IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 18, 2021

CONTACT

Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org

NEW POLL: HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING TOP TWO ISSUES FOR NYC VOTERS IN MAYORAL RACE

NEW YORK —Today, WPIX 11 and Emerson College released new polling showing that homelessness and housing are the top issues for voters in New York City’s mayoral race, polling at 20% and 15% support, respectively. In response, VOCAL-NY released the following statement, attributable to Althea Matthews, a leader with VOCAL-NY:

“You need only look around any of the five boroughs to see how urgent the homelessness and housing crises are in the city. It’s children living in shelters with no access to the internet for online learning, it’s our brothers and sisters living on the street, and it’s the record number of single adults living in the city shelters. It’s no wonder voters want the city’s next mayor to prioritize these issues.

That said, we can’t continue funneling those who need housing into shelters and broken rental assistance programs, with no plan to move them into permanent housing. It’s imperative our next mayor recognize the contributing factors to homelessness, and invest in guaranteed housing for the tens of thousands New Yorkers trying to find homes.”

BACKGROUND:

Today, 78,000 people are homeless in New York City. Over 4,000 people are sleeping on the streets and 20,000 single adults are living in congregate homeless shelters. As a part of the Caring & Compassionate New Deal, VOCAL-NY has called for an investment of $2 billion towards guaranteeing housing from the New York City Council.

Additionally, the City Council can take immediate action before the next mayor is elected by passing Intro146 which would improve the city’s voucher program by raising it to a fair market rate. Since before the COVID-19 pandemic, activists, service providers and elected officials have lamented the CityFHEPS program because it offers a false sense of hope to homeless New Yorkers without actually dedicating the resources necessary to get them housed.

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