CONTACT Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org, 203 470 9979

GOV. HOCHUL, YOU FAILED US: VOCAL-NY CONDEMNS FINAL BUDGET THAT NEGLECTS HOMELESS NEW YORKERS AND ENABLES MASS INCARCERATION

After Promises to be Different Than Cuomo, Gov. Hochul Final Budget Offers More of the Same Failed Tactics, Without Investments in Evidence-Based Solutions

Gov. Hochul Will Have a Direct Hand in the Inevitable Continuation of New York’s Homelessness and Mass Incarceration Crises

NEW YORK — Today, in response to the New York State budget being finalized and passed without critical investments in the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) and the inclusion of rollbacks on bail reform, VOCAL-NY released the following statements:

“This budget reveals Governor Hochul’s disregard for investments to meet the basic needs of everyday New Yorkers. She has refused to listen to her state leadership, the caucus, and lived-experience experts who have done everything in their power to design, promote and put forward evidence-based, lasting solutions,” said Kim Smith, VOCAL-NY Political Director. “On the contrary, we saw giveaways for billionaires and real estate, while our demands for housing, violence intervention and services were unmet. New Yorkers require more.”

“We are shocked that the Governor deliberately spread misinformation to kill the Housing Access Voucher Program, a solution we have spent two years building a broad base of support for,” said Joe Loonam, Housing Campaigns Coordinator. “Homelessness will continue to rise in our state, and the failure of this administration to embrace such a wildly popular, common sense solution, is a horrible indication of how it will treat our state’s most vulnerable residents. We will continue to fight until every New Yorker has safe, stable and permanent housing, and we will win – with or without the support of our Governor.” 

“We are outraged that Governor Hochul and legislative leaders used the budget process to jam through rollbacks to bail reform that will lead to many more people being incarcerated in jails across New York State. We know that bail reform has nothing to do with violent crime, but against all evidence, she is doing this and there will be more deaths in jails and more wrongful convictions as a result. As we’ve said all along, what we need is investments in our communities, but leaders continue to look the other way and seek only more criminalization & incarceration,” said Roger Clark, a leader with VOCAL-NY’s Civil Rights Union. 

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