Nadia Swanson (Ali Forney Center) on youth homelessness and DOB approval delays

Thank you, Martha.

Good afternoon.

My name is Nadia Swanson.

I'm the Senior Director of Advocacy and Global Programs at the Ali Fornay Center.

And I first want to give my profound thanks to you, to Speaker Menon, and all the members that supported CHAP, as you've been doing, and giving youth access.

I can say whenever I get to tell our case managers, like, good news that's going to come their way, I usually get a lot of excitement.

Every person I told just sighed with relief that this was happening.

So thank you.

It's going to make a huge difference.

We support the bills discussed today, but I want to focus on two issues that DOB can change.

Today, more than 6,000 youth and young adults experience homelessness in New York City.

There are more than 1,000 beds available to serve them.

Since 2015, our drop-in center has operated 24-7 as a band-aid for a larger problem.

There are simply not enough shelter beds for homeless young people.

Before then, youth slept in our center during the day because they had spent the night awake on the streets trying to stay safe.

Letting them sleep overnight gave them their days back and the ability to take the steps towards stable housing and independence.

The model worked.

It ultimately led to five 24-7 youth drop-in centers across the city.

Then in 2023, on one of the coldest days of the year, the city ordered providers to remove sleeping accommodations.

Years later, we still have no reasonable explanation as to why.

Meanwhile, young people sit and drop in center chairs overnight, sometimes for up to six months, waiting for a shelter bed.

We're asking DOB to create an exception with Group B and A3 classifications that would allow temporary non-residential overnight sleeping on cots with low barrier safety standards designed specifically for drop-in centers.

The second issue is the speed of DOB approvals for organizations creating desperately needed housing.

We're asking DOB to establish a priority review process for nonprofit community service organizations, particularly those creating shelter and housing for vulnerable New Yorkers.

In October 2025, we cut the ribbon on 20 newly developed beds that remain empty.

Well, approximately 450 young people are on a wait list, and we could have served 70 youth in the past year at that site.

We spent significant resources developing the property.

We spent money to expedite, and it should not have taken this long to get a walkthrough to be able to implement these changes.

So I think you understand why this is so necessary.

Thank you.

Thank you.