POLICY MATTERS

 A monthly update on policy issues in the fight against homelessness in NYC.

This is a great time for all interested people to contact their Senators and Representatives who are just coming back to Washington after the Labor Day Congressional recess and will be making critical decisions in September about federal spending, the availability of health care and housing to low-income people, and the future of the SNAP food nutrition program that helps hungry households have adequate food. It’s an especially critical time because the federal budget year ends September 30, which means Congress will have to adopt new budgets for federal programs or pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to continue funding. Failure to pass a budget or a CR would result in a government shutdown, or at least a shutdown of many important federal programs people depend on.

The stakes are great because there is real division in Washington about how to fund safety net and other vital programs, or in some cases whether to have the program continue at all. Read more here.

What a new federal budget or CR might look like is in doubt in part because the federal administration, the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate have each supported starkly different approaches. In most cases the administration has proposed drastic cuts or even elimination of safety net programs including healthcare, housing and the SNAP program. The House has pushed for slashing programs, though in many cases not as much as the President proposed. The Senate has favored more moderation, and even increases to safety net programs in some cases. They need to arrive at a compromise solution by October 1.

The proposed Trump budget would have dramatically increased military spending by $54 billion, slashed most safety net programs and eliminated dozens of long established programs to assist people living in poverty to offset the new military expenditures. That budget request would be the largest percentage cutback in federal domestic spending in over 70 years. Read more here.

Adopting even the House version of cutbacks, including $923 million in income security progress and $2.1 trillion to health programs, would dramatically hurt poor and hungry households across the country. For example, while there are already “work rules” for able bodied people on SNAP, the House version would make the rules more onerous, apply them to parents with school-aged children, and change the process for deciding who qualifies as disabled and how often people on SNAP would have to document that they meet work requirements. Even a temporary loss of work or having your work dip below 20 hours a week, could result in being barred from food assistance for three years. One prediction estimates the proposed new rule would result in over one million people losing food assistance, including a massive number of households with children. 

Because the federal budget year ends in just 24 days, now is the time to make that call to your Senators and Representatives in Washington and let them know how you feel. If you value programs that provide healthcare access to poor families, attempt to aid people experiencing homelessness and provide stable housing, and help provide food assistance to hungry households and children, ask your elected representatives to fight any cuts and support the safety net. You can contact your members of Congress by callin g 202-224-3121.

Please call now, because these critical decisions are being discussed right now.  

Click here to download the September 2018 Policy Matters Newsletter

Our CFH clients often complain that though they may be able to get a federal Section 8 Housing Voucher, or a city LINC housing voucher, to assist them in moving from homelessness to stable housing, they often find landlords won’t accept them. That failure to accept vouchers or other subsidized housing assistance is wrong, it’s discriminatory and it’s illegal.

On Monday, September 10, Care for the Homeless will present a policy briefing and open discussion on this kind of “source of income” discrimination featuring Raniece Medley, the Director of the NYC Department of Social Services Source of Income Discrimination Unit. Ms. Medley was previously the Director of Outreach at the city’ Civil Complaint Review Board. Prior to that, she served as Assistant Counsel in the State Department of Education Office of Professional Discipline and was a felony prosecutor with the Bronx District Attorney’s office. She earned a B.A. from Morgan State University and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law.

The briefing and discussion will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the CFH conference room on the 5 ^th floor at 30 E. 33 ^rd Street, in Manhattan. Outreach materials will be handed out. The program, which includes light refreshments, is free and open to the public. You can RSVP here.

Click here to download the September 2018 Policy Matters Newsletter

CFH Holding Our Annual

Nonpartisan Voter Registration Drive

While CFH never endorses a candidate or political party, we strongly urge all our consumers, staff, Board and supporters to register, vote and get involved in civic affairs. Every year we hold a nonpartisan voter registration drive targeted at registering CFH consumers and others to vote. This year’s CFH voter registration effort will end with a voter registration tabling event at Susan’s Place, 1921 Jerome Avenue, in the Bronx, on National Voter Registration Day, September 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Voters must be registered by October 12 this year to vote in the November 6 general election, when voters will elect candidates for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Comptroller, U.S. Senator, and for federal and state legislative seats. As attention is focused on proposed federal legislation affecting health care, support for safety net programs and many other controversial programs, this election may be one of the most important in recent history.

In New York, you can register if you are a U.S. citizen, 18 years old by election day, not found mentally incompetent by a court, and a resident of the state and the community you are registering to vote in for at least 30 days before the election. Most people with past criminal convictions can register and vote. You can vote if you are not incarcerated for a felony on election day even if you are on probation. Recently the Governor also issued a form of pardon allowing most New Yorkers on parole to register and vote.

If you need assistance in registering to vote call Jeff Foreman at 212-366-4459, ext. 206, or at jforeman@cfhnyc.org.  

Click here to download the September 2018 Policy Matters Newsletter

September is National Emergency Preparedness Month, a time for each of us to think about how we can prepare for the inevitable natural disasters and other emergencies in life.

Mon., Sept. 3, Labor Day Holiday.

Mon., Sept. 10, 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m., CFH Community Health Fair, lot next to Citadel Health Center, 90-23 161 ^st Street, Jamaica, NY 11432.

Mon., Sept. 10, 5:30 p.m., CFH’s “First Monday Policy Briefing” , on Source of Income Discrimination in Housing in NYC, featuring Raniece Medley, Director of the Source of Income Discrimination Unit at the NYC Department of Social Services. 30 E. 33rd Street, Manhattan, NY, 10016, Click here to register .

Tue., Sept. 11, “Patriot’s Day”, anniversary of terrorist attack on 9/11/2001, with a number of ceremonies and observances in NYC.

Wed., Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m., NYC Council Meeting, New York City Hall, Council Chambers, New York, NY 10007.

Thur., Sept. 13, 6 a.m. - 9 p.m., New York primary election , (yes, it’s on a Thursday this time!), for people registered as Republican or Democrat to nominate candidates for the November election.

Thur., Sept. 20, 6:00 p.m., CFH Health Empowered Beauty Fashion Show , tickets must be purchased in advance, which you can do here . The Prince George Ballroom, 15 East 27th Street, New York, NY.

Tue., Sept. 25, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., It’s National Voter Registration Day! CFH is holding a voter registration drive at Susan’s Place, 1921 Jerome Avenue, Bronx, NY 10453.

Wed., Sept. 26, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., CFH Consumer Advisory Board Meeting, CFH Conference Room, 5th floor, 30 E. 33rd Street, Manhattan.

Wed., Sept. 26, 1:30 p.m., NYC Council Meeting, New York City Hall, Council Chambers, New York, NY 10007.

Click here to download the September 2018 Policy Matters Newsletter