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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Vanesa Perkins, Displaced Resident
2:01:56
·
63 sec
Vanesa Perkins, a long-time resident of her building, testifies about the challenges faced by displaced residents after a fire. She expresses frustration with the lack of assistance and the difficulty in finding affordable housing options.
- Perkins has lived in her building for 40 years and is now displaced along with her daughter
- She criticizes the system for not providing adequate help to long-term residents while seemingly assisting newcomers more readily
- As a retiree, she finds it impossible to afford current market-rate rents and is unable to qualify for assistance
Vanesa Perkins
2:01:56
Think so.
2:01:56
Hello my name is Venisa.
2:01:58
I've been in the building for forty years.
2:02:01
I never thought I'd leave the building, but piggyback on what my constituents here have said, the help that we should be getting, we're not getting.
2:02:11
We find that people come from other places and they come and they get all the help, they get the vouchers, they get to this, they get to that.
2:02:18
I'm retired for fourteen years.
2:02:20
I can't begin to pay rent for $2,400.3400 dollars.
2:02:25
It's impossible.
2:02:26
What are we gonna do?
2:02:29
They sit here and they say that they do this, they do that, HPD does this.
2:02:33
You don't do anything for us.
2:02:35
You say I make too much money.
2:02:37
I'm retired how much money can I be making?
2:02:40
I can't get any assistance.
2:02:42
Now me and my daughter are displaced.
2:02:44
She's one place, I'm at another place.
2:02:48
We have all these new buildings, why can't we be put in the buildings?
2:02:51
Why can't we get a voucher so that we can afford to be in the building?
2:02:54
This isn't fair, it's not right and something needs to be done now.