Copyright Bayswater Civic Association 2015, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23
, 24
HOME
STABILITY SUPPORT
New York State Needs Home Stability Support
Home Stability Support (HSS) will be a new statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public assistance benefits and who are facing eviction, homelessness, or loss of housing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions. HSS will be 100% state-
The rent supplement will be a bridge between the current shelter allowance and 85% of the fair market rent determined by HUD. Local districts will have the option to further raise the supplement up to 100% of the fair market rent at local expense.
To address the fact that the heating allowance has not been increased in 30 years, and assistance currently available doesn't go far enough to help pay for heat, HSS will have a heating differential for homes that do not include heat in the rent.
Why do we need HSS?
• There are now over 250,000 homeless people in NYS each year
• Since 2011 the number of school-
• 3 out of 5 homeless New Yorkers are school-
• According to the most recent city and state reports, last year in New York, 23,000 more people become homeless than escaped homelessness
• Since 2011 New York State has added 24,279 shelter beds bringing the total to 90,750 shelter beds statewide
• NYS shelter beds cost as much as $200 per night
• In fiscal year 2017, it cost an average $73,000 to provide emergency shelter to a family and $38,000 to provide emergency shelter to a single adult in NYC
Why is HSS good for New York State?
• HSS will keep families and individuals on public assistance in their homes and out of homeless shelters by providing sufficient rental and, in some cases, heating assistance.
• HSS will significantly reduce costs to the state and taxpayers by preventing evictions, reducing emergency shelter utilization and reducing the costs of other homeless services.
• HSS will provide mandate relief to financially strapped counties that already have shelter supplement programs, and will benefit all communities across the state by using state funds to stabilize families and neighborhoods.
Call Governor Cuomo – urge him support HSS
518-
Hello, my name is (insert name), and I am a voter in (Borough).
I am calling to urge Governor Cuomo to include Home Stability Support (HSS) in this year's State Budget.
My neighborhood of (insert) has been inundated with potential shelters to address the growing homeless crisis however shelters are not a solution to homelessness. Increasing shelters will only exacerbate this problem while forever changing the landscape of my community. The only real way to address this crisis is through a state-
HSS will address New York's homeless crisis by providing a rental supplement to individuals and families who are homeless, facing eviction, or victims of domestic violence.
This will ultimately keep hundreds of thousands of people in their homes, which will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by reducing the need for far more expensive shelters.
HSS is the only viable solution to the homeless crisis facing our state, and for that reason I strongly urge you to include HSS in the 2019-
Can I count on Governor Cuomo's support for including HSS in the state budget? (If they won't answer, be prepared to give your name and address and ask them to keep you informed of what s/he does on this issue)
Thank you.
Follow @HomeStabilityNY on Twitter, use #NYneedsHSS and
#EndHomelessnessNow visit www.homestabilitysupport.com
