I want to thank you, governor, for your leadership. Many of the initiatives that you are putting forward have basically stood stale and stagnant for so many years. And coming in and working with the local electeds, particularly the mayors across the entire state, and the lawmakers in Albany, you have been able to create the partnerships that are needed to move these important pieces of legislation forward. And so I want to personally thank you because this is going to dramatically change the lives of a countless number of New Yorkers.
Today, we're saying yes to more housing. Yes to utilizing the resources that we have in the appropriate way. And yes to listening to those who know firsthand, like Shams DaBaron, who has been a very notable advocate on dealing with those who are homeless. And our partners in HTC, Rich, I cannot thank you enough for really talking about how do we use our hotel population correctly to continue to have union jobs, but at the same time, utilize those hotels that had a market that was overly saturated and using those spaces to do something that many of us know is important, and that is permanent housing.
The hotel conversion bill will unlock affordable housing for New Yorkers. We talked about it and now we have put it in place with the actions of the lawmakers in Albany and the governor moving forward with this important piece of legislation. New York needs affordable housing, we cannot argue with that. And to not focus on converting hotels that are currently there, currently on the market, sitting empty – converting those hotels into now apartments with permanent housing. Repurposing these housing is going to allow older adults, those with families, to take these older buildings and now utilize them to give someone a newer life, a life where they can feel they are receiving the housing they deserve.
And supportive housing, as we engage in the conversation around what are we going to do with our homeless population that are dealing with many different issues, supportive housing is the answer to this issue, and this is going to allow us to do so. And it's going to help us unlock 200 million in funds that we have been eager to utilize and spend the right way. And when you are able to do that, to create permanent housing, it's a win for taxpayers, it's a win for the industry and it's a win for everyday New Yorkers who are looking for housing. This bill will do more than build apartments, it will transform lives. Nothing is more transformative than being able to have your permanent space so you can raise your children and families.
So Senator Kavanagh and Assemblyman Cymbrowitz, for your vision, and as the governor stated, you probably have more pens than anyone from the bills that you are producing helping New Yorkers, and we want to thank you for that and want to thank the governor for signing this bill. And we want to continue to thank our partners in the City Council who advocated for this, as well as those in Albany, our partners there that clearly understood this was a pathway to go. New York is the dream. As we partner with the American dream, as the governor stated, there is a New York dream, and today we are ensuring the continuation of that dream. Absence of a home – you live in a nightmarish reality that you are not participating in the American or the New York dream. Today we say no to that. Today we say, we are a city and state of yes, and we are a place where we will get stuff done. True partnership is allowing this to happen. I thank you, governor.
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