this committee can consider issuing the following directives regarding the administration of city feps.
1:42:08
If not already done, Home PACE, APS, and shelters must inform clients upfront during their intake of each step of the process their application will go through and require faster response times from caseworkers.
1:42:21
We acknowledge that the council has proposed major changes to the city FEP's program, which we wholeheartedly support.
1:42:28
However, we also believe that there are many measures that can be put into place immediately under the current structure that will ensure the stability of our clients and their families.
1:42:36
We hope by alleviating the inefficiencies and informing individuals of their options, individuals and families can quickly obtain safe and stable housing that they are entitled to.
1:42:46
Thank you.