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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Arlene Cruz Escobar, Director of Health Programs at Make The Road New York
7:03:27
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145 sec
Arlene Cruz Escobar, representing Make The Road New York, testified on the importance of maintaining and expanding funding for critical health initiatives and services for immigrant and working-class communities in New York City. She highlighted the organization's role in providing essential services amidst various crises and requested specific funding allocations for fiscal year 2026.
- Emphasized the need for the city to invest in communities and protect New Yorkers of all immigration statuses
- Requested $300,000 under the speaker's initiative for wraparound services and $50,000 for their trans immigrant project
- Called for enhanced funding for various health initiatives including Access Health Initiative, MACAP, Ending the Epidemic, and Immigrant Health
Arlene Cruz Escobar
7:03:27
Good afternoon council members.
7:03:29
My name is Arlene Cruz Escobarne.
7:03:30
I'm the director of health programs at Make The Road New York.
7:03:33
On behalf of our 28,000 plus members and staff, I thank the committee for the opportunity to share our concerns.
7:03:39
Make the Road New York for me believes in safeguarding dignity and fairness across our society.
7:03:44
Over the years, the council has done so much to ensure that New Yorkers continue to be a city that welcomes all.
7:03:51
In the face of anti immigrant attacks, budget cuts, and other assaults on working people, CBOs are working around the clock to make to meet the surge in need, make the road a scrambling to meet demand for services including food access, connect connections to culturally competent medical care, benefit enrollment, and so much more.
7:04:13
The city must rather than undermine the critical critical services and funding for our diverse communities and protect New Yorkers of all immigration statuses, we ask the council to use every opportunity and tool to reverse the mayor's attack on immigrant and working class communities.
7:04:33
The services that organizations like ours provide are essential.
7:04:38
Amidst a historic housing, shelter, and cost of living crisis, we need to invest in communities, protect each other, and expand funding for critical services that people need to stay healthy.
7:04:53
Failure to fund critical health initiatives would harm our community's health in moments when immigrant New Yorkers are most vulnerable.
7:05:00
Many city council initiatives help the city meet urgent needs of immigrant New Yorkers by sustaining the services that Make the Road and other CBOs provide.
7:05:09
We request the city council support for the following in fiscal year twenty six initiatives and for Make the Road New York, including securing 300,000 under the speaker's initiative for wraparound legal, health, and educational services, plus $50,000 under the speaker's initiative for our trans immigrant projects for vital outreach to this extremely vulnerable community, and enhanced funding for Access Health Initiative, MACAP, Ending the Epidemic, Immigrant Health, and $50,000 for food pantries initiatives.
7:05:44
Thank you again for standing up for these vital services that immigrant and working class New Yorkers depend on.