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Council member Ayala emphasizes collaboration with DSS/HRA
1:28:53
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101 sec
Council Member Diana Ayala emphasizes the importance of closer collaboration between the City Council and DSS/HRA to address issues in benefits administration. She highlights the need to work together to identify areas where improvements can be made and to see each other as partners in serving New Yorkers.
- Ayala acknowledges the challenges faced by DSS as a large agency serving many people
- She stresses the importance of addressing consistent issues and 'dropping the ball'
- Ayala expresses willingness to explore legislative and fiscal solutions to help improve the system
Diana Ayala
1:28:53
Yeah.
1:28:53
I see I I mean, I I see a lot of today's line of questioning as an opportunity to really work together a little bit closer to try to identify.
1:29:01
I mean listen I get it like the DSS is a big agency and there are a lot of people that we're servicing and there's a lot of opportunity to miss the mark right.
1:29:12
I don't think that it's intentional, but I think that it's really important that when we are hearing the consistency and where the we're dropping the ball that we're looking more closely at you know at those areas and you know but I but I also want you to you know to see us as partners right.
1:29:29
We're not just here to like you know wave the finger, we're trying to better understand the system and where those discrepancies lie so that then we can try to you know alternatively figure out legislative ways, know fiscal ways that we can be helpful, but we need to we need to do a better job of maybe working together, you know, outside of the council to try to figure out because every community is also very different, know, are language issues.
1:29:55
I really want to figure out this whole older adult, you know, issue where we're you know, where you have a guardian, a legal guardian, and, you know, make that process a little bit more seamless.
1:30:06
Individuals with disabilities, you know, that that like that that should all be flagged.
Scott French
1:30:13
Absolutely.
1:30:14
And we agree as well.
1:30:16
We are always looking to improve.
1:30:18
And as I say to all of my staff at the same time as well, at the end of the day, everyone in this room has the same goal and that's to serve New Yorkers.
1:30:25
And so if there's ways we can work more closely or there's something we're not seeing in the same way you are, we definitely want to sit down and talk about it and see where we might be able to improve.