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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Anthony Feliciano, Vice President for Advocacy at Housing Works
6:33:26
ยท
133 sec
Anthony Feliciano from Housing Works testified about the need for increased funding and support for HIV/AIDS initiatives, transgender equity programs, and hepatitis prevention. He emphasized the importance of protecting marginalized communities and opposed involuntary commitment initiatives.
- Requested an increase in funding for ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic initiative to $12.5 million
- Called for expanding the baseline funding for trans equity program initiatives
- Advocated for increasing the viral hepatitis prevention initiative to $5.7 million
- Expressed strong opposition to expanding involuntary commitment initiatives, particularly those targeting individuals unable to meet basic needs
Anthony Feliciano
6:33:26
Sorry.
6:33:27
Good afternoon.
6:33:28
I'm Anthony Feliciano, vice president for Advocacy at Housing Works.
6:33:34
I won't take too much time because I have a very long testimony, but I will tell you that the work we do around ending the HIV AIDS epidemic is more than ever under attack on the federal system here, and particularly our trans and LGBT communities, but also black and Latinx communities.
6:33:55
One of the things that is that the local city can be the front line in protecting these communities is also about ending the epidemic initiative at twelve point five million.
6:34:05
We're hoping that the f 25 funding that was a little bit over 9,000,000 by a total of 3,200,000.0 to increase it to 12.5.
6:34:17
This also includes the Peel Workforce Initiative to increase effectiveness on the impact around our new health care system, particularly around the stark disparities in terms of marginalized communities.
6:34:30
I also want to bring up an important piece, is the city council enhanced the baseline funding for the trans equity program initiative, supporting a range of services to help empower the transgender and gender non conforming communities.
6:34:46
And then I will add that we need to expand the baseline city council viral hepatitis prevention initiative at 5.7.
6:34:54
It's obviously we have a cure, but we still have stark differences in terms who gets the care from diagnosis to treatment.
6:35:01
And then invest in our human service workforce.
6:35:04
You heard this already around the COLA.
6:35:07
And then I would add that the idea of the cohesive subway suites, the involuntary removals, particularly we strongly oppose any effort to expand involuntary inpatient and outpatient commitment initiatives.
6:35:20
And in particular, any effort involuntary commit an individual based on determination of what has been called substantial inability of the person to meet his or her basic need for food, clothing, shelter, or medical care, we know that becomes co work for a bunch of other ways of marginalizing, criminalizing our communities.
6:35:38
Thank you.