Judy Harris Kluger testifies for Sanctuary for Families

Good morning.

My name is...

If you can move the microphone to you.

Yep, perfect.

Good morning.

My name is Judy Harris-Kluger, and I am the CEO of Sanctuary for Families, New York's largest provider of comprehensive services dedicated exclusively to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and related forms of gender-based violence.

Thank you, Chair Farias and the Committee on Women and Equity, for convening this hearing and the opportunity to testify here.

Gender-based violence is not a secondary issue that can be absorbed in a broader public safety portfolio.

It is a complex and distinct crisis that touches nearly every part of city government, including housing, homelessness, poverty, child care, public health, criminal justice, immigration, and economic security.

More than one in five families in the shelter system identified domestic violence as the reason that they entered shelter.

Addressing a crisis of this scope requires a dedicated office with the authority, expertise, visibility, and accountability to coordinate the city's response across agencies and to ensure that survivors remain a clear priority.

For that reason, we are deeply concerned by the decision to place NGBV within the Office of Community Safety with a diminishing status.

Survivor advocates were only belatedly included in the mayor's transition committee and not at all in the subsequent.

planning discussion around this change.

And the abrupt announcement under EO-15 in March came as a surprise to the field, subsuming NGBV within a larger office risk diluting its mission and obscuring responsibility of who in the administration is addressing the need of survivors.

A standalone office gives gender-based violence a visible place in city government and creates a clear point of leadership for services, survivors, service providers, agency, and the public.

It can set a citywide strategy, coordinate directly with agencies whose policies affect survivors, identify gaps in services, and elevate.

Urgent funding needs.

Addressing gender-based violence through a trauma-informed, culturally responsive policy shaped by survivors and experienced advocates.

These issues intersect directly with public safety, but they cannot be addressed solely through a general public safety framework.

Moving forward, we stand ready to work with Deputy Mayor Francois and Community Safety Commissioner DeLayde Brumsey.

We appreciate the commitment that the Deputy Mayor will join quarterly advisory council meetings to hear from advocates and track progress.

Tomorrow, October 1st.

Marks the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

And I share with my colleague on the right that this is an opportunity for the mayor to affirm that ending gender-based violence is a core city priority.

welcome the administration's recent investments and commitments, but programs and funding require a durable governmental structure to coordinate implementation, measure progress, and ensure accountability.

We therefore urge the administration to restore and maintain a standalone office with sufficient resources, authority, and direct access to senior leadership.

Preserve NGB's specialized expertise, and establish sustained partnership with survivors and advocates.

The city's structure should reflect the scale and urgency of this crisis.

Thank you for your time and for beginning this important discussion.

We look forward to working with the council and the administration to ensure that New York City maintains dedicated, accountable leadership in gender-based violence.

Thank you.

Thank you.

If we can just take a pause for one minute, Sergeant, can you?

Come hither, so I have a question.

Thank you.

So just for folks that are going to be testifying, the clock is working, but the sound for the buzzer is not.

So the sergeant is going to announce when time is expired.

Okay?

Okay, great.

And the buzzer is not that effective anyway, to be honest.

Okay, you may continue.

Thank you.