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Press Releases


City Hall, NY – Ahead of the Rent Guidelines Board vote on proposed rent increases to the city’s nearly one million rent-stabilized units, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams sent the Board a letter calling on them to recognize the affordable housing and homelessness crises the city is facing. New York City’s rent-stabilized units account for almost half of the city’s rental apartments, making it a crucial piece of the city’s affordable housing stock.

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Re: Mayor Adams’ rule change on 90-day rule also adding new counterproductive work requirements that Council bill would eliminate

“For months as New York City’s shelter population grew, the Council raised the alarm around the need to remove barriers to CityFHEPS vouchers to help individuals and families leave shelter and transition to permanent housing. In response to inaction from the Administration, we introduced a comprehensive package of legislative solutions in January to not only address our homelessness crisis but a growing eviction crisis as well.

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Bills provide solutions to record homelessness and worsening eviction crisis

City Hall, NY – In response to Mayor Adams’ executive order suspending the rule that requires individuals to stay in a homeless shelter for 90 consecutive days before qualifying for a CityFHEPS housing voucher, the New York City Council, homeless services providers and advocates called on the Mayor to sign all of the recently-passed Council bills into law.

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“Congratulations to the United Federation of Teachers and its 120,000 members on reaching a tentative contract agreement with the City. Through crises and unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, public school teachers and support staff have been steadfastly committed to our students’ academic and personal success. This agreement is another step towards ensuring that our public education workforce is supported in helping our students recover and receive the well-rounded education they need to succeed.

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“I want to thank NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell for her service to New York City. Commissioner Sewell broke barriers as the first woman, and first Black woman, to lead the largest police force in the country. I empathize with the unique challenges she faced that are so familiar to many of us in positions that have not traditionally been held by those who look like us.

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“I applaud the State Legislature’s passage of the Clean Slate Act that can help improve communities, public safety, and our economy. This bill can open pathways to success for the more than 2 million New Yorkers with an old conviction record who have been blocked from access to employment, housing, education, and other economic opportunities. With the increased participation in our workforce and society created by this legislation, New York is estimated to take in an additional $7 billion annually in state earnings, boosting our economy and recovery from the pandemic.

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Council also votes to increase healthcare cost transparency, require programs for incarcerated transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary and intersex (TGNCNBI) New Yorkers, expand resources for LGBTQ+ and runaway homeless youth, improve access to automated external defibrillators, provide vision testing and eyeglasses to low-income individuals, and provide information about pediatric emergency care   

City Hall, NY – Today, the New York City Council passed the “Zero Waste Act,” a legislative package of zero waste legislation that will advance our city’s efforts to divert organic waste from landfills, fight climate change, and create a greener, more sustainable future for all New Yorkers.

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“We are grateful to our partners in the federal government, including Senate Majority Leader Schumer and House Democratic Leader Jeffries, for helping secure $104.6 million for New York City in this latest round of FEMA funding. As our city continues to experience high levels of homelessness and provides aid to significant numbers of people seeking asylum in our country, this and continued funding is vital to our efforts.

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“The Clean Slate Act can help provide an equitable boost to our communities, economy, and public safety by removing the barriers to employment, housing, education, and other economic opportunities for more than 2 million New Yorkers with an old conviction record. At a time when our city and state are recovering from the economic effects of the pandemic, this bill is estimated to generate over $7 billion more in state earnings and help address our workforce shortage.

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“The Federal Monitor’s latest report detailing recent incidents of violence and deaths within city jails was jarring and illustrated repeated failure by the Department of Correction (DOC) to notify the Monitor of serious incidents in a timely manner. Rather than pursuing accountability and reform, the Department’s response has outrageously and unacceptably been to declare it will no longer provide public information about when someone dies in its custody.

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