CONTACT: : Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org

VOCAL-NY PRAISES NEW IBO REPORT OUTLINING NYC PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH HOMELESSNESS, UNMET MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, AND SUBSTANCE USE

VOCAL-NY Calls for Removing Barriers to Access and a “Client-Based” Approach to Speed Up Process and Remove Hurdles

NEW YORK — Today, the New York City Independent Budget Office released a new report,, “Overview of Select City Department of Homeless Services And NYC Health Resources,” per the request of VOCAL-NY. The report clarifies the number of programs NYC has to offer people experiencing homelessness, mental health complexities, and substance use, supporting VOCAL-NY’s experience that while services are available, confusion about what and how to access them remains a barrier. 

“For years, we’ve struggled to know all the programs that served the people we work with, and how those programs worked together,” said Jeremy Saunders, Co-Executive Director of VOCAL-NY. “It’s great to see these programs exist, but half the battle is making sure people know they’re available and can actually access them. We saw the success of better coordination when De Blasio practically eliminated homelessness for veterans. New York City needs a concerted effort to make sure these services are utilized and accessible for those in need.”

BACKGROUND: 

While investments have been made in this recent budget to add more Safe Haven and stabilization beds, New York City will require an additional 4,000 beds to meet the rising unsheltered homeless population. 

Mayor Adams approach to mass homelessness in his tenure has been duplicitous. The administration claims it’s making historic investments in compassionate approaches while adding more hurdles for people to jump through, like proof of six months of street homelessness to access Safe Havens. The Mayor also tried to prevent expanded access to CityFHEPS, New York City’s rental assistance voucher, but his veto was overridden by the City Council. 

Additionally, NYC has 4,000 units of vacant supportive housing. There needs to be a plan to fix these vacancies, especially with this IBO report which outlines the number of programs serving New Yorkers who should qualify for these units.

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