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Council Member Brannan questions DOHMH on supportive housing funding allocation
0:25:32
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169 sec
Council Member Justin Brannan inquires about the allocation of $50 million in state budget funding for supportive housing, particularly focusing on the Justice Involved Supportive Housing (JISH) program and the City of Yes initiative. DOHMH representatives explain the current status of RFPs and contracts for these programs.
- The discussion reveals that there are separate RFPs for JISH and the larger NYC Fifteen/Fifteen initiative.
- DOHMH confirms that City of Yes funding is going to the Fifteen/Fifteen RFP for constructing new supportive housing units.
- Brannan expresses concern about ensuring the allocated funds are being used as intended and requests detailed accounting of the awards made so far.
Justin Brannan
0:25:32
The City of Yes, we had $50,000,000 from the state budget in capital funding for supportive housing.
0:25:41
Of the $50,000,000 30 million dollars is designated for the construction or preservation of supportive housing for youth or adults or young adults reentering the community from incarceration or juvenile justice placement.
0:25:53
To your knowledge, is the administration planning to use any of these funds to open the three eighty additional units of JISH that was promised in the twenty nineteen points of agreement on closing Rikers?
Michelle Morse
0:26:08
Thank you for the question chair.
0:26:09
I'm going to pass to Jamie Nichols.
Jamie Neckles
0:26:14
So we currently have an open RFP on the street and receive proposals on a rolling basis to expand the Justice Involved Supportive Housing Program, those 300 additional units that you referenced.
Justin Brannan
0:26:28
So there's multiple RFPs?
Jamie Neckles
0:26:30
No.
0:26:31
The JISH RFP is separate from the larger New York City Fifteen Fifteen RFP that's part and parcel of the City Of Yes now.
Justin Brannan
0:26:39
So how long has the RFP been on the street?
Jamie Neckles
0:26:42
I think since 2019.
Justin Brannan
0:26:46
Okay.
0:26:46
So okay, but the money the City of Yes money is new.
0:26:50
So has any of that money been deployed to open more supportive housing units?
Jamie Neckles
0:26:57
So yes, the City of Yes funding is going to the fifteen fifteen fifteen RFP, which is the larger development project with HPD and HRA to construct new supportive housing units.
0:27:09
It's a separate stream from the JISH RFP.
Justin Brannan
0:27:12
And what's the deadline for that?
Jamie Neckles
0:27:14
It's open.
0:27:15
All of our housing RFPs are open in perpetuity.
0:27:18
Or until we award all the units.
Justin Brannan
0:27:19
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:27:20
But you don't have any idea of how many completed so far?
0:27:25
Not completed, but that have been bid out so far?
Jamie Neckles
0:27:29
Could you rephrase
Justin Brannan
0:27:30
So RFPs, it's rolling RFP, right?
0:27:32
Yep.
0:27:32
So are you in contract with anybody yet or?
Jamie Neckles
0:27:36
Oh yes.
0:27:37
So we have for JISH we're only in contract with three providers to maintain those 20 units that I spoke about previously.
0:27:45
The fifteen fifteen RFP is receiving awards or proposals all the time and making awards all the time.
0:27:52
And we are initiating new contracts all
Justin Brannan
0:27:53
the But do you have an accounting of that?
Jamie Neckles
0:27:56
Yeah, absolutely.
Justin Brannan
0:27:56
Okay.
0:27:57
Could you give that to us?
Jamie Neckles
0:27:58
Sure.
0:27:58
The awards are made by the Department of Social Services, DSS.
Justin Brannan
0:28:03
Okay.
Jamie Neckles
0:28:03
And we register them and then do the ongoing support of services so we could get that data from our colleagues.
Justin Brannan
0:28:08
You know, we fought really hard to get that capital funding for City of Yes.
0:28:12
It was a big part of our negotiations.
0:28:14
So now we just need to make sure it's actually going to what they told us it was going be going to.
UNKNOWN
0:28:18
Absolutely.
Justin Brannan
0:28:20
Okay.