Time: 9:30 am-11:00 am; Location: video conference using ZOOM.US

SUMMARY

This meeting’s topics:  Layla Law-Gisiko’s Oral Testimony on behalf of the City Club Members delivered at the Charter Revision Commission meeting recommending that registered lobbyists be restricted from being appointed to official task forces, working groups, and boards; Lynn Maria Lewis, Organizer, Writer, and Oral Historian, speaks about the relationship to housing and criminalization; strategies to support Antoine, Deputy Director, GCN-MainChance Multi Service Center in her efforts to keep Main Chance open.

CHAIR: John Mudd

WELCOME / INTRODUCTIONS

We appreciate all suggestions to help us run this meeting proficiently.

• Housekeeping (Zoom protocols) copying chat, muting, etc.
  • Signing in: Please sign in with your name and organization
• Please email subject and speaker suggestions by the 15th of each month
• Items to Triage: To give time to pressing topics, please forward items at least 24 hours prior to meetings
• Introductions, welcoming new and old members (keeping it short and sweet)
• Need someone to summarize actions and followup

PURPOSE

The Homeless and Housing members, attendees, and speakers share knowledge, ideas, and resources to identify problems and find solutions to the homeless crisis.

5 min

POLICY MEETING UPDATES

The prior 8:30 Homeless and Housing Policy meeting wrap-up as presented by attending members.

2 min

COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS

Council’s progress report on actions and initiatives.

• Farms!
• Web
• Vornado / ESD Development / Community-led plan
• Need Board and committee members ASAP
• Other

3 min

SPECIAL INTRODUCTION(S) AND OR UPDATES: 

The below list of intros and updates are brief; everyone is welcomed to present for a planned lengthier discussion

• Elected officials/agencies—updates
• Katy Lesell, Right To Counsel
• Alex Yong, WSNA NYC, Member of the End Apartment Warehousing Coalition—Albany tripartite negotiations for Statewide Right To Counsel
• Charisma White
• Saving Public Housing Coalition
• Others
• New attending members?
• Al Edouard | Special Projects Lead, NYC Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, edouarda@hra.nyc.gov|NYC.gov/peu, Sign up for our newsletter: Hear What’s New At PEU!

7 min

CHARTER REVISIONS COMMISSION MEETING

Layla Law-Gisiko Oral Testimony on behalf of the City Club Members delivered at the Charter Revision Commission meeting recommending that registered lobbyists be restricted from being appointed to official task forces, working groups, and boards.

• (List of upcoming hearings here)
• See City Club Recommendation Oral Testimony Addendum A

Speaker: Layla Law-Gisiko, City Club President

16 min

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HOUSING AND CRIMINALIZATION

Supporting folks without housing to organize and the relationship between housing and criminalization.

Speaker: Lynn Maria Lewis,  Organizer, Writer, and Oral Historian, Founding Member of Picture the Homeless, Founding Member of E. Harlem/El Barrio Land trust

25 min

MAIN CHANCE DROP-IN SHELTER IS THREATENED

Main Chance has been serving people who are homeless with excellence in New York for 35 plus years. The Mayor is working to take away funding. 

• Here’s a City Limits recent article
• Overview
• Strategizing to support
  • Press conference
  • Political outreach
  • Pack the court with supporters. Let them trail out the door.
  • Letter of support
    • The letter is ready to send to the mayor, and has already been sent to Molly Wasow Park, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS)
    • Activists and advocates (HJ4A, Urban Pathways, etc.) to join us

Speaker(s): Antoine, Deputy Director, GCN-MainChance Multi Service Center, 120 East 32nd Street,

santoine@gcnssc.org, 212-883-0680 x124

25 min

DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING’S OFFICE OF TENANT ADVOCATE???

Department of Building’s Office of Tenant Advocate (OTA) advocates for tenant against obtrusive or illegal construction within multi unit residential buildings.

Speaker(s): Rakell Washington & Ana Pluchinatta

5 min 

OPEN NEW YORK

Open New York proclaims to be a proponent of housing. They are set to influence and or capture the community boards.—Updates and actions.

• Letter working

5 min

PUBLIC CONCERNS

• Immediate needs?

8 min

ACTIONS

• Summary
• Additional Requests
  • Letter writing campaign, press releases

2 min

ANNOUNCEMENTS / EVENTS

• Additional announcements from new attendees, committee members, elected officials, others 
• Last words?

2 min

DEVELOPING INITIATIVES & PROGRAMS

• Rally to highlighting the inequities and bad policies
  • Locations: Midtown near Port Authority, Hudson Yards, NYCHA, Penn Station
• One Stop Shop
• Hurt Committee
• Objectives/Mission/Vision: MSCC is busily restructuring to become more effective in accomplishing its goals and making plans for the coming new year to complete their:
  • Mission: Midtown South Community Council strives to dismantle the causes of homelessness by building an equitable, just, and sustainable social infrastructure to ensure dignity, health, and home for all. 
  • Vision: Midtown South Community Council envisions a city where homelessness and poverty are eradicated
• Committees: Managing our overwhelming tasks together with our intersecting network. If anyone wants to be involved with building committees to serve programs and projects of mutual interests (Housing, Urban Farming, Education & Awareness, healthcare, incarceration, workshops, health access, Home Improvement, communications/social media messaging, Midtown Street Sheets…), please let us know
• Street Sheets; New batch printed

4 min

AOB

• Topic Suggests:
  • Illusion of Choice: How Source of Income Discrimination and Voucher Policies Perpetuate Housing Inequality, UnlockNYC
  • Charisma White (MSCC), what does deeply affordable housing mean
  • Network marketing and communications committee (suggestion)
  • Planning committee with Mount Sinai about their unused wings (suggested)
  • Common Point’s services
  • Prison to shelter and back again
  • Policing the problem away; 50% of the Riker’s Island jail population are mentally ill
• Speaker Suggestions: All suggestions are welcomed
• New Members: Thank you for joining, feel free to tell us your needs, schedule a presentation, and connect with anyone within this network
• NEXT Meeting Homeless and Housing Meeting: 9:30 AM Tuesday, Aug 6, 2024
  • Always the 1^st Tuesday of every month

2 min

Contact hello@localhost or john.mudd@usa.net for more information and Zoom invitations.

ADDENDUM A: CITY CLUB 

Layla Law-Gisiko Oral Testimony on behalf of the City Club Members delivered at the Charter Revision Commission meeting 

(List of upcoming hearings here)

Today, I present to you a formal position on behalf of the City Club, recommending that registered lobbyists be restricted from being appointed to official task forces, working groups, and boards.

The presence of registered lobbyists in these critical roles poses significant concerns regarding conflicts of interest. It is vital for our community decision-making processes to maintain the highest standards of impartiality and integrity. Allowing registered lobbyists to hold positions within these bodies risks undermining public trust and could potentially skew decisions in favor of special interest groups rather than the public good.

By restricting the appointment of registered lobbyists to these roles, we can ensure that our task forces, working groups, and boards remain focused on serving the public interest. This measure will help safeguard against undue influence and limit bias and external pressures.