Evaluating New York City's Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter System

(00:00:09)

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to today's New York City Council hearing. Please silence all electronic devices. If you would like to testify you must fill out a witness slip with one of the sergeants at arms. Just a reminder: no one should approach the dais at any time. Chair, we are ready.

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Good afternoon. Good to be here. Before I go into our topic today about homeless and runaway youth, I want to take a moment to give a big shout out to DYCD and all the work that they have been doing to get the after school up and going with this huge expansion. We know that I have been yelling about getting the RFP done and we know when that happens that is a lot of work. It has been all hands on deck since you guys were tasked with bringing that to fruition, and students are starting to start their after school programs. I just wanted to make sure that I put on the record that I am very proud of what you guys have been able to accomplish and the work that you guys are continuing to do, because we know it is not an easy task. I ran after school programs for over 15 years and starting a new program at this magnitude is not an easy lift. You guys are definitely not getting enough praise and I would like to see that change, so I will do it myself. Congratulations for your hard work. Congratulations for the work that you do, because in the same way I yell about you guys about stuff, I am going to take the time to uplift the good work that you guys are actually doing. So thank you.

All right. So now welcome to today's hearing on the Committee on Children and Youth. I am Althea Stevens, the Chair of the Committee. Thank you for joining us. Today's hearing is where this Committee will conduct an oversight on the City's Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter System. The City's Department of Youth and Community Development contracts with a range of crisis services shelters, transitional independent living shelters, street outreach teams, and 24/7 drop-in centers across the five boroughs. Those programs provide a range of critical services to runaway and homeless youth.

Street outreach teams canvass the City to identify youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, while drop-in centers provide young people with a place to access food, clothing, housing, health care and transportation, as well as assistance from housing and employment navigators. Crisis shelters provide temporary shelter for youth for up to 120 days, while transitional independent living programs provide long-term housing for up to 24 months for young people working towards stability, gaining independent living skills and building economic self-sufficiency. Those services provide a critical lifeline for young people experiencing homelessness.

Despite this important work, serious questions remain about whether the City provides them with the resources and capacity necessary to meet the needs of young people in crisis. Today we hope to learn about the agency's plans to issue a new concept paper and RFP and how it would address the evolving needs and costs — and I must say that again — the costs of facing and delivering those critical services. Beyond funding, we are also deeply concerned about shelter capacity. Between the beginning and end of this year, 319 young people sought shelter and were turned away. No young person who takes the difficult steps of seeking shelter should be left without a place to stay because our shelter system lacks capacity.

When our runaway and homeless youth system is underfunded or lacks capacity, young people fall through dangerous gaps, are left unable to access appropriate services and get discharged back into homelessness. Young people experiencing homelessness come into our system after experiencing trauma and instability, and that cannot be addressed by simply providing a bed and a meal. It is our responsibility as a City to prioritize their mental health and physical health and ensure that housing navigators are guiding them through complex systems and providing the support young people need to achieve long-term stability and access.

Before we begin I would like to thank the Committee staff, including senior policy analyst Elizabeth Artz — that is this young lady here — and others who assisted in preparing for this hearing, as well as my wonderful team in the District 16 office. They are all serving our constituents back in District 16. I would like to acknowledge CM Felder who has joined us today. With that I will now turn it over to Committee staff to swear in the administration.

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You can start whenever you like. Good afternoon, Chair Stevens and members of the Committee on Children and Youth. My name is Sandra Kamiya Davies of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. I am joined here today by Executive Deputy Commissioner Susan Haskell, Assistant Commissioner Samantha Dawkins and Tracy Thorne, Senior Director of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs. We are pleased to discuss the effectiveness of the City's Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter System today and thank you, Chair Stevens, for the opportunity to testify. This issue is deeply personal to me. More than 35 years ago I found a beloved uncle who was a young adult himself at the time living on the streets, HIV positive and struggling with crack addiction. I grew up in a close-knit family and until then did not understand how a series of events could disconnect someone from the very family, community and systems of support that might otherwise hold them up. That experience was transformational for me. It shaped my decision to enter social work and my belief that our responsibility is not simply to respond once someone is in crisis. We have to build an ecosystem around children, young people and families that helps prevent those disconnections, creates pathways back when they occur and provides the relationships, resources and opportunities to heal and thrive. Being freed from crisis is essential but it is not the same as being fully prepared for what comes next.

That belief is at the heart of our Runaway and Homeless Youth programs. Through residential services, drop-in centers and outreach, DYCD and our extraordinary provider partners reach more than 40,000 young people annually with services designed to promote stability, connection, independence and opportunity. Our residential services include crisis services programs, transitional independent living support programs and more across the City. Residential programs serve young people ages 16 through 24, providing a total of 913 beds. For homeless young adults ages 21 to 24, DYCD funds six programs with a total of 160 beds. We are grateful that in partnership with the Council and under the leadership of Chair Stevens, this capacity was expanded by 100 beds for homeless young adults, strengthening our ability to respond to the growing needs of this community. Of these 100 new beds, 70 are currently serving young people and we continue to work with providers to identify a site for the remaining 30 beds. DYCD also operates eight contracted drop-in centers — which, by the way, was my first job — where LGBTQ+ youth and other young people can access essential resources, food and hygiene supplies, along with counseling, educational and health workshops, recreational programs and referrals to additional services and shelters when needed. Specialized staff including financial coaches, peer navigators and mental health clinicians work closely with young people to identify their...

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...goals and take meaningful steps towards long-term stability and independence. To ensure accessibility, at least one drop-in center in every borough operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Our street outreach programs meet young people where they are, including in locations where runaway and homeless youth are known to congregate. Outreach teams provide immediate support, information, safety planning and connections to housing and other critical services.

Across the runaway and homeless youth system, providers work with each young person to understand their strengths, their needs and goals. From intake and assessment through ongoing case management, young people receive individualized counseling, referrals and connections to services that support their overall well-being, including specialized mental health care when appropriate.

All our runaway and homeless youth providers are trained to create welcoming and affirming environments for LGBTQ+ young people, who are disproportionately represented among young people experiencing homelessness and face family rejection and additional barriers to housing and employment. Our system also includes mission-driven organizations such as the Ali Forney Center, with particular expertise in serving LGBTQ+ young people experiencing homelessness. This work includes professional development related to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, gender-affirming interactions, physically safe and culturally responsive environments and swift responses to bias and discrimination in runaway and homeless youth programs. I just have to say the work that providers do is intense, intentional and incredible.

In runaway and homeless youth programs, counselors work collaboratively with young people to develop individualized service plans that establish both short-term and long-term goals. Through direct service and community partnerships, young people can access physical and mental health services, educational and career development opportunities, substance use prevention services, violence intervention, life coaching and housing assistance. When appropriate, providers also support family reunification to help young people transition to longer-term housing and supportive programs.

Ultimately our goal is not simply to help a young person move through a moment of crisis. As I said before, it is to help ensure that they leave our system more connected — connected to stable housing, to caring adults, to education and employment, to health and mental health support and to a community that continues to support them. This is how we help young people move from stability towards opportunity and ultimately towards thriving. Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss DYCD's Runaway and Homeless Youth programming. We remain committed to working alongside the Council, providers, advocates and most importantly those with lived experiences in strengthening the system and expanding opportunity for the young people we serve. We are pleased to answer any questions you have.

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Thank you, Commissioner. I will jump right into my questions because we have a lot. I am going to start off talking about the RFP and contracting process, because this has been a longstanding issue. DYCD has not issued a new RFP for runaway and homeless youth drop-in centers, outreach, crisis shelters or transitional independent living programs since 2018. Instead the agency has relied on contract amendments, negotiated acquisitions and extensions to continue those services through June 30, 2027. As a result the system continues to operate under contracts stemming from procurement issues approximately nine years ago. What does DYCD plan...

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...to issue — a new concept paper and RFP for runaway and homeless youth services? Thank you for that question, Chair Stevens. I can say that since I started in this position, as a former provider who has done direct service for over 30 years, I have been committed to really thinking about the ways in which we pay providers on time and adequately. So that 2018 last RFP is really felt, and we have that same issue with other contracts as well. Runaway and homeless youth in particular is a priority to me because it is one of the longest in procurement. Yet what I know needs to happen is that from concept paper to implementation it could take anywhere from two years. So I am in the process of speaking to the Deputy Mayor and working to really think about how we begin to create some stabilization, including by considering ways in which to bring the rate and the resources to a certain level before procurement.

In 2022, New York City was promised a $15 million federal grant as part of its youth homelessness initiative. DYCD issued a concept paper and developed an RFP that would have increased providers' per-bed reimbursement rates. However the RFP was subsequently tabled by OMB. Does DYCD plan to release it?

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Thank you for your question. In 2022 was actually a really exciting time for runaway and homeless youth services. We pulled together a broad swath of stakeholders to discuss what was needed to end youth homelessness and it gave us an opportunity to try some new services, including peer navigation, housing navigation and financial literacy. That yielded a report — an accountability report really — with recommendations that, when operationalized with our partnerships with our other partners, would meet those goals. That has been an ongoing process since 2022. I would not call it a concept paper and it was not meant to be a request for proposal. It was an engagement and planning process that yielded a report, which was the Mayor's report to end youth homelessness in 2022. We continue to reflect on those recommendations and we have implemented so many of them and stay in touch with the Committee.

So that $15 million — was that the grant from the federal government that was all used just to create this report? No. I am going to turn to my colleague to speak more about the $15 million. But that was a grant from the federal government and in some cases providers received a portion of it. I believe a sum of it came to DYCD for the planning process, but largely the investment that DYCD made in response to that was funding directed mostly to providers or as part of the planning process. So none of it was for the report — it went to some different funding for some of the programs. That is where all the money was allocated. Yeah, I can add a...

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...little bit more context. There were...

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Can you speak into the mike? It is on but...

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Can you hear me now? Okay. The grant was a youth homelessness grant. It is a multi-year grant and there were three types of programs that were funded through that grant: street outreach, rapid rehousing programs and services to support young people to access permanent housing. That work has been folded into the New York City Continuum of Care work and is continuously refunded. So we funded several providers for those three programs. The rapid rehousing had multiple contracts and that is where the bulk of the money was. Those programs were RFP'd out and responded to, and that is probably the concept paper that you are referring to. Now it is back with the City and the funding continues and the work continues.

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Yeah, because when I spoke to providers they said that this concept paper had come out but they did not know where it was.

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Yeah. I would like to acknowledge CM Ossé who has joined us. What are the steps the agency has taken to ensure the RFP is released and contracts are awarded before the current extension expires? So we currently — and I think in my broader hearing at the beginning of the year — we currently were doing an analysis of all of our contracts, specifically...

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...thinking about them in relationship to utilization and need in the field. So right now we are trying to determine across New York City what each community needs and whether our programs are being responsive to that need. I will give you a perfect example: we had a provider who was awarded a contract and gave it back to us — not in this procurement but for another procurement — and they said this is not the need of our neighborhood, we actually need services for older youth. So we are going to be doing a needs assessment and utilization threshold as well as doing an analysis of what the current cost of doing this work is. When I say current costs I mean the current costs at the point of service for the provider, and especially with runaway and homeless youth that is really important given the complexity that is needed to address the myriad of needs of the population. We are also doing a cost analysis of what it takes for DYCD to run this program effectively.

I think you have heard me say, Chair Stevens, that we have grown from a $250 million organization to a $1.6 billion organization in the last 10 years without the same pace in terms of infrastructure. So we are deep in that analysis and then based on that we are really proposing a strategy and an RFP. In the interim we are trying to raise the base of some of our contracts, again in consultation and in coordination with the Deputy Mayor's office and the Mayor's office. We are going to see where we land. A path forward is also to figure out whether there are things we could do in the immediate term to do that, and then in the long term whether there is an RFP that is about a larger strategy as opposed to one intervention or one program.

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Commissioner, I just saw even in some of the stuff you were speaking about — what is the timeline for this evaluation? And then also just thinking about: are you going to implement something or a policy that will allow for that to be continuous? Because that is one of the things that I have been banging my head about for the last three years — about how do we make sure that we are continuously evaluating, ensuring that these programs are meeting the needs, making sure we are including young people and parents and families as part of these conversations. And that should be something that is continuous so that we are not waiting for an RFP. Like, now we are in a place where we have an extended contract, and you are in the process of doing an evaluation and also doing a cost analysis and all these things at one time. Is there going to be a policy that you are thinking about implementing that would have continuous evaluation so that when you get to this place, you are not coming in trying to do all these different...

(00:20:52)

...things. Yeah, I appreciate the question. In terms of a timeline, we have done a financial analysis of the costs of the ICD, so that is kind of the first phase we are in. We are in the process of doing that for each of our programs in the next two to three months. And then I would say in the next year there is a utilization assessment as well as a needs assessment. It will take us within the next year to do that effectively. At the end of the day, these needs are reflective of all of our work and we are activating our ICC — tell me what the acronym stands for again — Interagency Coordinating Council. So it is everybody who works directly with young people. The commissioners — we are activating that. Diem Arteaga and I have talked about really coming up with clear outcomes that we want for young people and then how we galvanize our respective portfolios, including our resources, on how to meet that need and how to assess the need across New York City. I appreciate the question around assessment. We have ongoing assessments for all of our programs but we are looking towards stabilization and we are looking towards thinking about expansion in a different way or a new strategy. So I would say we are now taking what are methodical yearly evaluations with a different lens. I appreciate the question about policy and I would love to talk to my team about how we make this part of the fabric.

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Yeah, I think it is just so important that we are looking at this and not always just thinking in crisis mode. It is so important for us to not only just say that we have the programs but also assess the impact and also have a mechanism where participants and providers and families could have a say in it, and think about how this can be more interactive — because they are ultimately the ones that should be shaping these programs and telling us what their needs are. Can I add one...

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...more thing? I think that as we are assessing needs we are also looking at what we want to be held accountable for in relationship to children, youth and families. So are there things that we want to assess in terms of social determinants of health, and how we move the needle on those things? If we are looking at interagency investments, that is going to take a while, because right now as an agency we are contracting and we are monitoring — attendance, participation, kids in beds — and we want to move to impact. We also want to move to indicators that are not just about prevention but also about resiliency and youth wellbeing. These are things that... clearly you were listening to my hearings from three years ago, and I am going to come in and say the things that the Council has been hearing me yelling about. So...

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...appreciate that. Just know that we are on the same page. Right now she is a provider and it is hard to speak. So thank you. In May 2025, the Council raised concern that DYCD's extensions of our RHY contracts were without an increase in the per-bed reimbursement rate, which remained between $47,000 and $55,000 per bed. Providers have reported that those rates did not reflect the actual cost of operating RHY programs or address the existing program deficit. Does the ICD believe that the current rates are adequate and cover the costs of providing RHY services? And has DYCD conducted an analysis of actual costs of operating RHY shelter beds and compared them with current reimbursement rates? I think the commissioner...

(00:24:29)

...has acknowledged that we need to do a review. So I think we are certainly open to the idea that the level of investment needs to be reconsidered — 100%. Our colleagues and we are in touch with providers all the time. We understand there are concerns that costs have gone up since 2018. One of the things we hear from providers is that each one of the incredible providers that the commissioner spoke about brings their own resources and flair and leverages activities. We have heard from providers that it has been harder to bring the full breadth of services that they want to bring to respond to what young people need, and that they have had to remain largely focused on what their contract responsibilities are. So we look forward to revisiting that so that we can make sure young people are getting all that they deserve.

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Yeah, and I know you guys are doing your own evaluations, but I have been talking to providers — they know what they need. Have you guys just not gotten the feedback from them around the current reimbursement rate? Because I feel like if they are saying we cannot provide this service adequately, then what does that look like? Because that ultimately sounds like to me that young people are not getting adequate services. So where are we at with the providers? Because I feel like they gave me...

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...I think they gave me a price point already, because I think they said something about $70K. We definitely have heard...

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...yeah. What I would offer is: yes, we believe providers. We believe that the expenses that they have stated are considered. What I would say is that we have to evaluate in tandem with our other portfolios, and that is why this is taking a little longer than we would like. We understand that that unevenness has created instability in the field. So when we think about — and thank you for the acknowledgment about Compass — when we think about Compass and we think about ARTY and we think about Beacons and we think about Cornerstones, a provider at the point of service is serving young people that are part of multiple programs. Most providers are having multiple contracts. Beacon providers are also after-school, social services, senior work and all the things. So if there is an inadequate rate in one space then it affects other spaces too. So the analysis is opening up the aperture and taking those things in tandem — not taking more time, but being really thoughtful so that any approach we have moves the needle evenly across the board. And I mean, it is not easy to not feel like you are being compensated for the work that you are doing either.

(00:27:18)

No, I mean, listen, it is not easy. The problem is — and this is what the providers... I am happy that she even shared the story about providers giving back contracts, because we are at a place where if we are not able to have adequate funding in contracts, it is not OK for the kids. Because then they are the ones who are not getting the services that they need. So thinking about providers, thinking about how do we push back and say this is inadequate and this actually puts kids in danger — I want to move on. I mean, obviously I will be back because you know this is what I do. I think that it is important, and when we are thinking about...

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...even all the other programs and how they are all interconnected — how are we looking at this whole system of investment for young people? Honestly, I am happy to hear that you guys are saying that you are trying to have an interagency conversation around all the programs that young people have, because I am a true believer that that is part of some of the problems. We have investments in certain areas where we will get investments in one year and the next year do not get invested. Even when we are thinking about, like, oh, we got a hundred beds — yay — but it is not funded correctly. So it is always this uphill battle.

The reality is we should be looking at this holistically and looking at all the needs of kids and making sure that we are trying to hit all the buckets. I just especially feel like we just do not talk about this enough because the City is embarrassed by it. It is sad to say that we have homeless children who need support, but it is not OK. Even when I am seeing the City roll out plans about housing, it is always an afterthought for our young people. Why are we not building housing for young people coming out of the RHY shelter? Why are we not designating space for them? So that is my goal — for us to be thinking about and looking at young people holistically and not just talking about childcare and after school. What happens after that? Those young people are important and I will continue to say it. If we are going to talk about an affordable city, we need to talk about it for everyone, including young people. So I will get off my high horse for now until I ask my next question.

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All right, so I am going to move on. In 2017, the Legal Aid Society sued the City over access to shelter for runaway and homeless youth. Under the resulting settlement, the City was required to prioritize 16 and 17 year olds for placement in RHY shelters. The settlement expired in 2023. Since the settlement expired, the number of minors turned away from RHY shelters has increased dramatically. Comparing the three reporting periods immediately before the settlement expired with those immediately after, the number of minors turned away from shelters increased by 3,000%. How does DYCD explain the significant increase in minors being turned away from the shelters following the expiration of the settlement?

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I am going to turn to my colleagues to dig into that number a little bit more closely.

(00:30:11)

But we continued that policy to prioritize minors — it made good sense in terms of the younger runaway, and they are the more vulnerable. We still want our providers to prioritize 16 and 17 year olds over 18, 19 and 20 year olds if absolutely necessary. So that policy still stands. We want to support our providers to adhere to that.

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I...

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I am not sure about the numbers in that report. Do you want to speak to that — the minor numbers?

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Sure. Yeah, a case of education and outreach.

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Right. I am not sure where those numbers come from, Chair, but we do not turn away minors. Our drop-in centers serve from the age of 14 to 24, so we do have minors...

(00:31:01)

...in the drop-in centers. As far as our residential programs, according to OCFS regulations, we are allowed to have a minor under the age of 16 at a crisis shelter for 72 hours as we are looking for placement and speaking to parents and speaking to... so I am not quite sure where that number...

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...originated from. It came from our providers and it was a report called Local Law 79.

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OK, so that would be the shelter access report.

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And for our shelter access report, we have — 111 youth... no, I am sorry — 316 youth were turned away this quarter. The quarter before it was 599 youth, which is a reduction of about 280 youth not being turned away. That is what we found in our report. As far as the age, those would not be considered minors — those are not minors.

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16 to 17.

(00:32:15)

OK, so the 16... I am sorry, I thought that you were talking about under-16 year olds. So the 16 and 17 year olds are the minors, and there were minors on that report within the 316. But like I said, it is a reduction of 280. As for the minors, we have a minor policy that we adhere to and minors are not just turned away. There is absolutely work done with those minors prior to them leaving our sites. We have really good relationships — we have a liaison that comes to our provider meetings and talks to them. Do not worry, I have questions on that too. Oh, you do?

(00:33:02)

...commit to following up on any minor on that shelter access report to make sure providers are clear about the priority. We will follow up on that. And you guys know I get riled up about language, because even what we are saying — it is a reduction by like 200 — it was still 200 kids turned away. So I wanted to make sure we emphasize that, because I do not want it to be like, oh, it is better. It is still 200-something kids, which to me ultimately is a problem. So I just want to make sure I said that. Because everybody knows I get real passionate about language with the babies. What does DYCD ensure that 16 and 17 year olds who seek shelter can access a bed when they need one?

(00:33:42)

I will take that. Again, 16 and 17 year olds — like I said earlier, we have a minor policy that ensures that 16 and 17 year olds... the policy...

(00:33:52)

...while the policy says that...

(00:33:53)

...you have to work with the minors. They need shelter. They are allowed to go into our crisis programs. They are allowed to go into transitional programs temporarily. You need to contact... you need to get a minor without working with them. Yeah, I know we have some...

(00:34:14)

...questions around the family stuff, because there are even some issues coming up with that. And contacting parents sometimes is also dangerous. Yes, and could...

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...you guys, if you do not have the...

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...exact policy now, if you could share it with us, because I would like to see what guidance we are actually sending to providers around this, to make sure that we are on the same page. Because even saying "working with them" — I can be like, I worked with you and we still got turned away, because...

(00:34:46)

...we can definitely get you the...

(00:34:48)

...policy, to see the whole language. And in 2025, how many young people who were unable to access RHY beds were instead referred to the shelter system?

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I can take that. So our shelter access report...

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...does not give us that...

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...number. Right, so we are not capturing that on the shelter report. It was not part of the local law...

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...no. She said "access" and I can tell you about the report, but the...

(00:35:18)

...does not allow us to capture that number. We do not know how many youth actually left the site and went to... So we have a streamlined report where we streamline the youth. What does that mean and what is the...

(00:35:26)

...difference? The difference — understand, OK — the difference is with the streamlined report, you get to skip intake. So you do not have to go through that whole situation. You can go straight into a bed. So we have a system where they can skip the line and go straight in there. Why are we not tracking that?

(00:35:44)

Well, we do track that. OK, right — that is on the streamlined report. We do track that, so we know exactly how many of the youth were streamlined into...

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Then I am confused. So then why do we not know how many kids accessed it? I am confused. I feel like I...

(00:36:20)

...trust the numbers. Because when you said "access" we were talking about the shelter access report, which is a different report than the streamlined report. The streamlined report for fiscal year 2025 — we had 121 youth that were placed directly into a shelter. And in FY26, since then there have been 55 youth placed directly into a...

(00:36:26)

...shelter. The benefit of the streamlined access is that intake serves a purpose — they want to understand the context of the young person's situation, what their needs are, who they are, what their resources are. So if you have been a young person in a Runaway and Homeless Youth program, advocates were saying: then why, to access shelter after I have potentially aged out, do I have to go through that process again? Somebody at the City in a City program really already knows my situation. So the streamlined report takes the information that we already know about the young person and shares that with the shelter so that they can skip that process. They are already known to somebody and it just alleviates some of the hesitancy that some young people feel about going through that process and helps them get to shelter more efficiently.

(00:37:02)

I mean, I think that is one of the reasons why they have issues with it. But I am almost positive — and you have to stay around to hear them tell me all the other reasons why they do not want to go to shelters, because it is just not as nice, right? I mean, you know, I would like to get rid of the barriers. Young people want to stay where they are, right? So it is like, if I have already done this work with this organization and this group of people, I want to stay there so I can finish out that process. I think that is kudos to the work of the providers cultivating these communities for our young people — they become their families. So it is really hard for them to go into a shelter that often is not as homey and friendly and attentive. It becomes hard. I think that is why they have been advocating so hard to have these young people stay under their tutelage, and that speaks to the good work that is being done. So I have to say it to you: how is DYCD responding to ongoing capacity challenges across the RHY shelter system? What steps is the agency taking to reduce waitlists and prevent young people from being turned away?

(00:37:53)

I MEAN I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY HAVE ISSUES WITH BUT I'M ALMOST POSITIVE AND YOU HAVE TO STAY AROUND TO HEAR THEM TELL ME ALL THE OTHER REASONS WHY THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO SHELTERS BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT'S JUST NOT A NICE OR IT'S NOT AS NICE RIGHT I MEAN YOU KNOW I'D LIKE TO GET RID OF THE FLOWERS YOUNG PEOPLE WANT TO STAY WITH R THERE RIGHT AND SO IT'S LIKE IF I'VE ALREADY DONE THIS WORK WITH THIS ORGANIZATION AND THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE IT'S I WANT TO STAY THERE SO I CAN FINISH OUT THAT PROCESS AND YOU KNOW I THINK THAT THAT'S KUDOS TO THE WORK AND THE PROVIDERS CULTIVATING THESE COMMUNITIES FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEY BECOME THEIR FAMILIES SO IT'S REALLY HARD AND SO FOR THEM TO GO INTO SHELTER THAT OFTEN ISN'T AS HOMEY AND .>>FRIENDLY AND YOU KNOW TENTATIVE IT BECOMES HARD AND SO YOU KNOW I THINK YOU KNOW THAT'S WHY THEY'VE BEEN ADVOCATING SO HARD TO HAVE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE STAY UNDER THEIR TUTELAGE AND THAT'S TO THE GOOD WORK THAT'S BEING DONE UM SO I'D HAVE TO SAY IT TO YOU HOW IS RESPONDING T OONGOING CAPACITY CHALLENGES ACROSS THE ARCH WASH SHELTER SHELTER SYSTEM WHAT STEP IS THE AGENCY TAKING TO REDUCE WAITLIST AND PREVENT YOUNG PEOPLE FROM BEING TURNED AWAY.

(00:39:04)

I will start with that. I think it is important to share some context.

(00:39:10)

The shelter system has grown, thanks in large part to the Council's investment. We added hundreds of beds for transitional independent living. We continue to grow. There were times, following that significant growth over the last several years, where we saw really the needs being largely met. I think there was a gap identified around 2021 to 2024 which, through your support, we have helped to mitigate. But we saw through some of our data points, like the shelter access report, that it was virtually zero. Our utilization was showing availability. Then during COVID we saw a lot of hesitancy around accessing congregate care, so our utilization rates were very low during that time. It was not a representation of need necessarily.

In more recent years, with the surge of migrants and new New Yorkers coming to New York City, we saw an absolute influx at our drop-in centers and our crisis shelters and our transitional independent living programs. That is when you saw our shelter access reports really creep up. So I think one thing we are seeing with respect to the shelter access report going down is that if we keep working on that, we could potentially get back to the point where we are coming very close to meeting the needs of young people, and that is our goal. So we want to keep driving down those numbers of any young person who cannot access a youth-centric program. I think we are moving in that direction.

(00:40:37)

And we still have... we are still growing. Unfortunately, what long-term strategy, and I know the Commissioner talked more about the overall strategy around the agency itself, of trying to make sure that we are evaluating interagency coordination and things like that...

(00:40:51)

But what long-term strategy is there around increasing shelter and ensuring that we always have the right amount of beds any time a young person needs one?

(00:41:12)

Well, I just want to say we have been responsive. We are constantly monitoring. We saw a period of retraction and we have seen a period of growth.

(00:41:23)

The situation can change and we have to be responsive to that. We cannot get a bed up and running in 24 hours. There are certain resources to direct to those most in need, and sometimes, you know...

(00:41:37)

It is not infrequent that somebody who shows up on a shelter access report, who did not get a bed on that day, will ultimately get the placement they need maybe the next day. That is not acceptable. We want young people to be able to access their services on the day they need them. But we are paying attention to those numbers and trying to be responsive.

(00:41:55)

The other thing I would add is that we are invested in this community and this population. In the same way that we are making investments in expansion and after-school programming and tending to the needs of kids in after-school, we are also tending to the needs of this population. It is very central to what is important to us. We are thinking about care across a continuum and we are not willing to put this on the margins.

(00:42:25)

And often folks are not talking about it and not talking about the work that is being done to ensure that young people access what they do. So I will keep pushing on this issue and make sure that we are highlighting it and not cutting any corners, because it is not okay. And even when we do get the wins, it is usually at the fringes and after we are losing our minds, right? And even thinking about things like the housing navigators that we have to fight for every year — those are things that should just be baseline

(00:43:01)

and a part of the work, because we know how crucial they are. I am going to move on to a question regarding Staten Island. I know we are going to talk about them a lot. The website indicates that there are currently no youth crisis services programs located on Staten Island. Can you start by explaining why they lack a crisis center? Has DYCD explored establishing one in Staten Island? Are there barriers preventing that from happening?

(00:43:28)

And I know a lot of times they say it is not enough. So what is the plan for young people there to access crisis services? As a fellow Staten Islander...

(00:43:42)

Oh, look at that. So this must mean this is near and dear to your heart.

(00:43:47)

Yes, near and dear. Very much.

(00:43:50)

So Staten Island did have a crisis shelter. The provider decided that they no longer wanted to do crisis and they opted to turn it into a transitional independent living program. So right now they have 41 transitional independent living beds and they operate a 24-hours, seven-days-a-week drop-in center, in addition to 10 beds that they are looking to locate — because they currently have 10 beds — so that is going to bring them up to 20 beds once they find an appropriate site. But it was the provider's choice. They did not want

(00:44:28)

to have a crisis shelter.

(00:44:30)

I want to add to that. Samantha has a long history of working with runaway and homeless youth in Staten Island. She is a legend in doing that work out there. The benefit to operating a transitional independent living program is that we understand the logistics — it is hard to get from Staten Island to be referred to, like, Covenant House in Midtown. So we have a 24-hour drop-in center in Staten Island operated by Project Hospitality. You can absolutely refer from the drop-in center to the transitional independent living program. The impact of that is that where young people are being referred to, they actually have a potentially longer length of stay. For young people who live in Staten Island and want to stay in Staten Island, that is important to them.

(00:45:18)

It is more significant for them because of the transportation challenges of getting to a different borough. The benefit for young people is that they can go from the drop-in center to the transitional independent living program and stay for a much longer length of time. When young people... I will move on from that.

(00:45:37)

Back in fiscal year 2025, only approximately 5% of crisis services exits and 15% of transitional independent living exits were to permanent or stabilized housing. How long on average do young people remain in transitional independent living programs while waiting for permanent housing? And what is the understanding of the complications around that?

(00:46:00)

So then they can make a decision. But to your point about talking about the affordability crisis that impacts New Yorkers, the Mayor has been so eloquent on...

(00:46:10)

It sounds like... sorry, okay, we are

(00:46:15)

back. Okay. I am going to invite my colleague Tracy to weigh in if I miss something here. But the typical length of stay in a transitional independent living program is 257 days. Not every young person who is discharged from a transitional independent living program is waiting for a permanent housing option. Young people ages 16 to 24 are interested in a range of options. Some of them will go home, some of them will live with a relative, some of them are staying with us temporarily while they get their situation sorted out. But every one of them will eventually need long-term stable housing. Not every one of them is in a position where they are developmentally ready to take on a lease at that moment.

(00:46:57)

Housing navigators pursue all available options. That includes supportive housing referrals, transitional housing, voucher programs, and any available option for housing. So we do not really want young people to wait, but we do understand that there are scarce resources and we are working with the housing navigators to access them as quickly as possible.

(00:47:21)

Yeah, I mean, absolutely. We are in a housing crisis. So I think that is why I wanted — even when we are thinking about our housing plan — to make sure that we are designating something specific for them and giving more options. I have a question around the transitional independent living program, and I feel like sometimes, maybe my brain does not work, but...

(00:47:41)

These programs allow young people to remain in a shelter for 24 months while they are working towards securing permanent housing. Why is there a maximum length of stay of 24 months? And what happens when a person reaches the 24-month limit but has been unable to find permanent housing?

(00:47:58)

The 24 months — that is part of the regulation.

(00:48:05)

The regulation is that you can be in the transitional independent living program for up to 24 months. If the youth is still under age, the provider can always exit and re-enter the youth, so that youth does not have to leave. But the

(00:48:20)

maximum time... so what do you mean they have to leave? They would have to, like, unregister and then register again to stay in the program? Absolutely, if they are under age. What sense does that make?

(00:48:32)

Well, because we have to follow the regulations. So it is like... are we pushing for changes at the state level?

(00:48:39)

Yes, we are. Okay, because nobody told me.

(00:48:41)

We have been working with OCFS to discuss how to advocate for change.

(00:48:46)

That does not make sense. So we make the kid walk out the door and come back in and say we...

(00:48:49)

We do not actually do it like that. We just say, "She is coming up to her time, let us just freeze and re-enroll her."

(00:48:55)

And so they would have to, like, refill the paperwork out.

(00:48:58)

No, the system keeps up with it.

(00:49:01)

The day-to-day stuff that does not make

(00:49:05)

sense. It is real. We have to follow the regulation, but it sounds weird. So why are we not just telling OCFS this is not working — let us figure something else out? I do not like things that do not make sense.

(00:49:15)

Right, but we are working with OCFS. They are in the process of redoing their regulations and that is part of the discussions — the length of stay in transitional independent living programs and crisis programs.

(00:49:26)

Let me add that to my list. It does not sound like it makes sense. In fiscal year 2025, 18% of youth exiting crisis services and 9% of youth exiting transitional independent living programs left with an unknown destination. What efforts are being made — and what are providers required to do — to establish a safe discharge plan before a young person exits? I know everyone wants to answer at the same time.

(00:50:01)

Yeah. I think ideally every young person is adequately supported for their next transition. I think that we need to think about the developmental stages of young people when we are thinking about how complete the information on where they go when they leave programs can be. I know our providers are contracted to do follow-up services, and they may not always have success following up on the young person. There are instances where a young person does not want to share exactly where they are going, or the provider has trouble validating that. That number has gone down, I believe, over the years as we have worked more closely with providers in our meetings to say it is very important that you make sure that you know what the next steps for this young person are. I think we are going to continue to see those numbers go down.

So there is a requirement for them to ensure that when a person is being discharged they have a plan, or some follow-up, or something like...

(00:51:02)

that. Absolutely, that is a requirement. I think the variable is that it is a voluntary program and whether young people want to participate in

(00:51:11)

that. Listen, we know young people do not always like listening to us. I get it.

(00:51:15)

I raised a teenager. They think they are grown. But I am just trying to... well, if they do not, what is the next step? Is it just like, okay, well, they went — is that what happens?

(00:51:27)

I think many young people who are in the system will continue to stay connected with a drop-in

(00:51:32)

center — maybe not just one drop-in center but many drop-in centers — and will very often come back to programming. Something we see in the continuum of services is that young people are very often not connected with just one service. They sort of stay as part of the network.

(00:51:51)

Yeah, I mean, I think also when we are talking about interagency coordination, that is why it is going to be important to make sure that we are — and I know there are rules around not wanting to track kids or things like that — but I do think it is important for us to be able to follow up and say, okay, they were in this youth shelter and now they are showing up here, and to have some continuation of support, especially for these young people who are so vulnerable and can fall victim to so many different things. Thinking about, okay, now they showed up at HRA — now we actually have a follow-up address that we could use because they are getting services from there or wherever. I do think it is important for us to figure out an interagency system where we, as providers and as the City, can really support them and find them.

I think the other thing sometimes — and I know I used to be a provider — is that you go and look for your kids. I know there are so many other people who would do the same to ensure their safety.

(00:52:44)

So I will say one thing. I know that Deputy Mayor Arteaga — this is a top priority for her specifically — to have interagency data sharing. She is in the process of leveraging the support and expertise of our new Executive Director of CIDI. We have begun conversations about that. Yeah, because I mean, I

(00:53:07)

know there was mention of, like, if there is an issue, sometimes they will reach out. But sometimes young people are running from those situations because there are issues there, and now we have just activated a conversation with an agency that is going to put them back in a foster care system that could be abusing them or have issues. So it is like we need to figure out a better strategy, because it just does not work as easily as it sounds in hearings when we say we are streamlining this or they did this.

I think those things are important. So it is like, okay, well, they were there — and I think sometimes the providers are like, wait, they were there, okay, they must be here for a reason, and so it would further a different type of conversation. So again, I do think there definitely needs to be some interagency coordination. Okay, so I am going to move on to talk about some of the drop-in center data. Including in the first four months of fiscal year 2026, the City's drop-in centers saw a 31.7% increase from the same period in fiscal year 2025. What does DYCD attribute this increase to? I can take an answer.

(00:54:10)

Aside from the good work of the providers, there was much more community outreach taking place, as well as the opening of another 24-hour drop-in center in the Bronx. Fiscal year 2025 is when they really got off and running with services.

(00:54:33)

In addition, we also had peer navigators who were doing community outreach and bringing youth into the drop-in centers. That is where the influx came from — intense outreach efforts, the work of the peer navigators and the good work of the providers.

(00:54:58)

What is DYCD's policy on minors accessing drop-in centers? Advocates have reported that when minors seek services at drop-in centers, some providers contact ACS to make reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. Does DYCD require or advise providers to make SCR reports solely because a minor is seeking services at a drop-in center? Under what circumstances are youth providers expected or required to make an SCR report when they are serving a minor?

I just want to start by saying that our providers absolutely would make an SCR report as mandated reporters for any abuse and neglect claims by a young person — absolutely. At the same time, they are not saying this is just for abuse and neglect. They are saying any time

(00:55:49)

they have services... like, are we requiring them, when they come in for services, to call? I think I also wanted to share that in our partnership with ACS, we have been working alongside them to retrain providers and staff around mandated reporting and looking at the disproportionality of reports, and really isolating reports that are more necessary. That has been an effort. We have been training our staff so that they can work with providers and training providers directly. So we

(00:56:20)

want to minimize reports as much as possible. There are some nuances when it comes to minors who are runaways and need to access services, where it is appropriate to start with an SCR call to activate an investigation. There are some of those circumstances. Because, you know, I am always pushing back on the idea that young people and families should have to get a report filed in order to access services. So what are the services that you feel like the providers would need to make those

(00:56:59)

services available? I think that is a really good question and I am going to turn it over — just to say more — and I am sure our providers have something to share about this as well. But the runaway and homeless youth services are voluntary services for young people who need a temporary respite or are working towards independent living. There is no custody, there is no guardianship. There are 16-year-olds who may be counseled by a provider where they really need more of a family support — they really need supervision and guardianship to be a better fit for them. That is a negotiation that we have with ACS, and to some degree there are some minors, 16 and 17, who are better suited to independent living and can do well alongside older young people and are ready to explore education, careers, health and mental health.

So I think a lot of it depends on the individual circumstances. But if we do want to activate care, then that will have to start with an SCR call. I do love what you are elevating here about what the impact of that call would be. I really want to talk to our providers more to understand — not that it is done, but how it is done — because I do think that they lean into youth development principles and trauma-informed practices to make sure that there is awareness and transparency. So I do want to come back to that question with the experts.

(00:58:21)

Sharing how they think that these questions are coming from providers, and one of the things they are also saying is, because it is around what guidance that you guys are giving, because that is the next question: what guidance are you giving them around mandated reporting? Obviously it is something that is not clear, and I think that sometimes when it comes to mandated reporting — I am a mandated reporter and I have taken that training multiple times — but I think it has been evolving, especially around reports. It has been evolving because we know of the disparities that it has and that we see in communities. It is a flag that it is clearly not clear across the board of what it looks like in each of the centers. Thank you. Next question around...

(00:59:17)

I think we trust that your questions are coming with an opportunity and an appetite for us to go back and see how we are making our recommendations. But I also think what you have offered here, spoken, is really to talk to the Commissioner of ACS, which I know she is prioritizing training around mandated reporting and the levels and escalations. So I would

(00:59:43)

like to look into this a little further. Because I am even noting that the following question is: well, the website providers give a list of protocols for 16 and 17 year olds. It does not include guidance for serving youth who are under 16.

(00:59:57)

And how do policies differ based on the age of individuals seeking care, and are there specific rationales on why policies were changed among minors? So I do not have anything on that here, or we can move on. Because if you want to speak to the provider, I just want

(01:00:16)

to add that Samantha raised the fact that she comes to our provider meetings quarterly, and the most recent meeting we talked about the SRT calls and ACS's approach in reducing the calls and what is appropriate and what is not. So we have been talking about that for a few years now, a couple of years too, and we want to continue lifting it up. I just want to echo — yeah, I am glad you are raising this and I think that this is an important issue. But we are all working together to untangle the best way to work with 14 and 15 year olds.

(01:00:52)

So my providers, I am sure they will come back and tell me that you guys are having the conversation.

(01:00:57)

And then we will keep talking, because I do think it is something that we have to make sure there is clarity and a basic understanding of. In real time, as per usual, my providers are texting me around a follow-up question that they want me to bring up. They are asking around the streamlined referral process, and so for young people who come in seeking shelter that day, how quickly can they bypass the intake process and the intake assessment that they have to be placed in? Because it sounds like, yeah, we have this bypass process, but it always is not as seamless as is being presented here today. So just, what does that look like? How soon, if they come in, can they bypass this process?

(01:01:41)

I am going to allow Tracy. All right, I will take the question. So we have a process that offers up to 20 days to place a young person from our programs to their programs.

(01:01:54)

To find an appropriate fit.

(01:01:56)

To make sure... where do they go for those 20 days? They are in our shelter program for 20 days. So they have up to 20 days to stay with you

(01:02:05)

guys while looking for shelter. So the streamlining is for young people who are currently in our residential program. So they are in our residential programs, the providers look at all the different discharge opportunities for them, and if the discharge decision is made, then that is the streamline process. That could take up to 20 days.

(01:02:26)

Real-time feedback: they said it takes 30 days for them to hear back. Usually when they hear back, it is a placement. So no, listen, if you all turn around — their heads are shaking, I see it. I probably know well, my people back here are like, mm-mm, that is not what is happening. So it might be what we have on paper that we need to look into, because they are saying they are not hearing back for 30 days and you are saying it is 20 days for a placement. That is not what is happening.

Listen, I believe it. Have you ever been there? Because if you think they are getting back in 20 days... I do not doubt that intake has been really overwhelmed. Okay, for us, they are doing a great job with this. Yes, I will say it is overwhelmed on so many capacities, and it is not for the lack of work that they are doing. It is a system that is overwhelmed, so we cannot pretend like that is not true. And so this is not a hit at them, saying that they are not doing their job. But we know that they do not have a lot of staff. I will not deny that maybe it does take 30 days sometimes.

(01:03:42)

But that is what the policy says. So "immediate" is not in the policy, just so you know. It is on paper, but that is not what is happening.

(01:03:51)

Yes, they are saying it is taking 30 days for them to hear back. So what is the escalation? They can email me, and I email the intake

(01:03:58)

team, and no help.

(01:03:59)

It helps. They are supposed to have 20 days to stay in with... and it is 20 days, but if they are not hearing back for 30 days, what is the process then? I elevate the placement. I am just saying, so that they get to stay. Okay.

(01:04:17)

Yes, but you are happy. Absolutely. Listen, and it is not a shot at anybody. I think this is like the gaps that we need to talk about, which is why we have these hearings, so that we can have a moment to be like, wait, is this working? Because on paper it is probably obviously the policy, but it is taking

(01:04:33)

longer. And I am sure it is. So I just want to also make sure I understand: does the drop-in center also consist of being able to be part of the bypass? So the drop-in center is also able to bypass? You can also bypass with a drop-in center.

(01:04:54)

So how long... so I go to the drop-in center, I have done the intake process, and now I should be able to bypass the intake process for

(01:05:01)

Yeah, it is the same time frame. But yes, the same time frame. So they would have to come back to the drop-in shelter for 20 days? What am I missing? Because maybe I do not understand, maybe I am missing something.

(01:05:12)

There are a couple of options. Sometimes young people are in a residential program and accessing a streamlined process through the drop-in center, which is possible. Another way is street homeless youth are accessing the drop-in centers and are able to do a streamlined process there. But drop-in centers are not considered sheltered, because we all know that. Because I am going to start on the note of sleeping in now. So how are we then bypassing it and saying that they can have access? They do not have to go to the intake shelters and do the conditional placement. They can go straight to a shelter bed from the drop-in center, from wherever they are, from wherever they may be staying but not in a DYCD program. They can access that through their intake at

(01:05:57)

the end. Is that another one on paper? Because I feel like that sounds good. It is the same policy. It is the same policy. Okay.

(01:06:05)

But, like Susan said, you know, people can be doubled up and waiting for their placement and then be placed.

(01:06:11)

That, while they are

(01:06:14)

at the drop-in center. They come to the drop-in center, and... I am sorry, I am just trying to get a picture of all of it in my head because I am a visual person. So I am literally seeing it: so they go to the drop-in center, and we know that is not a place where they are going to sleep. They are going to have access to services, and at this point 30 days they are waiting to hear back. So they will have to figure out 30 days of, like, what am I going to do, and then they can skip the intake system.

(01:06:40)

No one sees anything wrong with that? No. What I am gleaning from your questions, and I think is an important takeaway for us, is your question is about those transitions: how long are they, and where are young people in that, and what are we doing to close that gap? These are critical questions that we are going to... it is a weird thing about a drop-in, something you cannot sleep there, right? So for 30 days I cannot sleep, what am I doing, where am I going, like what are we... I think even that messaging is like, what? That is why I am... and I am looking in my head and I am like, so I am sitting in the chair for 30 days, like what are we doing? So I think this plan sounds good on paper, it just... it sounds puzzling also. We will just revisit it. I think the policy makes sense, but some of

(01:07:30)

the other things, the intricacies, we have got to really figure out. We are going to go and talk about street outreach teams. Do you currently fund street outreach teams serving all five boroughs? One team covers the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan above 59th Street, while the other covers Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan below 59th Street. First of all, if I have got to take a boat to go do outreach, that sounds crazy. Like, what? Come on, y'all know what I am going to say here. What does all that street outreach look like? Are they swimming back and forth? Like, what are we talking about here?

Does it seem to you that two street outreach teams are sufficient to identify runaway and homeless youth across the city? And listen, I know you guys are going to say street homelessness for kids looks different, they are not on the streets, they are couch surfing, blah blah blah blah blah. I already know that is the spiel. We already know, I have heard this before. But I do not like... what? Like, this does not even make sense. Even if they are not sleeping on the street, we still need to have people out there making the effort. So I am going to ask the question and then I am answering it: do you guys need more funding for street outreach? Yes. Thank you.

Is there going to be a new need in the budget? You are going to say no. I am going to say, well, maybe we should have a new need in the budget so we can have more outreach for these young people. All right, so we did that part. So are there particular boroughs or neighborhoods where you have identified demand for street outreach services? Have you even thought about this?

(01:09:12)

Absolutely. Our street outreach team, like you said, it is broken up into two: the northern and the southern. In those areas they have a whole list of places that they go, and they are very flexible, so they are all over. How many people are on those teams? Around four or five people on each team. He said not enough.

(01:09:36)

Covering the whole city? How much do they have to be making? A million dollars? Because that just sounds crazy. Do outreach... I know. And we have got one in each borough, and if they are doing outreach, then who will... come on, come on. I am just saying, there is clearly a place where we need to be looking and there needs to be more investment. So you look ahead. I am sorry, sorry for interrupting. Actually trying to get your money, your money, because this does not make sense. This does not make sense. I do not like stuff that does not make sense, and like this theory that they only need eight people to cover the entire city sounds crazy to me. I just cannot. Also, understanding that to have folks covering the Bronx and Queens and Manhattan, those are different communities with different people and different things, and like, you need at minimum... having a street outreach team in each borough is weird. Full stop. I have got to have that on the record. That is ridiculous and it is clearly a blind spot. So we just need to start there. We need to have an outreach team in each borough, and let us just move on because I do not even have time for these questions. So I hope that in the budget hearing, one of the new needs is funding for more money for the outreach. So I will add it to my list of things that I would like money for. Thank you.

(01:11:07)

Homeless young adults: the Fiscal Year 2026 adopted budget included $6 million in baseline funding for a hundred additional beds serving homeless young adults ages 21 to 24.

(01:11:21)

I have fought for four years for that. So thank you, thank you guys for working with me. You guys were on the phone. Can we confirm that this is accurate, and if so, do we have an estimate of when the remaining 30 beds will be available?

(01:11:38)

The 30 beds should be online. They are in the process... it takes three to four months. OCFS is in receipt of all of the paperwork necessary, so we are just waiting for that process to take place. The last 10 beds are Staten Island-identified beds, and the provider is still looking for a viable site to place those beds in.

(01:12:06)

Yeah, when I met with the OCFS Commissioner we talked about that, and she definitely had it on her radar and said she is trying to expedite as much as possible. Yes. What is the current reimbursement rate for those new beds, and does it reflect the actual operational costs for providers? Because I know even when we got the beds, it was like, yeah, we got the beds, we fought so hard, and it was like, this is not enough money. I felt so hard... people are saying it is not enough money. So do we think that the bed rate for those additional beds is adequate? Of course you are going to say of course they are adequate.

(01:12:47)

We believe that they can provide it, but we are going to continue to fight for more. Great. So what

(01:12:55)

were the utilization rates for crisis service programs and the program serving homeless young adults during the first four months of Fiscal 2026, and why were those figures listed as not available in the Preliminary Mayor's Management Report when they did the report?

(01:13:15)

The utilization rate for the crisis bed program for that period was 98%. The utilization rate for the other program during that period was 99%. We do not have these numbers in the Preliminary Mayor's Management Report. However, we do have them, and all quarters will reflect utilization when we complete the MMR. Elizabeth said it is

(01:13:45)

okay. Okay. Thank you, Elizabeth. Thank you.

(01:13:49)

Vouchers: as part of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, HPD will now assume responsibility for administering the City FHEPS voucher program, which runaway and homeless youth should be eligible to access, because that was the only way I was even fighting for them. The conversation that DYCD has had... I mean, to ensure youth will be able to access the new City FHEPS vouchers once the new voucher program launches in the next six months, what guidance has DYCD provided to providers about the transition of the City FHEPS program to HPD? How is DYCD communicating this to providers? So we are excited about the fact that the City Housing Access Program, City HAP, by HPD, is in the process of being created now. So we are going to meet with HPD, and then once we have more information we will share with the providers. Like, having my... it is the emails are going back and forth right now. Okay.

(01:15:00)

I just want to make sure you guys are part of the conversation and not like, after, because they can come up with something that does not make sense. Absolutely, you guys are the experts and I need the experts at the table. And I have to say, sometimes they think about us like, oh yeah, we have got to figure out how to give them the scraps. I need to make sure you guys are part of the conversation. So I will also start making some calls to make sure that you guys are a part of the conversation and leading in that space.

(01:15:26)

What guidance has been given around the transition of the City FHEPS vouchers? Have you guys started talking to providers about it, or are you guys just waiting for your conversation with HPD first? Yeah, we will wait for the conversation. Hopefully there is an opportunity to discuss and get input from the provider community as well. It is really important for us to be able to hear from the providers, to hear from the housing navigators at the sites, to understand what the needs are, given HPD vouchers.

(01:16:02)

Are offered only in situations of last resort. What other forms of housing assistance are available for youth that must be exhausted before you can apply for an HPD voucher? Are all the alternatives listed or described anywhere that youth could access? Could you... your question, the last part kind of threw me a little bit. No,

(01:16:31)

I was just asking: given that HPD vouchers are offered only in last resort situations, what other forms of housing assistance are available to homeless youth that they have to exhaust before they can get an HPD

(01:16:48)

voucher? And are there other alternatives that are going to be listed for them to be able to find housing? For young people who are experiencing homelessness, we are accessing rapid rehousing as a resource now at the moment, and supportive housing as a resource. Once we know more about the HPD voucher, we will be able to more fully come up with a map of all the housing options that are available.

(01:17:20)

I want to take a minute just to shout out our housing navigation teams, which include the internal team at DYCD and then especially the team based at

(01:17:29)

the CBOs, and how we have been able to respond to available resources. Some of these... it has been, you know, from the time that vouchers were

(01:17:44)

We had a City FABS pilot, and we have pivoted to the nitro child and choice vouchers. That team is constantly tracking available resources — not just vouchers, but also just housing and new housing that is coming online in support of housing and other opportunities. So I really want to shout out the team because we have been recognized by our agency partners as really being very efficient and productive in getting young people through that process, which is not simple, and into housing. So I think the right providers have a great track record when the resource is available, and I know our team will be tracking this new resource. I think a lot of that work right now, as we discussed in the last hearing, is around the federal voucher termination at the end of... and so our team had roughly 400-plus young people placed in those

(01:18:47)

housing units with those vouchers, and have already placed — how many of those? We have already provided 309 out of the 417 with other housing options. That has to be done before the end of this year, and they are working really hard on that so that young people who landed in stable housing will be able to retain that. I have some questions about the federal government stuff too.

(01:19:20)

Do not worry, it is coming up. But I do want to ask the question still regarding the vouchers — will the drop-in centers have access to the vouchers? Because that is technically not shelter. So trying to understand whether those providers will have access to these new HPD vouchers. The commissioner mentioned how this is an ecosystem, so young people who are in residential programs are going to be going to the drop-in centers to work with the housing navigators around this new voucher that is being developed. The details have not been worked out about exactly who, when, how and what it will be. We are not... what was the document that came out that said there was a City project coming up? Was it from the City Council? I was reading about it in the paper, basically, and so that is where we are — we are still in the preliminary discussion around how the vouchers will be accessed.

The housing navigators are in the drop-in centers. Susan highlighted the work of the housing navigators. If it is very specific about residential programs being the only place, that does not mean that the drop-in center folks will not be accessing it, because young people at the drop-in centers are also in residential programs. Young people access multiple drop-in centers to get all the services that they need, often by their choice. So the line is not as straight... no, it is not. Which is why I think for you all to be a part of the conversation now — because if not, you are the experts, and I say this all the time: you are the experts in this work. You are the ones to understand the workflow and the difference between a drop-in center and a shelter and how those things are not the same. We do not want language to be developed that then does not allow young people to get access. So again, I think this is a place where we have to make sure that you all are part of the conversations earlier on and not later on, because sometimes I feel like folks just kind of forget. And I do not want that to be the case. So I want to make sure that we are working together, that you are the folks developing that policy and making sure that that is part of it.

(01:22:07)

So that is some work for us to do. All right, so we are going to move on to the federal funding restrictions. Runaway and homeless youth shelters in other parts of New York State rely heavily on federal funding, including grants through the federal Basic Center Program. Following the loss of federal funding, several runaway and homeless youth shelters in other parts of the state have been forced to close. Has DHS seen additional strain on the runaway and homeless youth shelter system as a result of shelter closures elsewhere in the state, including an increase in youth coming to New York City to seek shelter services? We have not seen an increase.

(01:22:54)

New York State runaway and homeless youth providers and partners are in meetings together. They are fully aware of our programming and what we offer here. They have my contact number.

(01:23:11)

We are very close, and we also share the same regulations and partners. So they are aware of what we offer, and if they need us we will be there. But we have not seen an influx of youth coming from upstate to downstate.

(01:23:33)

Do we track that? Well, we track where the youth were the night before. So there is a question that asks where did you stay, or where is your last known address. So we would then know where that youth is exactly coming from. Our partners in the state have made referrals to our programs, but we have not seen an influx of that.

(01:23:59)

Have you all been in communication — because you say you have been talking with the providers — but have you been in communication with the Office of Children and Family Services regarding some of these closures that are potentially going to be taking place and how this is possibly going to impact specifically New York City's shelter system?

(01:24:19)

Yes. In addition to being the Assistant Commissioner for DHS, I am the coordinator for the state. So I am on all of the meetings with the other state providers and we have been talking about the impact that it is going to have. They are fully aware of our services and know that we are...

(01:24:37)

Federal Basic Center Program funding is scheduled to begin on October 1, 2026. Providers in other parts of the state have raised concerns that additional funding reductions could lead to further shelter closures, potentially placing additional strain on New York City shelter systems. Has DHS spoken with the Office of Children and Family Services about the potential impact of federal funding reductions and shelter closures elsewhere in the state? Has DHS assessed how additional shelter closures outside of New York City will affect demand within the City? And does DHS have a contingency plan if federal funding reductions lead to increased demand for New York City providers?

(01:25:23)

We have been in conversations, and like I said, we have monthly meetings where we are talking about the impact that this is going to have. You know, Basic Center is one of those federal funding streams that has been around for many, many years. Back when I was a provider we had Basic Center. However, like I said, the only thing that we can do at the City level is to be available, and they know that we are here.

(01:25:50)

Yeah, I mean, obviously we could be available and also thinking about...

(01:25:52)

Talking to those... how are you all also preparing for this? And I know the Office of Children and Family Services is now having their coalition and bringing that back. So I know we have some folks from the state who are going to be testifying today to kind of talk...

(01:26:07)

about what this is looking like for them. So I think this is another thing that we need to add to our long list of things to do around how do we make sure that we are — or the providers are — prepared if we do see a huge increase, and then how do we make sure that we are able to meet that challenge. I think I am done with the questions. I think you are. I am. Thank you all for coming. I really appreciate this conversation. But again...

(01:26:38)

we have a lot of work to do in this specific sector and a lot of follow-ups, so we will definitely be in conversation. So at this time I believe we are ready for testimony from the public. Chair Stevens, thank you so much. In-person testimony — I now open the floor for public testimony. Before we begin, I remind members of the public that this is a formal government proceeding and that decorum shall be observed at all times. The public shall remain silent at all times. The witness table is reserved for people who wish to testify. No video recordings or photography is allowed from the witness table. Further, members of the public may not present audio or video recordings as testimony, but you may submit transcripts for such recordings to the Sergeant at Arms for inclusion in the hearing record. If you wish to speak in today's hearing, file an appearance card with the Sergeant at Arms and wait for your name to be called. Once you have been recognized you will have two minutes to speak about the oversight topic of the New York City Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter System. If you have written testimony or additional testimony you wish to submit for the record, please provide a copy of that testimony to the Sergeant at Arms. You may email written testimony to testimony at council.nyc.gov within 72 hours of this hearing. Please note that audio and video recordings will not be accepted. When you hear your name, please come to the witness panel. For the first panel we invite...

I am sorry, I am losing my voice. I need to rest. For the first panel we will be calling Nigel Williams, Dylan, Sebastian Vontae. I will go first.

(01:29:02)

Stevens and members of the Committee, my name is Sebastian Vontae and I serve as the... of... where we believe safety is a human right. We operate two drop-in centers, a crisis shelter and mobile street outreach. Twelve years ago, when I interviewed for my first job at this work, one of the people sitting across the table from me was a young person in the program. Today that person is a case manager on my staff. That is who I think about when we talk about bed rates and contracts, because every one of those things is what stood between him and the street.

I want to tell you what we would be walking — what he would be walking into today. Federal law took away the SNAP exemption for people experiencing homelessness and for young people who age out of foster care. So a 19-year-old sleeping in our shelter now has to document 80 hours of work a month or lose their food benefits after three months. Many of them will not make it. And when the benefits stop, they do not disappear — they come to our door hungry, and we feed them.

That is why we are asking you to raise the rate to $80,000 per bed. The rate has not moved in years. Rent has moved. Food has moved. Security has moved. Health insurance for staff has moved. Everything it takes to keep a young person safe overnight costs more than it did the last time anyone adjusted what we were paid to do it. We have absorbed that quietly, year after year, by stretching staff and trimming what we can afford to offer. There is nothing left to trim. We are not asking for growth. We are asking to keep the kitchen stocked and the beds open.

We are also asking DHS to commit publicly to releasing the next RFP. Our contracts end in June 2027. We cannot hire someone into a job I cannot promise will still exist. And we are asking the City to stop treating our young people as a separate category. Put providers and youth in the room when these vouchers are designed. Give our young people access to homeless set-aside units and tonight's zero-priority. A young person in DHS or anyone in a shelter — they just came through a different door. Thank you.

(01:31:25)

Good afternoon. My name is Regan Robinson and I am the Senior Youth Engagement Coordinator at Covenant House New York, where I have the privilege of leading our Youth Ambassador Program — three of whom you will hear from today — as well as our guaranteed income program called Cash with Care, the City's guaranteed income initiative, which provided direct cash support to young people experiencing homelessness and expectant mothers. In the first nine months of Cash with Care, more than 60% of our participating youth secured their own apartment or reunited with family, and 70% gained employment. These early outcomes show the potential of combining direct cash assistance with supportive services, but the initiative operated for only one year, which is way too short to know whether these results can actually last.

So ending the program now means losing the opportunity to understand all of its long-term impact. We are here respectfully urging the Council to restore the $3 million citywide investment in guaranteed income, including the $1.5 million for Covenant House New York's Cash with Care program. This continued funding would allow us to build on what we have learned. It would allow us to track our outcomes and determine whether guaranteed income alongside these supportive services can help young people achieve long-term stability in housing and economic stability.

We are also here joining with other providers in asking for the increase in the bed rate for all existing DHS contracts to $80,000 per bed, so providers have the resources to meet young people's needs. As the City expands its housing voucher programs, we are also asking that our youth have a meaningful role in the rollout through youth-informed program design, targeted outreach and clear referral pathways.

(01:33:15)

Thank you for your time. I am 20 years old. I came to Covenant House because I was in a situation that was extremely dangerous and I needed safety and support. What stood out to me immediately was how open and understanding Covenant House was. The first question they asked me was if I needed something to eat. Currently I am on the waiting list to get my own apartment, and I have been selling art. Right now I have been thriving.

Today I am asking the Council to recognize the cost of providing the support that other runaway and homeless youth providers offer. I urge the City to increase the bed rate for current DHS contracts to $80,000 per bed so these organizations have the resources to provide quality care. I also ask the City to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are not left out of the rollout of the City's housing vouchers. They should have a voice in how these programs are designed, receive outreach that speaks directly to their needs and have clear referral pathways to connect them with available housing. I also urge the City Council to restore funding for guaranteed income programs that provide youth and people experiencing homelessness with direct financial support as they work towards greater stability. The Covenant House New York Cash with Care program shows promising results during the initial period, but continued investment is needed to determine whether these early outcomes can lead to meaningful long-term change. Thank you for your time.

(01:35:02)

Good afternoon. My name is Sammy Hakan Oishi. I am 23 years old. I came to the United States as an immigrant. I came to the States as an F-1 student at Stony Brook University, and as I got sick before the day of my finals I found myself in the ER, and so I lost my scholarship. That is how I got kicked out of my...

(01:35:25)

dorm. As I was looking for shelters, I ended up at Randall's Island, where they could not accept me because I did have a stamp on my passport, and the reason for someone to stay at Randall's Island was for them to be undocumented. But because I had a passport I could not get in. I was there for about 18 days as I was looking for different shelters. All the adult shelters asked for paperwork and documentation which I did not have. Every time I would go to a precinct, they would ask me for my Social Security number, and I would get there and they would ask me for my state ID. So it was going back and forth as a 19-year-old, dragging my four suitcases. The door helped me to get to Covenant House, and the only way they told me was to call every single day to every single shelter. And that brings me to a point where — I was hearing everybody say the City has resources, but we need to connect the dots. And I know I am going outside of my time, but...

(01:36:47)

about it. Thank you.

(01:36:49)

Currently I am out of a rapid rehousing program and living in my apartment, working at Langone as a patient care technician while going to nursing school. I started my Certified Nurse's Assistant program at Covenant House as I was living in the Bridge House in the Bronx. While living there — when I went there for the first time at two in the morning — all they asked me was how old I was. Not my paperwork, not my passport. In a vulnerable situation like that I did not care about anything else but a place where I could stay. As I walked in they asked me whether I wanted to eat something, but I was too scared — as my parents said, do not eat something from a stranger — and I would not eat anything for the first 24 hours except chips, because those came in a package.

Covenant House provided me with a bed, food security and safety. They helped me with my immigration paperwork and I got my Social Security number, my state ID and work permit within a month. After that I got enrolled into the Certified Nursing Assistant program and the health care center. They helped me with my health clearance because I did not have an address and I did not have health insurance. I also got help with my MetroCards — simple things, not something exaggerating. But also at all the shelters I had been to, at the Franklin shelter I had to intake every 24 hours and I had to be online for that. But...

(01:38:40)

they could not accept me for paperwork. So...

(01:38:46)

Where I am standing here right now, Covenant House has shaped me in eight months. Where I am standing right now, living in New York City, where I would walk the streets and feel it is a huge city. Is not there any apartment there I can stay and pay for? And now, after eight months, only after eight months, I can have that privilege to be in my own apartment while working the job and working towards the dream that I once had. So it is not hard to have one less person in the streets, because I know the City has funds, I know the City is trying, but it is important to connect the dots in between and have the right funds. What they are asking is $80,000. Everyone is saying the same things, but I am just trying to figure out the whole experience, where it is a whole circle, where I do not have to go somewhere else, and where I can be human, not a paperwork. Thank you.

(01:39:56)

Thank you so much for sharing. We really appreciate it. Thank you.

(01:40:00)

Good afternoon. My name is Nigel and I am 17 years old. I came to Covenant House due to constant issues at home with my mother, and ultimately she ended up kicking me out of my home. While I was at Covenant House, intake was pretty easy for me. I was hysterical because I was so nervous that my mom was coming to get me, because usually kicking me out was usually like a punishment. She would just have me standing by the elevator until she would come on. But this time I left for real.

When I came to Covenant House, the first thing they did was ask me, "Are you hungry?" They asked me how old I was and if I was hungry. I said yes immediately because it was like 12 in the morning. Covenant House kind of helped me get back into school, because during my time, the thing that I experienced, school was not like my first priority, so I kind of started slacking. But Covenant House helped me get back into it. And I just graduated from high school in the top 8% of my graduating class.

(01:41:16)

Congratulations. I am not supposed to clap, but I will let y'all clap because that is what we are doing here. But do not do that for anybody else because you are going to get in trouble. We clap for the kids. Thank you.

(01:41:28)

I am currently a youth ambassador for Covenant House as well as the marketer for home care. Shelters like Covenant House give youth more than just a bed. They give us tools and support to reach our goals, whether it is school or mental health or just finding stability. These are basic human needs for young people experiencing homelessness. Organizations like Covenant House can make the difference between simply surviving and having any opportunity to move forward.

These programs provide much more than a bed. They provide safety, stability, guidance and support. I am asking the City Council to recognize the real cost of providing these services by raising the bed rate on current per-bed funding. I also urge the City to make sure youth are included in the rollout of new City housing vouchers by including their voices in program design, developing youth-specific outreach materials and creating clear referral pathways for our youth.

I am also asking that the City Council reinstate funding for guaranteed income to give young people experiencing homelessness the financial resources they need to move towards greater stability. Covenant House New York's Cash with Care program has already demonstrated very promising outcomes in the short time it has operated. But continued funding is essential to understand whether these early successes can translate into lasting change. Thank you.

(01:42:54)

Thank you guys so much. I just want to say thank you to all of you who had the courage to come share your story with us today. I think that it is so important that when we are in hearings and we are talking about bed rates or we are talking about numbers decreasing, it is important that we humanize it. Because that is why I was like, even the language of a reduction — we are talking about people, and talking about young people. So you guys coming to share your stories is so important and necessary.

I hope this is the first step of you guys understanding that this is what civic engagement looks like, this is what advocacy looks like. Continue to do this work, because you guys are the closest to the issue, which means you have the solutions, and you need to be in spaces like this and influencing people like me. And not only influencing me, but taking seats like this to be able to create the policies that we are fighting for now. I think that is so important. So thank you guys for showing up. We appreciate it.

And I just wanted to say that I have a couple of questions for this panel. Sebastian, I just had a question. I know Horizon is...

(01:43:59)

Do you guys do outreach? Is that connected to your drop-in center or is that part of the outreach team that does the borough-wide stuff? So we operate... we are the only city-funded outreach contracts. So we are the ones who have the two teams that go out. Oh, so you do both? So you...

(01:44:16)

Do the... how many people? That seems great. This is good stuff.

(01:44:21)

So typically around two to four in each team. Each team is mobile, so we have vehicles. Do you have a boat? We do not have a boat. We have two vehicles and at the beginning of the week...

(01:44:37)

We will send out a list of all the areas that will be covered for the week, and we also utilize feedback directly from young folks around where we should be for outreach. So there is, you know, a booking process for this.

(01:44:48)

And so what does a shift look like? So I am sorry, I have so many questions. Sorry, guys. So an outreach shift is from 7 o'clock in the afternoon to about three...

(01:44:58)

AM. And so the first thing that the team does when they get on shift is review our phones to see if we have got any calls, follow up with any calls that we have gotten, and then dispatch to the area. We stock up on supplies, so like condoms, we have those RHY pamphlets that we give out, we also have pop-top food items as well as quick snacks that folks can grab. We also provide needle exchange supplies, so Narcan and things like...

(01:45:34)

That. So they are fully equipped out there. And so, like, all boroughs? Because it is like, you know, they are in Brooklyn, they are in Queens. Like, how does that also...

(01:45:49)

I am asking because we were just highlighting this. So it is great that it is laid out in the outreach schedule that we issue. We will send that to the City. The City also sends that out to the general providers, and we also put it on our Instagram page just to kind of...

(01:46:04)

What would it look like if you had more people to be able to do it?

(01:46:09)

Oh, how many people would you think that you guys would need to be more adequate and really do this at full capacity? A lot more than what we have right now, I think. Even thinking about a start, it would make sense to have at least one outreach team for each borough, I think. We are kind of stretching the team really thin. So what we will do is tackle a borough or two a day between the teams, so like the northern and the southern team. But if we had a lot more folks we could cover a lot more area. The team does its best, because aside from doing general overnight outreach, they also table throughout the week. Yeah, I have got to see this, because the work they are doing — they are doing tabling. I mean, this is not just program choice.

(01:47:01)

Like, we also... I know, because that is the work you do. All right, I will definitely be following up because I have so many questions and a lot of ideas.

(01:47:12)

I just had a question around the Cash with Care program that you guys mentioned. You said you got $3 million for this. Was this a City Council initiative or was this another initiative?

(01:47:21)

This was a City Council initiative. Covenant House got... and then I believe the citywide investment was $3 million.

(01:47:28)

The whole investment agreement, and it was a one-year program. So...

(01:47:31)

We just finished our final payment for all of the young people, and it was not renewed. OK. And you guys... because, you know, I love a pilot, because I am always like, oh, we should have pilots, but then we should have exit dates. So you guys submitted the report around the feedback and all the positive reviews and are looking to fight to add this to the next... we would love to continue this. Yes. OK. And do you know who the other providers were?

(01:48:01)

I am not at the top of my head right now, but I will find out. No worries. Those are all the questions that I have.

(01:48:07)

Thank you guys so much, and thank you young ladies. I look forward to meeting with you guys at some point, because somebody has got to take this job, so maybe it is one of y'all. You know what I mean? Top of your class, you are in SUNY nursing. We have nursing and City Council too, so do not try to point at her. We have got artists as well.

(01:48:24)

Just trying to see who wants this job, because we need one of you guys to be the Chair of Children and Youth. I have got about three years left, so we will call up the next panel. Thank you. The next panel will be Mary Astrid Nass, Maria Raissi, Edward Reyes, Nadia Swanson and Dr. Henry Love. We will also be calling Cornelius Wiggins as well. Thank you.

(01:49:25)

Hi. CM Stevens and the Committee on Children and Youth. My name is Maria Raissi. I am the Program Manager for Youth Services at Housing Solutions of New York. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today about an issue that is very important to the young people and families we serve. Over our 31 sites and housing programs in New York, we work with individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability throughout New York City.

In my role, I work directly with programs serving young people and I see firsthand some of the challenges they face. One thing I have learned through this work is that providing a young person with a safe place to sleep is extremely important, but it does not stop there. Young people also need support. They need adults they can trust. They need access to mental health and behavioral health services. They need to stay connected to school, find employment, learn life skills and prepare for their future. And most importantly, they need a real pathway toward permanent and stable housing.

When we evaluate our Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter System, we should not only look at how many beds are available, but what happens to young people after they enter the system. Are they becoming more stable? Are they connected to education or employment? Are they receiving the mental health and support services they need? Are we helping them move towards permanent housing?

There are issues that I believe are especially important. Young people need access to safe and appropriate shelter. No young person should be left without a safe place to go because there is not enough space or because the process is too difficult to navigate. Second, the support has to go beyond a bed. Young people experiencing homelessness need help with education, employment, mental and behavioral health services, benefits, financial literacy and other services. From my experience working in youth services, I know how important it is to build relationships with young people. Before a young person trusts you enough to tell you what they really need, that relationship can be the beginning of connecting them to services and helping them make positive changes in their lives.

We need to start talking about permanent housing early. We do not want young people moving from one temporary placement to another and then eventually entering the adult shelter system. Housing planning should begin as early as possible, and young people should have access to rental assistance, supportive housing and other permanent housing options that meet their individual needs. Lastly, we need better coordination between the different systems serving young people. Youth homelessness does not involve just one issue. It involves housing, education, employment, health care, mental health, child welfare and many others. We cannot expect a young person to figure out all of this on their own. As providers, agencies and community partners, we have to work together and make those connections easier for them.

For me, the success of our youth shelter system should not only be measured by whether we are able to give a young person a bed for the night. We should also ask whether we helped the young person become safer, more stable and better prepared for their future. At Housing Solutions of New York, we are committed to continuing this work and partnering with the City, the Council and other organizations to make sure young people have access to support, opportunities and the safe housing they need. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.

I also want to speak to the program and crisis shelter for Inwood House at the Children's Village. I am honored to be here today to speak about this growing issue. Among my fellow colleagues, we have been working in...

(01:53:02)

Collaboration with DHS for quite some time, and we specialize in meeting youth where they are at, whether where they are most at risk and emotionally vulnerable. Despite the challenges, we ensure that these youth are safe, cared for and guided toward independence and of course self-reliance.

With this in mind, it is important that we address the critical issue of New York City's Runaway and Homeless Youth programs, which is a growing disconnect between what DYCD requires RHY programs to provide and the staffing and financial resources available to programs to adequately and successfully meet those expectations. When these contracts and funding formulas focus primarily on bed utilization and minimum staffing requirements rather than the actual needs of the young people being served, RHY programs are left attempting to meet increasingly complex demands with limited resources. This is not a failure of individual programs or frontline workers. It is a structural funding issue that requires City-level action.

So we feel strongly that there is a need for the following. First, to fund RHY programs based on the actual scope of services that DYCD requires them to provide, and not simply the number of shelter beds available. These funding formulas should account for supervision, case management, crisis response, housing navigation, employment support, behavioral health and other required services. We would also like to establish staffing expectations that reflect youth acuity and service intensity. A program serving youth with significant behavioral health issues, substance use, safety and crisis response needs requires substantially more staffing than a program serving youth with lower levels of need, even when the number of beds is identical.

We would like to fully fund adequate staffing across all shifts. Many people do not realize that when you work in residential services, we are talking about a 24-hour facility that requires 24-hour supervision. So additional resources are needed for evenings, overnight hours, weekends, holidays and other periods when supervision and crisis response demands are particularly high. We also want to build vacancy and turnover into City contracts. Programs should not be forced to operate below safe and effective staffing levels because positions are difficult to fill, employees are on leave or programs struggle with turnover issues.

In closing, we just want to thank all City entities that are here and giving us an opportunity to speak. Thank you for your time.

(01:55:45)

But what we can do...

(01:55:49)

My name is Larry Swanson. I am the Senior Director of Advocacy and Global Programs at the Ali Forney Center. I know you share our outrage. We have been doing this for a long time. We have done the convenings, we have written the reports, we have come together as a coalition year after year after year saying the same thing again and again and again. And you are right that they are just embarrassed, and our youth cannot wait in crisis just because they are embarrassed by the mistake. We know what needs to be done and they should be jumping at the chance to fix this, because it is not hard and it is not expensive.

We have over 400 youth on a waitlist today. 12 to 24 year olds are still waiting six months for a crisis bed, and every night we have about 40 youth accessing our drop-in centers. They would rather sit in a drop-in chair than go elsewhere. We were so excited after, you know, 10 plus years of advocacy, that we got CHAPS. Very exciting. It was really disappointing to hear that they knew almost nothing about it and have not met about it, even though we are supposed to have access to these. That does not feel so reasonable anymore. So we need them to get together and we need our young people and our providers to be at that table, because we cannot fumble this after we finally got it for the first time.

I stand with my friends on $80K for each bed. We need case management and mental health providers. We currently have a waitlist for case management and we did not have that years ago, and the RFP needs to be released. I also want to direct you to the $15 million for LGBTQ immigrant legal services that we are trying to get in the transparency resolution. We have 32% of the youth we serve who are immigrants. We partner with the Free to Be Youth Project — two attorneys for all of our young people — plus seven other programs that they serve. One thing that I know will outrage you: the Urban Justice Center, which does Free to Be Youth and the Sex Workers Project, last month had a client who needed $1,000 to pay for a legal fee. They did not have that money in the budget, so the attorney said take it out of my salary so that they could pay for it. This is where we are at. And like, this should be embarrassing. We are trying to do the best with what we can, but that should not be happening.

I also want to name and let you know that I am working on introducing legislation to fix the overnight sleep-in at the drop-in centers. We need DHS to change the building codes so that we can allow those exceptions into the B and C classifications for temporary cots and low-barrier access. The second issue is how long it takes to get these new sites online. Those 20 beds that you were asking about earlier, or Casa Cecilia's site — a walk-through since last summer — 70 youth could have been accessing a bed in the last year, but it should not have taken this long. So we need maybe an exception for nonprofits that are doing this critical work for folks in crisis — you know, domestic violence or otherwise — to fast-track these inspections so that we can get these beds faster. Thank you.

(01:59:11)

Chair Stevens, Deputy Speaker Williams and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am Mary Ashe-Nussbaum, an aftercare specialist at Anthony's Home. We help New Yorkers move from shelter into homes faster and are a member of the Family Homelessness Coalition. Runaway and homeless youth searching for permanent housing are most often looking for their first apartment. They have no credit or rental history and no family to cosign. Still, by providing necessary resources, the City can help them move into permanent homes.

Working with DHS and those homes has helped move following young adults. First, ensure that all have a voucher. We are grateful that youth in DHS shelters are eligible for CityFHEPS, but the current funding will not reach them all. Young adults in our shelter system should not be denied resources due to their age or service provider. Second, fund housing navigation. Providers like the Ali Forney Center and Covenant House already do this work very well, but more capacity is needed to find available units and make moves happen. Third, fund one year of stability services by resolving arrears, providing financial education and helping with voucher renewal. We can help prevent avoidable evictions and keep young people housed. In our program, 98% of households were still stably housed one year after move-in. Voucher access and targeted support will help runaway and homeless youth find safe, stable homes. Thank you again. Good afternoon.

(02:00:46)

Chair Stevens and members of the Committee, I am Dr. Henry Love. I am Director of Development and Growth at Point Source Youth. Chair Stevens, thank you so much for your leadership on this issue and your support for Point Source Youth in the past. I am a developmental and training psychologist with over 15 years focused on fighting for and improving research programs, both in design and implementation, for students and youth who are at risk of homelessness. And just a bit...

(02:01:16)

...about my story. I was a housing-unstable Black queer kid. In my early 20s I tried to end my life. I am alive because people caught me, not because the system did. My best friend's name was Cordell. He passed away at 24 because he was housing insecure and did not get the supports that he needed. A few thousand dollars at the right moment would have made all the difference. Nearly 40% of young adults experiencing homelessness report a lifetime suicide attempt, and homeless high schoolers carry four times the odds of death.

We have just heard from our provider colleagues and even from admin about the numbers in terms of capacity issues with the beds. Let me be precise, because there was a lot of information coming out earlier from the admin about what is developmentally appropriate. From age 18 to 24, the brain is still developing — executive functioning, planning, self-regulation — all of these things are happening and do not begin to finish until the mid-20s. So that brain instability, and being unhoused, is an acute stressor administered by that system. Shelter entry disrupts those routines, those relationships, that autonomy and development that is so critically important. We will not get out of this crisis on shelter beds alone. That is why we are raising this issue today: prevention, prevention. And also, in that conversation, in terms of getting to the important issue of reaching functional zero for youth homelessness, where shelter is rare, brief, non-recurring and fewer young people enter...

(02:02:53)

...than the system can hold, and no one waits more than days to make sure that they get to a place that they need to be. So prevention works and it is cheap. The Targeted Housing Assistance Program on average gives out about $3,700, and within 48 hours we place people. 92% have been able to secure their housing after six months, 98% in the City. We do have sites — like you came to visit us at Henry Street. So we are here today to of course advocate for those beds that are so critically needed, but also to raise this issue of prevention to make sure that we are driving down the inflow into the shelter system. Thank you.

(02:03:35)

Good afternoon. My name is Cornelius Wiggins and I am the founder of Miko's Light. I spent more than 25 years working with homeless and runaway youth, particularly LGBT young people, young people of color and young people navigating multiple systems. But before I ever worked in this field, I was one of those young people. I came to New York in 1999 as a homeless queer youth. I know what it feels like to enter systems when you are scared, when you do not know who to trust, and when the difference between one caring adult and one bad interaction can determine whether you stay at a service or walk away. These experiences are why I dedicated so much of my life to this work.

Between 2021 and 2025, I helped conduct five community needs assessments with homeless and unstably housed youth all over New York City. Across the work we collected more than 600 surveys, held 15 focus groups and conducted 30 individual interviews. Young people told us very clearly what they were experiencing. In a 2024 assessment of 214 young people, 53% were transgender or gender non-conforming, 59% identified as Black, 43% reported experiencing street homelessness, and 67% said that they had not felt safe in a while. Young people talked about harassment in programs, talked about misgendering, conditions they talked about, retaliation after reporting problems. They talked about shelter rules that sometimes made it harder to maintain employment, education, appointments, relationships and recovery. When we asked young people to rate housing resources, the average rating was three out of ten.

These numbers should make us act. The bigger question is: are we measuring success by whether we give a young person a bed, or whether that young person actually makes it into safe permanent housing? Because a bed is important, but it is not an outcome. New York City currently funds a lot of programs and those investments matter, but we should have to look at what happens inside those programs and what happens after shelter. Are programs adequately staffed? Are they receiving meaningful LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender non-conforming competency trainings — not just a one-hour training once a year, but ongoing support and accountability? When a young person reports harassment or mistreatment, what happens next? How many housing navigators are there? How many young people leave shelters for permanent housing and how many of them simply disappear from the system? Do we even have enough data to answer those questions?

That brings me to my big request. New York City needs a comprehensive citywide community needs assessment of homeless and runaway youth. We need to ask young people directly what is working and what is not. We should collect information about LGBTQ+ status, immigration experience, parenting situations, involvement with foster and justice systems, where young people are arriving from, barriers to housing, experiences in shelters and what happens to them after they leave. Young people with lived experience should be involved in designing the questions, collecting the information and interpreting the results, and the decisions that happen next. We should continue to strengthen peer navigation and housing navigators. I watch young people respond differently when the person across from them understands something about what they lived through. The City should move toward expanding rental assistance eligibility to runaway and homeless youth. We need to make sure that young people can access these pathways not just on paper.

Finally, I just want to remember some things that sometimes get lost when we talk about systems and budgets. These are young people. They are trying to finish school, they are trying to work, they are trying to build relationships, they are trying to figure out who they are while also trying to survive. I was once one of those young people, and people invested in me when there was absolutely no proof that the investment would pay off. Because they did, I spent years investing in other young people who came after me. New York City has the opportunity to build a runaway and homeless youth system that does more than just manage homelessness. We can build a system that listens to young people, protects them while they are in our care, gives workers the resources they need to create real pathways to housing and holds itself accountable for what happens to young people after they walk through our doors.

(02:08:40)

Thank you. Thank you for sharing. I think something you said that stuck out to me was: are we managing around the beds, or is that the outcome, is that the indication of success? And it is such a low bar for us to set, right? Thinking about it — no, the goal should be permanent housing. How are we getting these young people into permanent stable housing? So I definitely just wanted to highlight that. But I do have one question for the panel. You spoke about legislation to change the building code for drop-in centers, but I am confused because I thought that the intent was to not have folks sleeping there. So that is why I just wanted to get clarity around what exactly you guys are working on.

(02:09:30)

Yeah, so we are looking to do a state one and a city one. The reason why is because, as you said earlier, they are not shelters, they are drop-in centers, and drop-in centers have different rules around what they are allowed to do. So this would allow for those classifications to happen. So you are trying to do those...

(02:09:49)

...simultaneously, so that to change the classification. OK. Those are all the questions I have for you guys. Thank you guys so much.

(02:09:55)

I really appreciate you zooming in and testifying.

(02:10:15)

Thank you. Thank you everyone who came here to share your thoughts and experiences. If there is anyone left in the room who wished to speak but has not yet had the opportunity to do so, please raise your hand and fill out an appearance card with the Sergeant at Arms at the back of the room. OK. So you can give it to the Sergeant at Arms and I can get it after. OK. So anyone who wishes to speak? OK. Seeing no hands being raised, we will now shift to Zoom testimony. When your name is called, please wait until a member of our team unmutes you and the Sergeant at Arms indicates that you can begin.

(02:11:07)

The first Zoom panelist will be Laura Pennington. You are good to go.

(02:11:22)

Thank you and good afternoon. Pinnacle Community Services operates a 12-bed runaway and homeless youth shelter in Niagara County — Casey House. Not only are we the sole provider in our own county, but we are also the overflow provider for Erie County, a larger county which also has very high rates of homelessness among youth. I am certain that New York City also relies on its neighbors in Long Island and Westchester Counties as they do on you to provide for homeless youth.

Last year, five shelters in upstate New York lost their primary funding due to changes in federal priorities. With only a few days' notice, they were made aware that their three-year Health and Human Services Basic Center Program funding would not receive continuation. This grant, the primary funding source for runaway and homeless services in upstate New York, truly is required to continue. Currently we receive about an average of $5,600 per bed per year in upstate New York funding. This comes from the State and local counties. When we add that to the Basic Center funding, we are facing losses that are already at threatening levels. Upstate New York providers have long faced budgetary deficits in our crisis shelters and have worked together to advocate for additional funding from every level of government.

Last year, upstate programs began stronger advocacy efforts and combined our efforts with New York City providers, as the challenge of funding affects us all. With closures of shelters in upstate New York, the reliance on City-based shelters will grow as youth migrate to capacity-strained shelters already. Our own shelter at Pinnacle has been threatened due to underfunding for years and our board of directors has had to consider closure due to large budget deficits. The Basic Center grants — without it we would have to close, as would many other providers. This three-year grant goes in cycles and we are currently in... your time has expired.

(02:14:32)

...regarding whether, beginning October 1, we will receive our funding. That is just 14 days away. Thank you. I appreciate you being here with us today, because one of the things we have been talking about and highlighting is the funding that is being cut at the federal level and how the State has not done its fair share with runaway and homeless youth. I am just trying to make the connection: do you think that New York City should be preparing for a possible influx because of the cuts you are seeing upstate, and what does that partnership look like, do you believe?

(02:15:20)

I do believe that there will be some additional cuts in areas that are closer to the City, which would cause an influx. Currently we do support youth who come from the New York City area and I am sure that you support youth who are coming from our area. I think that that influx will grow as the 350 beds become fewer in upstate New York. That is the total number of beds we have in all of upstate New York.

(02:15:54)

So all of upstate New York has 350 beds? 350. OK. I am sorry, yes. And do you guys have a waitlist currently?

(02:16:10)

We are actually very lucky that right now we do not, and we are able to support Erie County with their waitlist. But we have had long periods of waitlists.

(02:16:25)

Until currently you just do not have any now. And as the bed number gets decreased, do you anticipate that there will be a waitlist? We do. And I know the transportation between counties is not something that is easy, and so it has become more and more expensive to provide those services. Yeah. And today I know DHS testified that they are in constant communication with you around supports. Do you know what those supports and conversations have been? Have you been a part of those conversations?

(02:17:03)

I personally have not, no.

(02:17:04)

OK. Thank you so much for being here today and please continue to reach out to us so we can continue to build the partnership with the upstate folks, as you are seeing a decrease, and see how we can continue to support, because we want to make sure all our young people are supported.

(02:17:20)

Thank you so much. We are...

(02:17:27)

Making a final call for Zoom folks who have not yet spoken. If you are currently on Zoom and wish to speak but have not yet had an opportunity to do so, please use the raise hand function and our staff will assist you. Seeing no hands, I would like to note that everyone can submit written testimony to testify at council.nyc.gov within 72 hours of this hearing. I would like to extend my thanks and dedications to the community members who offered their testimony today, to the folks who ran the excellent community based organizations and to the staff who helped organize this hearing. And with that...