Posted on July 27, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone On Wednesday morning, Coalition staff and clients rallied outside Gov. Cuomo’s Manhattan office to urge him to immediately sign a full MOU and release promised funds for supportive housing. The Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing has been consistently pressuring State leaders to sign the MOU, and plans to rally outside the Governor’s office every week until the funds are released. Supportive housing breaks the cycle of homelessness by pairing the stability of a permanent home with on-site services to support people with mental illness, addiction, HIV/AIDS, chronic illness, disability or other special needs. Research proves that supportive housing: Solves homelessness Improves neighborhoods Saves tax dollars Governor Cuomo promised in his Jan. 13 budget address that the State would create 20,000 new supportive units. The budget approved in April set aside $1.9 billion for supportive and affordable housing, but those funds were subject to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Flanagan. By the time the legislative session ended in June, the State leaders approved a last-minute deal to release only $150 million – leaving the rest of the funds sitting unused at a time when 80,000 New Yorkers are homeless statewide. Call on Gov. Cuomo to: Keep his promise to build 20,000 units of supportive housing Immediately sign the MOU needed to build the first 6,000 units Spread the word on Twitter: @4NYNYHousing #SignTheMOU and include @NYGovCuomo Call Governor Cuomo at 1-518-474-8390, ext. 3 and say: “Governor, keep the promise you made to the 80,000 homeless people in New York. Sign the full MOU NOW.”
