RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT COLLINS-BELLAMY, MAJORITY LEADER RUBBO, MAJORITY WHIP ROBINSON, MINORITY LEADER BREEN, COUNCILMEMBERS, PINEDA -ISAAC, DIAZ AND MERANTE:
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RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL URGING THE NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY AND THE NEW YORK STATE SENATE TO PASS LEGISLATION TO CREATE A HOUSING ACCESS VOUCHER PROGRAM, AND FOR GOVERNOR HOCHUL TO SIGN THE LEGISLATION INTO LAW
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WHEREAS, homelessness in New York State has grown sharply, according to a report issued in January, 2025, by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli; and
WHEREAS, homelessness in the State more than doubled between January 2022 and January 2024, growing by 53.1% from January 2023 to January 2024 alone, more than 4 times the rest of the nation; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"), in 2024 there were more than 158,000 homeless New Yorkers, or about 1 in 5 of the nation's homeless population; and
WHEREAS, New York State's rate of homelessness, at about 8 per 1,000 people, was higher than all the other states, except Hawaii, and the District of Columbia; and
WHEREAS, the number of homeless children increased from 20,299 to 50,773 in 2024 and almost 1 in 3 of New York State's homeless are children, one of the highest shares in the country; and
WHEREAS, while New York City accounted for much of the increase in the state's homeless population, other parts of the state have experienced double and triple-digit rate increases; and
WHEREAS, homelessness has also affected the City of Yonkers, where, according to the New York State Continuum of Care, there were 1,611 homeless people in Yonkers, Mt. Vernon and Westchester County in 2024, with homelessness in the region increasing between 2022 and 2024 by 19%, homeless children under the age of 18 increasing by 17% and homelessness among people living in families increasing by 22%; and
WHEREAS, according to HUD, homelessness ...
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