New York — Today, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, New Destiny Housing, and Enterprise Community Partners issued the following statement on behalf of the Family Homelessness Coalition in light of Mayor Adams’ recent announcement regarding budget cuts and a hiring freeze in response to the migrant emergency:

“Mayor Adams’ recent decision to employ significant budget cuts and a hiring freeze to address the migrant and asylum seeker emergency will exacerbate the existing issues at hand. Greater attention must be paid to advancing cost-saving solutions that address systemic and operational challenges that have existed long before the current situation. After all, before the recent influx of migrant and asylum-seeking families, 9,800 families with children were already languishing in our shelter systems, spending 520 days in shelter on average.

If the Mayor truly wants to address this emergency with the efficiency it demands, he should immediately advance measures to prevent entry into shelters and to expedite placements out of them. These include expediting access to and retention of public benefits through adequate staffing and new technology, implementing recently passed CityFHEPS legislation, removing administrative barriers to placements into housing, and expanding access to HPD homeless set aside units to improve housing stability for a greater number of families. These actions will improve outcomes for unhoused families, create space within our existing shelter system for newly arrived New Yorkers, and have a positive impact on the budget. The Family Homelessness Coalition stands ready to work with the mayor’s administration and City Council to move these action steps forward.”

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This statement is from the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, Enterprise Community Partners and New Destiny Housing on behalf of the Family Homelessness Coalition.

ABOUT

The Family Homelessness Coalition (FHC) is composed of 20 organizations representing service and housing providers and children’s advocacy organizations. FHC is united by the goal of launching a coordinated, collaborative, multi-agency effort focused on preventing family homelessness, improving the well-being of children and families in shelters, and supporting the long-term stability of families with children who leave shelters.