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Loading ...New York City Council calls on state to pass HIV/AIDS housing bill
10.02.2009 12:30pm EDT
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn spoke on the steps of City Hall this week to call for the passage of an affordable housing bill for low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.
Quinn introduced a formal resolution with council member Rosie Mendez asking the state legislature to pass the bill, which is currently languishing in committee in the Assembly. Earlier this year, the Senate version passed, sheperded by openly gay Sen. Tom Duane.The legislation proposes that NYC residents who are clients under HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) will pay no more than 30 percent of their income towards rent.
Quinn said the bill would prevent 11,000 New Yorkers from losing their homes.
“This piece of legislation will not only save money for our state, but it will save
money for the thousands of HASA clients and provide some vital relief for their pocketbooks,” Quinn said. ” I urge Speaker Sheldon Silver and Governor David Paterson to support this bill so we can take action towards making HASA clients’ lives easier and more affordable.”
The City Council resolution passed; the Assembly has yet to take action.
This is NOT the way to go. We must move beyond far left solutions. Providing low cost housing to people with HIV/AIDS actually encourages poor people to become infected. Many social workers will tell you they have clients who were ambivalent about getting infected or actually sought getting infected because the HIV/AIDS benefits they now qualify for actually INCREASE their standard of living.
We should have low cost affordable housing for low income people period!
Perhaps we can move people with kids and those with AIDS (not just HIV infected) and other serious chronic conditions to the front of the line.
I can’t disagree that these people need public assistance. However, this story doesn’t give me enough information to decide if I’d support the bill (I’m not a new yorker anymore so I guess my opinion doesn’t matter…).
Who pays the rest of the rent? does the landlord lose out, does the state subsidize it or are these people already in public housing?
If the latter makes perfect sense, if the former I don’t think it is fair (I don’t support rent control either unless it is funded and it is not). If the state is pitching in, then we need a conversation about cost.
My point is that lots and lots of people need assistance. We as the taxpayers that support such assistance should know the impact of this legislation.
We can’t assume all gays support all LGBT legislation. Bad ideas come from all corners. I don’t know about this one as I’m ignorant of the rest of the facts.
Yes. We need public assistance for HIV/AIDS issues.
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