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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Chris Mann, Assistant Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Women in Need (WIN)
3:30:50
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141 sec
Chris Mann from Women in Need (WIN) urged the NYC Council to take bold action in the FY 2026 budget to protect vulnerable populations from federal funding cuts. He advocated for increased funding for city FHEPS vouchers, cash transfer programs, and immigrant legal services, while opposing changes to the city FHEPS program that would increase tenant rent contributions.
- Requested $263 million for city FHEPS to support 10,000 households at risk of losing Section 8 vouchers
- Called for $10 million investment in direct cash transfer programs for families facing housing instability
- Advocated for $40 million to implement Local Law 35, ensuring mental health professionals in family shelters
- Emphasized the need to address childcare funding gaps and resolve shelter provider payment issues
Chris Mann
3:30:50
Good afternoon chairs Brandon and Ayala, members of the committees.
3:30:54
My name is Chris Mann.
3:30:55
I'm the assistant vice president of policy and advocacy at Wynn, the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for families with children in New York City.
3:31:04
Each night, nearly 7,000 people, including 3,800 children, call Wynn home.
3:31:11
As the federal government imposes deep cuts to housing and social welfare programs, New York City must step up to protect our most vulnerable.
3:31:21
As Wynn laid out in Project Hope, we urge the council to take bold, proactive action in the FY twenty six budget to mitigate the harm of these federal rollbacks.
3:31:32
We urge the council to allocate an additional $263,000,000 for city FEPs to support approximately 10,000 households at risk of losing their section eight vouchers, invest an additional 10,000,000 in direct cash transfer programs for families, youth, and individuals facing housing instability, building on last year's investment in the Bridge Project, and increase immigrant legal services funding to 80,000,000, ensuring immigrant New Yorkers can access vital protections.
3:32:02
We also strongly oppose the administration's proposed changes to city FEPs requiring households to pay 40% of their income toward the rent after five years on the program.
3:32:12
The policy punishes the poorest New Yorkers, undermines the program's purpose, and risks pushing families back into homelessness, All for projected savings representing just 0.01% of the city's budget, which we don't expect to materialize given that many of those families will end up back in homelessness.
3:32:34
Additionally, the city must invest $40,000,000 to implement law 35 ensuring mental health professionals are available in family shelters, fill the gap in child care funding, which is essential to helping families transition out of shelter, and resolve ongoing shelter provider payment issues, which continue to destabilize critical services.
3:32:56
New York City has a moral and fiscal responsibility to lead during these uncertain times, and we urge the council to continue advocating for a budget that prioritizes families, protects against federal threats, and strengthens our collective mission to end homelessness.
3:33:10
Thank you.