Join the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing
At a City Hall press conference yesterday I helped to launch the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing, which calls on Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to negotiate a new City-State agreement to create 30,000 units of supportive housing over the next 10 years. Drawing on the lessons learned during my 35 years at Community Access, I was able to share a simple but important message: supportive housing works and we need more of it.
I was present in 1990 when Mayor Dinkins and Governor Cuomo announced the first NY/NY Housing agreement to build 5,000 units of supportive housing for people who were homeless and mentally ill.
It was a bold experiment for a model that had not been tested on a large scale, mixing units for disabled and homeless people with affordable units for the working poor. We would end segregated residential models, accept tenants regardless of their diagnosis, provide “high end” amenities (including computer centers, exercise rooms, and 24 hour front desks), and offer support services to any tenant who requested assistance.
The results were – and continue to be – outstanding. Both in terms of quality of life:- formerly homeless people now have a primary care physician, and get routine check-ups;
- formerly marginalized and vulnerable populations can now reconnect with families, find jobs, socialize with friends, and in many buildings, adopt a pet.
- turnover rates below 2%;
- millions of tax dollars saved in emergency and institutional care;
- no defaults for investors, meaning buildings are well-maintained and meeting all financial obligations.
NY1 News Report
Over the years, we’ve also learned that many other high need groups can benefit from supportive housing, including: people in recovery from substance use, people with HIV/AIDS and other chronic health issues, youth aging out of foster care, frail seniors, disabled veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and formerly incarcerated women with children.
Crucially, however, the demand for supportive housing continues to far outstrip supply. That’s why Community Access has ambitious plans to build 1,000 more units within the next five years. And why the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing is so important.
Now is the time to get this vital work done. With your continuing support, I’m confident that we will.
