Posted on March 5, 2024 by G. Worth On March 01, 2024, The Coalition for the Homeless and The Legal Aid Society submitted testimony to the New York City Council’s Committee on General Welfare in response to findings by the Department of Investigation regarding manipulation of monthly eligibility rate data by DSS and Intros. 210-2024 and 349-2024. The testimony addresses a number of crucial issues facing the City. New Arrivals and the Right to Shelter This section of the testimony discusses the City’s legal obligation – as prescribed by the New York State Constitution, multiple court orders and local laws – to provide decent, appropriate, and accessible shelter placements for all in need of such, regardless of immigration status. Though the influx of new arrivals to New York, beginning in the spring of 2022, has created strains on the City’s emergency relief systems, The Coalition for the Homeless and The Legal Aid Society have repeatedly provided solutions for both the City and the State to explore. Time Limits on New Arrival Shelter Stays In 2023, the Mayor announced the City would impose 60-day limits on shelter placements for adults. In September, he shortened that time limit to 30 days for adults. In October, he announced that placements for families with children would be subject to 60-day limits. The most recent request asks the Court to modify the right to shelter for single adults so that only adults eligible for public assistance would be eligible for shelter. If granted, that standard would result in mass street homelessness on a scale that New York City has never seen. It would result in shelter denials for new arrivals and longtime New Yorkers alike, including New Yorkers working low-wage jobs or those receiving disability income. Reforms available to the City to reduce the shelter census The testimony reiterates the reforms previously outlined by The Coalition for the Homeless and The Legal Aid Society. City Reforms State Reforms TESTIMONY Intro. 0210-2024As stated above, the City should focus on individualized case management, rather than arbitrary time limits to promote the resettlement of new arrivals into safe and stable housing outside of shelter. Arbitrary time limits de-stabilize a population that has already experienced immense trauma. For single adults, the arbitrary time limit, coupled with the dehumanizing reticketing process, makes it even more difficult for them to take the steps needed for self-sufficiency (such as maintaining or looking for employment, getting necessary certifications like OSHA training, working on their asylum applications, or connecting with service providers). Intro. 0349-2024We support Intro. 0349-2024, clarifies the data reporting required by Local Law 34. As we stated in this Committee’s December 7th hearing regarding Intro. 1153-2023, sweeps negatively impact those who are unhoused and only serve to disperse and traumatize them without providing the critical resources they need to transition into a more stable housing situation. Encampment sweeps and involuntary detention should cease and be replaced with policies that accord people the dignity to which they are entitled and the housing that they need. DSS Manipulation of Monthly Eligibility Reporting DataThe Department of Investigations report regarding failures to disclose violations of the law and manipulation of monthly reporting data reveals a disturbing cover-up by the City to hide the number of Right to Shelter violations it amassed in the summer of 2022. We are extremely troubled by the City’s actions, and by the finding that the City manipulated shelter eligibility data for families with children. We are grateful to the City Council for taking our recommendation to hold this oversight hearing in response to the report. Read the full testimony here.
