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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tiffany Hervas, President of National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers and Co-founder of Algundia
6:01:29
·
3 min
Tiffany Hervas testified in support of Intros 408 and 431, focusing on the challenges faced by immigrant families and children engaged in street vending. She emphasized the need for regulatory reform to allow street vendors to operate within a fair and transparent system.
- 88% of surveyed vendors began vending out of necessity to support their families
- 93% of candy-selling vendors in the subway had not received assistance from organizations or agencies
- 60% of vendors indicated fear of fines and police interaction while vending
- Intro 408 would help prevent families from being pushed into unsafe and unlicensed vending by providing tools and information upfront
Tiffany Hervas
6:01:29
Good afternoon, honorable chair, esteemed council members, and fellow New Yorkers.
6:01:35
I am Tiffany Hervas, the president of the National Association of Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers, and the co founder of Algundia.
6:01:42
I stand before you today to support intros, particularly four zero eight and intro four thirty one, and shed light on the pressing challenges faced by immigrant families, particularly children engaged in street vending.
6:01:55
Algundia, which means someday, is a grassroots volunteer led project born out of the resilience and commitment of formerly undocumented immigrants, dreamers, and first generation New Yorkers.
6:02:07
Our mission is simple but urgent, to support migrant families, especially children who have become vendors, street vendors selling candy in the New York City subway systems just to survive.
6:02:18
We're doing this work just because we know that street vending is not just an act of survival, it's a form of entrepreneurship in a system that too often fails to provide pathways for newly arrived immigrants via our project and by testifying here.
6:02:33
Our goal is to shift that narrative.
6:02:35
These families are not a public safety issue.
6:02:38
They are our neighbors, full of hope and potential.
6:02:41
Vendor rights, dignity, and solutions.
6:02:46
Intro four zero eight and 04/31 represent a critical step toward regulatory reform that our city urgently needs.
6:02:56
These bills would finally give street vendors a fair and transparent system to operate within, allowing them to provide services New Yorkers rely on in a regulated, predictable, and safe framework.
6:03:07
For too long, our city has treated street vending as a criminal act rather than recognizing that the vendors are just people trying to survive.
6:03:14
Via our project, we conducted a survey where we identified 88% of vendors began doing so out of necessity to keep their families afloat.
6:03:23
This outdated approach has only deepened economic hardship and fear in vulnerable communities.
6:03:28
Instead of punishing vendors for trying to support their families, the city must remove unnecessary barriers.
6:03:34
Intro four zero eight represents a transformative opportunity for street vendors across New York City, especially migrants.
6:03:41
We can attest that it will make a difference as in our survey we found that 93% of candy selling vendors in the subway had not received any assistance from organisations, agencies, and 60% indicated fear of incurring fines and police interaction while vending.
6:03:58
Many cited a lack of childcare, case on point, and awareness of city services as key barriers to finding safer, more sustainable work.
6:04:09
Intro four zero eight would help prevent families from being pushed into unsafe and unlicensed vending by giving them the tools and information they need upfront before fines, before fear, or enforcement come into play.
6:04:21
With that, thank you for your time and consideration.
6:04:25
It is Algundia's hope that the city takes the critical step of
6:04:31
And the street renter for
Julie Menin
6:04:28
passing Okay, I'm gonna ask you to wrap up please.