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New York City Council
Oversight - Examining the Restructure of the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence under the Office of Community Safety
Read summaries and jump into the video at the segment start.
Staff welcomes attendees to the New York City Council hearing on women, gender, and equity, asks everyone to silence electronic devices, and directs those wishing to testify to see the sergeant for an appearance card.
Chair Amanda Farías opens the hearing, identifies herself as Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity, and acknowledges Council Members Aldebol and Santosuosso for joining.
Farías cites the Cornell University case and the Tompkins County District Attorney reopening a 2024 assault investigation, saying gender-based violence exists in homes, campuses, workplaces, communities, and systems.
Farías describes the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence as created to treat domestic and gender-based violence as a systemic problem, chairing the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee, co-leading the Domestic Violence Task Force, and operating five Family Justice Centers.
Farías asks how restructuring NGBV under the Office of Community Safety can strengthen rather than diminish the city's ability to prevent gender-based violence, support survivors, and hold systems accountable.
Farías introduces Intro 1079, sponsored by herself, which would require NGBV to report anonymous high-level information about calls received by its hotline for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.
Farías presents Resolution 441 declaring November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in honor of the Mirabal sisters.
Farías introduces Intro 295, sponsored by Councilmember Lewis, requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to establish a menstrual health program for endometriosis and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome.
Lewis says the bill would require DOHMH screening, referrals, education, and support, cites CDC data on endometriosis and PCOS, explains the 2026 renaming to PMOS, and urges support for Intro 295-A.
Farías thanks Lewis, then introduces Resolution 637 sponsored by herself and Councilmember Santosuosso, calling on New York State to require insurers to cover all lactation consultation and counseling services without restrictions.
Santosuosso cites breastfeeding benefits, systemic racism and health disparities, federal recognition of lactation consultants, and her own nursing experience, urging the state to ensure insurance coverage without out-of-pocket costs.
Farías thanks committee and personal staff, instructs witnesses to fill out witness slips even if preregistered, notes no votes will be taken today, limits testimony to two minutes, and asks members to limit questions and comments to five minutes.
Farías calls up administration witnesses, and Council staff administers the affirmation to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth and to respond honestly to council member questions.
Dr. Ayesha Delany-Brumsey identifies herself as Commissioner of the Office of Community Safety, joined by Saloni Sethi, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, to update on the transition.
Delany-Brumsey says OCS advances a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to safety, established by Executive Order 15 in March 2026, bringing gun violence, hate crimes, crisis response, victim services, and domestic and gender-based violence prevention together.
Delany-Brumsey says NGBV supports victims and survivors through collaboration with agencies, community partners, survivors, and philanthropy, and oversees prevention and intervention services including the city's five borough-based Family Justice Centers.
Delany-Brumsey cites a $15.7 million budget increase, Home Plus expansion to $4.3 million, immigration and family law services increased 20 percent to $3.9 million, matrimonial right-to-counsel funding, and new mental health, case management, youth prevention, and community-based services.
Delany-Brumsey says some titles and structures may change, but NGBV's mission and programs will not, and it will remain a distinct entity within OCS with dedicated leadership and direct access to OCS leadership and the Deputy Mayor.
Delany-Brumsey says the Deputy Mayor will participate in NGBV advisory councils quarterly and that OCS supports Intro 1079 on hotline reporting with adjustments because the NYC Hope Hotline also supports survivors of other crimes.
Speaker Julie Menin asks what specific additional resources NGBV will access under OCS. Delany-Brumsey cites the $15.7 million budget increase and a coordinated public-health approach to safety.
Menin says NGBV previously had a freestanding office and dedicated commissioner, asking whether the new structure sends a wrong signal to survivors and advocates. Delany-Brumsey says OCS elevates the work, while Sethi says leadership and staff remain in place.
Menin asks how many staff work at OCS and NGBV. Delany-Brumsey says OCS has about 100 staff total, while Sethi says NGBV has 79 staff lines with 59 filled, about a 25 percent vacancy rate.
Menin asks what is being done to fill vacancies. Sethi says historical city hiring freezes caused the backlog, now lifted, and NGBV is working with OCS and the Deputy Mayor to fill positions, recently filling a Staten Island Family Justice Center director role vacant for three years.
Menin says gender-based violence groups and survivors fear the administration is minimizing the work. Delany-Brumsey and Sethi deny minimizing, citing ongoing meetings, site visits, and continued access to NGBV leadership.
Menin says she believes NGBV should be freestanding with a commissioner, expresses disagreement with the restructuring, and turns questioning back to Chair Farías.
Farías notes more than 249,000 domestic violence incident reports in 2024 and asks where OCS places gender-based violence. Delany-Brumsey says it is a top priority and that safety cannot be improved without addressing domestic and gender-based violence.
Farías asks whether six executive director titles and four deputy commissioner titles at NGBV will change. Delany-Brumsey says OCS is reviewing titles across the combined offices and has not made decisions, aiming to reflect seniority and expertise.
Farías asks whether NGBV employees will keep equivalent salaries next year. Delany-Brumsey says combining four offices with different pay scales requires careful equitable review, no significant decisions have been made, and the goal is appropriate staffing.
Farías asks how regularly the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety meets with the Mayor and NGBV on gender-based violence. Delany-Brumsey says the Deputy Mayor meets regularly with the Mayor on OCS, and meets weekly or more with her and Commissioner Sethi.
Farías notes the NGBV Advisory Council sent a February meeting request and recommendations that went unanswered before Executive Order 15. Delany-Brumsey acknowledges early slowness and says the administration later responded and met with the council, while Sethi says new funding reflected advisory asks.
Farías asks whether moving NGBV to OCS could slow open-data reporting. Delany-Brumsey says systems and processes are being put in place to meet obligations, and Sethi says the data and IGA teams remain the same.
Farías cites the annual fact sheet, Family Justice Center client satisfaction surveys, and Fatality Review Committee reports. Delany-Brumsey says the approval process remains largely the same, and Sethi says both commissioners now review reports but it has not been a problem.
Farías notes NGBV manages $13 million in Council discretionary funding and asks how many contracts it holds. Sethi says NGBV manages 90 contracts, and Delany-Brumsey says HRA will continue supporting contracting while OCS builds internal capacity.
Farías asks about the purpose of the new CVAP RFP. Delany-Brumsey says CVAP embeds advocates in every precinct and adds community access points for victims who do not report to police, while Sethi says it increases access and diversifies providers.
Farías appreciates the borough-based RFP response, reserves the rest of her time, and turns questioning over to Council Member Aldebol, followed by Council Members Gutiérrez and Santosuosso.
Aldebol follows up on NGBV's 79 staff lines and 59 filled positions, asking how much vacancy is due to turnover. Sethi says turnover has been low and many staff have been with NGBV for 10 or more years because of the mission.
Aldebol asks whether staffing reductions are expected as roles change. Sethi says it is too soon to know the structure, and Delany-Brumsey says the charge is to build a comprehensive approach and appropriately staff and expand domestic violence work.
Aldebol asks whether the move to OCS will dramatically restructure staff roles. Delany-Brumsey says no dramatic change is anticipated for NGBV programs, but OCS will restructure to provide expertise and operational support; Sethi says core functions remain prevention, direct services, advocacy, research, evaluation, and training.
Gutiérrez asks whether the move under OCS could create delays for people calling 311 or searching for NGBV. Delany-Brumsey says no extra layer is anticipated, NGBV's website will remain, and OCS will link to it.
After Gutiérrez asks OCS to update 311 call center staff, Delany-Brumsey agrees to circle back and asks the Council to report any delays so OCS can address them.
Gutiérrez cites high domestic violence rates in her district and asks how NGBV will partner with OCS divisions on public housing. Delany-Brumsey says NGBV staff joined Deputy Mayor-led public housing safety meetings with the Office of Neighborhood Safety and that joint work is being strengthened.
Gutiérrez asks whether NGBV receives additional resources under OCS. Delany-Brumsey says NGBV received $15.7 million in additional funding this year, the largest increase since 2018.
Santosuosso honors constituent Maria Inez Granda, killed in an extreme act of domestic violence, then asks how the $15.7 million flows to CBOs and Family Justice Centers versus administrative costs. The answer says all $15.7 million is for contracted programs.
Santosuosso asks whether current NGBV-funded contractors or providers will see any funding decrease due to the merger. The answer says no funding is being decreased, only increased.
Santosuosso asks if CBOs and providers will have the same access to NGBV staff amid confusion about the merger. Delany-Brumsey says staff from frontline to leadership continue working with partners and are an additional point of access.
Santosuosso asks how the CVAP RFP will ensure precinct-based advocates work collaboratively with NYPD rather than as siloed outside workers. Sethi says NGBV has built relationships with NYPD and cites a recent success getting posters about CVAP advocates placed in precincts.
Santosuosso asks whether that NYPD collaboration will change due to restructuring. Sethi says it will not and offers the poster example as a small but meaningful win.
Farías asks about the future of Family Justice Centers currently operated by Safe Horizon. Sethi clarifies NGBV operates the FJCs and Safe Horizon is one of 10 contracted providers, says services remain unchanged, and notes 63,000 visits annually.
Farías asks how OCS will protect small community-based organizations serving specific languages or cultural communities from funding lapses during the transition. Delany-Brumsey says preventing payment gaps is a core concern, especially for small providers that cannot float expenses.
Farías asks whether the internal contracting database is part of the plan. Delany-Brumsey says yes, it is part of building OCS's contracting function, and Sethi says a working group with other city agencies will coordinate and communicate with providers.
Farías seeks the total NGBV budget. Sethi says FY27 total is $89.1 million, with roughly $7 to $8 million for staff and the rest contracted programming and discretionary Council contracts; Delany-Brumsey confirms the $15.7 million increase is part of that total.
Farías asks how OCS will facilitate relationships between domestic and gender-based violence organizations and gun violence prevention and violence interrupter programs. Delany-Brumsey cites advisory councils, cross-team work, and potential Family Justice Center-like models.
Sethi says OCS does not need everyone to be an expert in everything, but cross-training helps teams understand distinct roles and refer survivors appropriately, similar to how legal and mental health staff collaborate in Family Justice Centers.
Farías asks how OCS and NGBV will address domestic violence alongside poverty and homelessness. Delany-Brumsey says the work involves social determinants and drivers of violence, flexible funding, emergency housing, and long-term infrastructure.
Farías says she has no further questions, thanks the administration panel, and excuses them before opening public testimony.
Farías reminds the public this is a government proceeding, asks for decorum and silence unless called to testify, prohibits video or photography from the witness table, limits testimony to two minutes, and explains written testimony submission.
Farías calls Alina Victor, Liz Roberts, Judy Kluger, Maritza Rico, Rosanna Conforme Camposano, and Iman Gord to testify as the first public panel.
Deputy Executive Director of VIP, a Latine survivor-led organization, describes 5,000 helpline calls and 3,500 survivors served annually. She supports placing NGBV with OCS but demands survivor voices shape strategy and that NGBV receive resources and leadership role.
Kluger says gender-based violence is a distinct crisis affecting housing, homelessness, poverty, child care, health, immigration, and economic security. She criticizes the EO15 restructuring as diminishing NGBV and lacking survivor consultation, and urges restoring a standalone office.
Safe Horizon CEO says OCS leaders are thoughtful but criticizes downgrading NGBV leadership, adding layers, and potential title and salary changes that could harm expertise. She warns the CVAP RFP reduces funding while adding requirements and will lower precinct-based reach.
Womankind Chief Program Officer says the organization serves nearly 3,000 survivors annually in 18 languages. She urges that success be measured by impact on the most affected and that culturally specific organizations be engaged as partners from the beginning.
Rico describes New Destiny's housing work and NGBV Advisory Council membership, asking that gender-based violence retain dedicated senior leadership and that Family Justice Centers remain a front door. She also warns that NYCHA emergency housing vouchers funding runs out in November and some 2,000 households remain unmatched.
Farías asks what areas the city is not considering in preventing gender-based violence. Liz Roberts says the city lacks a comprehensive primary prevention plan across all ages and communities.
Victor says culturally specific services are often reduced to language access, but immigrant survivors face broader barriers including immigration-related stress and family dynamics that need closer attention.
Rico says the administration acknowledges the housing and domestic violence intersection but the city must address domestic violence as a top cause of homelessness; NGBV has been a bridge to housing agencies.
Campuzano says gender justice has been absent from the administration's messaging, especially affordability. She notes domestic violence drives homelessness and gender inequity fuels cyclical poverty and financial entrapment.
Kluger says survivors need to hear the administration say gender-based violence is important, and they have not heard that since January.
Farías asks what successful programs need expansion. Judy Kluger cites youth and Camp Hope, Maritza Rico cites housing navigation and aftercare, Rosana Campuzano cites restorative justice circles, Liz Roberts returns to CVAP, and Alina Victor later describes Pathways to Healing embodiment work.
Farías thanks and excuses the first panel and calls the next panel including Iman Gard, Stephanie Woodbine, Lauren Schuster, Angie Martinez, Tanisha Sanders, and Angelina Rosado.
Woodbine says restructuring demotes 25 years of health and human services work without survivor input. She fears lost direct access to leadership, notes federal EHV cuts for survivors, and calls for survivor inclusion, direct cash, timely contracts, and public education.
Ghad says Girls for Gender Equity fears the restructuring will deprioritize gender-based violence and survivors. She recommends survivor-centered policymaking, timely contract payments, increased funding for youth survivors, and the mayor speaking publicly against gender-based violence.
Rosado describes survivors navigating disconnected systems and asks who is in charge and what resources remain protected after restructuring. She proposes a 12-month survivor-led domestic violence community hub pilot and says domestic violence is community safety.
Martinez recounts being kidnapped with her daughter in 2012 and says the system must do more than respond after harm. She asks whether survivors receive services, whether community organizations are meaningfully included, and whether success is measured by survivor experience.
Schuster says URI provides shelter to 4,000 people nightly, 65 percent of them children, and criticizes the restructuring as announced without consultation. She notes more collaborative engagement since then, supports NGBV coordinating services, and urges investment in prevention and abusive partner intervention.
Farías asks for gaps in prevention. Iman Ghad says youth need third spaces, mental health support, immigration support, and sustainable funding because gender-based violence is not a one-time issue.
Woodbine says the city must invest in helping children of survivors, especially when they enter the carceral system. She shares her own experience with her son's sentencing, custodial court, economic instability, and ACS surveillance.
Rosado says the city should shift focus from burdening survivors to serving people who cause harm. She describes Sisters in Purple's Brothers in Purple initiative and training gun violence prevention and reentry staff to identify domestic violence.
Schuster says URI operates abusive partner intervention programs that provide accountability-based trauma-informed programming. She cites an Urban Institute evaluation finding reduced recidivism, arguing such investments increase survivor safety and lower long-term city costs.
Ghad says school disciplinary measures mirror the carceral system and traumatized youth are often pushed out. She argues restorative justice in schools is part of ending gender-based violence.
Rosado says Sisters in Purple's Future Purple Nation works with schools and shelters to teach youth about domestic violence and teen dating violence. She says children need real resources so they do not carry anger into gun violence and future harm.
Farías appreciates the panel's comments, mentions upcoming consent-awareness bills, and excuses the second public panel.
Farías extends public testimony to three minutes to respect survivor experiences and accommodate the hearing schedule. She calls Shamara Kelly, Madeline Garcia-Bigelow, Sherry Yvette Barnett, Mildred Ramos, and later Taina Bien-Aimé and Luz Katari.
Sisters in Purple co-founder and Voices of Women organizer says Black women survivors fall through the cracks whether domestic violence is addressed through NGBV or OCS. She criticizes the lack of survivor inclusion in the restructuring and asks what OCS will do to protect Black women from violence.
Ramos describes being abducted and trafficked as a 16-year-old, ACS and OCFS failures, and decades of trauma and instability. She demands extradition and prosecution, independent oversight with paid survivor seats, cross-border tracking, first-responder CNS training, and housing and economic support.
Garcia-Bigelow, a 33-year advocate, lists recent domestic violence homicides and criticizes the mayor's silence. She says NGBV was built with survivors and providers, warns consolidation risks deprioritizing specialized work, and asks for survivor-led policymaking and a real seat at the table.
Katari describes orders of protection not being enforced, case manager turnover, an emergency housing voucher transition, rent arrears, and eviction risk. She says a referral slip is not a service and asks the committee to protect programs, track real outcomes, and preserve NGBV independence.
Farías says the bills under consideration include hotline reporting to obtain breakdowns of calls and follow-up, aiming to make data actionable rather than just another data point.
Bien-Aimé, Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, opposes downgrading NGBV and its commissioner. She says gender-based violence is a grave human rights violation requiring specialized expertise and dedicated infrastructure, and urges maintaining an independent commission headed by a commissioner.
Farías says the testimony was thorough and asks for anything helpful or missing. Mildred Ramos urges removing the statute of limitations and preserving rape kits, while Shamara Kelly says anything impacting survivors must include survivors at all times.
Garcia-Bigelow says diverse survivor needs should not be forced into one bucket or infighting over rigid deliverables. She praises DOVE and COVID-era flexible funding and criticizes OCS for not separating domestic violence as it did mental health.
Farías says she rarely extends testimony mid-hearing but is respecting the bravery of survivors. She says their testimony gives her tools to fight for the bills and oversight outcomes from the hearing.
Katari says her abuser is using child support proceedings to try to incarcerate her and continue abuse, and that he still stalks her. She says she cannot work due to agoraphobia, PTSD, and physical symptoms, and argues abusers should never have the option to put victims in jail.
Farías promises to raise statute of limitations, family court, and district attorney matters with state officials. She thanks the panel and says she appreciates expanded DOVE flexible funds and will uplift that to the Speaker's finance team.
Farías recalls Sherry Yvette Barnett, Kavita Mehran, and Christopher Johnson. She repeats that testimony must be relevant to the oversight topic, limits speakers to three minutes, and explains written testimony submission within 72 hours.
Mehra, Executive Director of Sakhi for South Asian Survivors, opposes the restructuring and cites high rates of gender-based violence in South Asian communities. She says NGBV must maintain a strong City Hall position and resources and urges investment in community-based services.
Johnson opposes the restructuring but veers off topic with religious and personal accusations. Chair Farías repeatedly asks him to stay on topic, cuts his time, and has him removed from the chamber.
Farías asks what more the city could do. Mehra says gender-based violence is the leading public health issue in the city and should be treated as preventable and solvable, with culturally responsive organizations better resourced amid federal immigration pressures.
Mehra says 80 percent of Sakhi survivors identify as Muslim and 12 percent are undocumented. She reports a 14 percent increase in survivors served, 50 percent increase in food justice, and 1,000 percent increase in legal justice, and calls for reframing gender-based violence as a public health matter.
Farías agrees with the public health framing, thanks Kavita Mehra for testifying, and transitions to virtual testimony.
Farías calls Oren Hemovitis, apologizing for any mispronunciation, to testify virtually.
A Legal Aid staff attorney in the Family Law Domestic Violence Unit says Legal Aid urges keeping NGBV as its own office. He cites City Charter Section 19 classifying domestic violence as a public health issue and says added bureaucracy lessens NGBV's authority and coordination.
Farías thanks the previous virtual witness and calls Joanne Kim to testify.
Kim says KAFSC welcomes the new structure and sees value in a connected community safety approach. As a culturally specific organization, KAFSC bridges language, cultural, immigration, and economic barriers and wants to remain a strong partner in shaping the system.
Farías thanks the virtual panel, asks if anyone else wishes to testify, sees none, and adjourns the hearing.