Housing over shelters: Johnson pitches proactive homeless plan
BY MARK HALLUM
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson
has his own vision combatting the
homeless crisis, and many New
Yorkers will be breathing a sigh of relief
that it does not involve more shelters.
Johnson revealed on Thursday his recommendations,
contained within a light,
200-page plan, that includes reforming the
voucher program in a way that will complement
new housing laws which require
developers set aside 15 percent of units for
homeless individuals.
The “comprehensive” plan developed
by the speaker’s office, unveiled at a Jan.
30 rally in front of City Hall, recommends
that the city increase voucher amounts to
a more realistic amount for housing in the
city and restructure some government bureaucracies
to focus solely on homelessness.
“We have been working on this plan …
for the last 18 months,” Johnson said. “We
have to take immediate steps like increasing
the rental voucher amounts to get folks
out of shelter and into permanent housing.
Right now vouchers are not enough to
cover the rent for nearly every one who has
a voucher… the vouchers expense someone,
or a family, who find a two-bedroom
apartment for less than $1,580, There is
no place in New York where you can find
Nathylin Flowers Adesegun, Council Speaker Corey Johnson and
Councilman Stephen Levin announce recommendations for a new approach
to solving homelessness.
a two-bedroom apartment for less than
$1,580.”
One way in which Johnson recommends
adjusting things in the mayor’s office: establishing
a deputy mayor dedicated strictly to
homelessness.
The speaker criticized the de Blasio administration’s
“blind spending” toward the
Department of Homeless Services which
he said has doubled over the last five years.
Housing a family of four in a shelter costs
the city $5,900 a month, Johnson said — or
$8,200 a month in a hotel.
Johnson’s plan looks similar to Assemblyman
Andrew Hevesi’s Home Stability
PHOTO BY MARK HALLUM
Support bill, which would open up government
subsidies for those on the verge of
homelessness. It’s considered by supporters
as cheaper, more efficient alternative to
shelters.
The de Blasio administration is regarded
among critics as taking a reactive approach
to homelessness — namely by building
shelters in community boards throughout
the city, and placing people in hotels as a
stop-gap measure.
Mayor Bill de Blasio did not take part in
the rally led by Johnson, himself a mayoral
hopeful — and ,in fact, walked past the
rally before it started without engaging.
The de Blasio administration defended
its years of work to build-out shelter infrastructure
and close down two-thirds of
cluster sites in a statement to amNewYork
Metro.
“Through unprecedented investments in
legal services and housing resources , we’ve
helped more than 140,000 New Yorkers
secure permanent affordable homes, all
while driving down evictions by over a
third and overhauling our shelter system,”
Avery Cohen, a spokesman for the de Blasio
administration, said. “With our Journey
Home Plan, we’ll be taking this progress
even further — pledging to bring every last
person experiencing long-term homelessness
off our streets over the next five years. We
look forward to continuing our collaboration
with the Council as we do everything
we can to bring more people home.”
Cohen said the administration has slated
63 borough-based shelters, 30 of which
are currently operating since taking office.
Evictions also are down 30%, according to
the administration.
Nathylin Flowers Adesegun, herself
homeless at the time, gained notoriety after
confronting de Blasio about his administration’s
handling of homelessness and supported
Johnson’s recommendations.
“What ultimately solves homelessness is
simple: housing,” Flowers said.
PETA uses Seward Park’s Togo statue to protest Iditarod
BY GABE HERMAN
A sign was put up last week in Seward Park by
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) protesting against the Iditarod race in
Alaska, saying it has led to mistreatment and/or death
of sled dogs.
The sign went up on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the bronze
Togo statue in the Lower East Side Park. The 2001
statue, by Shelley Smith Curtiss, honors the heroics of
the husky named Togo, who in 1925 led his sled team
through Alaskan storms to deliver serum for children
during a diphtheria epidemic.
The PETA sign was installed just below the official
sign for the statue, which is temporary until a plaque is
installed by NYC Parks, in collaboration with Seward
Park Conservancy and supported by Disney+, which
released the film “Togo” this past December.
“The Iditarod does a disservice to Togo’s heroic act,”
the PETA sign read. “Today’s 1,000-mile death race is
nothing but a blood sport, in which the human participants
are motivated primarily by fame and a cash prize,
and more than 150 dogs have perished as a result.”
A PETA spokesperson said the sign was part of the
group’s campaign against the annual dog sled race,
which occurs every March and was first run in 1973.
PETA says that along with over 150 dogs dying from
the race, that number doesn’t include other dogs killed
for not being fast enough or who died in the off-season
while chained outside.
(COURTESY PETA)
The PETA sign was put up below the Parks
sign on Jan. 29.
A recent investigation by PETA of the dog sled industry
alleged mistreatment of dogs, including being
chained outside, denial of veterinary care, and being
forced to run during exhaustion and dehydration.
“Togo had a lifesaving mission, while dogs used in
the Iditarod are forced to race vast distances in subzero
temperatures, all because humans want to win a trophy
and a cash prize,” said PETA Executive Vice President
Tracy Reiman in a statement. “PETA’s plaque will ensure
that New Yorkers know that the Iditarod is nothing to
celebrate and must be stopped.”
An NYC Parks spokesperson said the PETA sign was
removed the next day, on Thursday, Jan. 30, since Parks
rules prohibit any unlawful postings of a sign or notice.
A spokesperson for the Iditarod told this paper that
the sled dogs receive excellent care and that the canine
athletes are the top priority. This includes wellness
checks from race veterinarians throughout the race and
for dogs in communities along the trail, the spokesperson
said, along with pre-race physical exams for each dog.
Also, any musher found to be treating dogs inhumanely
is disqualified and banned from future races, the spokesperson
added, and mushers must meet kennel standards
set by the Iditarod Trail Committee.
“We take great pride in our role of providing and
promoting excellence in dog care before, during and
after the race,” said Rob Urbach, CEO of the Iditarod,
in a statement to this paper. “As our time-honored tradition
and state sport is continuously attacked by outside
activist groups such as PETA, we want to reiterate that
we are 100% committed to ensuring and expanding
best practices in coordination with the entire veterinary
community to continue to preserve the rich culture and
heritage of the sled dog. The Iditarod is, and always will
be, an advocate for dogs.”
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