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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Chris Walters, Senior Policy Associate at Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD) on Small Business Services Budget
1:59:44
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Chris Walters, representing ANHD, testified on the NYC Small Business Services budget, focusing on support for commercial tenants, merchant organizing, and the industrial sector. He urged for expanded funding for various programs and services to promote equitable economic development in New York City.
- Requested expansion of the Commercial Lease Assistance (CLA) program with a baseline funding of $5 million
- Advocated for increased funding for Industrial Business Service Providers (IBSPs), including a 50% increase and shift to three-year contracts
- Emphasized the importance of the industrial sector in providing high-wage jobs with low barriers to entry for a diverse workforce
Chris Walters
1:59:44
Great.
1:59:45
Thank you chair Felias and members of the committee.
1:59:47
My name is Chris Walters and I'm a senior policy associate at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development or ANHD.
1:59:54
ANHD is one of the city's lead policy advocacy technical assistance and capacity building organizations.
1:59:59
We maintain a membership of 80 plus neighborhood based and city wide non profit organizations that have affordable housing and or equitable economic development as a central component of their mission.
2:00:09
Our work directly supports the needs of our members who fight to bring equity into low wealth communities in New York City including through coalitions like the Industrial Jobs Coalition.
2:00:18
Much of that work centers on two components, supporting commercial tenants and merchant organizing efforts and supporting NYC's industrial sector and industrial business service providers.
2:00:29
So our asks for this committee and the council around the budget, we urge you to expand the commercial lease assistance program.
2:00:36
The CLA program is the only available resource for free legal assistance for small business owners and other commercial tenants and must continue to be funded at a baseline minimum of 5,000,000 and be made a permanent SBS program.
2:00:48
We ask two that you fund community based organizations engaging in merchant organizing and outreach efforts, and three, increase funding to SBS's neighborhood development division to support public realm work.
2:01:00
Turning to the industrial sector and our work there, we ask that you, one, increase all funds for NYC industrial programs by 2%, provide a 50% increase in industrial business service provider funding, index that funding to inflation, and shift the funding from a one year to a three year contract, and fund a new $650,000 program to build additional capacity for IBSPs.
2:01:25
We asked for this for IBSPs, especially knowing that their funding has remained static for years and has not kept pace with inflation or increasing responsibilities.
2:01:35
And in addition, they continually face long delays in receiving payments for their contracted work.
2:01:41
And I would just end setting the context of we do this industrial work again because we see this as really lying at the heart of a true equitable economic development strategy.
2:01:50
The industrial sector offers high wages, low barriers to entry, and opportunity pathways for a workforce that is 80% workers of color and over 50% foreign born.
2:02:00
Thank you very much.