“Your Voices Have Broken Through, We’re Going to Continue to Hear You!”- Gov. Hochul

Many New Yorkers are speaking up for equity in their daily quests to make ends meet. For them, nothing’s going on but the rent.
Apparently, the State and City heard those cries, responded, and on Wednesday, November 20, the day before Thanksgiving Day, Governor Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Eric Adams jointly announced some good news: a New York State program to provide rental assistance programs has given $95 million in rental assistance to nearly 15,000 NYCHA households.
This milestone was achieved within the first six months after funding legislation was passed in the FY24 Enacted Budget. According to the Governor’s office, the funds are part of more than $350 million investment in public housing and Section 8 secured through the State’s FY24 Enacted Budget.
The Governor acknowledged that, in the past, voices from the ground did not reach decision-makers’ ears,

Or if they were heard, those pleas had little value. She noted passionately that a change is coming: “We’re going to continue making sweeping, far-reaching investments overall into our public housing system because for so long, people have said, ‘No, their voices don’t matter. And there’s a legacy of disinvestment that we’re going to start changing. Let’s start with rental assistance. The bills pile up. Whether you’re a single mom who lost your job or you might’ve had to bury someone during COVID and wiped out all your savings (dipped) into savings to cover all kinds of things. These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. These are real lives. And you get up in the morning just wonder, how am I going to get through the day? We’re here to help you because you shouldn’t have to struggle like that because you matter just like everybody else. It doesn’t matter where you live because you matter.
We set aside $400 million to help with emergency rental assistance for you. We’ve been giving this out for the last six months. Today, I’m here to announce that $95 million in payments have already gone out to residents, benefiting over 15,000 households. That’s what I call a good start. $35 million going directly – we’re going to, we’re going to keep it coming. And it wasn’t a given because you were originally left out of that program, remember? You’re like, “What about us? What about us?” And you were written out of the program.

“But we worked together – your legislators, your representatives. We said, “No, it’s not okay.” So, we’re going to start giving you that break. But the systemic disenfranchisement, which means you’re left out of the process, is nothing new. (In the past, it has been said) you don’t have a big political voice. Except you do and the people in this room listen to you.
“A lot of people just say, ‘Well, these problems are so big, they’re so expensive to fix. We’ll just kick the can down the road, you know, let other people deal with it. You know, even, let’s let the next governor deal with it.’ Well, guess what? I’m the next Governor, and I’m going to deal with it.

The Governor continued, “Last year, I signed a bill establishing the Public Housing Preservation Trust, working with Nydia Velázquez and leaders that allowed billions of dollars to flow into much-needed repairs and improvements. We worked together with the tenants. We worked with all of you. There’s $50 million now committed to help people facing eviction.”
In addition, the Governor’s office has expanded the tenant protection units throughout New York State. “And last January, I partnered with Mayor Eric Adams and NYCHA to deliver $300 million to replace all those broken elevators and all the broken things that were so frustrating for you, including 10 at the Rutgers Houses just down the street. We secured over $1.2 billion to make vital capital repairs. You know it needed to get fixed. You told me all about it. I heard all about it. We talked about the pipes, and the water, and the quality of life in your homes.
“It’s our job to let you know you are valued, that you matter to all of us. And I’m going to continue focusing on that, whether it’s fixing elevators or making sure you have heat in the wintertime. It’s getting cold again, right? Why should anyone be cold and suffer? Why should you have to be so hot in the summertime? Why do the hallway lights flicker on and off? Why are public spaces left dirty? No one should live in such appalling conditions in the greatest city on earth.
“So now, we are asserting that we’re taking charge here. We’re bringing money to the table with Washington, the City and the State working on your behalf. I won’t walk away until every single one of you has a home that you’re proud of, where everything works. And I will continue thanking you for all your advocacy. You get up to Albany. You’re traveling around. You’re fighting and fighting and fighting.
“I want you to know your voices have broken through. We heard you. We’re going to continue to hear you.”