Adams Administration Will Add More Than $170 Million In the FY23 Executive Budget to Provide High-Quality Services and Resources for Unsheltered New Yorkers
Funding Is Largest Investment Made by Any City Administration in Street Outreach and Low-Barrier Programs
Investment Will Fund 1,400 Low Barrier Safe Haven and Stabilization Beds, Bringing Total to Over 4,000 Beds to Serve New Yorkers
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced unprecedented investments in high-quality services and resources dedicated to helping unsheltered New Yorkers transition off the streets and out of the subway system and move into more stable housing. As part of his focus to help those experiencing homelessness, Mayor Adams will be allocating an additional $171 million a year, beginning in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), to aggressively expand and enhance outreach efforts and specialized resources, including Safe Havens, stabilization beds, and Drop-in Centers (DICs). This is the largest investment made by any city administration in street outreach and targeted low-barrier programs to support some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness on the streets and in the subways.
“Too many of our fellow New Yorkers are experiencing unsheltered homelessness — but we cannot and will not abandon them,” said Mayor Adams. “We are making the largest investment in street outreach and low-barrier beds that a city administration ever has, in an effort to almost double the number of Safe Haven and stabilization beds available to New Yorkers. These resources will encourage people to come inside and will pave a way toward permanent housing and the stability that every New Yorker deserves.”
“The investments announced today will support thousands of beds for adults experiencing homelessness,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “I want to thank the mayor for prioritizing these dollars now and into the future, and I look forward to working with interagency and community partners to support every New Yorker on their journey to securing a permanent home.”
“This administration is doubling-down on its commitment to making a real and lasting difference in the lives of New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness,” said New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins. “We applaud the mayor’s unprecedented investments in aggressively expanding high-quality supports to address the unique needs of some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. These enhancements and specialized resources will encourage even more New Yorkers to come in from the streets and the subways and receive dedicated services that will help them to get back on their feet and ultimately transition to permanent housing. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated and compassionate outreach staff and provider-partners for their extraordinary efforts around the clock in service of this vital mission.”
“All too often we talk about homelessness and housing as though they are separate, but we cannot solve the homelessness crisis without ensuring we have safe and stable housing for everyone,” said New York City Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Today's investment in Safe Haven and stabilization beds is a critical step towards our ultimate goal. These programs are important because they remove the barriers to access that have often kept people in need of help from getting the support they deserve.”
Mayor Adams has already made significant progress on his commitment to increase the capacity of low-barrier beds dedicated to serving New Yorkers experiencing homelessness as part of his Subway Safety Plan introduced in February. As of today, the city has opened new high-quality sites, which will offer dedicated supports to more than 400 New Yorkers, as part of nearly 500 specialized beds announced in the plan earlier this year. More than 100 additional beds are expected to come online in the coming months, exceeding the goal originally announced in the plan.
With today’s announcement, the city will also open nearly 900 more beds, bringing the total new capacity funded by this investment to more than 1,400 beds. Further, 570 specialized beds are expected to come online by the end of this year, with another 325 by mid-2023. Once online, the city will have over 4,000 specialized beds to serve and support some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers.
In addition to funding for beds, today’s announcement includes $19 million that will be allocated to creating three additional DICs, as well as providing enhanced medical and behavioral health services at city DICs, including funding for specialized staff such as nurses, psychiatrists, and social workers. Finally, $12 million of the funds will be allocated towards DSS’s enhanced and expanded comprehensive outreach program that:
- Increases dedicated outreach staff to further intensify DSS’s subway outreach and placement efforts.
- Adds transportation services and other resources, which will help further streamline the process of connecting clients to suitable placement opportunities.
The city’s low-barrier programs — including Safe Havens, stabilization beds, and DICs — are often the first step towards helping New Yorkers experiencing homelessness accept services and transition off the streets and out of the subways. Safe Havens and stabilization beds are small-scale, low-barrier programs specifically tailored for unsheltered individuals who may be resistant to accepting, or who may not be best served by, other services, including traditional transitional housing settings. These sites are equipped with on-site services and compassionate staff who work closely with these New Yorkers to build trust, stabilize lives, and encourage further transition off the streets and out of the subways, and help them ultimately transition into permanent housing. DICs provide baseline services with the goal of meeting the immediate needs of unsheltered New Yorkers, such as showers, meals, and connections to health care, while also offering on-site case management services and staff — providing an immediate option for individuals who want to transition off the streets and out of the subways.
“This $171 million investment in solutions that can better help support unhoused New Yorkers transition from homelessness is the right approach and a major step forward for our city,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Safe Havens, stabilization beds, and drop-in centers with health care services, along with care-centered street outreach, should be the consistent focus of the city’s efforts directed to our unsheltered neighbors. The council is proud to have prioritized elevating the need for investments in these sound policies and practices, and applaud Mayor Adams for committing this level of resources to them in his Executive Budget. We look forward to continuing to partner with the administration to address the city’s challenge of homelessness by increasing affordable and supportive housing for New Yorkers.”
No comments:
Post a Comment