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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Hilary Wilson, Senior Policy Analyst at Community Service Society of New York (CSS)
3:43:14
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Hilary Wilson from CSS urges the council and city administration to adequately fund and staff the Commission on Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) to ensure effective enforcement of housing and labor policies. She highlights the importance of CCHR in combating source of income discrimination and enforcing the salary range transparency law.
- CSS reports that voucher holders still face illegal discrimination despite the success of the CityFeps program.
- The proposed budget increase for CCHR is welcomed, but staffing levels remain below pre-pandemic numbers.
- CSS advocates for strengthening the salary range transparency law through Intro 808 and emphasizes the need for CCHR to be sufficiently resourced for successful implementation.
Hilary Wilson
3:43:14
you chair Williams and committee members for this opportunity to testify.
3:43:18
My name is Hillary Wilson and I'm a senior policy analyst at the Community Service Society of New York or CSS, which uses research advocacy and direct services to increase economic opportunity for low income New Yorkers.
3:43:31
CSS has long championed policies that expand access to affordable housing and promote fairness in the labor market.
3:43:38
The success of these policies depends on robust enforcement by CCHR.
3:43:43
So today we from CSS urge council and the city administration to adequately fund and staff the commission at levels necessary to achieve effective and efficient enforcement.
3:43:54
CSS along with its partners has been at the forefront of the fight to expand the city's primary voucher program, CityFeps.
3:44:01
In 2024, the program helped 13,400 voucher holders find permanent housing.
3:44:07
However, voucher holders continue to be illegally denied leases by landlords and real estate agents who are disinclined to have tenants pay rent using vouchers.
3:44:17
This phenomenon known as source of income discrimination or SOI is illegal and punishable in the city and yet it thrives as we show in an in-depth report published jointly with Unlock NYC.
3:44:29
CCHR is responsible for combating SOI discrimination and while we applaud the administration for proposing an increase in the agency's budget for FY 2026, the proposed staffing level is well below what it was before the pandemic.
3:44:43
This is particularly concerning given the expansion of the city of FEDS program over the past few years.
3:44:49
Moreover, by short staffing CCHR, the city is actually not saving money.
3:44:54
Instead it is paying multiple times more in prolonged shelter stays and homeless assistance services for voucher holders encountering SOI discrimination.
3:45:05
CSS also fought to pass the city's salary range transparency law.
3:45:09
Since it went into effect in 2022, compliance with the law has been almost universal in part thanks to the enforcement actions of the commission.
3:45:17
However, inquiries to the commission have increased while the number of complaints closed or mediated has declined and I'll close.
3:45:24
CSS is now advocating for amendments included in intro eight zero eight which would strengthen the salary range transparency law and ensure all New Yorkers are paid fairly.
3:45:34
Their success or their successful implementation will require that CCHR is sufficiently resourced.
3:45:40
To conclude, at a time when our human rights are imperiled, when our civil civil liberties are at stake, the city needs to show its commitment to upholding the rule of law by fully and adequately funding CCHR.
3:45:53
And I'll submit written testimony online.
3:45:56
Thank you.