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Q&A
Discussion on affordable housing opportunities for veterans
0:47:33
ยท
157 sec
Council Member Vickie Paladino inquires about efforts to include veterans in new affordable housing developments. Commissioner James Hendon and Senior Executive Director Lamar Wheeler explain their proactive approach to connecting with housing agencies and developers to promote veteran housing opportunities.
- DVS works with NYCHA, HPD, and VA to promote veteran housing in new developments
- The department actively informs stakeholders about opportunities for veteran housing projects
- DVS has made presentations to various housing and real estate organizations to raise awareness
Vickie Paladino
0:47:33
Hello.
0:47:33
How's everybody?
0:47:34
Good.
0:47:36
Here we are again, and we're begging for money again.
0:47:40
As my colleague and chairman has said, you know, it's a vicious cycle here we go around and around and around.
0:47:47
Now with all the, housing that's being built, the affordable housing that's coming up, and we've talked about, you know, the veterans housing crisis and all of it, I wanna know, has anybody approached you concerning the affordable housing and the different complexes that are gonna be going up throughout the city to make way for our vets so they have a nice place to live?
James Hendon
0:48:10
Thank you for the question, madam councilman.
0:48:12
And I'll say a little bit about Lamar too.
0:48:14
It's a two way street where we've been on offense and defense with this as far as making it clear as best we can, working with our partners over at NYCHA, over at HPD, and even the VA that we can get the word out that folks know, look, if you were looking at developing something, you're looking at building units, for veterans, please reach out and we can help talk with you about project basing the VASH vouchers, the VASH continuing vouchers, that's us going on offense.
0:48:35
Us on defense is, being fortunate to have folks who do come and who are inbounds with these requests so we can tell them exactly where to go to look at these things.
0:48:43
And we always tell folks too that our hpd made alias for this nyc.gov/hpdproject based r f p.
0:48:50
Two to four times per year housing preservation development makes an r f p available for those looking to obtain vouchers for support.
0:48:55
We tell folks go to nyc.gov/hpd project based RFP, fill that out and indicate in your application that you would like to build units as far as veterans housing.
0:49:05
So this is something where we've been very you know, aggressive in trying to get the word out and receiving folks when they come.
0:49:10
We assist and inform all stakeholders, including stakeholders in that community on these things.
0:49:14
I wanna Lamar, anything you wanna throw in on that?
Lamar Wheeler
0:49:16
I just wanna echo good afternoon.
0:49:19
I just wanna echo what the commissioner just said.
0:49:21
We are in close coordination with our partners, NYCHA, HPD And v o.
0:49:28
And v o and and the VA, on on their projects as they have moving forward.
0:49:35
And we we keep we broadcast that information.
0:49:40
We provide that information to all individuals with their inquiries currently.
0:49:46
This is the third rung on the housing ladder for us.
0:49:49
Yeah.
0:49:50
Affordable housing.
0:49:52
It is a concern and it's something that we're we're actively focusing on.
James Hendon
0:49:56
We've made presentations to revenue.
0:49:57
We made presentations to the real estate board of New York, to the support of housing network of New York, to the New York State affordable NISAFA, New York State Association for Affordable Housing.
0:50:06
So we've we've done what we can to be on offense on this so folks know