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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Sebastien Vonte, Associate Vice President of Street Work Programs at Safe Horizon
5:26:31
·
132 sec
Sebastien Vonte from Safe Horizon testifies about the importance of housing navigators and financial empowerment roles in helping homeless youth secure housing. He urges the council to restore funding for these positions and invest in strengthening the Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) system.
- Since 2021, nearly 600 youth have exited homelessness with the help of DYCD-funded housing navigators and vouchers
- Safe Horizon's Street Work program has supported over 200 young people in securing vouchers, with 198 already moved into homes
- Vonte warns that defunding these programs would undo progress and push youth back toward chronic homelessness
Sebastien Vonte
5:26:31
Good afternoon, chair Stevens and members of the committee.
5:26:33
My name is Sebastian Vonte and I'm the associate vice president of street work programs at Safe Horizon.
5:26:39
Safe Horizon is the nation's largest nonprofit victim service agency.
5:26:43
Each year we support over 250,000 New Yorkers including young people who are homeless, survivors of trafficking, and those navigating deep trauma.
5:26:53
Since 2021, nearly 600 youth and young adults have exited homelessness and moved into apartments with the help of DYCD funded housing navigate and a housing voucher.
5:27:04
At Street Work alone, we've supported over 200 young people in securing vouchers, and 198 have already moved into their own homes.
5:27:12
Of those, our two housing navigators found and connected clients to close to 200 apartments.
5:27:18
That's not hypothetical.
5:27:20
That's real housing for real youth.
5:27:22
These positions work.
5:27:24
They were created for a reason because young people needed a guided hand to navigate the complexity of applying for vouchers, finding units, negotiating with landlords, and ultimately getting the keys to a home.
5:27:38
Since their creation, we've seen a 200 increase in youth exiting shelters into permanent housing.
5:27:44
So I ask, why are we now begging to keep what works?
5:27:48
These are not bloated programs.
5:27:50
These are lean, effective, and essential roles to defund them now is to undo progress and leave hundreds of young people stranded, holding vouchers they cannot use.
5:28:01
The funding housing navigators and cutting the financial empowerment roles that help stabilize youth once housed is not just shortsighted.
5:28:09
It's dangerous.
5:28:11
It pushes it pushes our youth back toward chronic homelessness.
5:28:15
It costs the city more in the long run, and most importantly, it denies young people the dignity of a real future.
5:28:21
We urge the council to restore baseline funding for housing navigators and financial empowerment positions to invest the 16,400,000.0 needed to strengthen the RHY system and to continue to fund what already what's what is already working.
5:28:36
Youth need housing, they need city feps, and they need navigators to guide them out of homelessness for good.
5:28:43
Thank you.