Members of the city council rallied Thursday to put pressure on the mayor to add funding for public housing to the city budget.
Lawmakers from multiple boroughs gathered outside city hall to demand Mayor Bill de Blasio add $2.45 billion to the city budget for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which would be used to improve the infrastructure.
Community Voices Heard, a member-led organization primarily consisting of women of color and low-income families, supported the council members.
Lawmakers from Brooklyn in attendance included Majority Leader Laurie A. Cumbo, and Council Members Antonio Reynoso, Alika Ampry-Samuel, Carlos Menchaca and Jumaane Williams.
“There has been a historic disinvestment in low-income New Yorkers and communities of color, but the buck stops here. It is inexcusable that in 2018 thousands of New York City residents are living in sub par conditions, waiting for critical repairs that are currently depleting their quality of life,” Cumbo said, “If we are truly a model for equity in this nation, we must allocate the necessary funding and clear the path for repairs in a timely manner.”
“As we get closer to finalizing the City budget I stand tall with the residents of NYCHA and all advocacy groups in ensuring that our most vulnerable residents are able to live in safe, clean and affordable housing. The financial woes of NYCHA have been up front and center for the past six months, and this budget should be a reflection of the critical needs of of nearly half a million New Yorkers,” said Amrpy-Samuel, chair of the council’s Public Housing Committee.
Williams criticized all levels of the government for ignoring NYCHA. He said the government uses unfair comparisons to gauge the housing programs.
“Often times they measure success with an artificially low bar,” Williams said.
Williams said of the $89 billion city budget asking for $2 billion for NYCHA shouldn’t be an issue, especially since this is an issue the council votes upon.
“We cannot go before these people and ask for votes and support and then when they ask for resources we say no,” Williams said.
Reynoso said that NYCHA needs drastic improvements and many of the residents are living in conditions that are unacceptable.
“Low-income communities have a history of receiving the short end of the stick when it comes to resource distribution. NYCHA residents living in squalid and deteriorating conditions are an acute testament to that fact. It is time that the de Blasio administration allocates adequate resources to NYCHA repairs and the creation of deeply affordable housing for NYC residents.”
