Wendy Bruno testifies on stalking victimization and shelter danger

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

And also, thank you for DHS and DSS Commissioner for being here.

My name is Fandi Bruno, and I am the structural coordinator for the Way Alliance Women Experiencing Homelessness.

I'm a human rights defender under the UN General Assembly Resolution 53144, the Universal Declaration for Human Rights Defenders.

And I'm a victim of severe stalking victimization that stemmed from domestic violence.

I represent 180 women, 40 of which who live in New York City and are in the shelter system.

And I am at stage eight of the homicide timeline, which is a timeline that was developed by Dr.

Jane Mokhtam-Smith, who is a homicide

expert and a criminologist.

Stage eight generally means that a homicide has occurred.

But in my case, in a contextual way, stage eight means that

stalker is continuously moving towards homicide.

And I've had to move 10 times across New York State.

I had a wonderful develiance on in Buffalo, but I couldn't, stalking victims are sort of

separated from the system in that the Violence Against Women Act is a law that has four criminal pillars, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking.

However, most of the accommodations are for domestic violence victims, which means that

You can continue.

Which means that persons who are victims of stalking do not receive help, are not admitted into domestic violence shelters, and were forced to go into New York City shelters.

And the problem with that is that we are in even greater danger because

When a stalker cannot get to you, then what they do is they pay staff members and they pay individuals that are in close proximity to you to inflict violence or threaten violence.

And when I was at Wynn Shelter, I received four...

Sorry, Wynn Shelter?

Wynn Shelter at 51st Street.

I received four death threats.

And prior to that, I had a fear hearing.

regarding inadequate shelter placement, Fair Hearing 9141502Y.

And DHS was not compliant from April 13th until September 16th when I had to become homeless on the street.

I had to become street homeless in order to trigger

a state within a safe haven within a great area within New York City.

Three members of your council actually know about my circumstance.

Carl Lewis, Councilwoman Brewer, and Sandy Nurse.

It was Sandy Nurse who helped me tremendously and submitting a lot of the documentation into DHS computer.

And then after they did that, I triggered, forced DHS to do something about it, and I became street homeless.

And then BRC, I saw them in...

I can't remember the area.

I have a brain injury, so.

That's okay.

And I just want to ask, do you have written testimony that you'll be submitting as well?

Or just your testimony here?

And it's fine if you don't.

I don't have it here, but I could get it off to you by email.

Yeah.

I wrote down the email.

Yes, if you wrote it down, that's great.

And you can submit your written testimony within 72 hours or three days from now.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you so much for your testimony.

Thank you.