NYC Council Archives : Page 16 of 27 : City Limits

Housing and Homelessness

Council Bill Could Force NYC to Report Actual Homeless Shelter Census—Eventually

David Brand | June 21, 2022

Since Jan. 1, City Limits has been publishing more accurate homeless shelter census figures after a Council bill to force the city to publish a true number failed last year. The total commonly cited by city officials excludes thousands of people staying in shelters run by agencies other than the Department of Homeless Services (DHS), failing to count more than 15 percent of the actual population.

2023 city budget

Here’s How NYC’s $101 Billion Budget Addresses Homelessness

Jeanmarie Evelly and David Brand | June 14, 2022

The new budget directs $2.4 billion to homeless services in the coming fiscal year, invests billions more in housing over the next decade and funds an increase to rental assistance programs, but is nevertheless facing criticism from advocates who say the spending plan fails to adequately address New York City’s affordability and homelessness crises.

CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS

Opinion: After Decades Of Rules Benefiting NYC’s Corporate Elites, Let’s Put Public Back In Public Policy

Harvey Robins | June 9, 2022

“Even in this wealthiest of American cities, fiscal austerity is too often the implicit mantra, as core government services remain starvation diets while wealthy institutions fatten themselves. That works well for the very well-off, and not so well for the rest of us.”

Art at the Limits

After Tough Time for Art in City Schools, Advocates Seek More Funding

Gail Robinson | June 9, 2022

After two pandemic years that wrought havoc on all education but particularly on arts classes, advocates and educators have mounted a drive to win more—and more permanent—funding for visual art, music, dance and theater in the city’s public schools.

CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS

Opinion: NYC’s Human Service Workers Deserve Just Pay in This Year’s Budget

Myung Lee | June 8, 2022

“The very forces contributing to a worsening housing emergency are also impacting the workers tasked with solving that crisis. Those who work to find permanent and safe apartments for the housing-insecure and homeless should not find themselves at risk of eviction and displacement.”

City on the Edge: Climate Change and New York

Council Considers Faster Timeline to Phase Out Polluting Heating Oil in NYC Buildings

Liz Donovan | June 8, 2022

The City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection met Tuesday to discuss a newly introduced bill banning heating oil No. 4 by 2025, five years earlier than was agreed upon when Local Law 43 passed in 2010.

Age Justice

Opinion: What Older New Yorkers Deserve In the Next Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Marie Spence, Danni Spencer-Laitt and Nicole Levy | May 26, 2022

“We must ensure that New York City’s growing population of 1.25 million adults ages 65 and older can access high-quality services, resources, and opportunities that accommodate their needs and preferences, celebrate their strengths and resilience, and empower them to live in the communities they helped build and continue to make meaningful contributions to.”

executive budget

Homeless outreach workers in the NYC subway

City’s Homeless Services Head Hails Moves Out of Subway, But Won’t Say How Many Stay in Shelter

David Brand | May 23, 2022

More than 700 people staying on trains or at end-of-line stations accepted placement in a temporary shelter in the first two months of Adams’ so-called “Subway Safety Plan,” according to Homeless Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins. But he would not say how many stick around.

Health and Environment

Councilmembers Cite Concerns Over COVID Safety in Visit to ICE Detainees in NY

Daniel Parra | May 20, 2022

One person at the facility told City Limits he has been detained by ICE for more than six months but has only been given two cloth masks during that time, despite jail staff telling councilmembers they have masks in abundance.

Government

In Debate Over Schools Funding Formula, Advocates From 2019 Task Force Push For More Resources

Julian Roberts-Grmela | May 18, 2022

The city’s schools funding formula is expected to pass as it stands, despite some who have been pushing for changes for years—including members of a 2019 task force whose recommendations were never released by the city.