Brandon Lloyd of URI testifies in support of Intros 101 and 641
Brandon Lloyd of URI says his organization provides shelter to 4,000 people nightly and supports Intros 101 and 641. He says administrative delays prolong shelter stays and late subsidy payments can lead to arrears and loss of housing for domestic violence survivors and others.
Good afternoon.
My name is Brandon Lloyd, and I'm the Director of Government Affairs here at URI.
URI is the largest provider of domestic violence shelter services in the country and a leading provider of transitional housing for families experiencing homelessness.
Each night, URI provides safe, temporary housing to 4,000 individuals across 28 locations here in New York City and across four boroughs.
And through trauma-informed and client-centered services, we work to disrupt cycles of violence and homelessness for survivors, youth, and communities all over New York City.
I want to especially thank Chair Hudson for your continued leadership and partnership on behalf of our residents in your district.
URI is proud to operate shelters in your community, and we deeply appreciate your ongoing support for both the families and pets that we serve.
We would also like to thank Council Members Brewer and Ressler for their leadership and the members of the committee for helping New Yorkers maintain stable housing.
URI strongly supports Intro 101 and 641, as together these bills would extremely streamline City FEPS application response times
and increase transparency within the administration of City FEPS by establishing clear expectations for timely application responses and recurring rental payments.
As these improvements are essential to ensuring that eligible households experiencing are at risk of homelessness, including families and individuals living in both DHS and HRA shelters, such as
Domestic violence shelters can use these vouchers to secure safe and maintain stable and affordable permanent housing.
For the families that we serve here at URI, access to safe and affordable housing is essential to leading independent lives free from violence and crisis.
City FEPS is a crucial lifeline for families and individuals transitioning from temporary housing to permanent housing.
However, access to vouchers alone does not guarantee that a family can secure and maintain permanent housing.
As many of you know, administrative delays unnecessarily prolong shelter stays when families are ready to move, and late subsidy payments can lead to increased rental arrears, disputes with property owners, and the fear of losing permanent housing placement that took months to secure.
These delays can carry serious consequences for all households that rely on city FEPS, including families and individuals in shelter and those at risk of homelessness,
losing an apartment opportunity, extending a shelter stay, or facing pressure to return to a harmful environment.
In conclusion, URI applauds the Council's efforts to make this process more responsive and trauma-informed.
Intro 101 and 641 take meaningful steps in addressing administrative delays by keeping these households informed while they seek housing and delivering rental assistance on a dependable schedule once they are housed.
We respectfully urge the Council to pass Intros 101 and 641 and to work with the Department of Social Services to ensure clear communication support systems capable
of meeting these deadlines.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with the council and to help families secure permanent housing and remain there safely.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.