Mary Astrid Nussbaumer (Anthos Home) on eviction prevention and housing navigators

Clara Sanchez, Deputy Speaker Williams, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I'm Mary Astrid Nussbaumer, an aftercare specialist at Anthos Home.

We help New Yorkers move from shelter into homes faster and are in the Family Homelessness Coalition.

We are grateful that the mayor's office and the council recognize the severity of the homelessness crisis and are energized by block by block.

Based on our experience, here are some implementation recommendations.

For 1.2, reduce eviction cases.

Fund at least one year of stability services for moved-in vouchered households.

Helping people recertify vouchers or fix missing payments keeps small problems from snowballing into eviction.

In fiscal year 24, the city spent $484 million on one-shot deals, about $10K per household, twice the median arrears for affordable housing tenants for nonpayment.

Prevention costs far less.

For 6.2, strengthen housing search and lease-up support.

Contract with housing navigators to help voucher holders secure units.

For a voucher holder facing discrimination and competition, finding a home is hugely difficult and it is harder still for those with complex needs like high health need households.

Designated navigators expand the supply of units, ease shelter staff workloads, and move in more people.

Our written testimony includes three more.

Resolve minor inspection fixes without re-inspection, allow nonprofit staff to sign off on all city FEPS inspections, and expand the match pilot so nonprofits can also refer people to set aside units.

Thank you again.