The Campaign 4 NY/NY housing held 2 events 12/21/2016 to encourage the Governor to finalize the MOU that would release the $1.9 billion that will be used to fully fund the capital construction of the first 6,000 units of Supportive Housing state-wide. This money was included in the 2016 State Budget, but an MOU between the Governor, Senate, and Assembly is needed before capital funds start to be released. A rally was held in front of the Governor’s NYC Office this morning and a press conference was held outside of the Senate Chamber in the Capital in Albany later in the day. The rally in New York City was the 20th Wednesday this year that the Campaign has held an event outside the Governor’s Office to encourage the completion of the MOU. Without the MOU the money needed to build these units won’t be released. Below is an article from the Albany Press conference.
We need your help to encourage the Governor and legislature to come to an agreement and sign the MOU. If you have not done so yet, please fill out the call to action for the campaign! By clicking on the following link you can send an email to the Governor, your representatives, and legislative leaders encouraging them to sign the MOU. It’s quick and easy and can be done multiple times. We need you to help us get 20,000 messages by the end of the year! http://www.nynycampaign.org/take-action#/10/
Homeless advocates ask for housing money release outside special session
By Nick Niedzwiadek
12/21/2016 01:33 PM EDT
ALBANY — As talks of a special session swirl around the Capitol, advocates for the homeless Wednesday pushed Gov. Andrew Cuomo to work with legislative leaders to fund supportive housing regardless of whether the Legislature assembles.
“He can do this right now without having all the Legislature come back,” said the Rev. Peter Cook, executive director of the New York State Council of Churches.
“We can look to the governor to lead and to strongly encourage the Senate leader and the head of the Assembly to please sign this, and unlink it from any other things which are going on with the special session,” he said.
The governor in September announced that he would sign a memorandum of understanding to release $2 billion for affordable housing as part of a broader five-year expansion effort.
Leaders of the Senate and Assembly still need to sign the agreement, which includes money for 6,000 “supportive housing” units to curb homelessness.
“We ask the governor to shepherd the MOU,” said Kevin O’Connor, executive director of Joseph’s House in Troy. “This is the answer to homelessness, and the suffering of those who are homeless.”
Michael Finocchi, executive director of Shelters of Saratoga, said that “supportive housing” units help move people out of the shelter system and on track toward housing stability.
“It is the lack of the affordable permanent supportive housing that eventually leads to becoming homeless again,” he said. “Supportive housing is the best, most humane and most cost-effective way to provide chronically homeless people with the support they need.”
Last week, Cuomo said the MOU impasse was the fault of legislators, but was optimistic it would be worked out.
“The out-year funding is part of a dispute between the Senate and the Assembly where the Senate wants a program called 421-a passed, and until that program is passed they’re not going to release the out-year funding,” Cuomo said. “It doesn’t have a practical consequence this year, but theoretically if you didn’t resolve it for several years you’d have a problem.
“But we will resolve it,” he said.