FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 15, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27 Incoming assemblyman backs rent relief program BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport A new lawmaker from Woodside is jumping on board with Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi’s Home Stability Support (HSS) plan to help combat the city’s growing homelessness crisis. Assemblyman-elect Brian Barnwell, who defeated outgoing Assemblywoman Margaret Markey in the Democratic primary and Tony Nunziato in the November election, officially announced his support for the plan on Monday, Dec. 12. Barnwell has been a staunch opponent against the city’s currently homeless policies and actively fought against turning a hotel in Maspeth into a homeless shelter. Th e HSS plan would seek to create a new statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public assistance benefi ts that are facing eviction, homelessness or loss of housing due to domestic violence or other hazardous living conditions. “Home Stability Support is the common-sense, fi scally responsible plan we need to address the growing homeless crisis,” Barnwell said. “I’m proud to join Assembly member Hevesi and legislators from all around the state in endorsing HSS. HSS will help keep people in their own homes and will prevent individuals from being evicted and forced into the dangerous shelter system. I intend to be a forceful advocate in eff orts to include HSS in the next state budget, because the policies we have now are failing New Yorkers and their neighborhoods.” In 1975, the state created the shelter allowance, which was originally designed to pay the full rents of those on public assistance. Since that time the shelter allowance has failed to increase with the rising costs of rent and services, meaning more and more people are either becoming homeless, or are on the brink of homelessness. Not only will HSS keep more people in their homes, but it will also save taxpayers millions of dollars per year. According to HSS, in New York City, HSS would cost $11,224 per year for a household of three, while keeping that same family in a shelter would cost $38,460. Barnwell joins a slew of other organizations, companies and elected officials — such as Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Councilman Daniel Dromm, Councilman Antonio Reynoso, Congressman Joe Crowley and more — in support of Hevesi’s plan. Photo courtesy of Brian Barnwell Assemblyman-elect Brian Barnwell has announced his support of the Home Stability Support plan. Post-truth isn’t just a right-wing phenomenon Th e “post-truth era” is a generally new term born of the election of Donald Trump where opinion and emotions, trumps (pun intended) facts and reality. Th e British Oxford Dictionary even went so far as to make “post-truth” the word of the year, defi ning it as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less infl uential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Political pundits on the left have been oft en citing this phenomenon as a contributing cause to Trump’s stunning upset. But is “post-truth” a one-way Republican street, or have New York Democrats been traveling down the same road as well? Take this into consideration: Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with members of the City Council, are now attempting to destroy all of the documents associated with the city’s municipal-identifi cation program by the end of 2016 due to fears that many of the city’s undocumented immigrants may be potentially deported under the Trump administration. Th is is a program that de Blasio trumpeted and rolled out last year where New Yorkers can be eligible for services, programs and benefi ts, regardless of immigration status. Proponents of the action, like Queens Councilman Danny Dromm, sponsored the bill last year establishing the identifi cation program with the caveat that lawmakers could destroy all associated records and documents by the end of 2016 by writing in a special “Tea Party” clause, just in case the country elected a very conservative Republican to be president. Th e problem is, destroying such documentation may likely violate the state’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), not to mention potentially fl ying in the face of direct federal intervention. Th e issue will likely be decided by a state appellate court next week to determine whether or not the city will be permanently prevented from demolishing documents attached to some 900,000 ID cards. Regardless of what the state appellate court decides, or what the incoming White House administration believes, a deeper question in our age of hyper-political polarization needs to be begged. In a country so divided, what is truth and what is right vs. wrong? It’s a question that will have to answered not only in New York, but around the country, as the growing issue of “sanctuary cities” and the potential safety problems they pose for American residents is national debate, that every big city around the country will have to grapple with on their own. It’s unlikely that, in an upcoming election year, de Blasio will kowtow to pressure from the federal government. If anything, he’ll probably work to amplify the issue as much as possible for his campaign. Already, de Blasio has refused to alter the city’s law restricting local law-enforcement offi cials from cooperating with the federal government to identify illegal residents, even when they have been convicted of crimes. “Post-truth” is in the eye of the storyteller, and is truly bipartisan. Th e views and opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Th e Queens Courier or its staff . Photo via Shutterstock Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley has introduced three bills on women’s health. Queens lawmaker fights for women’s health access BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport Many women are concerned that their reproductive rights might be in jeopardy aft er the new president takes offi ce in January, and one Queens lawmaker is fi ghting to protect women’s health here in the city. Th e New York City Council’s Committee on Health took a look at three health related bills introduced by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Th ese bills are aimed at addressing vaccination rates for the human papillomaviruses (HPV), long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) and maternal mortality. “Too oft en in New York City, women’s health services are not prioritized. Th is can adversely aff ect our communities — because women’s health lends to the family’s health, which lends to our city’s health,” Crowley said. “Th ese three bills will increase reporting to key pieces of the puzzle for a woman’s health. If the city is more transparent and we have information on vaccination rates, use of LARCs and maternal mortality, we can better determine how to move forward with the best resources for all New York City women.” Th e fi rst of the three bills — Introduction 1161 — would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to provide the Council with an annual report on HPV vaccination rates for all New York City residents, both men and women. HPV is listed as the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the country. It has infected about 79 million people nationwide and aff ects 14 million more each year. In New York City, an average of 2,375 people are diagnosed with HPV-related cancer each year, nearly twothirds of whom are women, and half of these new infections occur among those aged 15-24, Crowley said. Data collected through this bill can be used by the DOHMH to determine the best ways to reach the groups most susceptible to this disease and where early prevention resources are most needed. Introduction 1162 would require DOHMH to report on the use of LARCs by New York City residents, including the use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants, which are the most eff ective forms of reversible birth control. Most women, however, opt for another form of birth control because of misinformation or high costs. Th e fi nal bill, Introduction 1172 would require DOHMH to annually report maternal mortality rates to the City Council Speaker, including the number of deaths by women who were pregnant or recently pregnant at the time of death, the rate of these deaths per 100,000 births, the leading causes and recommendations regarding actions the city can take to improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality. Currently the Mayor’s Management Report does not provide any data on the rates of maternal mortality, Crowley said. Instead, the Department of Health issues a report every fi ve years. Queens Politics & More BY MIKE FRICCHIONE
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