PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Joe Hoff, Advocate
1:47:36
ยท
155 sec
Joe Hoff, an advocate, testified on the need to expand HASA services and addressed discrimination against disabled veterans in the CityFEPS program. He urged for increased funding for HASA and suggested expanding its services to include individuals with other autoimmune diseases beyond HIV.
- Proposed expanding HASA services to include conditions like Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome
- Highlighted potential discrimination against disabled veterans in the CityFEPS program, particularly in considering VA disability compensation as part of gross income
- Called for the city council to direct DSS to rectify the situation regarding veterans' eligibility for rental assistance
Joe Hoff
1:47:36
Good afternoon, honorable, city council members.
1:47:40
I'm Joe Hoff.
1:47:44
Thank you for, allowing me to appear in person today.
1:47:48
And, I join my colleagues in echoing, their, urging the council committee for the resources to fund HASA.
1:47:59
And, from our perspective of my firm, we believe that the folks that are served by HASA should be expanded to include folks with, autoimmune diseases that, are other than HIV.
1:48:17
Long COVID, for example, or chronic fatigue syndrome are, chronically plaguing our community and will, I believe, more in the future.
1:48:27
So I think we need to get ahead of this issue and not only, give HASSA what they, deserve but, expand think about expanding, what HASA does.
1:48:40
I wanted to, should I continue?
1:48:44
Okay.
1:48:44
The another reason I wanted to appear in person today was to bring, to the attention of the committee, my belief that, the city FEPS program being run by DSS, is discriminatory to disabled veterans.
1:49:03
And it, sounds so brash, but there's no way to, put icing on on that.
1:49:12
I believe folks that are disabled veterans and assigned higher evaluative ratings from the VA, are being told they're not eligible to apply for rental assistance, through CityFEPs.
1:49:27
And, I believe that because it's the case.
1:49:31
From services for the underserved in home base, and DSS, they're simply being precluded, from being eligible.
1:49:39
They're considering, veterans VA disability compensation, which is just that, compensation, as part of gross income, which is legally incorrect and needs to be rectified with all due respect.
1:49:57
So I, urge the council committee to, direct DSS, to work with us to rectify the situation.
1:50:10
Thank you so much for listening.