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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jonathan Cohen, Housing Managing Attorney at Catholic Migration Services, on Critical Funding for Housing Preservation Programs
6:13:28
ยท
154 sec
Jonathan Cohen, Housing Managing Attorney at Catholic Migration Services, testifies about the importance of funding for programs that stabilize New York City communities and preserve affordable housing. He emphasizes the critical nature of their work in representing tenants, organizing tenant associations, and fighting against notorious landlords.
- Cohen requests an increase of $1,300,000 for the Stabilizing New York City program and $4,950,000 for the Community Housing Preservation Strategies Initiative.
- He highlights that funding for these programs has not changed since 2016, despite their crucial role in preserving affordable housing.
- Cohen stresses the importance of preserving existing affordable housing, noting that once lost, it is gone permanently.
Jonathan Cohen
6:13:28
Good afternoon, committee chair Sanchez, Yaya, and members of the housing committee, and thank you for the opportunity.
6:13:35
I'm still sorry.
6:13:39
And thank you for the opportunity to testify.
6:13:41
My name is Jonathan Cohen.
6:13:43
I'm the housing managing attorney at Catholic Migration Services.
6:13:46
I want to talk about critical funding for programs, stabilizing New York City and Community Housing Preservation Strategies Initiative, which supports low income tenants and the preservation of affordable housing in New York City.
6:14:03
Our lawyers provide representation for tenants in housing eviction cases, and we also file affirmative cases against landlords when they're unsafe conditions.
6:14:16
Our tenant organizers help tenants form tenants associations, build community leadership, provide education on tenants rights, and organize rallies and actions in support of tenants fighting evictions.
6:14:31
Catholic Migration Services and CHIA have organized tenants associations and buildings owned by some of the most notorious landlords throughout Queens.
6:14:42
Stabilizing New York City has enabled us to form tenants associations and buildings and to fight landlords and lead grassroots efforts through tenants education, leadership development and legal defense and support.
6:14:57
Over the past eleven years, our organizations throughout stabilizing have had many, many successes and again against some of the really worst bad actors.
6:15:10
As Jack and Gulvady mentioned, we are asking for an increase of $1,300,000 in stabilizing or 65,000 per organization and 4,950,000.00, for CHPI.
6:15:29
This funding has not changed since 2016, and this is critical work.
6:15:35
And what's important also is we're not only preserving housing, but we're preserving it.
6:15:41
Once the housing is lost, it's gone and it's gone permanently.
6:15:45
And what we're trying to do is to preserve affordable housing in the long term and to empower tenants to be able to stand up and
Kenny Margarito Alvarez
6:15:56
Your time's expired.
Jonathan Cohen
6:15:58
Okay.
6:15:59
There'll be more detailed, written testimony as well, and thanks very much again.