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 TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, THE UNITED STATES SENATE, AND THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO CONTINUE AND INCREASE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE SECTION 8 HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER (HCV) PROGRAM, GIVEN THE EXISTING UNPARALLELED NEED FOR HOUSING SUPPORT COUPLED WITH RECORD HOMELESSNESS
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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, increasing by 53.1 percent from January 2023 to January 2024 alone; 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, with the number of homeless children increasing from 20,299 to 50,773 in 2024, that is, to almost 1 in 3 children in New York State; 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 percent, homeless children under the age of 18 increasing by 17 percent, and homelessness among people living in families increasing by 22 percent; and
WHEREAS, for those in the City of Yonkers who have avoided homelessness and are living in rental housing, rental stress presents a significant issue, with rising rents, potential evictions and the impact of economic hardships; and
WHEREAS, according to HUD, a household is considered rent-burdened when its rent exceeds 30 percent of its monthly income; and
WHEREAS, in the City of Yonkers, with the greatest number of Westchester County's rent-stabilized units, renters comprise 53 percent of househol...
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