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TESTIMONY
Testimony by Vadim Graboys, Member of the Public linking the housing shortage to the migrant crisis
3:10:03
·
145 sec
Vadim Graboys, who arrived as a refugee in 1989, contrasts the past affordability with the current crisis, arguing that the recent influx of migrants became a crisis because of the severe housing shortage. He contends this failure harms refugees, strains city services, fuels anti-immigrant sentiment, and negatively impacts the nation, urging bold charter reforms focused on maximizing housing construction citywide.
- Graboys connects the housing shortage directly to the city's inability to handle the recent migrant influx without major disruption.
- He argues this failure has broad negative consequences, locally and nationally.
- He calls for charter reforms prioritizing massive increases in housing supply across the city.
- He feels current pro-housing proposals may not go far enough.
Vadim Graboys
3:10:03
Greybull.
3:10:05
I in 1989 with my mom as a refugee from the Soviet Union.
Shams DaBaron
3:10:13
We're part of a
Vadim Graboys
3:10:16
flood of refugees at the I'm a we settled in New York apartment in and the rent was only a hundred and $30 a month, easily affordable on welfare.
3:10:33
I've recently returned to my old neighborhood, but this time, I'm paying $2,000 a month to share a two bedroom apartment.
3:10:39
Recently, New York experienced another flood of refugees.
3:10:43
But this time, we did not have nearly enough housing to house them.
3:10:46
Because of the acute housing shortage, we spent billions of dollars housing refugees, forcing cutbacks in other city services, making the immigration a crisis, turning the public against immigration and refugees, and propelling Donald Trump back into the White House.
3:11:05
We've talked about how the actions of community boards and city council members protecting their local interests have negative effects on the overall city.
3:11:13
But not only that, but by negatively affecting New York as the largest and most important city in America, Local interests can negatively affect the entire country.
3:11:24
That we were unable to handle a flood of refugees without adversely affecting other city ref residents is shameful.
3:11:31
I'm ashamed for the city.
3:11:33
We should all be ashamed.
3:11:35
This is a city with the Statue Of Liberty.
3:11:38
Have we forgotten what the Statue Of Liberty represents?
3:11:42
We've always been able to accept large floods of immigrants and integrate them into our city until very recently.
3:11:49
The reason the influx of refugees cause a crisis is that there's a massive shortage of homes.
3:11:55
We need to significantly reform the charter with a focus on building as many homes as possible across our city that it doesn't happen again.
3:12:05
I support all the pro housing reforms discussed by this commission during this meeting, but I also believe that they do not go.
3:12:18
Hope that one day, I'll see New York City accepting waves of refugees again as we've always done so, except for a few shameful decades in recent history.
3:12:27
Thank you.