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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jade Vasquez, Director of Policy and Research at Women In Need (WIN)
1:52:21
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155 sec
Jade Vasquez from Women In Need (WIN) testifies about the need for New York City to prepare for and mitigate potential federal funding cuts that would affect vulnerable populations. She outlines specific recommendations for city funding allocations to protect services in housing, nutrition, immigration, education, and early childhood programs.
- WIN released "Project Hope" outlining steps to shield vulnerable New Yorkers from federal rollbacks proposed in "Project 2025"
- Recommendations include $263 million for city FEPS, funding to supplement SNAP, $10 million for cash transfer programs, $80 million for immigration legal services, and $17 million for NYC DOE Office of Students in Temporary Housing
- Vasquez emphasizes that federal cuts are already impacting services and urges the city to invest in supports for low-income families
Jade Vasquez
1:52:21
afternoon.
1:52:22
Good afternoon, Chair Brannan, Chair Ressler, and members of the committees.
1:52:27
My name is Jade Vasquez, and I'm the Director of Policy and Research at Wynn, the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing, for families with children in New York City and the nation.
1:52:37
Each night, nearly 7,000 New Yorkers, including 3,600 children, call Wynn home as federal funding for housing, social services, and education faces unprecedented threats, our city must be prepared to fill these gaps to protect our most vulnerable residents.
1:52:55
In January, Wynn released Project Hope, which outlined steps city and state lawmakers can take to shield low income, immigrant, and homeless New Yorkers from the extreme federal rollbacks proposed in Project twenty twenty five.
1:53:09
In anticipation of massive federal cuts to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development workforce, the slashing of individual federal benefits like Section eight and SNAP, the Trump administration's mass deportation efforts that are already underway, and its plans to eliminate the Department of Education, we urge the city to allocate an additional $263,000,000 to city FEPs to serve approximately 10,000 households at risk of losing their Section eight voucher, to allocate funding in the FY '26 budget to supplement the SNAP program.
1:53:42
Invest $10,000,000 in direct cash transfer programs serving high risk populations, including families with children, youth, and single adults experiencing housing instability or homelessness, like it did last year with the $1,500,000,000 investment to the Bridge Project, increase the city's share of funding for immigration legal services to $80,000,000 and direct these funds to experienced nonprofit immigration legal service providers, allocate an additional $17,000,000 in funding for the NYC DOE Office of Students in Temporary Housing to increase the number of shelter based community coordinators, improve and invest additional resources in school transportation for students in temporary housing, And lastly, to renew $200,000,000 in funding for early childhood education, including three k preschool education and promise NYC set to expire in June 2025 and commit to covering the cost of any head start states lost due to the Trump administration cuts.
1:54:36
Federal cuts are already hitting us.
1:54:38
FEMA food aid losses have impacted our families and our shelters.
1:54:41
The threats to HUD, SNAP, education and legal protections is real and growing, and New York City has the resources.
1:54:47
It also has the responsibility, and we urge the city to step up now and invest in the supports low income families need to survive and succeed.
1:54:55
Thank you for your time and leadership.