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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Daniela Sabogal, Staff Attorney at Make The Road New York
4:06:21
·
3 min
Daniela Sabogal, a staff attorney at Make The Road New York, testified on the executive budget, focusing on housing issues affecting the Latine immigrant community. She highlighted the importance of HPD services and expressed concerns about future funding cuts, emphasizing the need for increased support for housing programs.
- Sabogal detailed Make The Road's work in representing tenants facing eviction, seeking repairs, and dealing with landlord harassment.
- She emphasized the critical role of HPD violations in helping tenants secure necessary repairs both in and out of court.
- Sabogal called for an additional $215 million allocation for the City FHEPS program to prevent evictions and support rent-burdened clients.
Daniela Sabogal
4:06:21
Good afternoon and thank you to the committee co chairs and the members of the both committees for the opportunity to testify today on the executive budget.
4:06:31
My name is Danielle Lisabaga.
4:06:33
I'm a housing and benefits staff attorney at Make The Road New York.
4:06:36
Make The Road is a membership based community organization that strives to be a second home for its members.
4:06:42
Working primarily with the Latine immigrant community but open to all, Make the Road integrates community organizing, education, policy work, and legal services to create a one stop shop for its members to uplift and empower them while also combating abuse and exploitation that often occurs within these populations.
4:07:01
Within the housing and benefits legal team, we represent tenants who are in the process of being evicted and groups of tenants or individuals who want to sue their landlord to obtain much needed repairs in their apartment, which often includes harassment by the landlord.
4:07:14
We also represent tenants in agency proceedings who are pursuing overcharged claims adjustments to their legal rent or who are disputing the regulatory status of their apartments.
4:07:22
Our team collaborates with the organizing team at Make The Road to create know your rights materials that we present to various committees throughout Make the Road across the state.
4:07:32
And our clients or members, many of who are low income, experience a lot of the same common issues.
4:07:37
Some are living in abhorrent conditions and having their requests for repairs ignored.
4:07:42
Others are refused a renewal lease, rent payment receipts, or are suspectedly overcharged for years without the resources to recover these funds.
4:07:51
The most common issue facing our clients is eviction.
4:07:53
Whether a household of one or five or more, many Latina immigrants are vulnerable to falling behind on rent.
4:07:59
Some have lost their job, have had their hours reduced or have faced an expensive emergency that caused them to be unable to pay rent resulting in eviction proceedings in the New York City Housing Court.
4:08:08
While the occasional few are able to scrape the funds together, most end up seeking emergency grants from the city or in worst case scenarios losing their homes.
4:08:16
HPD provides very important services to our clients.
4:08:19
Many by making complaints through three eleven and having violations placed in their apartments we're able to help our clients out of a cave for sometimes desperately needed repairs in and out of the courts.
4:08:29
Outside of housing court, HPD violations can help put pressure on landlords to make repairs they have neglected.
4:08:34
Once in court, HPD violations are used by the courts as proof of the existence of conditions described by tenants and are often the only proof that judges will accept to order repairs in an apartment.
4:08:44
We are disappointed and concerned to see that the FY 2026 preliminary capital commitment plan demonstrates that HPD funding will be reduced in 2027, '20 '8, and '29.
4:08:54
To continue advocating for clients in and out of housing court, we need the council and the administration to secure more future funding for HPD, not less.
4:09:02
The expansion expansion of the city thefts program was a major win for our clients, but the delay in its implementation and lack of funding has nullified the law's effect.
4:09:10
Without proper rollout and adequate funding, more of our rent burdened clients have faced unnecessary struggles in making sure their rent gets paid.
4:09:18
Not only does this put our clients at risk of eviction, but it takes a toll on their physical and mental health.
4:09:22
Also at risk are those who received emergency housing vouchers during the COVID nineteen pandemic, which are slated to end soon.
4:09:28
In order to prevent this greater toll on our clients, we need the council and administration to allocate an additional an additional $215,000,000 for the program.
4:09:37
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
4:09:38
If you have any questions, please reach out.