Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh speaks at public housing rally, as Senator Daniel Squadron and affordable housing advocates look on.
A coalition pushing New York City and state to funnel more money to its public housing developments rallied at City Hall this morning, and presented Governor Paterson with a letter asking for his “support in fully funding the State’s share of NYCHA’s operating costs in the coming year’s budget.” The group (the SOUND Campaign), consisting of more than 75 elected officials and numerous community organizations, was created by State Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh and Senator Daniel Squadron.
For many years, the city and state have underfunded public housing, at the same time that federal subsidies have been declining.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who probably has more to say about the state budget than just about anyone (including the governor) attended the rally, speaking in support of the coalition’s objectives. A reporter asked him whether he could identify (in the midst of a budget crisis) where the $64 million the state is supposed to set aside for public housing would come from:
Tomorrow we’ll be posting more video, featuring the comments of other elected representatives (including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Councilmember-elect Margaret Chin, Assemblyman Kavanagh and Senator Squadron). You can also see the letter the coalition sent to the governor here. Download Soundletter
