November 14, 2018 New York, NY – The following statement is in response to Amazon announcing New York City as one of its locations for the company’s newest headquarters. Statement from Giselle Routhier, Policy Director, Coalition for the Homeless: “At a time when affordable housing is scarce, our trains are broken, and homelessness is at record levels, the last thing we should be doing is throwing money at one of the richest companies in the world. We get why Amazon would want to come here, but the billions of dollars New York is about to give them are precious public resources that now cannot be invested in housing, schools, or fixing the MTA. Amazon’s expansion will certainly boost our economy, and that’s great – but we shouldn’t be paying the rent for trillion-dollar corporations when so many families can’t pay theirs. The Mayor and Governor need to step up and invest in deeply subsidized housing for the record homeless population in the city under both of their watches, which will undoubtedly be exacerbated by further displacement. This huge financial commitment shows the Mayor and Governor can commit money when they want and when it matches their priorities.”
