In the fall of 2009, Kehilat Hadar started a partnership with the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing (IAHH) to expand the work our community does to support the efforts to end homelessness and lack of affordable housing (through Habitat for Humanity and staffing the Ansche Chesed Homeless Shelter) to include collaboration with an organization focused on skills-development for homeless individuals as well as advocating for public policies that address the root causes of homelessness in New York City. To learn more about IAHH visit their website.
At the Shavout Retreat, the Social Justice team collected letters to send to State Senator, John Sampson to speak out against the critical issue of vacancy decontrol. Vacancy decontrol has a devastating impact on New York’s affordable housing system- leading to the loss of an estimated 50,000 NYC rent-regulated units since 2005 alone. At least another 100,000 units are estimated to be on the verge of deregulation. Rent-regulation is New York State’s largest affordable-housing system, protecting more tenants than any other affordable housing measure. Undermining rent-regulation jeopardizes the ability of hard-working New Yorkers to find affordable housing. If you did not have the chance to sign the letter, please do so by downloading this letter and mailing it. If you're interesting in learning more about this issue or in getting more involved with Hadar's Social Justice team, please contact Adina at justice@kehilathadar.org
Additionally, the Social Justice teams asks that you sign this petition, which calls on New York State Legislature to stop the plan to charge rent in New York City's homeless shelters. As a community that has supported and worked in a shelter for over 6 years, we oppose the Mayor's call to charge homeless families and individuals rent to stay in shelters.
For more information on other steps you can take to advocate for more affordable housing and reducing homelessness, visit IAHH's website.
For more information about Kehilat Hadar's Social Justice team, please contact Adina at justice@kehilathadar.org.
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| Letter to Sampson-Vacancy Decontrol.pdf | 34.91 KB |
We are looking for community members to mentor and teach in a Life-skills empowerment program for homeless individuals run by the Interfaith Assembly on Housing and Homelessness. We need talented individuals who can teach: healthy relationships, time and money management, self-image and healthy living. Please email justice@kehilathadar.org if you're interested. We'll pass along more details if you're interested.
Kehilat Hadar continues to work actively to end homelessness by building and advocating for affordable homes with Habitat for Humanity-New York City and by volunteering weekly at the Ansche Chesed homeless shelter. We will continue our involvement with these two organizations as we continue the process of identifying a new partner organization for advocacy work.
Hadar is responsible for staffing the Ansche Chesed Homeless Shelter every Tuesday night. To volunteer at the Ansche Chesed Shelter for an overnight shift, or for more information, please e-mail Ari and Leslie Hirsch at shelter@kehilathadar.org. Also, see below.
To join the housing team and help us to identify a new advocacy partner, please e-mail Jill Berkin at housing@kehilathadar.org.
Kehilat Hadar is a "faith partner" with Habitat for Humanity NYC and participates regularly in Habitat for Humanity NYC builds. Please visit our calendar to find out about future builds and how to get involved. Please e-mail housing@kehilathadar.org with any questions.
The decision to partner with Habitat was the result of a number of factors:
Habitat NYC developed a policy platform, titled, "Housing Covenant." Each year Habitat plans to identify discrete actions for its faith partners (including Hadar) to take in an effort to meet five long term policy goals: end homelessness, build homes, expand homeownership, end housing discrimination, promote sustainable housing development.
The Homeless Shelter at Ansche Chesed provides a safe, clean place to stay every night for 10 men who are trying to transition out of homelessness. On any given night, most, if not all, of the guests have stayed at the shelter previously. This continuity helps to foster an atmosphere of ease and familiarity, as well as a sense of responsibility toward the shelter and a feeling of respect among the guests.
We have taken responsibility for the Tuesday overnight shift at the shelter and would like to ask YOU to volunteer. Overnight volunteers arrive at the shelter at 9:00 p.m., sleep undisturbed in a separate room in the building, supervise wake up of the men, and lock up at 6:30 a.m. People can volunteer by themselves, or with a friend.
If you would like to be on the Hadar volunteer list, or if you have any questions, please contact Ari and Leslie Hirsch at shelter@kehilathadar.org. You can also get more information directly from the Shelter website.
In the fall of 2009, Kehilat Hadar started a partnership with the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing (IAHH) to expand the work our community does to support the efforts to end homelessness and lack of affordable housing (through Habitat for Humanity and staffing the Ansche Chesed Homeless Shelter) to include collaboration with an organization focused on skills-development for homeless individuals as well as advocating for public policies that address the root causes of homelessness in New York City. To learn more about IAHH visit their website.
Currently the Social Justice teams asks that you sign this petition, which calls on New York State Legislature to stop the plan to charge rent in New York City's homeless shelters. As a community that has supported and worked in a shelter for over 6 years, we oppose the Mayor's call to charge homeless families and individuals rent to stay in shelters.
For more information on other steps you can take to advocate for more affordable housing and reducing homelessness, visit IAHH's website.
As of March 2010, there were more than 38,000 homeless people, including more than 10,000 homeless families with nearly 16,000 homeless children, sleeping each night in the New York City municipal shelter system. Families comprise 80 percent of the homeless shelter population. (http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/pages/basic-facts) This number does not reflect those homeless who are outside the shelter system.
To further expand our communities ability to respond to homelessness, we are encouraging members of Hadar to consider acting on the following issues that affect affordable housing in New York City.
In the area of public policy advocacy, there are three important campaigns that IAHH are currently engaged in: working with Housing Here and Now, the Real Rent Reform Coalition and others in advocating for stronger rent regulations to help stem the loss of affordable housing - in particular, working for the repeal of Vacancy Decontrol which has resulted in the loss of an estimated 300,000 rent regulated apartments over the past 10 years; working with the newly formed Emergency Shelter Network (a coalition of faith community volunteers from the 25 year old faith shelter bed network) and Homeless Services United (the network of drop-in center operators) to revise the City's flawed plan for restructuring the drop-in and shelter system; and, working in support of Coalition for the Homeless's initiative to end the City's policy of charging rent to families in homeless shelters and subjecting them to unreasonable rules that if violated could result in ejection.
Currently the Social Justice teams asks that you sign this petition, which calls on New York State Legislature to stop the plan to charge rent in New York City's homeless shelters. As a community that has supported and worked in a shelter for over 6 years, we oppose the Mayor's call to charge homeless families and individuals rent to stay in shelters.
For more information on other steps you can take to advocate for more affordable housing and reducing homelessness, visit IAHH's website.
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IAHH Policy Updates
March 2010
New York City
New Market Housing Plan Revisions
The Mayor’s New Market Housing Plan is shifting its emphasis from new production to preservation. In 2005, the City planned to build 92,000 units and preserve 73,000 by 2014 (165,000 units in total). Now, it expects to build 60,000 and preserve 105,000. As of 2010, the City has preserved 58,376 units and built 35,450 units (93,826 units) so it is on track to meet its goals by 2014. Most of the affordable units that the city plans to concentrate on will be occupied by New Yorkers who earn less than 80 percent of the area’s median income (which in 2008 for the metro area was roughly $77,000 for a family of four, so that 80% would be $61,600).
Housing First! offers these caveats to the latest version of the New Market Housing Plan:
Advocacy on the Mayor’s New Market Housing Plan should focus on these three points.
Vacant Property Census
Intro 48 has been introduced in the City Council wide support.
It calls for a citywide census of vacant properties (buildings and lots) each year and the publication of the results of that census along with the owners of each vacant building and lot. This will provide the City, and housing advocates, with better information as to sites that may be available for affordable housing development.
Advocacy: Ask your Councilmember to support Intro 48.
[Who represents me on City Council? Visit www.lwvnyc.org and click on “They Represent You” and then click on “To find the names, addresses and telephone numbers of your representatives.”]
New York State
Empire State Housing Investment Fund (A09115/S5727)
Creates a permanent vehicle to support affordable housing development across the state which will also serve to stimulate economic development. The Fund will target low-income New Yorkers whose housing needs are most critical. It will also serve as a repository for allocations from the National Housing Trust Fund.
Restoration of Homeless Services & Homelessness Prevention Funding
The State is looking to reduce funding significantly for the Adult Shelter program that would result in a 25% reduction in funding for adult shelter beds. In the area of homelessness prevention, the State wants to cut $1 million from the Homeless Intervention Program (HIP) and to eliminate the Supplemental Homeless Intervention Program (SHIP). The State is also seeking a significant reduction in SRO Support Services which will lead to a reduction in proven programs providing social services in existing and new supportive housing developments.
At a time of record homelessness and with families struggling to sustain the housing they have, now is not the time to be cutting funding for homeless services and scaling back on programs that help to keep families and individuals housed.
Advocacy: Ask your State legislators to support State funding for these Programs.
Increasing the Investment in Affordable Housing Development
Advocacy: Contact your state assemblymember and state senator to ask them to support the Empire State Housing Investment Fund & increase the investment in affordable housing development [Who represents you in the State legislature? www.lwvnyc.org - As above.]
Housing Here and Now – Real Rent Reform Campaign Agenda for 2010: See Separate Handout
Federal
National Housing Trust Fund
The Obama administration has sought $1 billion this year for the National Housing Trust Fund. Congress, however, has failed to deliver on what the President has proposed.
Efforts have been made to include funding for the NHTF in jobs legislation being passed by Congress. While the House has supported such efforts, the Senate has blocked them.
Advocacy: Contact your Representative in the House and your Senators to tell them that you want to see an allocation of $1 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund this year. They should include this allocation in jobs legislation being considered by Congress because not only will the NHTF provide needed affordable housing, but it will also serve as an economic stimulus – creating jobs and stabilizing communities. See below for two other issues that you can ask your Representative in the House to support. [Who represents you in Congress? Go to www.congress.org Type in your zip code under “Get Involved.”]
Other Issues:
Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velazquez are asking their House colleagues to fully fund the Section 8 Tenant-based and Project-based Rental Assistance Programs for FY11 and to fund 250,000 additional tenant-based vouchers. Congress has not funded a substantial increase in rental assistance since 2001. Yet from 2001 to 2007, the number of poor families with severe housing affordability problems – that is, who are paying more than half their income on housing – increased by 1.1 million or 29 percent. Even with a softening of the housing market, the loss of income and jobs continues to make housing affordability an issue for too many Americans.
Reps. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Geoff Davis (R-KY) to their House colleagues asking them to support $2.4 billion for HUD’s homeless assistance grants in FY 2011. This funding will help strengthen efforts to end chronic homelessness. It will enable communities to address the needs of those living in severely overcrowded or unsafe housing and to invest in homelessness prevention. It will also help localities assist families with children to escape homelessness quickly through the creation and expansion of Rapid Re-Housing initiatives.