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Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness & Housing

Helping Homeless People to Rebuild Their Lives. | Building the Blessed City Together.
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For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.
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~~ Matthew 25

 

Upcoming events

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Street Sheets

Resources available for homeless and poor New Yorkers:

Job Skills Development
Food
Hygiene
Medical/Dental
Shelter

Available to download and print on legal sized paper (double sided).

Cry out full throated and unsparingly! Lift up your voice like a trumpet blast....
__________
~~ Isaiah 58

Action Alerts

  • Action Needed: National Housing Trust Fund Legislation This Year
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Policy Updates

  • Work Advantage
  • Federal Farm Bill: Strengthening of Federal Nutrition Programs
  • Federal Housing Budget Fiscal Year 09
  • Federal Farm Bill Passed - Override of Presidential Veto Expected
  • NYC Council passes bill to prohibit landlords from discriminating against tenants on the basis of how they pay their rent
more

Public Policy Advocacy Platform

  • advocacy

Photos from the 2004 opening of the
Building the Blessed City Campaign

 

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Public Policy Platform


1) Permanent Housing Production

  • Create 100,000 New Housing Units Over Ten Years, 33,000 Affordable to Low-Income Families
  • Create 3,000 Units of Supportive Housing for Formerly Homeless Families & 13,000 Units for Homeless Individuals
  • Maximize Incentives for Developers to Create More Affordable Housing by Overhauling Existing Zoning and Tax Incentive Programs
  • Create a National Housing Trust Fund & A Trust Fund in NY to Preserve and Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing for Those Who Need It Most


2) Homelessness Prevention

  • Maintain Existing Housing Stock Through Aggressive Enforcement of Housing Codes and Through Adequate Funding of Affordable Housing Programs in the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD)
  • Preserve Existing Federally and State Subsidized Low and Middle Income Housing and Also Fair & Effective Rent & Eviction Laws to Maintain Affordable Housing
  • Establish an Early Warning Homelessness Prevention System Through the Creation of Community-Based Prevention Programs, especially in High-Risk Neighborhoods, and the Coordination of All Public and Private Agencies
  • Provide Legal Assistance to All Individuals and Households with Housing Problems through the coordinated efforts of Anti-Eviction and Legal Service Providers, Government, and Community-Based Prevention Programs
  • Increase Funding and Access to Emergency Cash Assistance and Emergency Grants to Families Facing a Housing Crisis
  • Identify & Provide Housing Options for Those Being Released from Prisons, Institutions, and for Those Aging Out of Foster Care


3) Human Rights, Emergency and Support Services

  • Respect the Rights and Dignity of Homeless People in Shelters, Drop-In Centers & Public Spaces
  • Maintain the Right, and Remove the Barriers that Prevent Access, to Shelters & Drop-In Centers for Individuals and Families in Need
  • Fund at Adequate Levels, Services to Address the Needs of People on the Streets, in Shelters and in Drop-In Centers, Particularly Supportive Services for Special Needs Populations
  • Empower Staff at All Shelter Access Points to Provide on-Site, the Full Array of Needed Services and Benefits


4) Employment and Income Support

  • Raise the Federal and State Minimum Wage & Expand the City Living Wage Law
  • Create Local Living Wage Jobs and Train Workers Through Public/Private Partnerships
  • Insure That Persons Working for Public Assistance Benefits Receive Appropriate Compensation & Have Opportunities for Education & Training
  • Maximize Household Income by Streamlining Access to and Strengthening Federal and State Benefits While Also Increasing Outreach Initiatives
  • Increase Rent Subsidies to meet Market Rents and Expand Availability of Rental Assistance
  • Provide Adequate Funding for Section 8, and Other Federal Rental Assistance Programs, So That All Eligible Households Receive The Help They Need

 

 

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