Get Involved! Calls to Action and Recent Reports on Homelessness

POLICY MATTERS

A monthly update on policy issues in the fight against homelessness in NYC

April 2025

CFH Testifies at City Council Preliminary Budget Hearings

With the city budget session in full swing, CFH has been testifying before City Council during their preliminary budget hearings to ensure that the needs of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness remain a priority. On Monday, March 17th we testified before the Committee on General Welfare where we focused on asking that the FY26 Budget take decisive action to rectify payment issues for shelter providers. On Monday, March 24th, we testified before the Committees on Health and Mental Health, Addiction, and Disabilities about the importance of supporting city council funded health initiatives that have become integral to addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness in New York City.

You can read our testimony here

CAB Spotlight: Source of Income Discrimination and #HandsOffHousing Rally!

March was a busy month for our Consumer Advisory Board (CAB). On March 12th, members of our CAB gathered on the steps of City Hall in support of the VALUE in Housing Campaign looking to address source of income discrimination. In March, NYC Councilmember Shekar Krishnan introduced several pieces of legislation to combat the most common forms of housing discrimination faced by New Yorkers who rely on housing vouchers. Our CAB joined fellow advocates in urging the city to take decisive action against this widespread and unlawful practice affecting voucher holders. For more information on the campaign, visit stopsidnyc.com.

On March 21, we gathered at City Hall with over 500 advocates to emphasize the lifesaving impact of federal housing investments. Any attempts to gut the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and roll back critical housing investments will inevitably worsen the housing and homelessness crisis for all New Yorkers. Our message was clear “Hands Off Housing!”.

Do you know someone who might be interested in joining the CAB?

Contact Chelsea Rose, Policy and Advocacy Manager, at crose@cfhnyc.org.

The Cost of Providing Housing to All Households in Homeless Shelters

As homelessness reaches historically high levels, researchers at the Homelessness Research Institute and the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study to analyze the costs of placing every household currently residing in homeless shelters across the United States into housing first programs. Using data from several sources, the study found that an additional $9.6 billion would be required to achieve this goal in a single year.

The report revealed that in 2022, only 16% of households served in shelters were placed into permanent housing through Housing First programs, such as Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) and Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). This highlights a significant shortfall in the current Housing First program’s capacity to meet the needs of the 1.05 million sheltered homeless households. While the estimated $9.6 billion one-year cost to provide housing placements to all sheltered households is double the estimated $5.4 billion needed to close the gap in emergency shelter options, fully funding Housing First programs would significantly reduce the demand for new emergency shelters by increasing housing placements, shortening shelter stays, and improving access to existing shelter beds.

The address this gap, the report recommends:

Increase Discretionary HUD and VA Housing First Program Appropriations
Utilize Medicaid
Dramatically Expand the Availability of Targeted Housing Vouchers
Create a New Way to Deliver Rental Assistance

Read the entire report here .

Say NO to Medicaid Cuts!

The House passed a budget resolution that will cut $880 billion from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, aka cuts to Medicaid. These cuts will have a significant impact on the lives of those who rely on Medicaid to access life-saving health services. This will have an even deeper impact on people experiencing homelessness.

Visit the National Alliance to End Homelessness website and choose an action to save Medicaid! It takes two minutes and makes a huge impact!

Take Action!

No State Has an Adequate Supply of Affordable Rental Housing for the Lowest-Income Renters

The National Low Income Housing Coalition recently released The Gap report, highlighting the severe lack of affordable housing options across the country. The report found that the U.S. has a shortage of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes for renters with extremely low incomes. This shortage impacts nearly every community, contributing to the cost-of-living crisis, and is felt most predominantly by the nation’s 10.9 million extremely low-income renters. Nationwide, there are only 35 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households.

The shortage is most severely felt by extremely low-income renters, many of whom are in the labor force, seniors, people with disabilities, students, or single adult caregivers. Additionally, Black, Latino/a/e, and American or Alaska Native households are disproportionately represented among extremely low-income renters. Soaring property values and investor-driven housing markets are worsening the crisis, making it even harder for low-income renters to find stable housing. The gap between housing supply and demand is worsening, leaving many households with severe cost burdens.

“Budget cuts to federal affordable housing programs will only deepen existing challenges and cause further harm to America’s lowest-income renters.”

The growing affordable housing crisis emphasizes the need for federal investments. In New York, there are 981,949 extremely low-income renters with only 325,965 available and affordable rental homes. By prioritizing long-term funding, stronger rent regulations, and strategies to reduce private market pressures, the nation and New York can begin to address the severe lack of affordable housing options available for low-income renters. It is imperative that New York State leads in efforts to create more affordable housing options.

Read the entire report here.

Immigrant Eligibility for Public Benefits in New York State

The New York Immigration Coalition, The Legal Aid Society, and the Empire Justice Center recently conducted training to help providers assess their clients' eligibility for certain public benefits. The guide is designed to support organizations serving immigrant communities by outlining available public benefits and providing a framework for understanding the risks some folks may encounter.

While it does not replace legal advice, the guide offers valuable insights into navigating the complexities of the public benefits system for immigrant populations.

You can find the guide here

The Busy Advocate's April Calendar

Thur., Apr. 3rd, 10:00 AM, New York City Council Committee on General Welfare. Oversight hearing on Hunger and Food Insecurity. Committee Room. View here.

Tues., Apr. 8th, 10:00 AM, New York City Council Committee on Health. Introduction of Int. 0998-2024 on Cooling Centers. Committee Room. View here.

Tues., Apr. 8th, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, A Teach-In on Medical Respite and Homelessness, Health and Housing Consortium. Register here.

Thur., Apr. 10th, 1:30 PM, New York City Council Stated Meeting. Council Chambers. View here.

Tue., Apr. 15th, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, The Health and Housing Consortium. Training: Domestic and Gender Based Violence - Laying the Foundation. Register here.

Mon., Apr. 21st, 1:00 PM, New York City Council Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction. Oversight hearing on the state of health care access for patients with disabilities. Council Chambers. View here.

Wed., Apr. 23rd, 3:00 PM, National Association of Community Health Centers: The Air We Share: Protecting Health Center Patients From Air Quality Issues. Register here.

Thur., Apr. 24th, 1:30 p.m., New York City Council Stated Meeting. Council Chambers. View here.