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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Agnes Kim, Program Officer of Policy & Communications from Family Homelessness Coalition
3:58:50
ยท
120 sec
Agnes Kim, representing the Family Homelessness Coalition (FHC), testified on the urgent need to address the family homelessness crisis in New York City. She highlighted the doubling of homeless children since 2022 and the threat of federal funding cuts, urging for immediate action and resources in the upcoming budget.
- Called for increased funding for Home Base program and dedicated funding for aftercare services
- Urged implementation of CityFHEPS expansion and reforms to expedite housing placements
- Recommended improvements in shelter conditions, education continuity for homeless children, and streamlined intake processes
Agnes Kim
3:58:50
My name is Agnes Kim, and I'm here today on behalf of the Family Homelessness Coalition.
3:58:54
Thank you to the chair and the committee for holding this hearing and for the opportunity to deliver testimony.
3:58:58
Family Homelessness Coalition, or FHC, works to prevent family homelessness, improve the well-being of children and families in shelter, and support the long term stability of families with children who leave shelter.
3:59:08
In New York, the number of children experiencing homelessness has more than doubled since 2022, translating to nearly one in three of New York's homeless population being children.
3:59:16
This humanitarian emergency is also coming at a time when federal support to fight homelessness is under threat, making it more important than ever that this year's adopted budget urgently addressed this crisis with resources.
3:59:26
The current landscape impacts both people experiencing homelessness and the organizations that work to help them, including the members of FHC.
3:59:33
Our organizations are directly impacted by real and proposed federal funding cuts to their programs.
3:59:38
In addition to support and resources, we call for greatly increased efforts to expedite owed payments to homeless and social service providers.
3:59:45
If funds can be delivered expeditiously, providers can better withstand this existential threat that they're facing.
3:59:50
FXE strongly urges the following in the upcoming budget.
3:59:53
In order to improve eviction prevention and aftercare, we call to increase the budget for home base by $37,900,000 as well as establish a dedicated funding stream strictly for aftercare services.
4:00:04
To expedite housing placements, we urge the city to implement the city FEP's expansion and reforms passed into law in 2023 and reduce barriers in city FEP's administration.
4:00:13
To improve conditions in shelter, we urge the city to increase the pay of shelter staff to establish parity with comparable settings, and the city should also commit to a capital needs assessment of the entire shelter portfolio.
4:00:23
To improve education continuity, we called to stop the implementation of shelter stay limits for new arrivals families with children and to increase the percent of families that DHS places in shelter in the same borough as where their children attend school.
4:00:35
Finally, to improve intake processes into shelter, we called to reduce the housing history requirement for intake from two years to one year, allow self attestation after a denial, and to commit to appointment times for intake interviews.
4:00:47
On behalf of FHC, thank you again for the opportunity to testify.