Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 10:30 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 2
Committee: Committee on Housing and Buildings
0:13 Hr two good morning welcome t
0:13 onew York City vote for the
0:15 committee on housing and
0:17 building please silence all
0:19 self electronic electronic
0:20 devices no one no one is t
0:21 oapproach the dais chair
0:22 Sanchez we are ready to begin.
0:25 Thank you sergeant and good
0:27 morning I am councilmember
0:29 pierre ena Sanchez a very
0:32 sleep deprived and with
0:33 remarks that aren't totally
0:35 edited so good luck and chair
0:37 of the committee on housing
0:39 and buildings I'm joined today
0:41 today by my colleagues and
0:42 before I begin any remarks I
0:44 want to start with gratitude
0:47 to speaker Julie Menin for
0:48 really holding the line on a
0:50 settlement on the legislation
0:53 and negotiation to the
0:54 leadership of the City Council
0:57 to the progressive caucus
0:58 especially we are in a
1:00 monumental moment today we
1:02 will vote on a pre considered
1:04 introduction t 20 26- 20 97
1:08 sponsored by me that will
1:10 establish a New rental
1:11 assistance program for New
1:13 yorkers facing imminent
1:14 eviction and those living in
1:15 shelter who were previously
1:17 excluded from the existing
1:19 City perhaps program this
1:21 legislation is advancing a
1:23 component of a settlement
1:25 between the the mamdani
1:26 administration and the legal
1:28 aid society ending more than
1:30 two years of litigation City
1:32 fabs was established in 20 18
1:35 to secure stable housing for
1:36 the most vulnerable New York
1:37 er's and in 20 23 the council
1:39 voted to expand the City
1:41 thefts program to provide
1:42 housing to hundreds of
1:43 thousands of our most
1:44 vulnerable New York er's.
1:44 But the previous mayoral
1:46 administration refused t
1:48 oimplement the law even after
1:49 mayoral veto was overturned
1:52 would not implement the law so
1:54 legal aid society and the
1:55 council joined together t
1:57 obring the act to court.
1:59 And after a multi year legal
2:01 battle and countless hours of
2:04 negotiation beginning with the
2:06 mamdani administration today's
2:08 settlement the 27 budget and
2:10 this piece of legislation
2:12 together represent a historic
2:14 agreement that ensures New
2:15 yorkers facing homelessness
2:17 will finally benefit from a
2:19 significant expansion in New
2:20 York City housing vouchers.
2:21 The legislation brought
2:22 forward today preserves the
2:23 key goals of the 20 23 City
2:26 perhaps reform laws to kee
2:27 pnew York er's facing evictions
2:29 in their homes and to remove
2:32 arbitrary arbitrary
2:33 eligibility barriers for New
2:34 yorkers living in shelters
2:37 with concrete funding
2:37 commitment as well of a
2:40 hundred $75 in fiscal year 2
2:43 7and $125 million baseline
2:44 starting next year this
2:46 legislation will provide tens
2:47 of thousands of New yorkers
2:50 approximately 9600 families
2:52 the stability and relief that
2:53 they have been waiting on for
2:55 years there has been some
2:57 misunderstandings in the press t
2:59 some of what is in this
3:01 legislation in terms of
3:03 eligibility eligibility is
3:04 largely kept intact so we are
3:06 expanding access to ah t
3:09 othese two this New voucher
3:11 program for families and
3:13 adults and shelter who earn
3:15 above 250% of am I so what
3:19 that means is that we're
3:21 keeping the increased income
3:22 threshold from the 20 20 2
3:24 3laws were also expanding
3:26 access to runaway homeless
3:28 youth at those those people
3:30 folks living our young people
3:32 living in the with shelters
3:33 shelters those are who are
3:34 living in h shelters and those
3:35 who are living in m o c mock j
3:38 shelters so there has been no
3:41 cutting of eligibility for
3:43 folks in shelter in community
3:45 we are similarly keeping the
3:47 income threshold at 50% amii
3:49 which is an increase and also
3:51 just a New category of
3:53 eligibility altogether because
3:53 folks in community were
3:55 previously
3:55 . Not eligible for these
3:58 vouchers and so folks in
3:59 community who are facing
4:00 eviction actively in housing
4:02 court will be and who are
4:03 living in a rent stabilized
4:04 apartment will be eligible for
4:06 the voucher there's no work
4:08 requirement across the board
4:10 and importantly the
4:11 legislation including includes
4:13 a provision that allows the
4:14 administration and the City
4:16 council to expand access as
4:18 and if who knows
4:19 . Life is funny things change
4:21 there is extra money in a
4:24 future future time so t
4:25 oensure that fair distribution
4:27 of available vouchers vouchers y
4:29 allocated between the in
4:32 shelter eligible population
4:32 and the community eligible
4:35 population we are codifying
4:37 that the reform laws some of
4:39 the reform laws that were
4:41 passed including the 90 day
4:42 rule that was passed by then
4:46 or ending the 90 day rule
4:47 rather that was passed by then
4:49 Council Member and deputy
4:51 speaker diana ayala and
4:52 reforming the utility
4:54 allowance that was passed by a
4:57 council.
4:58 And this I told you it was I
4:58 was an unedited but I want t
4:59 omake sure that the facts are
5:00 right this is the only time I
5:02 won't have a time limit to
5:05 talk about this but I just
5:07 cannot emphasize enough that
5:08 this is a historic win for
5:09 vulnerable New York er's we're
5:13 expanding housing vouchers
5:14 responsibly we're controlling
5:15 the cost because this is a
5:16 capped appropriation it is not
5:17 an entitlement program and
5:20 we're putting most
5:21 fundamentally most important
5:23 to me personally is that we're
5:24 putting the City on a stronger
5:27 pathway pivoting us from
5:27 costly shelter reliance toward
5:30 permanent homes today we're
5:31 we're marking the day where we
5:34 stop prioritizing paying more
5:35 for worse outcomes for our
5:37 families outcomes that
5:39 destabilize our our
5:40 communities.
5:41 And with that I have a long
5:42 list of acknowledgements but
5:43 to finally thank the of course d
5:49 division I see you andrea
5:52 vasquez smita that jeff baker
5:54 of course our general counsel
5:56 marker hebei our finance
5:58 division jonathan rosenberg
6:01 julia harrah miss I have given
6:04 him this is awkward but I've
6:05 given him a nickname that I
6:06 said I wouldn't say in public
6:07 but you know we're there are
6:09 the general counsel at the
6:10 mayor's side steve eby steve
6:13 Banks we got to the finish
6:16 line here I really really
6:16 appreciate all the work and
6:19 the coalition the homes can't
6:21 wait coalition legal aid
6:22 society vocal New York win
6:23 coalition for the homeless voa
6:26 safety net project css there
6:27 are more but I just want t
6:28 othank you all for holding the
6:29 line getting us to this finish
6:31 line and to my team my chief
6:33 of staff maria De lobos ben
6:35 ratner kim castellanos gerard
6:36 fernandez dylan campos maria
6:39 jose mares soraya bonita
6:41 oriana roa acevedo are interns
6:43 mia marcus and ari everybody
6:46 worked so hard on this thank
6:48 you for indulging me and with
6:50 that unless our colleagues
6:53 want to say anything I think I
6:55 asked the clerk to call a roll g
6:57 william martin committee clerk
6:58 roll call vote committee on
7:01 housing and buildings chair
7:04 arena Sanchez hi.
7:07 Riley hi felice proudly
7:11 voted I Abreu congrats sarah
7:15 Hudson permission to to
7:16 explain my vote permission
7:21 granted thank you so kindly I
7:24 just wanted to uh take a
7:26 acknowledge you and your
7:28 tireless efforts really those
7:30 of you and your team and
7:33 everybody involved in bringing
7:35 this home it's not exactly
7:36 where we wanted to be but it's
7:38 still a lot more than it would
7:41 have been without your your
7:43 fight and hard work so.
7:44 Thank you and with that I
7:46 vote aye Joseph I vote aye
7:50 congrats pie I hope you get
7:52 some sleep now
7:56 . Williams
7:56 . How about I
7:59 . Congrats Salaam a variety
8:03 and congrats as well hwang
8:06 . I congratulations baloney
8:11 . I vote I congratulations
8:15 Sanchez Won
8:15 . Wilson I would like to align
8:17 myself with Council Member
8:19 comments and and vote aye
8:22 . Thank you with the vote of
8:25 11 in the affirmative zero in
8:25 the negative and no
8:26 abstentions item has been
8:27 adopted by the committee Madam
8:29 chair that is a full committee
8:31 . Thank you thank you billy
8:32 and with that this vote