Tuesday, September 22, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 2
Committee: Committee on General Welfare
0:04 Thank you teddy
0:04 . Hello good afternoon welcome
0:15 to today's New York City
0:16 council hearing for the
0:17 committee on general welfare
0:19 at this time please silence
0:22 all phones if you wish t
0:23 ospeak in today's hearing
0:24 please fill out on a parent's
0:26 card with one of the sergeants
0:29 moving forward no one is t
0:30 oapproach the dez chair you
0:35 begin.
0:36 Thank you so much and good
0:39 afternoon welcome to today's
0:40 hearing on legislation
0:41 concerning the City family
0:43 homelessness and eviction
0:45 prevention supplement more
0:46 commonly known as City febreze l
0:50 welfare welfare committee
0:51 chair and my pronouns are she
0:53 her New York City is facing
0:55 two intertwined crises and
0:57 acute affordable housing
0:59 shortage and a staggering
1:00 number of New yorkers who are
1:01 unhappy housed according t
1:02 othe coalition for the homeless
1:03 in July 20 26 96528 people
1:08 slept in New York City
1:10 shelters each night including
1:14 30824 children the total
1:15 number of people without homes
1:17 is far higher between folks
1:19 sleeping unsheltered and
1:19 people living doubled or
1:20 tripled up with family or
1:22 friends the number is more
1:24 likely in the hundreds of
1:25 thousands let that sink in
1:28 hundreds of thousands of our
1:29 neighbors school kids people
1:31 fleeing domestic violence
1:32 people who just can't make the
1:34 rent because it's too dam
1:35 nhigh have to question whether
1:37 they will have a roof over
1:38 their heads tonight what a
1:40 wholly unacceptable state of
1:42 affairs
1:43 . In New York City everyone
1:44 has a right to shelter but
1:47 frankly shelter isn't enough
1:49 as a City it is imperative
1:50 that we do everything we can
1:53 to get people into permanent
1:55 stable housing City febreze
1:56 I'm sorry sergeants do you
1:57 mind thank you City febreze is
1:59 one of the city's tools to do
2:00 just that as the city's main
2:03 rental assistance program City
2:05 pheap supports New yorkers who
2:06 are in shelters or at risk of
2:08 losing their homes to move
2:09 into and maintain housing
2:11 according to d s s between the
2:12 inception of City effects in
2:16 20 18 March 20 25 the program
2:17 helped 123600 excuse me 12376
2:25 2individuals secure permanent
2:27 housing understanding the dire
2:28 need for this kind of
2:29 assistance the budget for City
2:30 fabs has continually grown in
2:33 fiscal year 20 26 the City
2:35 budgeted $1.78 billion for the
2:37 program and fiscal year 20 27
2:39 that amount will rise to $1.9
2:43 7billion with even more
2:44 projected for 20 28 and 20 29
2:47 in short this is an important
2:48 program and one that the City
2:50 invests heavily in but the
2:51 program is only valuable if
2:53 people can actually access it
2:56 to do so New yorkers applying
2:57 for City feats need to be able
2:59 to understand where their
3:00 applications for assistance
3:02 stand they need to be able t
3:03 ofind eligible apartments move
3:05 into safe and habitable and
3:07 receive their rental
3:08 assistance payments reliably
3:08 and on time landlords
3:11 participating in rental
3:12 assistance programs also need
3:13 to be able to navigate the
3:15 City fees landscape
3:16 unfortunately there are pain
3:17 points at each of these stages
3:19 that block New yorkers who
3:20 really need the assistance
3:21 from benefiting from it the
3:23 five pieces of legislation
3:24 we're hearing today attempt t
3:25 oremove these roadblocks
3:26 . Intro numbers 98 101 0 1 are
3:31 sponsored by my colleague
3:32 councilmember gail Brewer
3:34 intro number 98 is about
3:35 ensuring apartments are safe
3:36 before City fees is used
3:39 towards rent while also
3:40 balancing the need for
3:41 movements to happen as
3:43 efficiently as possible intro
3:45 number 100 would require the
3:46 department of social services
3:48 or to report the average time
3:49 it takes for an individual t
3:51 osecure housing after receiving
3:53 a shopping letter a document
3:55 issued by that applicants use
3:56 while searching for an
3:57 eligible apartment intro
3:58 number 1 0 1 focuses on the
4:00 time it takes to respond to an
4:03 application for City City
4:04 febreze voucher councilmember
4:07 Brewer give a statement later
4:10 about her legislation
4:10 . In show number 641 sponsored
4:13 by Council Member addresses
4:14 the timing of rental
4:15 assistance payments this bill
4:16 would require that makes City
4:18 febreze rental assistance
4:19 payments no later later than
4:21 seven days before the first
4:22 day of the month to which the
4:24 payment applies timely
4:25 payments are important not
4:26 only for tenants but also for
4:27 landlords who participate in
4:29 the program payment delays can
4:31 create uncertainty for both
4:31 sides and can undermine the
4:33 stability City pepes eps is
4:35 intended provide he also give
4:36 a statement later finally
4:39 preconcert intro number t 26 t
4:44 20 26 14 20 24 sponsored by
4:46 Council Member murano seeks to
4:47 make the City phipps process
4:48 smoother for landlords by
4:50 requiring to administer an
4:52 online portal for landlords
4:53 who participate in rental
4:54 subsidy programs he also make
4:57 a statement later I look
4:59 forward to hearing from the
5:00 administration and the public
5:01 about these proposals I want
5:03 to conclude by thanking the
5:04 committee staff for their work
5:05 on this hearing hannah cohen
5:08 nina rosenberg justine campos
5:10 faria raymone and elizabeth
5:11 childers garcia I'd also like
5:12 to thank my staff andrew
5:14 wright l'echo rutan and demi
5:16 brown and I will now pass it
5:16 over to the committee counsel
5:18 to administer the oath to the
5:20 administration thank you
5:21 . Now in accordance with the
5:22 rules of the council I will
5:24 administer the affirmation t
5:25 othe witnesses from the mayoral
5:27 administration please raise
5:28 your right hand.
5:29 Do you affirm to tell the
5:30 truth the whole truth and
5:31 nothing but the truth in your
5:33 testimony before this
5:34 committee and respond honestly
5:37 to council members I do I do
5:40 thank you before delivering
5:41 testimony please state your
5:42 name for the record go ahead
5:49 yeah good.
5:49 Good afternoon my name is
5:51 aaron dalton and I'm the
5:52 commissioner of the department
5:53 lthe committee on general
5:59 welfare I'm aaron dalton and I
6:00 serve as the commissioner of
6:01 the department of social
6:03 services joining me today are
6:05 fra administrator scott french
6:07 and andrea reed executive
6:09 deputy deputy commissioner of
6:10 housing services
6:12 administration at thank you
6:14 for convening today's
6:15 legislative hearing and
6:15 offering me the opportunity t
6:17 oprovide feedback on the five
6:18 legislative proposals on the
6:19 agenda for today
6:19 . I want to begin by
6:21 expressing my appreciation for
6:23 our ongoing constructive
6:24 dialog and legislation and
6:27 legislative approach proposals
6:28 to the extent that legislative
6:30 proposals can benefit from
6:31 more nuanced detailed
6:33 understandings of current
6:34 practice and the impacts of
6:35 these proposals we look
6:36 forward to continuing these
6:38 conversations with the bill's
6:41 sponsors turning to the
6:41 central topic of today's
6:43 hearing City fops City phelps
6:45 was established in of 201
6:47 8with the consolidation of
6:49 several predecessor housing
6:50 voucher programs today City
6:52 fab serves more than 71000
6:54 households and a hundred 62000
6:58 New yorkers citi fab serves as
6:59 a a component of a continuum
7:00 of care that sets vulnerable
7:02 New York er's on a path
7:03 towards permanent housing well d
7:06 work in a City that cares for
7:08 its vulnerable neighbors in
7:09 this way it is worth reminding
7:12 us all that City fats is one
7:14 of several rental subsidies
7:15 established to support low
7:16 income people in need of
7:19 housing assistance and I urge
7:19 us all to continue to advocate
7:21 for federal and state housing
7:23 and rent housing and rental
7:25 subsidy investments which have
7:26 been cut considerably in
7:28 recent years briefly before
7:29 turning to the specific
7:30 legislation on the agenda
7:31 today I would like to take a
7:32 moment to share my two share
7:34 the agency and administrations
7:36 perspective on government
7:37 efficiency and government
7:39 excellence which is at the
7:40 heart of each of the bills
7:42 being discussed today the
7:43 intent of each of the bills is
7:46 to improve timeliness customer
7:47 servants customer service and
7:48 transparency of this critical
7:50 government program this is a
7:51 key pillar of the
7:54 administration demonstrated in
7:56 numerous ways but explicitly
7:57 by aiming to accelerate the
7:58 housing development and move
8:00 in process by issuing the
8:02 speed report announced in this
8:04 year likewise as we have taken
8:06 steps to improve City apps
8:08 review and approval process
8:10 including shift shifting to a
8:12 single staff review and
8:13 supervisory approval for cases
8:15 and fine tuning our focus on
8:18 eligibility for propert
8:20 yownership pay subsidy type and
8:22 clients through increased
8:23 staff and provider training
8:25 and landlord engagement our
8:26 goal is that the streamlining
8:28 of the process will result in
8:30 fewer return packages and a
8:31 reduction in the time it takes
8:33 for clients to move into
8:35 permanent housing I now turn
8:36 to the legislation on the
8:39 agenda today introduction 9
8:40 8sponsored by Council Member
8:43 what require the commissioner
8:44 of social services to deem a
8:45 dwelling unit habitable before
8:48 approving City febreze rental
8:48 assistance for that unit
8:50 . All New yorkers deserve safe
8:52 and affordable housing we
8:53 share the goal of ensuring
8:54 that City fobs inspections are
8:56 conducted quickly and result
8:57 in safe quality housing for
8:58 the New yorkers we serve while
9:00 we oppose some of the specific
9:01 requirements of the
9:02 legislation we are pleased t
9:03 oreport on a pilot program that
9:05 we think meets the intent of
9:07 introduction 98
9:08 . For the last nine months
9:10 we've been operating a pilot
9:11 program that tests many of the
9:13 approaches articulated in the
9:15 proposed legislation we
9:16 believe that the lessons from
9:17 this pilot program set forth
9:19 the foundation for an approach
9:20 that balances the desire t
9:22 oprocess applications quickly
9:25 with the need for safe housing
9:27 conditions this process allows
9:28 for inspections to be
9:30 conducted by providers in most
9:33 instances and hr inspectors
9:35 for more challenging units we
9:36 are also exploring the
9:38 establishments establishment
9:39 of a pre qualified list of
9:40 third party third party
9:41 inspectors to allow approved
9:43 organizations to inspect and
9:44 improve vacant apartments
9:45 prior to occupancy occupancy
9:47 for all newly constructed
9:49 buildings like the proposed
9:51 legislation our approach now
9:53 distinguishes between minor
9:54 and major repairs and our
9:56 expedited re inspection
9:57 process offers an opportunity
9:59 to promptly remedy minor
10:01 faults and relay that evidence
10:04 to hr landlords send photos
10:06 documenting that the failures
10:07 have been addressed and that
10:08 the unit unit now meets
10:11 habitability standards virtual
10:12 inspections have proven to b
10:13 ea valuable tool in both
10:15 maintaining agency safety and
10:17 habitability standards and
10:18 from an efficiency perspective
10:21 . Each era uses virtual
10:23 inspections and or reines uses
10:25 virtual inspections for re
10:27 inspection using whatsapp or
10:29 facetime to help streamline
10:31 the process further we'll be
10:31 ready to roll out these
10:33 process improvements system
10:34 wide in the first quarter of
10:37 next year while unattended if
10:39 adopted as drafted this bill
10:40 would limit our flexibility
10:42 increase burden and time t
10:44 oprocess and require the
10:45 addition of many more fra
10:46 inspectors and inspections we
10:48 are committed to responsible
10:50 and expedited approval moving
10:51 timeliness for City fabs
10:53 clients and we think the
10:54 current process well balances
10:56 the joint goals of product
10:57 processing quickly and
10:58 ensuring safe housing for New
10:59 yorkers we serve we look
11:00 forward to the discussion of
11:02 the proposed legislation and
11:04 changes we've made to the
11:05 process and hope they meet the
11:06 underlying goals of the
11:09 proposed legislation
11:09 . Introduction 100 sponsored
11:11 by Council Member would
11:13 require the department of
11:14 social services to annually
11:16 annually submit to the Mayor
11:17 and the speaker of the council
11:18 and to include in mayor's
11:20 management management report
11:21 the average time it takes for
11:23 an individual to secure
11:24 housing after receiving a
11:25 voucher we share the aim of
11:27 advancing transparency through
11:29 timely and accurate reporting
11:30 of relevant data we are able
11:32 to report on the metric
11:33 proposed in the legislation
11:34 but we hope to have further
11:36 discussion with the bill's
11:37 sponsor around the
11:38 interpretation of these
11:38 metrics and whether they are
11:40 the best metrics to use to
11:41 assess the City phelps program s
11:45 impacting timelines from time
11:46 of receipt of initial initial
11:48 shopping letter to move out
11:50 including a historically low
11:51 vacancy rate for affordabl
11:52 epermanent housing units for
11:55 instance a survivor of
11:56 domestic violence be limited
11:58 geographically to ensure
12:00 safety another household be
12:01 focused on finding housing in
12:03 a particular borough due to
12:03 the location of there child
12:05 school and health services.
12:07 In addition to the
12:09 challenges posed by attempting
12:10 to gain general insights from
12:12 a nuanced metric already
12:14 reports on various metrics
12:16 including local law 79 lengthy
12:18 stay reporting for rental
12:20 assistance programs and we
12:21 would like to explore whether
12:23 the sponsor would feels the
12:25 benefit of explore with the
12:25 sponsor the benefit of adding
12:27 this additional metric
12:30 introduction 1 0 1 sponsored
12:32 by Council Member would
12:33 require the department of
12:35 social services to respond t
12:36 ocity febreze frontal
12:37 assistance applications within
12:39 15 days of receipt to inform
12:40 the applicant of whether the
12:41 application has been approved