WILLIAMS' RESPONSE TO GOVERNOR HOCHUL'S STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

 

OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE

FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK

JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS

"As the cost of living continues to rise for New Yorkers, immediate and long-term affordability for working families across our city and state is a vital focus. We’ve fought to raise the minimum wage for over a decade, and both increasing and indexing it to inflation are crucial, as is using the reach and resources of state government to provide relief, security, and economic opportunity.

"Nowhere is this more clear than the single largest expense for New Yorkers - housing. Many of the governor’s proposals were encouraging, including setting new targets for creating hundreds of thousands of units and making it easier to create that housing statewide. As I argued before the speech, making these new homes income-targeted is just as important, if not more so. If the government is taking steps to encourage responsible development, whether through subsidizing or streamlining, that support should only come in exchange for deeply affordable housing.

"Additionally, no housing plan is real without including preservation strategies, and new housing without sufficient tenant protections and foreclosure prevention will not be enough to keep New Yorkers in their homes. The progressive path forward to address the housing and homelessness crisis in our state is one that puts people over profits, communities over corporations. The housing headlines from the governor’s speech are promising, but the real challenges and fights lay ahead in the specifics, and I will continue to fight for true housing justice as these plans are moved toward action."