Housing Instability Among LGBTQ+ Individuals in NYC
Committee on General Welfare | Committee on Women and Gender Equity · June 24, 2026 · 2hrs 41m
Source: https://hearinghearings.nyc/hearings/committee-on-general-welfare-housing-instability-among-lgbtq-individuals-in-nyc-2026-06-24/
Video: https://councilnyc.viebit.com/vod/?s=true&v=NYCC-250-8-1_260624-101357.mp4

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And welcome to today's New York City Council hearing for the Committee on Women and Gender Equity joint with General Welfare. At this time we ask that you please silence all cell phones and electronic devices to minimize disruptions throughout the hearing. If you wish to testify, please see the Sergeant at Arms for assistance at any time throughout today's proceeding. Please do not approach the dais. We thank you for your cooperation. Chairs, we are

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ready to begin. Good morning, everyone. I am CM Amanda Farías, Chair of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity. I am excited to be joined by the Chair of the Committee on General Welfare, CM Crystal Hudson, for today's hearing on housing instability among LGBTQ+ individuals in New York City. As we celebrate Pride Month here in New York, it is important to recognize the reality of the LGBTQ+ community's ongoing struggles. One of them being that in the United States, LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to face housing insecurity than non-LGBTQ+ people.

When we look back at the origins of Pride at the 1969 Stonewall Riots, we are reminded that the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement was largely formed by housing-insecure people. The Stonewall Bar was a haven for young LGBTQ+ individuals who had nowhere else to go. Housing injustice and LGBTQ+ rights have been intertwined since the beginning.

Today, LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face challenges in accessing safe, stable and affordable housing. Often this begins tragically early, when many young people are forced to leave their homes due to family rejection or unsupportive environments. Almost half of all homeless youth in New York City identify as LGBTQ+ and one in four have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity at one point in their lives. But these challenges often persist throughout an LGBTQ+ person's life, with LGBTQ+ elders facing high risks of being turned away from or being charged higher rents at independent or assisted living centers. Nationwide, 48% of LGBTQ+ seniors experienced discrimination when applying for housing.

For LGBTQ+ individuals, the challenges do not end when they gain access to shelter services. Many experience discrimination, harassment and even violence when seeking support. Furthermore, if staff are not equipped to serve LGBTQ+ people, it can often lead to additional harm, especially when staff fails to honor a person's gender identity and houses a person based on their sex assigned at birth rather than where the person feels the safest.

New York City has historically been a progressive leader and a safe haven for individuals of all genders and sexual orientations, boasting the largest population of LGBTQ+ people of any US metro area. Our City needs to bolster our support of housing services for LGBTQ+ people and the development of more affordable and supportive housing options for this community. So today we will ask the administration how you are addressing housing instability among LGBTQ+ individuals in New York City, what specific housing resources are available to the LGBTQ+ community, and what trainings are available for people working in shelters around engagement with LGBTQ+ individuals.

Now I would like to invite Chair Hudson to deliver her opening remarks.

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Thank you so much. Good morning and welcome to today's oversight hearing. I am Crystal Hudson, General Welfare Committee Chair, and my pronouns are she/her. I would like to also thank CM Farías who, from my own personal experience as well as my professional experience working with her, puts allyship into action. I would like to thank the Committee on Women and Gender Equity for joining the Committee on General Welfare in holding this hearing. Additionally, we are joined by CM Avilés, CM Ung, CM Morano on Zoom, CM Wilson and CM Nurse.

Despite New York City's reputation as a place of inclusion, LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender and gender nonconforming people, LGBTQ+ youth and LGBTQ+ people of color remain disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity. Many are forced from their homes due to family rejection, many face barriers to accessing safe and affirming shelters, and many encounter discrimination when seeking permanent, affordable housing. Compounded by rising rents, a shortage of affordable housing and economic inequality that continues to affect our most vulnerable neighbors, the challenges can feel insurmountable. New York City's overall homelessness crisis continues to grow, with tens of thousands of people residing in shelters nightly.

Within this broader crisis, LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly transgender people, youth and people of color, face unique barriers to obtaining and maintaining stable housing. In the LGBTQ+ homeless youth provider survey, providers reported that being forced out by parents or running away because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression was a primary reason for homelessness, for over 55% of their LGBTQ+ youth clients and over 67% of their trans clients. General family issues were the underlying cause of homelessness for an additional 16.5% of LGBTQ+ and 7.3% of trans clients.

Among respondents to the most recent US Transgender Survey, 70% of respondents who experienced homelessness and stayed in a shelter the previous year reported some form of mistreatment, including being harassed, assaulted or kicked out because of being transgender. More than 36% of respondents who experienced homelessness in the previous year avoided staying in shelter because they feared being mistreated as a transgender person.

We recognize that addressing housing instability among LGBTQ+ New Yorkers requires more than awareness. It requires tangible action. As lawmakers and government officials, we need to be thoughtfully and intentionally creating policies that not only respond to immediate needs but also address the root causes of homelessness. We hope that today's hearing will inform an assessment of how we can reduce the barriers that LGBTQ+ people experience when it comes to achieving housing stability and financial sustainability more generally.

Thank you for your commitment to this important issue, and I look forward to today's discussion. I would like to conclude by thanking the committee staff for their work on this hearing: McKayla Owen, Panino Rosenberg, Justin Campos, Rehab Roman and Elizabeth Childers Garcia. I would also like to thank my staff, Andrew Wright, Elka Ruintan and Dimi Brown. Thank you.

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Thank you, Chair Hudson. I would like to thank the members of the Women and Gender Equity Committee and the General Welfare Committee who have joined us today. I would also like to thank committee staff Julia Goldsmith, Katie Selena and Allie Stauffer, as well as my own staff Anchor and Josephine Carr for their work on today's hearing.

I would like to remind everyone who wishes to testify in person today that you must fill out a witness slip, which you can find on the desk of the Sergeant at Arms in the back of the room near the entrance. Please fill out the slip even if you have already registered in advance that you will be testifying in person. If you wish to testify on any of the legislation, please indicate on the witness slip whether you are here to testify in favor of or in opposition to the legislation. I also want to point out that we will not be voting on any legislation today.

To allow as many people as possible to testify, testimony will be limited to two minutes per person, whether you are testifying in person or on Zoom. I am also going to ask my colleagues to limit their questions and comments to five minutes. Please note that

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All right. Can everyone hear me? Great. My name is Caleb Brown, my pronouns are she/her. I serve as the inaugural Director of the New York City Mayor's Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual Affairs. Thank you to the members of the Committee on General Welfare and the Committee on Women and Gender Equity for the opportunity to testify on the critical issues of housing instability and homelessness among LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. I appreciate the City Council's attention to these issues and the desire to work towards meaningful solutions. I appreciate the testimony and ongoing partnership with my fellow agencies represented here today and across the administration, as well as the community-based organizations, advocates and community members working every day to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to safe, affordable and stable housing and supportive services.

Part of the broad mission of the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs is to address both the emerging and systemic barriers that prevent New Yorkers from thriving across all facets of life. We recognize that for every person, access to housing and housing stability are foundational to health, safety, economic opportunity and overall well-being. We also understand that housing insecurity and homelessness do not impact all populations equally. LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, particularly transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary people, youth populations, elder populations, those living with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people of color have and continue to experience disparate barriers that place them at increased vulnerability to housing insecurity and homelessness.

The seriousness of these issues is reflected in the testimony and data provided by our partner agencies and service providers. Their testimony demonstrates that housing insecurity and homelessness among LGBTQ+ individuals is not the result of a single factor, but the culmination of a myriad of intersecting and entrenched inequities. These inequities have been further exacerbated by current economic, market and political challenges facing us all. While every person's circumstances are unique, educational opportunities, employment opportunities and access to health care are equalizers and key determinants of a person's overall quality of life and ability to lead a stable, meaningful, fulfilled and independent life.

But for most of our history, discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, sex, gender identity, gender expression and LGBTQ+ status was permissible, both socially and legally. This discrimination was perpetrated and condoned explicitly and implicitly by individuals, the private sector and the public sector, including federal, state and local governments. The consequences of longstanding discrimination are borne out in the multitude of disparities facing LGBTQ+ New Yorkers today. Long-standing discrimination has resulted in LGBTQ+ people experiencing different rates of poverty, unemployment and lack of employment opportunities, income inequality, educational limitations, barriers to necessary health care, social and economic mobility, political and social exclusion, hostility and violence and criminalization. These issues have compounding and collateral consequences, including direct implications and impacts in the context of housing insecurity and homelessness.

The legacy of discrimination that informs contemporary disparities in the areas of housing insecurity, homelessness and other critical areas of life must also be understood in the context of the current economic and political climates across our City, state and nation. Most people are waking up every day to ever-declining economic conditions and forecasts not seen in decades. At a societal level, we are collectively experiencing a surging affordability crisis across the spectrum of life, increased levels of indebtedness, stagnant wages and employment opportunities, the inability to save money and longstanding issues in the housing market that further drive disparities in housing insecurity and homelessness for LGBTQ+ and other minority communities. These longstanding market issues include a lack of housing supply in both rental and ownership markets, skyrocketing rental costs, affordable housing deficits, lending barriers and cost barriers to home ownership, unfair private sector housing and real estate practices and a lack of meaningful governmental solutions and intervention over decades to address systemic issues.

Concurrently, the Trump administration has weaponized almost every part of the federal government to attack and roll back the progress we have made in establishing LGBTQ+ legal equality and government-driven intervention models addressing systemic discrimination and its collateral consequences. These macroeconomic conditions and federal political hostility compound and exacerbate the underlying causes of and disparities in housing insecurity and homelessness facing LGBTQ+ New Yorkers as well as other minority and marginalized communities.

Against this backdrop, the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, housed within the New York City Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice and within the portfolio of the New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice, has already begun its broad strategic thinking and planning to develop meaningful solutions to combat these specific disparities and other priority issues holistically, through interagency leadership, policy, and the lived experiences and realities of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. Over the course of its inaugural year, the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs will take a phased and analytical approach to ensure that we meaningfully understand and prioritize all major issues facing LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, with a focus on quality of life issues and baseline needs, including in the broad context of housing and sub-contexts like housing insecurity and homelessness. The Mayor's Office of Affairs will work to ensure that all New York City agencies are in compliance with nondiscrimination law and protections and that they are utilizing best policies and practices to meet the needs of and their obligations to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. The Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs will ensure that at the executive level, across agencies and across government, we are delivering bold and innovative solutions and meaningful interventions to redress and eliminate disparities and further needed progress.

Finally, the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs will work to ensure that we are a community-based and driven governmental office that provides meaningful leadership and responsive governance to the communities we serve. Some of our current plans to implement this work include agency-wide regulatory and policy audits to examine current policies and practices, assess what has been successful and where improvements can be made, and to work collaboratively towards better solutions and innovations to ensure that

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Agencies are serving LGBTQ+ and addressing their unique needs. Agency-wide programmatic evaluations to understand what City agencies have historically done and what they are currently doing in order to supplement, improve and develop individual governmental interventions through programmatic and funding models grounded again in law, policy, data, community partnership and centrally the shared goal of materially improving the lives of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. Substantive issue-based stakeholder meetings with our agency partners, inter- and intra-governmental partners, experts, advocates and community-based organizations as well as community members to ensure that the work of the Mayor's Office of Affairs is collaborative, holistic, responsive and centered on the needs of the communities we serve.

And finally, executive-level strategy, coordination and innovation geared towards both solutions and government interventions to eliminate the myriad disparities facing LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. This includes combating and documenting federal hostility and the direct harms caused to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, addressing historic and contemporary data and research needs and gaps that inform and drive our initiatives and goals, and assessing and addressing governmental inefficiencies, policies and practices that impact governmental operations and services — for example, communications, contracting, funding and other operational elements — to ensure that we are delivering better, more equitable and more responsible services and models of governance.

The nexus of factors driving housing insecurity and homelessness disparities for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers are entrenched, intersectional and complex, but they are not insurmountable. As the work of the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs has developed and implemented, we want to assure committee members and the City Council that we bring considerable substantive expertise and experience, true vision and leadership and unwavering dedication to the communities we serve in this City, and a deep commitment to transformational government and cross-government collaboration, cooperation and innovation to ensure that we are meeting the moment and establishing a lasting foundation for a more equitable, affordable and accessible City for all.

Shared responsibilities and lasting solutions require us to address these interconnected challenges together. The Mamdani administration, the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs and our agency partners stand ready as proactive partners. We look forward to new and continued partnership and collaboration with the City Council on the issues before the committee today and those in the future, because LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, like all New Yorkers, deserve the opportunity to live and thrive with safety, dignity and stability. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and I welcome the

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committee's questions. Good morning. My name is Aaron Dalton and I serve as a Commissioner for the New York City Department of Social Services and my pronouns are she and her.

I would like to thank Chair Hudson, and the members of the Committee on General Welfare and the members of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity for convening today's hearing on housing instability among LGBTQ+ individuals in New York City. I am joined today by John Rojas, Chief Special Services Officer; Rima Rivera, HR Commissioner for Domestic Violence Services; Andrea Reed, our Executive Deputy Commissioner for Housing Services; and Sonya Russell, Interim Deputy Commissioner for Adult Services and Shelter Operations.

Serving vulnerable populations is an integral part of our work at the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services, where our clients are reaching out for assistance precisely because they are at an acutely vulnerable moment. As stewards of critical programs and resources, it is incumbent upon us to recognize that one size does not fit all. That is why recognizing the unique experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual, and transgender and gender nonconforming communities is so important to our work. To that end, we are committed to ensuring our services are culturally competent and welcoming.

The scale of the challenge in addressing housing insecurity for LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender nonconforming communities is significant. Unique drivers for homelessness include familial rejection due to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and unlawful housing and employment discrimination. An intersectional lens informs this conversation and our policies by bringing to the fore the way social identities interact with systemic inequalities. Discrimination can compound the challenges members of these communities face and we cannot flatten the diversity of experiences within the LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender nonconforming communities. For example, the many impacts of age, race, ethnicity, language, disability, class, documentation status, education, mental health and more. Providing culturally competent services includes recognizing the reality of our clients' experiences at those intersections of identities, strengthening our partnerships with community-based organizations and ongoing engagement to gather feedback and improve services.

Building cultural competence begins with the foundation of setting expectations and training staff to meet those expectations. The Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs works to identify and address systemic barriers affecting clients across our programs. This work includes improving service delivery, strengthening internal and external partnerships and responding directly to client concerns related to access, discrimination or safety.

All staff are required to attend an LGBTQ+ inclusion training. In addition to the mandatory one-time training, employees are also required to attend refresher trainings every two years. Providers and their staff are required to comply with New York City Human Rights Law and citywide Equal Employment Opportunity policy. Providers also require that staff attend trainings beyond what is required by City law and policy, including training focused on the unique needs of clients. One such training available to City and provider staff is focused on creating a safe, affirming system for clients who self-identify as transgender and gender nonconforming, and raises awareness about more gender-affirming placement options for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals who are seeking shelter.

There are limitations we must acknowledge, especially as it relates to data collection. We seek to affirm each individual's gender identity and ensure that they are appropriately placed by giving clients the option to self-identify their gender through a voluntary gender identity screening, which occurs at intake. Clients who self-identify as transgender are then given gender-affirming placement options. Clients are also offered a voluntary sexual orientation and gender identity survey at intake. However, because this is voluntary and not linked to a person's case or placement, participation is low and our data on LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender nonconforming clients is limited.

On the benefits side, sexual orientation and gender identity data is voluntary and offered for clients enrolled in cash assistance, SNAP and other benefits programs as well as those seeking services for domestic violence, per Local Law 130. We acknowledge our data represents an undercount of LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender nonconforming clients. The data we have significantly underrepresents the actual number of individuals receiving services. The voluntary data we collect is a factor that assists in determining programmatic capacity needs and potential policy adjustments that could

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be made to better address the needs of the population. All sites and provider locations are required by contract to be LGBTQ+ affirming environments. Our goal is to create safe environments where LGBTQ+ individuals are treated with the same degree of respect and dignity as all other identities. Affirming environments include visible signs in client and staff areas to make clear that LGBTQ+ people are welcome and valued parts of the community — for example, ally cards, welcome palm cards and themed posters.

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In addition to the responsibility of all shelter staff to maintain LGBTQ+ affirming environments, there are also specialized shelters and beds that are exclusively dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender nonconforming clients. This is for individuals who self-report, to receive expedited placement to a transgender and gender nonconforming bed, if that is what they choose.

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Aces Place serves as the nation's first gender nonconforming-specific shelter site that can accommodate 150 residents. Similarly, Marsha's House focuses on serving the broader spectrum of LGBTQ+ residents, accommodating 80 residents overall. In addition, there are 42 beds in six shelters focused on serving transgender clients in shelters in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens. Regarding programs, gender identity is considered by the agency when making emergency housing placements and flagged by the client's preference. Domestic violence services support both residential and nonresidential services that are available to LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender nonconforming survivors. All shelters within the system are required to serve all survivors who meet domestic violence eligibility criteria, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

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So LGBTQ+ and transgender and gender nonconforming shelters are the safest option.

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In addition, we fund nonresidential supportive services in the community, including services specifically dedicated to LGBTQ+ survivors. There is a contract with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Centre, known as the Centre. Through this partnership, clients can access culturally competent counseling, safety planning, case management, advocacy, support groups and referrals without needing to enter shelter, showing there are affirming options for both inside and outside the residential system.

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The agency regularly checks in with advocates and clients on ways to improve our service model and to ensure that there are mechanisms and systems in place for LGBTQ+ individuals to share their feedback on agency policy, services and programs. To that end, both clients and advocates serve on advisory boards — for example, the LGBTQ+ Community Advisory Board and the Shelter Accessibility Advisory Board. We also receive feedback and complaints directly from clients through the Office of Equal Employment Opportunities, the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs within the agency, or any other avenues in which we receive feedback. Our goal is to ensure this population has options to offer that feedback.

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I want to take this opportunity to spotlight our forthcoming transgender and gender nonconforming Advisory Group. It is a group that has been several years in the making. This client advisory group aims to engage community-based experts and bring insights around what is working and what is not working, and what measures we can take to improve program services and the experiences of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals in the system. This advisory group will include clients who have experience with homelessness and we aim for this advisory group to begin meeting later this year.

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I also want to highlight the work of our Shelter Accessibility Board. This nine-member board meets quarterly and as a result of Local Law 23 of 2023, the board issued its first set of recommendations in

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those initial recommendations centered on access support, workforce and staffing and critical amenities. The board also focused on inclusivity, especially

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the safety needs of the transgender population. The board recommended that providers assess and mitigate clients' safety concerns in their community for individuals and their independent living plan. For example, the advisory board recommended that shelter staff offer escorts to the bus and train. As a result of these recommendations, the transgender shelters are now offering these escorts. The board also recommended that

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we take into account and consideration the accessibility of transportation when making shelter placement determinations. We are taking a close look at how we can move forward with the board's recommendations. We are committed to an approach to service provision that ensures clients' safety and breaks down obstacles to housing security.

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To provide an example on the point of breaking down barriers: we know that identification document mismatches can create barriers for transgender clients in our shelter systems. Providers and staff, in accordance with New York City law, use a person's preferred name even if they have not legally changed it. External entities such as credit checks, proof of employment or lease documents present challenges for transgender people seeking housing. In alignment with our commitment to helping clients find the support they need, staff are expected to facilitate their road to independent living, including referrals for legal assistance with name changes. Our office

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of community outreach, alongside our Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, serves a crucial role. This work includes providing resources to community organizations like the Center, Ali Forney and Bronx Legal Services to work with clients and assist them in navigating benefits and access.

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Our work includes providing dedicated trainings on benefits at community providers, sharing monthly updates through a newsletter to community providers and coordinating access for more than 450 community-based organizations in total using the access provider portal. We also participate in panels, school and community events, shelter house meetings and LGBTQ+ support groups.

I would like to take this opportunity to share what Mayor Mamdani has said: New York City is proud of its LGBTQ+ community and opposes views that deny health care, safety or dignity to anyone on the basis of their identity. We will continue to uphold our commitment to ensuring all of our services for the LGBTQ+ community are culturally competent and welcoming.

I will conclude by expressing my gratitude to my colleagues across government as well as countless human services providers, advocates and community members uplifting the dignity of our LGBTQ+ friends and neighbors. We appreciate this opportunity to testify today, to say happy Pride in this forum, and we welcome your questions. Thank you.

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Good morning. I am before Chairs Hudson and Avilés and members of the Committees on General Welfare, Children and Youth and Women and Gender Equity. I am Associate Commissioner Wanda Ashford, pronouns she and her, at the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. I am joined today by Tracy Thorne, pronouns she and her, Senior Director of Runaway and Homeless Youth Services, on behalf of Commissioner Isaura Gonzalez. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss how we address housing instability among LGBTQ+ individuals. We also wish a happy Pride Month to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers and allies.

We recognize that LGBTQ+ youth face discrimination and harassment that puts them at disproportionate risk of housing instability, exploitation and adverse health and mental health outcomes. Access to trusted adults, affirming environments and high-quality services is critical to ensuring their safety, well-being and long-term success. Today, with our dedicated provider network,

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Advocates and the City Council, the City has built a comprehensive continuum of services designed to meet the diverse needs of runaway and homeless youth ages 16 through 24. Our runaway and homeless youth programs provide holistic, youth-centered services that help young people achieve stability, independence and opportunity through residential services, drop-in centers and street outreach programs. Its providers serve more than 40,000 young people annually.

Residential services include crisis services programs and transitional independent living support programs across the City. Residential programs serving youth ages 16 through 24 provide a total of 160 beds for homeless young adults ages 21 to 24, funding six programs with a total of 160 beds, 50 of which are scheduled to open in the next six weeks.

We are especially pleased that in partnership with the Council and under the leadership of Chair Stevens, this capacity was expanded by 100 beds for homeless young adults in this fiscal year, strengthening our ability to meet growing needs. Eight contracted drop-in centers are safe places for LGBTQ+ youth and other young people to access essential resources such as food, clothing and hygiene supplies alongside a wide range of supportive services.

Including counseling, educational and health workshops, recreational programming and referrals to additional services and shelter when needed. Specialized staff, including housing navigators, financial coaches, peer navigators and mental health clinicians, work closely with young people and young adults to help them identify goals and take meaningful steps toward long-term stability and self-sufficiency. To ensure accessibility, at least one drop-in center in every borough operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our street outreach programs engage young people where they are, focusing on 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.

DYCD-funded providers help young people navigate a wide range of challenges through individualized counseling, case management and service referrals. From intake assessments to ongoing case management, providers work to identify each young person's strengths, needs and goals while connecting them to services that support their overall well-being, including specialized mental health care when appropriate. All runaway and homeless youth providers are trained for and welcoming to LGBTQ+ youth, including mission-oriented organizations like the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, all of which have particular expertise and focus on serving LGBTQ+ young people experiencing homelessness. This includes professional development regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, gender-affirming interactions that foster respect and appreciation, physically safe and culturally positive environments and swift response to issues of bias and discrimination in our programs.

Counselors work collaboratively with youth to develop individualized service plans that establish both short and long-term goals. Through direct services and community partnerships, youth can access a broad range of supports, including physical and mental health services, educational and career development opportunities, substance use prevention services, violence intervention and prevention counseling and housing assistance. When appropriate, providers also support family reunification efforts or help connect youth to supportive programs.

Thank you again for the opportunity to discuss the City's efforts to address housing instability among LGBTQ+ youth. We remain committed to working alongside the Council, providers, advocates and young people with lived experience to strengthen services and expand opportunities for the youth we serve. We are pleased to answer any questions you have. Thank you.

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Great. Thank you so much to all of you for such thoughtful testimony. I would like to start off with some questions for the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs. What supports will be offered by the office around housing for LGBTQ+ individuals?

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Thank you for the question. So that is certainly still within our planning. As you know, we are a new office. We are about two months in. We are also in the midst of budget season, and so while outreach and education has been ongoing, I want to stress that a big part of it will be based in agency partnerships and again making sure they are abiding by the law, making sure that they have the best policies and practices. But most importantly, I think what I have brought to this office is innovation, and to me that means doing more. I think that is what is required.

(00:35:22)

And so some of the agencies you are planning to coordinate with are like the Human Resources Administration around housing services. As I understand it, the mandate for this office is informed by the Mayor to reach across all agencies in New York City and all agencies that touch the lives of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. Do you think there are any necessary budgetary items that your office will require in order to accomplish some of this?

(00:35:45)

So those negotiations are ongoing. We are housed within the Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice and so the budget is also tied to that as well. Right now I would defer to my colleagues, but I remain... okay, we will follow up on that.

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At least, are you planning on offering any specific trainings on serving LGBTQ+ individuals seeking housing services from the office itself?

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Absolutely. I think one thing that I am careful of coming into this position is not being unnecessarily repetitive, and so I want to make sure that I have a good assessment of what is available now. There are trainings that are offered that are required by law. There are trainings provided by the Commissioner, as Dolan mentioned. I inherited ongoing work in compliance with Local Law 71 and 73, which also tie into rights and resources, as well as awareness campaigns which include trainings focused on resources for transgender, gender nonconforming and nonbinary New Yorkers as well as the needs of immigrant LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. I certainly have the expertise and can make that available. I think it just takes an assessment of what is available, but I would be happy to offer it. That is great.

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The New York City Unity Project has maintained a guide of organizations working to support housing and shelter services for LGBTQ+ individuals in the past. As the new office is set to absorb the Unity Project, will you keep the guide up to date?

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Absolutely. And not just in the housing space, but across all areas of life.

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And are there any thoughts on planning or offering any community outreach or education campaigns around the issue itself right now?

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In this moment I cannot say that we have any active plans, but I think again that is something that we are considering. I think from my own personal experience and background, when people are informed of their rights and aware of their rights, that is how they are best enforced and people are best made to abide by them. So certainly something we will consider.

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Just my last question for us as chairs: do you have an allocation for your budget already set? That terminology is new to me in government.

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So as I understand it, we do have an allocation for staffing lines. We do have an allocation for some programmatic work, which was one of the primary functions of the Unity Project. Again, my understanding is that the exact amounts are still being negotiated and those negotiations are ongoing.

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And did you know the previous amount, if there were any funds toward the services that are under your purview now?

(00:38:17)

So the way that the Unity Project worked primarily was through budget allocations that lie within other agencies. For example, I am aware of a $400,000 fund that lies within DYCD, and this would be specifically tied to a health care program and funding. There were some one-time grant opportunities, including the Transgender Emergency Fund and the Unity grants, but from my general understanding of the ten years of the Unity Project's funding model, none of them are recurring. I think the $400,000 is the only one that is sort of every year.

(00:38:48)

Got it. Great for us to know. Thank you so much for answering my questions. I am going to move over to: how many LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness are currently being served by funded programs?

(00:39:07)

Thank you for the question. Currently youth are not required to disclose gender identity or sexual orientation in our programs, but as of today, May 2026, 700 youth who reported as identifying as LGBTQ+ were entered into our residential programs. We had placed 564 young people who reported as identifying as LGBTQ+ into case management services and services at the drop-in centers.

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Got it. And what percentage of youth in funded runaway and homeless youth programs identify as LGBTQ+?

(00:39:47)

Thank you. We have 38% of the young people who have been entered into our programs identifying as LGBTQ+. We have 35% of the young people who entered our residential programs that reported the same and then 42% were in our drop-in centers.

(00:40:12)

And how do you folks at DYCD ensure that LGBTQ+ youth know about the available services and can access them safely? Obviously the drop-in centers are a great example where there is 24-hour care and they can go in at any point, but other than services like the drop-in centers, how are we looking at making those available and the outreach?

(00:40:31)

Yeah, I think one of the things that works, and we have seen it historically, and I think it works with any population, is word of mouth. Young people come in and talk to each other and they hear about the great things that are happening, and so that has been really, really helpful. Especially for a young population, they rely on referrals.

(00:40:55)

Thank you. We rely on referrals. The City also has a strong social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We also have information available about these programs and then we have the palm cards, which we actually brought extras of so we can distribute some of those. That is also available. We also have the street outreach piece where we have six days per week assisting youth in need, and then as you mentioned the drop-in centers and the street outreach, as I mentioned. Sorry.

(00:41:41)

Okay. In terms of the street outreach team, how do you folks determine where the outreach team needs to go? Is it data aggregated? Is it again a word of mouth situation where we are hearing from folks that are already receiving services that there is a big need in a community?

(00:42:02)

Thank you for that question. The street outreach is run by Street Works, a Safe Horizon program, and they determine every week where they are going to be. They send out a list. There is a north and a south van and it is based on what they see when they are out there. It is based on what they are hearing from young people at the drop-in centers, and so their locations change as needed. But they cover parks, subways and any other places they are hearing that young people are.

(00:42:35)

And are they providing services on site, like immediate care that is needed or resource connections, but also helping bring folks into a drop-in center? That is correct. That is absolutely correct. Thank you. Can you folks describe any long-term housing outcomes, if we have that data, for LGBTQ+ youth who participate in the funded programs? And do we know how many LGBTQ+ youth successfully transitioned into permanent housing each year for the last five years or three years?

(00:43:06)

So according to the most recent data concerning long-term housing, we have 15% of our young people who returned home and 20% had other residential placements, whether it was through friends or relatives. We had 12% that transitioned into independent living and then we also had 42% that received a variety of services, including crisis services, foster home care, shelters and supportive housing. And then there were some that were...

(00:43:47)

Unknown to us. And then we have a more detailed report that we can make available.

(00:43:55)

We do not have the information readily available for the five-year period, but we are going to look into that.

(00:44:02)

That would be extremely helpful. Obviously as we are trying to see where the gaps are and where more resources need to go, every budget fight requires that kind of data to look into, so that would be really helpful. In terms of the percentage for folks who, quote unquote, returned home and either found placement with friends or family, are we looking at ensuring that they have an individual room? Are we making sure folks are not maybe transitioning into someone's home but like on a couch for six months? Are we tracking post one year, post two years?

(00:44:38)

How long are we also tracking the folks that are coming in for services? I can start and then you will correct me. All right, I will take the lead and then I will tap Tracy if I am missing something. She will keep me honest. I will say that our young people have continuous counseling and support services and so our providers ensure that there is a touch point and there is a continuous connection to make sure that the young people are receiving additional supportive services, whether it is in employment or education. So they try to continue to make those connections even while the young person is in a home. Is that correct? And then I heard in the testimony there was a...

(00:45:29)

...program or initiative for preventing family rejection or reducing it. What are some of those programs or initiatives? What do they look like and how do we get to it before it occurs? Are we reactive in terms of, you know, reunification back into the home? So at drop-in centers they offer supportive services for our young people who are at risk of becoming homeless, and some of those services include counseling and referrals to health care, education and employment

(00:46:16)

opportunities. When LGBTQ+ youth are served in our programs, there is a unique opportunity to create a safe and protective space. They build relationships with the young people that are there. The programs offer an opportunity for youth to create caring communities. And then because the programs are youth-centered, services including family reunification are driven by young people's...

(00:46:42)

...voices. So they pretty much let the provider and the counselor know whether or not they want to reunite with their families. If they do not, they receive ongoing support and counseling. If they do, the family receives support services as well, so the whole family as well as the individual.

(00:47:03)

Are we hearing from families and from young people what the reasoning is for, you know, either the disconnect at home or getting kicked out of their home by their family? Are we using any of that information to kind of dictate

(00:47:18)

the type of, whether it is family therapy sessions or what the reunification process looks like? I imagine patriarchal systems are something that weigh heavily on why some folks have to leave their household, or religious and cultural issues. I am just wondering how we are taking those lived experiences and then responding, both as the City. I think beyond just this moment, we really should be looking at how to address these familial and patriarchal systems in this way, but also just how are we empowering the young people in this position going back to their family or living independently? Are those conversations part of how we are determining services for young people?

(00:48:07)

Yeah, I think when... one of the things is ensuring that we are offering young people what they need to feel supported to move along in their journey toward self-sufficiency and increasing their resilience.

(00:48:35)

So it is a case by case basis, but from our intakes, family rejection and family discord is one of the number one reasons that young people are coming to us for services and we are here for them.

(00:48:51)

When you age out of the runaway and homeless youth shelters, there is a process by which they can be referred directly. According to the most recent streamlined referral process report from the period of January 1 through June 30 of 2025, 40 young people were referred. How does it ensure that LGBTQ+ youth who are referred get placed within a shelter which matches their gender identity or into a specialized LGBTQ+ bed, should that be their preference?

The intake staff are in contact almost every day and they do a great job making sure that young people are placed in programs that are affirming and meet their needs. We have a lot of great placements with Marshall's House, ACES Place and other sites. If there is a need for further clarification, if maybe there was something that was not listed on the streamlined referral form, they are really responsive to making sure that people are placed in the right locations.

And as we have already spoken about a bit, young people enter crisis shelters by referral, walking in on their own, walking into a drop-in center, or even via the street outreach team. Do you folks have an idea of what percent of young people enter shelters via each of these pathways? We have that breakdown of whether it is...

(00:50:27)

Street team, whether it is the referral or walking in on their own — we could get back to you about that. Okay? Yeah.

(00:50:40)

That ends my last question before I kick it over to Hudson. According to Local Law 79's report on the runaway and homeless youth service access report for the period through 2025, 500 of the 592 youth not placed — 36% — identified as LGBTQ+. Do...

(00:51:00)

You know the reason for the lack of placements? The reason for lack of placement is a lack of bed availability. Sorry — lack of bed availability.

(00:51:12)

Bed availability — got it. Okay. Thank you so much for answering my questions. I will kick it over to CM Hudson. Thank you.

(00:51:24)

So much. I did have one follow-up question, and from the chair, I am curious about the support services that are provided for families. Who provides those services? Are those provided directly or do you subcontract to other organizations?

(00:51:47)

The around family mediation and reunification — our providers provide those services directly. So who...

(00:51:54)

Are some of those...

(00:51:57)

Providers? Alley Forney — off the top of my head I cannot remember all of them.

(00:52:03)

Rising Ground. Okay. Thanks. Cool. I am going to ask questions of... so how...

(00:52:15)

Does it coordinate with other City agencies to meet the needs of homeless and housing insecure LGBTQ+ individuals? Thank you for the question. As you know, Chair Hudson and others probably know, I have been here just a couple of months and so it is a great opportunity for me to learn a little bit more and deepen my understanding of the work we do in this area. This one I can take, but I will probably rely on my colleagues here — especially Deputy Commissioner Russell — for detailed questions.

When it comes to addressing the issues of housing insecurity for this population, we certainly work across the team who is here today. We also work with our partners in housing like HPD and NYCHA. In addition, for special populations like older adults, we work with our partners in aging and so on. I think there is a good amount of collaboration and a good amount of advocacy from the Mayor's agencies and departments to ensure that the clients they are working with are treated well and get access to the resources they need in our systems. Thank you. How does...

(00:53:27)

It coordinate with the Department of Veterans' Services to ensure that LGBTQ+ veterans seeking shelter are housed appropriately, and can you share what that intake process looks like? Thank you for the question.

(00:53:40)

So DHS has intake shelter intake centers that serve those who are seeking temporary housing assistance throughout the five boroughs. We have intake centers for families with children, we have those for adult families as well as single men and single women. It is at the intakes where we ask a series of questions for those who are seeking temporary housing to better place them in the system based on their circumstances and the needs that brought them into the system.

We also offer a voluntary gender ID screener. While we do not ask for a specific sense of sexual orientation, we do have this voluntary screener. Depending on whether they choose to complete the screener or prefer to self-identify, for those individuals who self-identify as either being part of the LGBTQ+ community, and in addition if they articulate that they are a veteran, we will work with them to provide accommodation that best suits their needs as an LGBTQ+ veteran. Or if they just choose to go into a general program, we will definitely offer those accommodations as well.

(00:54:57)

Thank you. And then the same question with regards to aging and LGBTQ+ older adults seeking shelter and whether or not they are housed appropriately.

(00:55:08)

Thank you again. So it is similar to the intake process that we offer for those who come to us from our mature or older adult population — 55 plus or 60 plus — who are unhoused. Again, while we do not ask for their sexual orientation, they can complete the voluntary gender identity screener and self-identify. For those individuals who have mobility and accessibility needs, the agency does offer what is called a visible accommodation process. This is for those individuals where the accommodation is not apparent or obvious. So if someone has specific needs, they will complete this reasonable accommodation process, they would go through the process and we will place them into facilities that are specific to their mobility and accommodation needs.

(00:56:02)

Thank you for that. And then the chair and I were discussing — I mean, we totally understand, obviously, and particularly as legislators, the legal limits that exist around identification. But we are curious to know how aggressively — for lack of a better word — you all are offering the opportunity for people to identify in a particular way. Because if it is something where somebody mentions it in passing conversation as opposed to a staff member on the front lines saying, "If you happen to identify this particular way, we have resources and services available to you to address specific needs" — we are just trying to understand how proactively those options are being provided. Just as an example, for accessibility needs or...

(00:57:04)

Disability, I am sure we are pretty aggressively offering, "If you have a need or a disability that is invisible to us, we want you to know that..." Are we doing the same for LGBTQ+ folks that are coming through the system? Thank you for that...

(00:57:22)

Question. So while we do not want to necessarily push or force individuals to identify as such, again we do ask if they want to complete the voluntary gender...

(00:57:34)

Are you asking everybody that?

(00:57:36)

Correct. Okay. And we are also asking for their preferred name. So some individuals come in as Sonia, but say their preferred name is Samuel, and at that point we will ask whether or not they want to voluntarily complete the gender screener. If they say, "I identify this way and I wish to be placed in a shelter based on how I identify," then we will accommodate that. But again, we want to be sensitive and not overly aggressive with individuals that come into our shelter system — allow them to identify how they wish to do so. And if they choose not to identify at intake but perhaps identify once they are placed, again they are offered the opportunity to say, "I would rather be placed in a shelter based on how I self-identify," and we will allow them to transfer to that specific shelter as well.

(00:58:28)

I probably should have used "proactively" rather than "aggressively" — I did not mean to imply you should aggressively ask people. But the point is, and I just want to clarify, are you actually asking everyone during intake if they would like to complete the form? Or is it only when somebody has perhaps shared some bit of relevant information that they are then being offered the opportunity to complete that form or assessment?

(00:58:59)

Thank you. So I would say it is both. We are required to ask them, but again, if someone offers information, then the staff will definitely say, "Please, you should fill out the questionnaire — the gender screener."

(00:59:11)

Okay. Thank you. Is there dedicated outreach to street homeless individuals? What training do outreach workers receive in relation to engaging with LGBTQ+ individuals who are street homeless, especially in relation to supporting their transition into...

(00:59:30)

Shelters? Thank you for that question. All staff as well as contracted providers are required to have LGBTQ+ training within 90 days of their start date and every two years thereafter. So there is required training. In addition, our providers offer additional support and training. Just one example of training that is available to City and provider staff is the placement procedure training for trans and gender nonconforming clients — that is one additional opportunity.

When it comes to coordinating placement in the shelter system, I think particularly for folks who are on the street and unhoused, we really do need to be at least aspiring to creative, individualized solutions for those folks. We know our shelter system works pretty well for the vast majority of people, but for people who are on the streets today, we want to make sure we are offering those individualized solutions. We do train our staff and our providers when new opportunities for housing come on board, and so we are doing that kind of work. I am particularly interested in understanding how individualized and creative we can be for people who are on...

(01:00:45)

The street. Thank you. And do you all track incidents of harassment, bullying or violence towards LGBTQ+ shelter residents? We do, and I can provide that data for the year if that is helpful. Yeah, that would be great. Thank...

(01:01:01)

You. I am providing it in the way that it is tracked in our systems, which may not correspond exactly to the question. So this is for July 1, 2025 through June 16, 2026 — so not through the full year. In terms of discrimination type, for gender discrimination across DHS shelters, that count is 61. I can break that down further if you would like. So for gender discrimination, for DHS it is 54, for HRA it is seven, for a total of 61 within the shelter system. For TGN C discrimination, for DHS it is 24, for HRA it is 0, and that is 24. For TGN C harassment within shelter, for DHS it is 5, for HRA it is 0, so a total of five. And then for TGN C retaliation in the shelter system, that is 2, for HRA it is 0, for a total of two. So a total of 92 reports across that system. And just to note, these come through the system via the ombudsman, 311, dot-gov, the one number, mail, walk-in and email — this does not include 911 calls, provider-level managed complaints or other incidents.

(01:02:32)

Okay. Do you track those other incidents though? I am going to defer to Deputy...

(01:02:41)

Commissioner Russell on whether we have access to the shelter-level incidents. And 911 calls is certainly something I think I mentioned in a previous hearing — I am trying to make sure we have ready access to data across all of our shelters.

(01:03:00)

Thank you, Commissioner. So yes, as it relates to the shelter-related incidents, while...

(01:03:05)

I do not have that specific data with me today, we do...

(01:03:09)

Track those incidents that are reported at a shelter level.

(01:03:15)

You do track them. We do. Do you have any numbers to share? I actually do, and I would also love the FY25 numbers...

(01:03:23)

If you have them. Yeah, we have those as well. Yeah.

(01:03:35)

All right, so I can give you the FY25 numbers, just as I did before. So the...

(01:03:43)

That would be great.

(01:03:44)

Yep. So starting with gender discrimination: 46 for DHS, 11 for HRA, for a count of 57. TGN C discrimination: 7 for DHS, 8 for HRA, 0 — total of seven. TGN C harassment: 5 for DHS, 0 for HRA, for a total of five. TGN C retaliation: 6 for DHS, 0 for HRA, for a total of six. Thank you. And then I do not have — we can, as Deputy Commissioner suggested, get you the priority one incidents that I know are tracked. I do have them for DHS if you would like.

(01:04:25)

Those — and what are the standard actions? Yes. You can follow up with us with those if you want. Unless our counsel wants them to say it now on the record. Okay. And what are the standard actions taken in response to these reports? I have noticed, obviously, that the majority of these complaints — almost the entirety of the complaints, if I am not mistaken — are opposed to HRA. So specifically, with regards to what DHS is doing to address these complaints and experiences — yeah, start, and the Deputy Commissioner can jump in if they would like. I would welcome that.

(01:05:10)

I mean, it is our responsibility to investigate all of these complaints, and if there are systemic issues, to work across the whole system to ensure that we make improvements. We do that through our Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs. If there are shelter-specific issues, we certainly take those very seriously and work with the shelter to make changes and corrective action plans and so on. Whenever possible, when we have the information, we do work to get that information back to the person who complained and work with them directly to share those results. Okay, no follow-up. Thanks.

(01:05:51)

All right. How many dedicated shelter beds exist for transgender and gender nonconforming people across the five boroughs? I will...

(01:06:00)

Take that too. Today there are 192 beds across four boroughs, with two sites in the Bronx, one in Brooklyn, two in Queens and two in Manhattan. Can you give me the bed breakdown by borough? Sure. So for the Bronx, 21 beds total. Brooklyn, five beds total. Queens, 159 beds total. And Manhattan, seven beds total. Thank you.

(01:06:31)

Mariah Lopez versus New York City Department of Homeless Services resulted in a settlement in which the City agreed to establish shelter units that serve and affirm trans, non-binary and gender nonconforming people...

(01:06:42)

In every borough, and to improve policies and procedures to protect GNC clients. Pursuant to the settlement, DHS is required to strengthen protections against retaliation for LGBTQ+ residents who file complaints. How have you implemented this, and are there plans to put any beds in...

(01:07:04)

Staten Island? Thank you for the question. The requirements of the Lopez settlement were specific: all agency and provider staff are required to receive training specific to respectfully working with this population, and it requires that all new staff complete trainings within 90 days of starting and refreshers every two years, as I mentioned. We also have all staff sign a non-discrimination agreement and created designated categories to track TGN C retaliation complaints.

(01:07:34)

Note that for every floor at ACES Place there is a way for people to complain. I was out there recently and took note — compared to any other shelter that I have seen anywhere — of how much care they take. There is a QR code on the elevators, there is a paper form on every single floor. So from my perspective, they go out of their way at ACES Place to ensure that people have the opportunity to complain. And...

(01:08:02)

Also, pursuant to the settlement, we took a number of steps to improve the reporting procedures. We have adjusted the rights and responsibilities document that every client receives and signs, explicitly referring to the rights of LGBTQ+ and GNC clients. Every TGN C client receives a brochure about their rights and how to report concerns outside of their shelter. We updated our complaint tracking system to have designated categories. So those are some of the ways that we have complied. I cannot speak to whether we are looking at beds in Staten Island, but it is certainly something I take...

(01:08:47)

Note of. Great. Thank you. I am going to pause briefly and turn it over to CM Wilson to ask a question. Thank you, Chairs. Good morning. I have some questions I think best for DHS as well. The first is around LGBTQ+ older adults. In 2017, a survey of queer older adults found that nearly one quarter of respondents earn less than 30% of area median income and live in substandard housing, and some even in shelters. So what steps can we take to ensure that seniors have stable, safe housing where their medical and social needs are met? And are there specific programs for LGBTQ+ plus seniors beyond shelter? Yeah, thank...

(01:09:41)

You for the question. I will start. I think across the country we have seen a rise in older adults facing homelessness, and from my perspective, it is certainly not acceptable for our older folks on fixed incomes to be, at this stage in their life, trying to figure out where they are going to spend their next night. I think all of our programs — diversion and so on — are of course available to older adults, and I think it is a good point. I cannot speak to all the ways we might be working with our colleagues in aging, but we have a commissioner there that I would love to work with to make sure people understand what is available, understand how they might be able to stay successfully within their homes, and what we might do to reduce entries into the system.

That is something I can take as a follow-up. It is nice to hear again, being new to New York, that we have specific facilities and shelters for the 55 plus and 65 plus population. I suspect — but I will let the Deputy Commissioner speak to it — that there are good partnerships with the senior centers and other systems within the City. But let me see...

(01:11:01)

Thank you, Commissioner. As Commissioner, adults and started out with our shelter providers do work directly with those nonprofits that perhaps offer assistance for our more mature population, that again out of 55 or 60 plus. So we give a level of autonomy to those providers to build those relationships with organizations that can tailor their services for those that are in that particular shelter.

(01:11:32)

There are programs now, just pivoting to support folks with... There are programs like the Ryan White emergency shelter allowance that are really important ways of connecting people with AIDS to housing, but they were established a long time ago, usually at the height of the epidemic. How can we update these programs for the needs of the present?

(01:11:59)

Good morning. John Ross. You are right. A lot of programs have been created. Ryan White, I believe, was created in 1991. The grant program equally in 1992. Both Ryan White and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have modified and revised their programs recently. HUD most recently did a modernization. In the past they used to calculate how they gave money to eligible metropolitan statistical areas through AIDS only, not including persons living with it, and that was changed. Also in the past they used to use statistical calculations including persons who were deceased instead of including persons who were living and newly diagnosed but not AIDS diagnosed.

So that changed, and it really did change the portfolio. New York City actually took a hit, and probably not popularly. It should have more appropriately divided up the money to localities across the country who really did need the money more, based on a growing number of cases in other states. So they are, on the federal level, modernizing and updating the programs. On the local level, the administration has a participant who sits on the Ryan White Planning Council. That is Executive Deputy Commissioner Jacqueline Dudley. She sits on the Ryan White Planning Council and gives input, and has overseen the services that we provide on how we can update the services, including for the aging population of folks with AIDS. Thank you.

(01:13:56)

And then just one question about LGBTQ+ youth. There have been some organizations that have advocated for targeted housing assistance programs that consist of one-time cash payments to youth at risk of homelessness, along with housing, medication and financial coaching and other forms of guidance in order to prevent youth homelessness. Just curious about your opinions on the efficiency of that method and if that is something that has

(01:14:25)

ever been considered. That is a great question. Thank you for that. There have been a few pilots for young people who are experiencing homelessness. Any resources that could help prevent homelessness and support young people, and kind of relieve the stress and burden that they are experiencing by offering cash, is a good idea. But at this moment there is no program that the City is working on or undergoing right now.

(01:15:13)

The pilots that you mentioned, were those taking place in the City?

(01:15:17)

Yes, they were. They were partnerships. One was the Trust Youth Initiative with California Center and Point Source Youth, and then Point Source Youth is also working on other groups. And then there is one at Covenant House, and that is about all I know.

(01:15:38)

How they are going, okay. But yeah, it is a good resource in theory. And I will say again, coming in, obviously still being new and still in the planning phase, I think ideas like that and pilot initiatives are very smart. I think again in terms of the framing, when we look at the drivers of homelessness and housing insecurity, and especially as that is broken down by race and socioeconomic status, direct assistance is what people need across the spectrum. And so I think,

(01:16:10)

we certainly have to be smart about that in terms of when we say direct cash — does that mean working directly with, or having contracts with, specific entities that have the direct ability to fund those things to make sure that people have the stability they need. But again, also tying into that pilot initiative and those kinds of programs, what I am understanding is generally described as wraparound services, moving people towards independence and self-sustainability. That means ensuring that people have educational opportunities and employment opportunities to eventually become self-sufficient. But I will say, just hearing about a one-time shot, I think there is something there. Programs like that, I think, require a more sustained investment.

(01:16:58)

Thank you. Okay, back to DHS. What increased oversight and accountability measures have been implemented to address discrimination and unsafe conditions for LGBTQ+ shelter residents?

(01:17:11)

So we take the dignity and safety of our clients seriously, and we continually monitor conditions to ensure shelter conditions are safe and supportive. Depending on the circumstances, our responses are proactive and sometimes reactive. As it relates to the proactive side, our code of conduct mandates that clients have the right not to be discriminated against due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and not be discriminated against by other clients. The training that providers are required to take speaks to how to handle complaints of discrimination from LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming communities. We monitor whether staff and providers have taken the required training.

On the reactive side, we do review the data as it relates to incidents, and we have conversations with our providers when we notice that there is an uptick or a trend that is starting to occur, and we work on how to mitigate those concerns. Depending on the level of the complaint, we will make a transfer or other accommodations when we have seen it necessary. As a result, provider accountability is consistent in all cases. We make regular onsite visits to these locations to ensure safety standards are being upheld by our providers.

(01:18:32)

And the transfer accommodations — is that in reference to the residents or the staff? Like if there is a complaint about a staff member, how are you addressing that? Are you moving the resident or are you moving the

(01:18:48)

staff? So depending on the circumstances, it could be that we move the staff or it could be that we move the resident. Sometimes a resident will request to be transferred and we will accommodate them

(01:19:02)

accordingly. Okay. I just want to make the point that I think, and I am sure you all share this, but sometimes what we say in theory does not always match what happens in practice. And so I think it is important to start with the staff. If a staff member needs to be relocated, especially considering the shelter population, we need to make sure that we are addressing whatever needs to happen at the staff level before we are moving residents that might be

(01:19:35)

in shelter. And I agree with you. Yeah, I know you would.

(01:19:39)

How is the City working to better address the unique needs of LGBTQ+ individuals? I guess you sort of addressed that, but...

(01:19:50)

I will just add two things. It is a real asset to have the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs sit, of course, over both DHS and all of our programs, and be another place where we can be out in the community understanding the issues — separate from the shelter system — and I hope it is seen as an asset from the rest of our services, understanding those needs in the community. And also, just to mention, I mentioned this in my testimony, but we are really excited about the advisory committee that will be standing up later this fall, identifying folks in particular to help inform us on how the system can improve services across both.

(01:20:39)

So in addition to what we have already raised, those two assets I think will be important. Thank you.

(01:20:47)

And I failed to acknowledge that we have also been joined by CM Nurse and Public Advocate Williams, who I believe would like to share some remarks.

(01:21:00)

Thank you. Hello. Thank you, much appreciated. I am surviving, so I will not say anything negative. Just hello. Good afternoon. Peace and blessings to everyone. My name is Jumaane Williams, Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Farías, CM Hudson, members of the Committee on Women and Gender Equity and the Committee on General Welfare for holding this hearing and for the opportunity to share testimony, and the administration who is here as well.

New York City is currently in the midst of an unparalleled housing crisis, one that is making it difficult for immigrants, young people and marginalized communities to obtain any sort of affordable housing. Rising costs and a lack of deeply affordable housing is slowly but surely pushing more and more New Yorkers from the communities and neighborhoods they have called home. I forgot to mention this is an opening statement in the middle of the hearings, but thank you for allowing me to make it.

LGBTQ+ individuals are disproportionately affected by the housing crisis and by discrimination in the rental and senior housing markets. Research shows that despite representing seven percent of the general population, LGBTQ+ youth make up roughly 40% of unhoused youth. They face high levels of harassment and violence on the street and in the shelter system. LGBTQ+ young people are more likely to engage in sex work or survival sex and are at high risk for sexual assault. LGBTQ+ youth consider suicide at more than four times the rate of their heterosexual peers, and they are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide.

Studies have also shown that housing providers are less likely to respond to rent inquiries from same-sex couples. As housing costs continue to rise, many LGBTQ+ seniors on fixed incomes struggle to remain in their homes and communities and are forced to look for alternative living arrangements. With many facilities run by religiously affiliated provider organizations, LGBTQ+ individuals are frequently at risk of facing discrimination in assisted living facilities and senior housing, and therefore face harassment or pressure to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity.

With increasing attacks from the federal administration, our trans and gender nonconforming siblings face significant barriers in the traditional shelter system, often experiencing targeted violence or a lack of appropriate resources, both due to discrimination and also due to lack of funding. The intersection of being LGBTQ+ and being Black and Brown or immigrant makes it even worse. I always want to highlight Black trans women in particular, who seem to bear the brunt of what is happening.

Housing is a human right and as a City we need to ensure that all New Yorkers have equal access to stable housing, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity. Under New York City's Human Rights Law, it is illegal for landlords, real estate agents or co-op and condo boards to refuse housing, charge higher rent or harass individuals based on sexual orientation, identity or gender. And at least for now, fair housing laws also make discrimination based on status or gender dysphoria illegal.

I would be remiss not mentioning the efforts of organizations like Ali Forney, who established a transitional housing facility in Manhattan for LGBTQ+ youth, and SAGE, who continues to support LGBTQ+ seniors with housing. But we must endeavor to do more. We as a City must continue to push for more affordable and

(01:24:24)

sustainable housing for LGBTQ+ individuals, with a particular focus on housing for the youth and seniors already at a higher risk of homelessness. I look forward to continuing the discussion today and to how my office can continue to support this important work, and how we as a City can continue to fight for a more equitable New York for all.

And I would say, I think the results of the races last night really highlight how important this is and how much New York wants to see everyone be able to be housed. I do want to just lift up the name of the late Lou Fidler. Rest in peace. This type of housing is actually something that he was very big on, even though his community was not. So I just want to lift him up for the work that he did on this. Thank you so much.

(01:25:09)

Thank you, Public Advocate. Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled hearing. I just want to go back to the staff training. You said for new employees

(01:25:23)

they are required to do the training within 90 days of employment. And then what is the subsequent training after that? Is it annual? Every two years? Sorry, can you just say that into the microphone? Every two years. Okay. Thank you.

(01:25:42)

Alright. Aces Place is the City's first transgender and gender nonconforming dedicated shelter, following the Lopez settlement, and was opened in 2022. Of the 150 beds available at Aces Place, how many are currently occupied?

(01:25:57)

I have that. Yes, as of last week, there were 109 individuals at Aces Place, which I think opened in 2025. Wait,

(01:26:11)

it opened in 2025? Yeah. Okay.

(01:26:16)

And sorry, I just wanted to reference something in your testimony. Okay, I will look for that in a second. Yeah. How are referrals made for Aces Place?

(01:26:33)

I will start, and certainly if the Deputy Commissioner wants to add anything... As we have described, at intake we ask everyone if they would like to complete a gender identity screener, and if their identity suggests it, then we would make that offer amongst other considerations. And just to also note again, as I think was stated by the Deputy Commissioner, we do have a number of folks who identify later on, whether in their current shelter or to their case manager, in which case we, across all of our programs and shelters, would seek to make accommodations to have people in the right place. Okay.

(01:27:26)

Thank you. And sorry, I just want to jump to DYCD for one second and just ask: of the 40,000 young people you serve annually, are those all unique numbers, or are they repeat clients coming through? Like, you might count somebody more than once if they are seeking services more than once. Yes, they would be counted here. Okay. Do you know how many of the 40,000 are unique?

(01:28:01)

Or like a percent?

(01:28:03)

A lot of the count is outreach activities. For the outreach, we do not have a duplicate count. There are thousands of people that we reach out to. The drop-in centers go out and do presentations at schools and other community-based organizations and tabling events, so that is part of that 40,000. Okay. Yeah.

(01:28:33)

Okay. Thanks. If it is possible to break any of that down at a later date, we would love to follow up. And then just going back to Aces Place, what type of inspection and oversight is taking place there? Is that where you mentioned you visited recently, Commissioner? I just want to note that there have been recent reports of subpar living conditions, safety issues and harassment. So it would be great if you can just provide an update on how DHS is handling these issues and what type of oversight you all are providing.

(01:29:06)

Yes, thank you for the question. It is my understanding that some of the complaints that you are referring to were related to facility issues when the pipes burst during the extended Code Blue, and that was addressed expediently and clients were moved to rooms with heat and water. We certainly take all complaints very seriously. There is an assigned program administrator who works closely with Aces Place to ensure compliance.

There were also complaints about alleged client harassment that were investigated and resulted in continued discussions with clients regarding respecting the gender identity and expression of other clients and staff, and additional training for staff was put in place to better support the diversity of gender expression and gender identity there.

And as I said, in terms of the actual physical conditions of the location, I found the shelter to be very nice. I went into several rooms, the common spaces throughout the building, the offices where the psychiatric nurse works, and so on. From a physical perspective I found Aces Place to be really nice, with really nice outdoor space. But that, of course, does not speak to how people might be treated there, which is something we take very seriously.

(01:30:27)

And I think just to highlight the cooperation amongst agencies: coming into office, they took a survey of all litigations against the City dealing with issues including the settlement agreement specifically. And so I just want to note that those issues were brought to the office as well, including the letter that was sent to the Mayor. So it is something that we have paid attention to. I have been in touch with the Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs, Brent Whitfield, and I have also planned a visit to Aces Place as well as the other dedicated sites for gender nonconforming

(01:31:02)

people. Okay, great. Thank you. And are those scheduled, so they will be occurring? Or have you visited any of them? Well, one was actually scheduled for today,

(01:31:13)

but then I got pulled away. We are in the midst of rescheduling that. Okay. And then the other ones will be scheduled, and it is also going to be an opportunity to meet directly with the people that are being housed there.

(01:31:21)

Also, is this right? Okay, great. Thank you so much. According to a local law 95 Q4 of 2020 report, there were only 478 LGBTQ+ individuals listed as being served on a typical day. A typical day has at least 50,000 adults in shelter. This is only 1% of the shelter population, while by comparison almost 40% of the clients in their shelter identify as LGBTQ+. What do you think the reason is for such a low LGBTQ+ population in adult shelters, especially given that many reports have found that LGBTQ+

(01:32:05)

individuals are more likely to be housing insecure than non-LGBTQ+ individuals. Yeah, I mean, it is the way, of course, that we are required to administer the survey, which happens at intake, is anonymous and not connected, for lots of very good reasons, to anyone's placement or services. So I think it is just voluntary. While it is present and available, when people are doing intake and have all kinds of other issues going on in their lives, filling out a survey is probably not their primary concern. So I think, as I said in my testimony, we acknowledged this well undercounts the people who would identify in a different manner. I think we do treat the system, though, as if it is more diverse than what we see in that survey, and seek to have the kind of services and supports that will support everyone. Thank you.

(01:33:06)

How is data collected for that report? What sources are used, and at what point during intake are people asked to identify as LGBTQ+?

(01:33:19)

So the data for local law 95 is based on individuals who meet at least one of the filing criteria: they are either in a TGnC designated bed, they are in Oasis Place, Marsha's House, or they have self-identified as TGnC. Okay, thank you.

(01:33:37)

I will kick it back to the chair to ask a follow-up question.

(01:33:41)

Yeah, I just have a couple of questions based off of some responses. In terms of the staff trainings that occur, how are you assessing your training efficiency? Is there a post case management referral? Is it going off of any responses from any of the folks that are experiencing, you know, the case

(01:34:02)

managers on site? What does the assessment look like, if any assessment is done at all? That is a great question. Currently, we just track data as it relates to those that are taking the survey, so we have information that relates to the DHS staff that takes the survey as well as the provider staff that takes the survey. But to your question, we do not have anything specific to track the post-training. So that is a great question. Yeah, I would encourage us to consider looking at that, just because of the population we are serving. We want to make sure that there is a debrief within ourselves about what we are doing, so I would consider

(01:34:54)

that. And then, you know, I am kind of racking my brain here about the data aggregation and data collection. I understand what you stated earlier around the sensitivity with not having to force anyone to identify, just because of a potential resource or anything like that. I do think as a City we should be more of a direct communicator, whether it is with the outreach or the encouragement to get people to be encouraged to identify as soon as we can, because that is the way we can have early prevention or the earliest prevention marker.

So whether we are being aggressive or having direct communication, I do think it should come from us, because the worst outcome that could happen is that people still choose to just not check that box or self-identify. I would rather us not... we want to consider the sensitivity of it and rather just be really, really direct in that communication so we can get people to services that they deserve.

I think the point I wrote for myself was that at the end of the day, bureaucracy really is centered around data aggregation, whether it is through data that we are aggregating in a local community or whether it is for serving our LGBTQ+ neighbors with direct services and resources. I really just want us to think about how we are going to make a generational shift for the next generation with the time that we have in front of us now, through the services we are providing, through the budgetary fights that we are trying to gain every budget cycle, or through re-adapting our data aggregation, because it really is the point that we use to fund and operate everything in this City. So I just really would appreciate you folks thinking more about that and creating generational shifts.

(01:37:08)

Just to comment, and there might be other comments as well. I mean, I agree, and I think just to separate the two things: the survey itself is not related to people's care and accommodations. I am sure you know that, but I am committed across this City to think about how we might otherwise, in a safe and effective manner, understand the population that we are serving better, because this is not yielding those kinds of information such that we have to have other information to talk about it.

(01:37:49)

I will just add, I think a part of this, and I sort of mentioned this in my testimony, is assessing current agency data practices and gaps in research that are needed, because ultimately I think in terms of the ideas that I have in advancing rights and resources across the spectrum, it really is heavy in data. I think about this especially when you think about it from a litigation perspective and how we move legislation.

But one component that I think certainly needs to be assessed, and is something that I am trying to make time to do, is looking at our privacy laws. I think with the situation we have now come to understand, the reach the federal government can have, even if it is hopefully held unlawful as it has been in 20 other instances, 21 now I believe, we need to examine the extent to which our state and City privacy laws can be used to protect the kind of information that we need whenever it is used for a hostile purpose. I think that is well within the powers of the state and within the City, at least as I understand the law. So I think that is something that the City Council and the mayoral administration would certainly be looking into, and something I have prioritized on my ever-growing priority list.

(01:39:03)

Appreciate those responses. Thank you. I will now pass it over to CM Manners for questions. Thank you so much. I just have one question which might lead to another one, but this is based on an experience I had with a young person who was in shelter. What happens after, I believe after he turned 21, he kind of was not able to continue to participate with a lot of services. What happens with undocumented youth who are transitioning out of shelter who cannot get into things like that? What kind of programs or pathways are set up so that they can be successful in the City, at least in securing housing?

(01:40:09)

Yeah, that is a great question, and because of the recent surge in immigrants who came in recently, it has been on our minds a lot in terms of resources. So we have been expanding the number of residential shelter beds that are available for 21 to 24 year olds, so that helps prolong the amount of time that people can stay in our services. The state has also recently released a housing program called the housing access voucher program that immigrants and undocumented individuals are eligible for, so that is something that is available to New Yorkers. Thank you.

(01:41:00)

For that. This was probably like 2017, 2018. This is before our current situation, or actually after, but you know it was not like this. So I think it is just interesting to see that there is... I am glad to hear that, but there is a gap in how folks are going to be able to get set up and work and get housing if they are by themselves and have been by themselves for a long time.

(01:41:29)

CM, I would like to offer additional supports that are offered through the agency. As you know, we are committed to connecting New Yorkers to stable housing and keeping them stably housed. We do have a rental assistance program called Special Housing Assistance Resources, funded by the state, and it is specific for individuals or households that are in shelter that cannot access other government subsidies, so that is available to that population. It is provided irrespective of orientation or immigration status. I just want to add that as part of the inherited work, the Mayor's Office has inherited from the Unity Project in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs under Local Law 73, and we are currently working on rights and resources specifically for migrant New Yorkers, and this would be

(01:42:28)

something that we specifically address, including the ways that we disseminate that information to make sure people are aware of the resources and that we are being proactive about it. I know that the report to

(01:42:38)

Council is due, but I think we are trying to get ahead of schedule as much as we can. Thank you so much. Thank you.

(01:42:48)

Thank you, CM. I would like to shift to HASA. Does anyone know what percent of HASA clients also identify as LGBTQ+?

(01:43:04)

We do not collect data on sexual orientation, though we do collect data on transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming identities. That is 5% of about 1,800 or so clients who identify as transgender, gender non-conforming or non-binary. So 5% is equivalent to about 1,800 or so.

(01:43:32)

Okay, of the total HASA caseload at the moment. Thank you. Federal funding for services is at risk, including HAPA and the Ryan White Program. HASA's housing program uses federal funding from the HOP program, and there have been recent proposals to eliminate those grants entirely, incorporating this funding into larger block grants. Does HASA have a plan for how it will preserve services for this population should federal funding be limited or discontinued?

(01:44:04)

Luckily, in the prior year both programs were at risk and continue to be funded until today, so that is good news. But we are watching the developments in the federal budget closely. Should funding be discontinued, we will work closely with our partners at the City and federal level to ensure our funding needs are being met and to maintain these services. We are really hoping and advocating for that.

(01:44:26)

Should federal funding be eliminated, they would have to fill in the gap. Those conversations are ongoing. Okay, great. Thank you. Local Law 130 of 2021 requires that DSS complete a review of the services and resources provided to LGBTQ+ individuals entering domestic violence emergency shelters, including but not limited to efforts aimed at data collection about LGBTQ+ individuals utilizing domestic violence emergency shelters, and shall submit to the Mayor and the Speaker of the City Council and post on its website a written report including the following information. How many people were offered the survey and what percent of those offered the survey responded? Thank you

(01:45:14)

for the question. I am the Deputy Commissioner for Domestic Latin Services. We do not track how many people were offered the survey, but I can tell you that for our submission for calendar year 2024, which was submitted in 2025, there were 16,318 responses to the survey. Of those who responded, 16% identified as LGBTQ+. There were 14,114 respondents, 25% of whom identified as

(01:45:49)

I am sorry, what was that

(01:45:51)

last number? 14,114 respondents, of which 25% identified as LGBTQ+.

(01:46:01)

There were 8,906 cash assistance respondents, of which 16% identified... I am sorry, I am moving slowly here.

(01:46:11)

Can you repeat that last number? There were 8,906 cash assistance respondents.

(01:46:21)

And that percentage was 16%.

(01:46:22)

16%. And sorry, the first

(01:46:25)

set of statistics: 16,318, with 16%. What was that for specifically? How many

(01:46:33)

respondents in total? In total, help coming. Okay. Cash assistance was the last

(01:46:41)

one. There are a couple more.

(01:46:42)

Okay, it is 915 respondents, that is 915, of which 18% identified as LGBTQ+, and 6,383 domestic violence respondents, of which 15% identified as LGBTQ+. Okay.

(01:47:11)

Thank you. That is for calendar year 2024, but that

(01:47:15)

was submitted in 2025.

(01:47:18)

Do you have calendar year 2025 data? Are you in the process of gathering that information?

(01:47:21)

Okay, it would be great if you could follow up with us whenever you have that. When do

(01:47:24)

you usually have that

(01:47:26)

available? Actually, they just reached out to my office a couple of weeks ago. Okay, it is due, but they have already started gathering it.

(01:47:33)

Okay, so it is already being gathered.

(01:47:35)

Okay, great. Thank you so much.

(01:47:39)

And can you just share how personal information is protected among these respondents? So this information is voluntary, it is kept confidential and it is anonymous. So this information is not

(01:47:55)

shared. Okay. Do any respondents express concern about completing the survey in relation to retaliation or data privacy, and if so, how do you manage those concerns? I am not aware of anyone who has elevated any concerns about the survey, but I would imagine that if there were concerns we would again emphasize that these responses are confidential, they are anonymous, and that they serve to guide and inform our work.

(01:48:27)

Thank you. The calendar year 2022 report reported that in the year 2022, violence emergency shelter services were provided to residents who identified as LGBTQ+. This includes any increase or complaints forwarded via the internal forum or system. Do you know how many complaints regarding emergency shelters were received during this period?

(01:48:56)

At this time our program cannot give an accurate count of the emergency shelter complaints in 2022. But I do also want to note that our shelters are overseen by OCFS operating certificates, and all our shelters, if there are any complaints, have residents who usually submit those complaints directly to OCFS. The local social service district does not have access to what these complaints are unless the client signs consent for us to review them.

(01:49:36)

Okay, thank you. Can you just assess or opine on whether or not you think the lack of complaints is because there were no concerns from LGBTQ+ identified residents, or because residents choose not to self-identify?

(01:50:07)

I cannot say definitively, but I think it is so important for us to message the importance of disclosure. It is also important to emphasize that it is voluntary and we understand that. But the goal is, although we do not want to pressure self-disclosure, I think there are ways in which we can encourage self-disclosure. I think the way we ask clients to identify is very important. We need to also consider, for instance with providers, that when the client comes to shelter they are in a moment of crisis and may not be in the mindset to share that information. So perhaps it would be best to obtain this information once people have built trust, and to come back and enter that information in our database so that we can have that information. So I understand why the numbers are so low at time of intake, but I think we just need to encourage that we build trust and let clients know why this information is needed, ask it in a way where it is welcomed, and make sure that it is documented.

(01:51:29)

That concludes our question section. But I do want to just note before I turn it back over to the chair that I know you all are willing partners in this work, and I just want to encourage you to continue to be proactive in how we are assessing and addressing and serving the needs of all of our unique populations in the shelter system, but particularly the LGBTQ+ and GNC populations. It seems like there is great collaboration across the board and through all of the agencies, and so I hope that that work continues. Thank you all for your testimonies today. Thank you.

(01:52:16)

Yeah, we are super appreciative of all of you showing up and answering all of our questions, and obviously want to remain active partners with you. We are all trying to consistently remain proactive versus reactive, especially in government, so thank you all again. With that, we conclude this portion of the hearing and you all are free to go. It would be nice if you stick around and listen to some of the public testimony. We are now going to open the hearing for public testimony. As folks are leaving the dais, I would like to remind

(01:52:52)

Members of the public, this is a government proceeding and decorum shall be observed at all times. Members of the public shall remain silent unless called upon to testify. All testimony must be relevant to today's hearing on housing instability among LGBTQ+ individuals in New York City. I am going to repeat that: all testimony must be relevant to today's hearing on housing instability among LGBTQ+ individuals in New York City. If remarks stray from the subject matter, speakers will be reminded of the topic and asked to refocus their comments. The witness table is reserved for people who wish to testify. No video recording or photography is allowed from the witness table. Further, members of the public may not present audio or video recordings as testimony, but may submit transcripts of such recordings to the Sergeant at Arms for inclusion in the hearing record. If you wish to speak at today's hearing and you have not done so, please fill out an appearance slip with the Sergeant at Arms and wait to be recognized. When recognized, you will have two minutes to speak on today's oversight topic and or legislation. Friendly reminder: you can submit a longer testimony, but you are reserved to just two minutes. We read all testimony that is submitted. If you have a written statement or additional written testimony you wish to submit for the record, please provide a copy of that testimony to the Sergeant at Arms.

You may also email written testimony to testimony at Council, within 72 hours of this hearing. Audio and video recordings will not be accepted. I will now call the first panel. I would like to call Alex Guevara. Ready? Good. And Neverlyn Helena Diaz to the dais. Apologies for any mispronunciations. Alex, you can begin.

(01:55:09)

You have to click the button on the mic and it will light up for you. Oh, got you. Perfect. Thank you.

(01:55:13)

Thank you for letting me know. Okay.

(01:55:18)

Hi everyone. My name is Alex Guevara and I am a youth advocate at the Ali Forney Center. I am speaking as a queer and trans person who is living through what many LGBTQ+ young people have experienced. LGBTQ+ youth homelessness is so much deeper than not having a place to sleep. It is about rejection, instability and survival. This is also the case for me, as family rejection caused me to need RHY services. These experiences cost a lot of pain and I cannot work on healing while waiting for a stable place to stay.

I arrived last summer at 21 years old. I stayed overnight at the drop-in center and on the streets for three weeks. The drop-in center was not comfortable since they are no longer allowed to have beds, so I had to sleep in chairs or on top of a table. My case manager referred me to Marsha's House, a shelter, and I stayed there for two weeks. Marsha's felt more like a prison. We were watched by staff while going about our daily activities and we were deadnamed. It was made clear that we were just cases to be solved, but we are not just that. We are people with trauma, but most importantly, with stories that are to be respected and heard. If they had hired LGBTQ+ staff, it would have been a much better environment.

Thanks to the City funding of a hundred new beds for 21 to 24 year olds, they were able to open up a new emergency housing site. Without that site opening, I easily could have been on the wait list for up to six months instead of one month. Today I live in a transitional housing program and I am looking into rapid rehousing or supportive housing as my next step, but the options are actually limited and the supportive housing process will take close to another year. If I had had access to vouchers, I could have moved out on my own sooner. To end, I just want to say we as queer youth deserve housing programs that feel like home, where we can find community and where we can feel comfortable, welcome, and supported by staff and peers. Thank you for your time.

(01:57:33)

Thank you for your testimony.

(01:57:39)

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to testify today. My name is Chetanya Gunrati and I am a member of the Youth Action Board of New York City. The Youth Action Board is made up of young people with experience of homelessness. Our goal is to help shape programs and policies that affect homeless youth in New York City and to ensure that their voices are heard. I am here today because I know firsthand how difficult it is to navigate housing instability as a young person. When you do not know where you are going to sleep at night, everything becomes harder, like finding a job, continuing your education, taking care of your health and so on.

Through my work with the board, I have learned that LGBTQ+ youth, while they represent an estimated 5 to 10% of the overall youth population, make up as much as 40% of those experiencing homelessness. Many are pushed out by family rejection, discrimination and unsafe home environments. Despite this disproportionate need, resources and funding have not kept pace, leaving many young people without access to stable and affirming support. For LGBTQ+ immigrant youth, these challenges are often even more severe. Many come from countries where discrimination, persecution or criminalization because of their identity is common. After arriving in the United States, they often encounter additional barriers to housing, legal access, healthcare and community support. However, there is no dedicated funding stream specifically focused on immigrant communities, leaving some of our most vulnerable youth without targeted affirming services.

This is why I support expanding housing options for LGBTQ+ youth and funding for organizations that provide affirming services. I urge the Council to expand supportive housing, increase investment in affirming services and establish the proposed $15 million LGBTQ+ fund. No young person should have to face homelessness alone because of their identity or immigration status. Thank you very much.

(02:00:13)

Thank you for your testimony. Please click your microphone.

(02:00:25)

Good morning... well, it is not morning. Good afternoon. Chairing members of the Council, my name is Neverlyn Helena, co-chair of the New York City Youth Action Board and outreach specialist with Housing Works' Q Plus Housing Assistance Program. Through my work with Housing Works, I connect LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability with housing resources, supportive services and pathways to stability.

In my outreach, I have met many young people who have been rejected by their families, forced to leave their homes or left without a safe place to go simply because of who they are. I have worked with youth sleeping on a friend's couch, cycling through shelters or trying to survive without any support system. The emotional toll of rejection, discrimination and housing instability is something no young person should have to endure.

Unfortunately, these stories are far too common. According to research from the Trevor Project, 28% of LGBTQ+ youth have experienced homelessness or housing instability. Among youth who were kicked out of their homes, 40% said it was because of their identity. More than half of those who ran away reported doing so because of mistreatment or fear of mistreatment related to their identity. These experiences have lasting consequences. Youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability were found to have 2 to 4 times greater odds of reporting depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal ideation compared to those with stable housing.

That is why I support the coalition's call for a $15 million LGBTQ+ immigration fund. Many LGBTQ+ immigrants face compounded barriers including housing instability, legal insecurity, language barriers and difficulty accessing affirming services.

(02:02:20)

I also support the $10 million in supports for persons involved in the sex trade. Housing is more than shelter. It is safety, opportunity and hope. I urge the Council to continue investing in solutions that ensure every New Yorker has access to safe and stable housing. Thank you for your time and the opportunity to testify.

(02:03:01)

Thank you folks for coming in to testify today. You are now excused from the dais. Thank you so much. We have no questions. I would like to call up the following folks to testify. I am trying my best to read these cards, folks. Asher... Brian J. Ellicott Cook, Nadia Swanson, Eva Mikro and Ethan Lowe. Is there an Asher present? Thank you. Asher, around to the dais. Okay, so Brian, you can begin.

(02:04:11)

Good afternoon, chairs and members of the Committee. Thank you for this opportunity to speak on housing instability among LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, particularly LGBTQ+ older adults. My name is Brian Ellicott Cook and I serve as the Director of Government Relations at SAGE, the country's oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older adults here in New York City. We provide housing, supportive services and community-based programs to thousands of older adults each year, including through our LGBTQ+ affirming housing developments like Stonewall House in Brooklyn and Crotona Pride House in the Bronx.

And yet LGBTQ+ New Yorkers are far more likely to experience housing instability. Nationally, approximately 40% of LGBTQ+ older adults live below the poverty line and fewer than half — just 49% — own their own homes, compared to 65% of the general population. These disparities are driven by a lifetime of discrimination in employment, housing and access to benefits, combined with higher rates of social isolation and the greater likelihood of aging without traditional family support.

Here in New York City, the homelessness crisis among older adults underscores the urgency of these challenges. The number of individuals age 55 and older in the shelter system increased approximately 250% between 2004 and 2017, with those aged 65 and older increasing more than 300%. Without intervention, that population is projected to continue to grow significantly. LGBTQ+ older adults face greater risks of housing insecurity, discrimination and unsafe placement. At this time there are very limited affirming housing options available. While New York City has allowed us to make those developments at Stonewall House in Brooklyn and Crotona in the Bronx, the total supply of affirming housing for LGBTQ+ older adults remains extremely limited and very much needed.

However, recent proposals to eliminate the Equal Access Rule would reverse all of this progress and we must be prepared to fight for that. As this Committee examines housing insecurity among LGBTQ+ individuals, there is one thing I want to recommend: the use of safety signals so that more people can self-identify in those first moments. Having an ally or a community member would make all the difference. Thank you very much.

(02:06:34)

Good afternoon. My name is Nadia Swanson, pronouns them/they, Director of Advocacy and Global Programs at the Ali Forney Center. Tonight, hundreds of LGBTQ+ 16 to 24 year olds will sleep on the streets or in drop-in centers, in chairs, waiting six months for a crisis bed after escaping unfathomable levels of abuse. Without stability, there is risk of criminalization, sexual violence, decompensation, physical health decline, substance misuse and profound developmental harm.

90% of our youth come from low-income households. 20% of the youth at Rikers are LGBTQ+. Since 2020, we have grieved 25 deaths, and those are just the ones we know of. LGBTQ+ homeless youth die at more than double the rates of their peers. These connections are not coincidental. We serve over 2,000 youth per year. We have 400 on a wait list for a bed. Last year that number was 300. When youth had access to vouchers, it was under a hundred and youth moved into stable housing at an increased rate of 350%. Now there are none, and there is a bottleneck. Statewide, more than 70% of youth were housed in a single year, but the funding structure guarantees failure. The City pays $50,000 per bed per year. The real cost is $80,000. That gap has real human consequences.

The State and City have enacted cuts. The Mayor's housing plan did not include any housing for LGBTQ+ youth. The federal administration has proposed gutting the Equal Access Rule. The shameful thing is, this is fixable and it is not expensive. We have been telling you what works. Youth homelessness can be rare, brief, non-recurring and safe. We need the City to raise RHY beds, to fund LGBTQ+ youth mental health beds, to increase crisis beds and to eliminate wait lists. We need more funding for case management, therapy, restored voucher access and expanded supportive housing. Baseline the $5 million Speaker initiative fund. Fund $15 million for LGBTQ+ immigrant legal services. Youth homelessness is a choice. New York City cannot call itself safe for LGBTQ+ youth while 400 of them are decompensating on a wait list. I am tired of begging for the government to show it cares with action. This should be a top priority. You can be the administration that eliminates the wait list. Thank you. And I have a lot more I can say, as you know, so if you have questions, let me know.

(02:08:44)

Thank you. Please submit anything additional that is helpful to your testimony.

(02:08:52)

Hello, my name is Eva Mikro. I am a case manager at one of New York City's Safe Havens, facilities that serve as a last resort safety net for our most vulnerable neighbors, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Every day I work alongside New Yorkers who are about to leave shelter behind and rebuild their lives in permanent housing. But I am here today because my colleagues and I across the City are hitting a wall — an administrative catch-22 that leaves thousands of people trapped in homelessness for no reason other than a missing piece of plastic.

Here is the problem in its simplest form. To get a photo ID, you need a photo ID. Among my clients affected by this barrier, 100% of my queer clients are among this group. For someone with a stable home and a file drawer full of documents, this makes sense. But for the populations we serve in Safe Havens — runaway and homeless youth, survivors of domestic violence, immigrants fleeing danger, people whose belongings have been swept away or destroyed and individuals living with severe mental illness — this requirement is an impossible barrier. These are New Yorkers who have never had an ID or who have had their documents stolen, withheld as a tool of abuse or discarded during a street sweep. Without a government-issued photo ID, they cannot apply for the very programs designed to lift them out of homelessness: supportive housing, benefits, public assistance and City programs.

Currently, IDNYC allows certain caretakers to vouch for a client's identity in lieu of a photo ID, but the list of eligible agencies is narrow and, in what I believe to be a profound oversight, it does not include the Department of Homeless Services. We are the very agency charged with housing this population, yet we are locked out of the process that could unlock their path to housing. IDNYC currently accepts vouchers only from the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Mental Health and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Safe Havens, which serve as a catch-all for New York's most marginalized residents, are absent from this list.

(02:10:56)

What I propose is that we add to the caretaker list and allow case managers who have established ongoing relationships with their clients and access to verified case records to vouch for program eligibility. This simple change would immediately unblock housing for thousands of shelter clients. We are already carrying the trust and documentation to vouch for our clients. It is time for the City to recognize that authority.

(02:11:23)

Thank you. You can begin.

(02:11:28)

We are ready. Good afternoon, members of the Committee. My name is Ethan Lowe. I use he/him pronouns and I am a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society's LGBT Long-Term Policy Unit. Based on Legal Aid's work in representing New Yorkers experiencing housing instability, we offer several recommendations to improve access to safe and affirming shelter. Shelter is often the first step to stable housing. Many LGBTQ+ individuals, especially transgender and gender nonconforming New Yorkers, avoid the shelter system because they do not feel safe.

We commend the City for opening ACES Place, the first transitional housing program for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. However, Legal Aid continues to hear from LGBTQ+ clients who struggle to access affirming placements. The City should continue expanding affirming shelter capacity across all boroughs so that every LGBTQ+ New Yorker can access shelter when they need it.

We also urge the City to increase awareness of existing rights and resources. Many LGBTQ+ individuals do not know that they can request placements in affirming shelters and units. We routinely hear from clients who remain in unsafe placements simply because they are unaware that safer options existed. City shelters should have clear multilingual notices of rights and have more proactive outreach at intake and throughout a client's shelter stay. Some clients hesitate to disclose their identities without understanding its purpose and knowing about the placements available.

Finally, the City should expand the capacity of LGBT Affairs and conduct comprehensive training for shelter staff. Legal Aid continues to receive reports from LGBTQ+ clients, especially transgender clients, who experience problems even in shelters designated as affirming because some staff lack sufficient understanding of transgender needs. Additional and improved training would help ensure LGBTQ+ New Yorkers can safely remain connected to shelter and housing services. LGBT Affairs has been a valuable resource for LGBTQ+ clients in shelters, but its limited capacity delays responses to urgent needs. We recommend dedicating resources to expanding LGBT Affairs and creating additional LGBTQ+ liaison positions throughout the shelter system.

(02:13:52)

Thank you for the opportunity to testify. You mentioned capacity. Can you speak to that?

(02:14:07)

In your testimony, can you just speak a little

(02:14:10)

bit more about the issues around that? Yeah, absolutely. So we serve over 2,000 youth per year between our 24-hour drop-in center and our housing. We have 212 beds that are a mix of emergency and transitional. As of today, I have 400 youth on a wait list for a crisis bed. When we had access to vouchers, there was a period of about four years where we got below a hundred on the wait list, whether it be through FHEPS or through other programs. We are in this bottleneck where youth cannot get in because they are not moving out. And sorry, you said... can you just repeat the numbers again? 2,000 a year, 400 on a wait list today, 300 on our wait list last year, and under a hundred when we had access to vouchers. Yeah.

(02:15:01)

Well, I was writing a lot of notes. I had a strange question during the Council members' questions. I think it is important to note that, and I am glad she said it, over ten years ago we were fighting with Lou Fidler to raise the age and fund beds for 21 to 24 year olds, and that did not pass until 2018. So that also leads to what that question was with CM Nurse. We have 40 open beds, 60 kind of up until last year when we got that extra hundred. We took on 45 of those new beds. 20 were of the ones that Alec spoke about. Other programs have been hesitant and did not take on the beds that we know we need because the bed rate is so low we cannot afford to take them on. And so this is like the biggest sort of crux of it all. There has been this push to find housing navigators and all of this, which is wonderful. We need that, but there is nowhere to navigate them.

(02:16:01)

And so we need more resources for people to have a crisis bed in that moment, right? Because they are only going to decompensate sitting on that wait list at the drop-in center. We also need to be able to move people on to stable and supportive housing. Thank you.

(02:16:19)

Thank you, folks. We will move on to the next round. We appreciate your testimony. I would like to call up Faxx, Henry Loves, Timothy Pena, and others. Anyone can begin.

(02:17:25)

Ready. Good afternoon. My name is Timothy Pena. I am a service-connected Navy veteran with PTSD. I am also a former resident of Borden Avenue Veterans Residence, which is a veterans transitional program in Long Island City. I resided at Borden Avenue Veterans Residence in 2022 while participating in New York City homeless services system and pursuing permanent housing. During my time at Borden, I observed frequent ambulance and police activity. Residents regularly discussed concerns involving safety, mental health issues, substance abuse and living conditions within the facility.

I spent five months at Borden Avenue. I am now in supportive housing and have been there for about three and a half years. My concerns are the conditions in the shelters, especially for veterans in the VA system. In the FOIA that I did with Borden Avenue, this is the only program that we have available to us for those of us in the VA. In a 16-month period of time, there were 136 emergency calls, one every nine hours. This is also a considerable cost to the City, somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 per person per year.

(02:19:32)

I appreciate you coming in to give both of our committees an understanding. I recognize that you are raising it here today because you want more folks to be aware, and that the other committees have not, in your words, taken the allegations seriously. We will make sure to raise it to the Commissioner and to our Veterans Committee chair as well. I just wanted to say I understand why you are here today giving us this testimony. We will make sure to raise it to the appropriate people.

(02:20:09)

I do want to just thank you for that. It is not easy being vocal as a veteran in a program in a shelter like that. It does not take much. I was pretty terrified for the five months that I was at Borden. New York City is an incredible city, but that was my introduction to New York City, and it is the introduction that a lot of us are getting. It is not fair. It is not fair to New York City, it is not fair to New Yorkers, to have a situation like that. I watched a lot of people die of overdose. This is the same as what is happening in a VA hospital. Those are the same types of standards that are supposed to apply. So thank you very much for hearing my testimony. Thank you. Go ahead.

(02:21:19)

Hello. I am a child of Stonewall, a child of Marcia and Sylvia. My name is Dr. Henry Loves and many of you know me from my time at WIN, Women in Need. But today I am here for something a little different. I now lead the Targeted Housing Assistance Program at Point Source, a

(02:21:34)

national organization focused on ending homelessness. As a queer Black man and a person living with unfathomable trauma, I have the decorum, I have done the degrees, I have done the politeness. Today I am going to be real. I apologize if it makes you feel a little bit uncomfortable, but that is the point. I am here as living proof of what happens when support arrives on time. This testimony is for the ones who did not have that opportunity.

Earlier, the young people spoke about the data and the stats. In our community, we have those who survived, those who made it, and those of us who did not make it. Cordell Fowler was my best friend. He died in 2016. His funeral was in Detroit. He was the it-girl of Atlanta — magnetic, brilliant. In our last conversation at the Aloft Hotel in Harlem, he spoke about how he wanted to move here and be a part of this city. He was surviving through sex work, begging for help and was turned away, and he ultimately died in 2016 in a drug-related incident. But do not call it a drug-related incident. It was related to housing instability, and that ultimately led to his death.

In 2017, Davon Way passed away. His funeral was in Houston. He was my partner, my soul mate, my safe place in an unsafe world. He was from the Deep South and he made it out to Columbia University. One month from completing his PhD, he was taken too soon from us. When I found out about Cordell's death, weeks later I received my diagnosis. Davon cured me, and then he was gone. Sorry. He was killed by someone who was housing-unstable and untreated, one month from that finish line. Frank in Arkansas, Virginia, Jeremy Delano from Detroit — people I saw every Thursday at True Colors United in Harmony. I made it out, but so many did not.

So why TAP? Why the Targeted Housing Assistance Program? Youth, as was mentioned earlier, are 40% of the homeless youth population and only 9% of the general population. Housing instability raises suicide attempts by 3.7 times and up to 20% of homeless youth are living with HIV. They cannot maintain treatment, they cannot stay connected to care. TAP creates the stability that makes survival possible. TAP is simple. 98% of those who participate in the TAP program, which on average gives about $3,700 in direct cash to young people within 48 hours to stabilize them, had no shelter contact in six months, per our evaluation at Johns Hopkins University.

In lieu of the time, I ask that Cordell's and Davon's obituaries, which are here on the table, serve as proof of what happens to young people who do not make it. Neither of them made it past 30. $4.7 million is being asked by the City Council to fund TAP, the Targeted Housing Assistance Program. It is imperative that we do this now to show that we are fully human. And at the end of that, I want to show you this tattoo. Davon had the same tattoo here, and it says "empathy," and that is what his dissertation was about. I ask that as you are in these final conversations on the budget, you think about all the young people, you think about Davon, you think about Cordell, who did not make it past 30 because they did not have someone to intervene. They did not have policy to intervene for them in time.

(02:25:15)

I will stop there. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is David Miranda and I am with the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Project at Manhattan Legal Services, which is part of Legal Services NYC. We have offices in all five boroughs with a dedicated team of advocates providing services specific to LGBTQ+ folks, many of whom experience housing instability, poverty and discrimination. New York City's housing affordability crisis affects residents across the City, but LGBTQ+ New Yorkers often face additional barriers that exacerbate housing insecurity, including pervasive discrimination, limited access to affirming housing and shelter environments and administrative obstacles within public benefits systems.

Today I will discuss the Services Administration, known as HASA, for case management and rental assistance, the homeless crisis among LGBTQ+ youth and the failure of demographic data to capture the severity of this crisis. I am going to start by talking about HASA. There are several issues within the HASA program, which is operated by HRA. We have seen that housing opportunities are often lost due to administrative delays and lack of transparency, which means that clients either lose housing or are unable to get the housing that they deserve.

By way of example, I am going to talk about a client who we will refer to as Ms. W. Ms. W is from the Bronx and she had been trying to get a HASA housing voucher for five years. She identifies as a lesbian and she reached out to us because she could not handle another denial. During those five years, from the time of her application to the time when we were finally able to resolve the issue, she and her adult daughter who suffers from severe autism were forced into the shelter system. Nobody ever told her at HASA that the issue was that the rent was too low, even though she had found three apartments within Housing Connect. Every time she would get rejected because the rent was too low, so she and her daughter would go from shelter to shelter and couch to couch. That is a fundamental failure within a system that we can actually fix.

Moving on to youth shelter and youth homelessness, a conversation about housing instability within this community would not be complete if we did not talk about youth homelessness. Without familial support, the City must provide additional support to ensure that youth are valued, supported and have the opportunity to create a better life for themselves. Additionally, LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately represented in the foster care system, with more than one third of youth identifying as LGBTQ+. There are not systems in place to ensure that they go into stable housing. Instead, there is a foster care to homelessness pipeline.

Onto the final topic: New York City's demographic data collection creates a hidden homeless crisis. There are many more people who are LGBTQ+ who do not have stable housing who are not in shelter. If we are only counting by who is in shelter, then we are missing those folks who are out there couch surfing or sleeping on a train or going from friend to friend or in houses in a less traditional arrangement where some more stability could be provided. So we do have to figure out ways to measure that data. I think it can be done. It is going to take a lot of street outreach, literally walking on the street and hitting the pavement and talking to community members, and I think that is important.

Just to wrap up, I want to thank the Council for your attention to this issue. The agencies that are serving this community, including HRA, must fulfill their mission of providing safe, affirming and equitable services. Pride must be more than a celebration. It must be reflected in policies and programs that protect the housing stability, health and dignity of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. This hearing speaks volumes to that. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

(02:30:13)

Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Matt and I am with New York Trans Justice as the Trans Justice and Leadership Program Manager. I am also trans

(02:30:27)

myself and a migrant myself, and I get to work with those communities who are at the intersection of police harassment, housing instability, employment discrimination, immigration processes, et cetera. I want to share three stories before I name my demands.

The first story is one that we hear very commonly. One of our members, who I will refer to as S, is a trans woman. She and her partner K, a queer migrant man, were assaulted in a shelter by other people housed at the same facility based on their gender identity and their sexual orientation. The staff of the shelter, instead of providing support to intervene or de-escalate, called the police and everybody involved was arrested. When the police arrived, they did not provide access to interpretation and they ultimately arrested K. This case was dismissed in court, but it could have resulted in immigration complications for K as he was adjusting his immigration status. In this case we see multiple systemic failures occurring at once: the discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, the denial of language access by police, and police interaction that can create complications for immigration status.

The second story is Mia, who I love very deeply in our community. She is one of our trans migrant elders. She was very tired of waiting for a Section 8 voucher or any other housing subsidy from the City, and she came to believe that the only way to access stable housing was through sex work. She had been doing sex work for more than four decades and as someone who was aging in the industry, she found herself without a reliable source of income. She felt that this was the only pathway to prevent herself from being unhoused again.

I am also going to share the story of F, who was illegally locked out of their basement apartment just two weeks ago, on June 11. The landlord had been denying them the opportunity to bring friends over, even though this was a separate unit. They were denying them proof of payment of rent, denying them the ability to receive letters or any proof of residence in their home. They have been harassed because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

(02:32:59)

On June 11, the landlord decided to lock S out of the basement apartment. The landlord called the police without giving S an opportunity to explain that they actually lived in that apartment.

(02:33:15)

They denied access to interpretation, and by the way, this was the 102nd Precinct. And they changed the

(02:33:24)

Locks has been couch surfing until this case resolves in court, but they are terrified of going into a City shelter. They were housed at a male shelter in the past and were very harassed, and so they do not want... they do not feel safe in those communities. We hear this very often at the Trans Migrant Project. We know that there is a housing crisis for queer New Yorkers in New York City, but for trans and queer migrant New Yorkers, this is a crisis that is compounded by multiple systems of discrimination that include exposure to violence, instability, criminalization and displacement.

The two asks that I want to make: one, I want to ask the Council to continue to put pressure on the administration to end the lawsuit against the 2023 voucher expansion. That expansion is so important for our communities to be able to have access to these vouchers, to have access to this program, and also that it is available regardless of immigration status, which is so important for our trans and queer migrants.

The second ask is to increase funding through the budget process. The State would pass the housing voucher, but I also believe that it is the City's duty to expand that program and to allocate budget for that program as well. The 900 vouchers that were allocated in New York are simply not enough when there are around 10,000 people who are facing homelessness and 3 million people who are rent-burdened and are in danger of losing their home. This program is intended to support people who are unhoused as well as people who are at risk of losing their housing.

Lastly, I want to name that we deeply support all the budget demands of the New York City Trans and Queer Coalition: 15 million for gender-affirming care, 10 million for the Trans Equity Initiative Fund, 10 million for support for persons involved in the sex trades and 15 million for the immigrant fund, because when we think about housing and stability it is also all these other areas that provide support for our folks. Thank you so much for your time.

(02:35:33)

Thank you folks for testifying. We do not have any questions, so this panel is now excused. I will move to virtual testimony. We have four folks for virtual testimony. I am going to begin with Taimane and Erica Lorenz. Taimane, if you are available to unmute yourself, you may begin when ready.

(02:36:18)

Good morning. Good morning. CM Hudson and CM Avilés, thank you for chairing this hearing. My name is Maxine Tone. I am the nurse care manager for gender-affirming care at Project Renewal. For over 55 years we have provided comprehensive shelter, health and employment services to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. We are deeply grateful to the City Council for its continued commitment to addressing housing instability, particularly among LGBTQ+ individuals.

Project Renewal operates Marshall's House in the Bronx, New York City's first shelter tailored specifically for LGBTQ+ young adults aged 18 to 35. These young people need far more than just a bed. Many have faced severe family rejection, trauma and systemic discrimination. Traditional shelter environments can often create additional fear and vulnerability if the care provided is not explicitly affirming and responsive to their needs.

Marshall's House offers 81 beds and provides crucial coordinated support, including primary health care, mental health services, occupational therapy and job readiness programs. Our holistic approach delivers tangible results. In fiscal year 2026 we successfully placed 28 residents into permanent long-term housing, exceeding our annual targets. We also know that true housing stability requires addressing trauma and access to health simultaneously. Thanks to the New York City Council, the LGBTQ+ Community Services Initiative provides critical support for our gender-affirming primary and behavioral health care for homeless trans individuals.

(02:38:04)

As the Council considers housing instability among LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, we urge continued investment in shelter and housing models that are designed with LGBTQ+ communities in mind.

(02:38:20)

Thank you, your time has expired. Thank you. Thank you for your partnership. Thank you so much. I will now call on Erica Lorenz.

(02:38:31)

You may begin. Good afternoon. My name is Erika Lorenz. Any pronouns are fine, and thanks for the opportunity to speak about drivers of housing instability in the intersex community in New York. I am a queer, gender-queer New Yorker and the Executive Director of interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, the nation's largest intersex advocacy organization. Intersex is an umbrella term for people with innate variations in sex characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones and internal or external anatomy. We do not have City-specific data on housing insecurity, as this is a gravely understudied population, but intersex people face the same societal challenges that others in this community do due to inequitable treatment. Over six years of nationwide surveys, intersex people tend to report higher rates of discrimination than other LGBTQ+ people and more than triple the rate of people without intersex traits.

(02:39:30)

One study found intersex people more than four times as likely to require housing assistance as other LGBTQ+ community members. In a recent study, a quarter of intersex people reported housing discrimination in the prior year, compared with 10% of LGBTQ+ people and just 4% of all non-intersex respondents. Intersex people also report high levels of employment discrimination and are more likely than other community members to have children and to be physically disabled. Limited access to larger apartments and ADA-compliant housing are more likely to be compounding factors in housing instability for our community as well. Inequitable treatment of intersex people drives housing instability, and the Council does have an opportunity to take action.

CM Cabán's Bill Int 0231 would make anti-discrimination protections for intersex people explicit on the face of the City Human Rights Law. Just as Director Taylor Brown stated earlier today, making these protections plain will help intersex New Yorkers understand their rights and enforce them, and underscore the importance for employers and housing providers as well. For a community that disproportionately experiences discrimination, clarity in the law can make a real difference, especially given that the intersex community is often overlooked when considering the broader LGBTQ+ community. We urge the Council to hear and pass Int 0231. Thanks for your time and consideration, and I will do my best to answer any questions.

(02:40:42)

Please feel free to follow up with interACT. Thank you. I will now call on Peyton Moody. You may begin. I will now call on Ramona Ferreira. You may begin. Seeing no others, both here in person or virtual, looking to testify, we will now close the public portion of testimony and this hearing is adjourned.