Okay, we've got one. Katie Mui Mui may not. Okay, sorry if I mispronounced it. Anita Quac. No. Um I don't know if it's Anaisa. >> What? Oh, yes. Okay. Sorry about that. Okay great. Um, Nadia Chait. Oh good. And Assada Turney. We'll just Okay. Um, go ahead. >> Good evening, Chair Sherman, Cher Kavan, and Cher Hanife. I'm Nadia She. I'm the senior director of policy and advocacy at cases. We serve over 12,000 New Yorkers annually with a holistic range of services um to meet their needs in the community rather than in the carceral system. Um, and I'd like to focus my testimony today on the need to double funding for the city council's court involved youth mental health initiative. This is a critical initiative um that provides a range of services to young people who have justice involvement and mental health needs. Over 65% of young people in our juvenile justice system have a mental health challenge. Um, and doubling funding would come at a critical time as we've seen the number of youth in detention in our city increase exponentially. Um, so we're requesting 6.89 89 million in funding for FY27 and for cases specifically $260,000 which would maintain funding for our adolescent portable therapy program which is um an inhome and community based service to help young people um and their families who are struggling with mental health challenges and legal system involvement. Um, and additional funding would allow us to add a supervising mental health clinician across all of our youth programs to enhance the quality of services, provide better training for our staff, um, and ensure that we are providing the best evidence-based supports. Um, there are weight lists for a number of the court involved youth mental health initiative programs and so increasing the funding would really meet the needs in our community. Um, we also stand with Cher Kavan in calling for funding to eliminate the weight list for ACT and IMT. Case has nine ACT teams and seven intensive mobile treatment teams. We strongly believe in those services. Um, and lastly, we would like the city to consider funding to establish an outpatient competency restoration program. It's legally permitted in New York City, but rarely used. And instead, we see many folks with serious mental illness languish um on Riker's Island while waiting for a state psychiatric vet. Thank you. I'm sorry. Next. Thank you very much. >> Hi everyone. Um I'm going to invite all of us take a deep breath and maybe just stretch. It's been a long day. It seems like for everybody here. It's so good to be here with y'all. Um good afternoon, Chairman Schulman, um Kavan, and Hanife. Uh my name is Anelica. I am here with the Coalition for Asian-American Children and Families. uh longtime Queens resident, longtime organizer for justice. Uh and I'm here today because I want to urge the council to include 4.5 million for Access Health uh NYC in the fiscal year 2027. Um Access Health NYC is a city council initiative supporting a network of 37 community-based organizations across all five bureaus that provide culturally responsive, language accessible health education, outreach, and navigation services. These organizations help immigrant um limited English proficient, uninsured, LGBTQ plus and disabled New Yorkers access health care, public benefits, crit critical health information regardless of immigration status. Um through community events, educational workshops, and outreach and trusted spaces such as cultural centers, food pantries, mosques, churches, they reach residents who often face the greatest barriers to care. by helping residents access preventative care and coverage earlier. These organizations reduced emergency services and strengthen New York's public health health infrastructure. Last year, um Access HealthNYC awardies facilitated 9,000 health referrals, a thousand gender-based violence referrals, 4,500 referrals um to social services. This year, the community groups are reporting a growing fear of misinformation in immigrant communities that are discouraging people from seeking health care and enrolling in benefits they are eligible for. The proposed Medicaid cuts, threats to language access resources, and increased immigration enforcement concerns are creating significant barriers to care. At the same time, we know that these community- based organizations remain the most trusted messengers um for for services. So, we are urging you all to increase the funding to 4.5 million. that will strengthen the networks of these community based organizations. >> Thank you very much. >> Next. >> Good afternoon, chairs and committee members. I'm Katie Muy, a social worker and policy and programs manager at the network, a membership organization representing over 200 nonprofits that develop and operate supportive housing across the state. As you know, supportive housing is one of the most effective tools to ending homelessness and substantially improving the lives of those with mental health and substance use challenges. However, the model faces ongoing federal uncertainty, rising costs, and workforce challenges, placing increasing pressure on our providers. We are here today to discuss the need for targeted investments to preserve the city's existing supportive housing stock, advancing the goal of 1300 units preserved by 2030 in alignment with the NYC 1515 reallocation plan, which the council has been in support of. Now, it's time to put that plan into action. We are asking the city to invest 44 million in capital funding and 21.3 million in the expense budget to preserve 325 supportive housing units in this fiscal year. Our data shows that at least 7600 units are prime for preservation but are at significant risk of closure. Federal cuts to the continuum of care are imminent, meaning nonprofits will lose their operating subsidies for thousands of units, which will destabilize programs and displace tenants. By investing in preservation right now, the city can mitigate this loss. On the services side, the units that we've identified are operating contracts through NIH SRO support services. This is the lowest funded service contracting in existence with the base rate with the base rate being only a fifth of the NYC 1515 service contract rate. Allow allowing nonprofits to claim the NYC 1515 rate will enable providers to deliver the level of care that is needed. The 44 million in capital funding will preserve at least 325 units that are 15 years old or older to complete necessary renovations. More information about these three funding pillars are included in my written testimony. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Next. >> Put your mic on. >> Yes. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chair uh Scholman Cavan Hanife and council members. My name is Carmen Garcia. I'm a community health worker supervisor at Make the Road New York. On behalf of our 30,000 members, thank you so much for um giving me the chance to share about our health access services for immigrant and working-class New Yorkers. I'm here today to urge the council to continue and enhance funding for various health initiatives that support community health, education, and health navigation. These initiatives funds are health access services for New Yorkers severely impacted by federal cuts. These cuts are trying to deny basic services. We're helping immigrant New Yorkers navigate the changes in HR1 and how this is impacting their their benefit eligibility. We are reducing the fear and uncertainty with accurate information and culturally competent support. Our work includes health insurance and staff outreach, enrollment navigation referrals wraparound services. And we also offer a community health worker training and a specialized health access for uh TGNCIQ New Yorkers. We request the console support for the following fiscal year 27 initiatives. Enhance the access health initiative to uh 4.5 million with 110,000 for make the road. This has helped us reach thousand of uninsured and underinsured people in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island with peer-to-peer outreach and public education about options for healthcare access. We also connect people to resources to train future community health worker. Um, we uh ask to maintain the EMPAP program for 2 million and make the row funding at 82,000. Uh we also re uh want to um ask you to renew 74,000 for Make the Road under HIV AIDS pathways to care initiatives. Maintain immigrant health initiative funding for uh supports our health insurance enrollment assistant and staff and finally secure three um 300,000 under the speakers initiative for a wraparound legal health and educational services. Thank you for your support. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. And want to thank this panel. >> Appreciate it. Okay. Next, Alex Blassy. >> Gloria. Ashley Santiago. Oh Crystal Scott something. Scott, I can't. Yes. No. Aisha uh >> Gleot Crystal Welsh is here. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. >> Here. >> Aisha Cleat Elliot. Sorry. Okay. Um, >> are you sure you want to stop? >> Thanks. >> Put on the mic. >> Sorry. >> Hello. My name is Aisha Elliot and I am honored to be here today as the chief program officer for the Women's Prison Association. It is one of the oldest and first organizations that support women before, during, and after their incarceration. I am also here as a woman who knows what it means to be more than the worst moment of your life. Before policy, before funding lines, and agency reports, I want us to remember the women behind the numbers, behind the walls, behind the families, and behind our communities. A daughter who learned early that silence could hide pain. A woman who carries substance use in one hand and untreated trauma in the other like two heavy bags. Too often our systems only see the weight after it breaks something. But let's see them differently today. Substance use being unhoused and mental health struggles do not happen in isolation. They grow in the soil of trauma in poverty and violence survived but not healed. In systems that punish pain more quickly than they treat it. We have to remember that care is not charity. Care is infrastructure. Every dollar you invest in care returns in ways no ledger can fully measure. Not just a dollar saved in hospitals, courts, and jails. But the true return on investment is human well-being. When you fund, you're not just funding programs. What your funding looks like. Stability sounds like laughter and feels like a woman waking up in her own space and believing she has a future worth protecting. Housing first clinical care and substance use services are not abstract policies. It is daily work for WPA. human work and community work that can continue through the justice involved supportive housing fund and through the mental health or vulnerable population initiatives. We want women to manifest the words of Louisa Trees and that is to create a life from which we do not want to escape. As a city, as leaders, as neighbors responsible for one another, our duty is not to respond when people fall. Our duty is to build the kind of systems that catch them when they do. When women, families, and communities heal, New York City becomes what it was always meant to be, a place where care is not the exception, but the promise. Please support WPA in keeping that promise. And thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. >> Uh, good evening, Chair Kavan, Chair Scholman, um, and Chair Hanife, and as well as committee members. Thank you so much for allowing me to testify today. My name is Ashley Santiago. I am the senior community organizer with Freedom Agenda and we're one of the organizations leading the campaign to close Riker's Island. I'm also a native New Yorker um and a resident of Queens. For the past 33 years, I've watched our city overly invest of systems and punishment like the Department of Correction instead of systems of healing and true true rehabilitation. My 24 yearear-old nephew, Michael, who has been diagnosed with autism and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, sat on Riker's Island for two and a half years in dire need of mental health care and healing. Instead of getting that care and treatment that could have addressed the root causes of his behaviors, the real mental crisis that my nephew often experience um of his behaviors, he was sent to Riker's Island. Uh the real mental health crisis that my nephew often experienced there were labeled as tantrums by correctional officers who were not trained to respond to his clinical needs. At the cost of over half a million dollars per year to keep someone in Rikers, New York City spent over $1 million to keep Michaels at Rikers. But despite all that money spent, he got no substantial rehabilitation or treatment. If anything, he came back to his community worse off. Coming from a low-income Latina neighborhood in Queens created a lot of barriers to adequate treatment for my nephew. Even though he struggled with mental health challenges from a young age without access to quality treatment, his symptoms became severe, which led to insurrections with law enforcement and several psychiatric hospitalizations. After le leaving Rikers for uh living on Rikers for two years, my nephew was sent upstate where he was subjected to spending his entire bid, five years in solitary confinement and constant abuse from guards. He came home this year and my family is facing the reality that his mental health has worsened and the systems of support are so in insufficient. This story is far too common. There are over 1,600 people right now on Riker's Island who are diagnosed with a serious mental illness and that number has increased by 83% since 2022. And in the written u my written testimony, there's a full breakdown on where that money can be better spent. Thank you. >> Appreciate that very much. >> Good. >> Yes. Good evening everyone and thank you for taking the time to allow me to testify today. U my name is Crystal Welch Scott and I am the clinical director for getting out staying out and um we work with 16 to 24 year olds who are incarcerated at Riker's Island and in other juvenile facilities and those in the community who have been impacted by the criminal justice system or are at risk. Go's community- based education, antiviolence, mental health, job readiness, and paid internship programs have helped 15,000 young people overcome barriers and improve their quality of life. 93% of our participants are on a better path and do not experience incarceration. Young people are particularly vulnerable to becoming court involved when exposed to factors such as housing and food instability, violence, and poverty at a young age, which can leave traumatic and lasting effects on mental health and quality of life. Incarceration is tied to post-traumatic stress disorder and is often linked to psychiatric conditions, including depression and anxiety. At GOSO, a team of clinicians provide clinical services including individual group therapy, therapeutic case management, and holistic wraparound treatment. Go recently responded to incarcerate increased needs for treatment of anxiety, depression, and PTSD by opening an in-house mental health clinic in partnership with the child center of New York. This allows us to provide robust services including psychiatric care which is also necessary for supportive housing placements. Additional funding through the city council court involved youth mental health initiative would ensure that organizations including go could increase capacity to serve more young people. We are thankful to the city council and administration for funding programs for court involved individuals, but many services for this population remain chronically underfunded. It is essential to continue to fund the city council violence prevention and intervention for youth and young adults and alternatives to incarceration and re-entry initiatives. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next. >> Hello. Uh we're both signed up to speak, but in the interest of time, we'll do a single three minute okay announcement. To my left is um Department of Corrections retired Captain Gloria Merley of Riker's Island Cat Rescue. And I'm Mike Phillips, president and a co-founder of Urban Cat League. And I am proudly wearing a bright turquoise I earpped New York t-shirt. Um, at the Riker's Island Correctional Facility, there are over 300 cats, free roaming feral cat colonies spread all across the island with money from their own pockets. For 30 years now, Department of Corrections volunteer employees feed the cats and have struggled to get the situation under control. 27 years ago, I chaired with Gloria a meeting with the Department of Corrections Commissioner to discuss addressing the situation. This is a very solvable situation. My group, Urban Cat League, has humanely reduced two very large colonies to zero cats over 17 years using trapneuter return and daily care and monitoring. 17 years to zero cats. Meanwhile, at Riker's Island, 27 years after that first meeting with Department of Corrections, cats continue to be dumped on the island by employees with security clearance with no reprimand and a cat population breeding unchecked despite ongoing efforts by employee cat volunteers. A languishing 10-year-old DOC approved plan to bring the situation under control is now back in limbo until we can get the attention of the new administration's newly appointed Department of Corrections Commissioner. It's deja vu all over again for the fourth time. Riker's Department of Corrections serves Please two more minutes for Gloria. Uh, D. Riker's Department of Corrections serves at the pleasure of the mayor of New York City, but no prior administration nor the recently defunct mayor's office of animal welfare would agree to intervene or to help motivate the Department of Corrections to complete the approved project. Outreach to three city council members became a circular dead end. Though physically in the um Tiffany Caban Queens district, we were told that Riker is technically in the Bronx and that in any case the city council held no sway with Department of Corrections. Jesse Meerson, director of communications for Tiffany Kaban, did offer contact for two journalists he thought would be interested in the story. We were only asking that someone in the proper channels of city government be interested in the story. In conclusion, the Department of Corrections has approved electric hookup, plumbing, and even inmates program for the daily care of the cat population. $80,000 in private funding is waiting to out outfit the already designated location for the operation. Even after finally getting a yes for the project, after 27 years of respectful negotiation with every branch branch of city government we could think of to approach, in the end that yes is still a very disinterested maybe. Short of implement short of your help implementing the approved project, availability of ample spayneuter services, rabbi vaccinations, and the propo proposed food pantry would be a very big help. Thank you for your time. Thank you all uh for listening, although I usually don't feel heard here. Uh my name is Alex Brass. Uh two months ago, January 8th, I was triple handcuffed uh and uh police were called for a mental health crisis. I was nonviolent. Uh I was then injected with Hald and benzoazipene uh despite uh me being allergic to hald, which is in my chart, and was completely ignored. Somehow I managed to escape the hospital. Uh 24 hours later, the 911 was called again. Um because I was my mental health crisis was not helped at all and I was only worse. Uh thankfully be heard showed up. Um and I had quite a different experience from my first three experiences when the police showed up. That being said, I was brought back to CPEP, which I call the Looney Bin courtroom, where, you know, the next three weeks of my life is determined by a doctor who does not listen at all to the point where I was inject I was uh given Narcan when I was not overdosing. I had the most uncomfortable 12 hours. Um, we have one support and connection center in the entire city, and that's in Harlem. We had one in the Bronx. $50 million was invested into it and it closed down within two years. I haven't I'm not quite sure why it's closed down other than reading that certain metrics were not hit. Um we are at a point where we are turning people into numbers and spreadsheets. If we're going to play the spreadsheet game, we've wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on a on a friend of mine who's been sent to the looney even 20 plus times. She's not offered any alternative care. If I was offered something like Project Renewal after my my recent experience, things would be much different. However, from my understanding, uh, Be Her does Oh crap, I didn't get to any of this, but how many people are committing suicide after the hospital? Yes, we need to expand uh be heard, but if we don't have the proper support systems in place, if we don't have support and connection centers and we don't have crisis stabilization centers, then we're going to continue sending people to the hospital. 60% of people are still sent to the hospital under be heard and 6% are sent to community based care. So, yes, we need to scale up, but and if we don't have the proper supports, then we're we're set up for failure. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Really appreciate your testimony. Thank you to this panel. Uh, chair, if I may, just very u >> briefly um, one, thank you for sharing your experience. I just want you to know that anything that you didn't get to, please submit it written because it is going to be read in and full and uh, your your critiques of of be heard are are well heard. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yes. And you can send it to testimony at council.nyc.gov and you have 72 hours to do it. You have to do it today. >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> Sure. Sheena and set. Um, I may be pronouncing it incorrectly. Sir, Isaac Erizzari. Okay. Sima Ellis. Sim Ellis. That Maddie Johnson. Okay. Patricia Green. Delmare. I'm sorry. >> Patrice Green. >> Oh, Patrice Green. I'm sorry. Sorry about that. Um, and Delmore. >> Oh, okay. Um, hold on. >> Alyssa Valentine. and Jira Septnas seepas. All right. All right. Go ahead. Who's start from here? >> Thank you, council members, for your infinite patience to listen to people for hours. I'm Maddie Samadora Johnson, a multilingual, multi-racial woman who runs the community group Park Slope Cats and worked as an architect and urban planner. I've been rescuing animals for decades in New York and earlier in the several other countries I've lived or worked in. Independent rescuers like myself are beyond depleted, paying out of pocket, rescuing non-stop with no pay, doing the city's job for free from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. It's never ending, brutal, with no time for anything else, resolving innumerable pleas daily to help animals in distress. And it's cost us our physical, mental, emotional, and financial health. This is not just about animal rights. This is about our human rights too to an extent. No, we are not all crazy cat ladies. We are ladies who rescue animals due to the compassion in our hearts and are getting driven crazy due to a lack of sustainable support. We cannot adopt or foster our way out of this crisis. We must stop it at its source. The only solution is city-funded high volume lowcost or no cost space access education enforcement. The four main barriers against spaying, neutering, financial, cultural inaccessibility, apathy. We need stronger enforcement against abuse, hoding, neglect, and more obstacles, not more obstacles for rescuers. We need an army of citizen rescuers. Be the change. Teach them young. In addition to other cases, in just the past four months, I successfully resolved two back-to-back hoding cases in Parkl totaling 94 cats in deplorable conditions. Every single one of them has now been vetted, fixed, fosted. But for every single one we fix, there are hundreds on Facebook or next door posted daily being given away free, unfixed or being bred. This crisis is completely unsustainable. We need extensive citywide community and online outreach for spay and neuters. Mayor Mani multilingual style. Okay. Wrap it up. Just a minute. Invest in low cost pet pantries. Empathy action education shukria. >> Okay. Thank you. Next. >> Hi, good afternoon. My name is Isaac Rosari. I'm the founder and director of Riverzari Animal Foundation. We rescue animals in the street. I'm going to make this quick. I got animals to take care of. Um, so yeah, we trap neuter return. We're feeding animals and helping elderly and disabled community within Bushwick and Williamsburg care for their animals. For example, if you broke your leg, I'll come through and help walk your dog, wash your dog. If you tell me there's cats in the street, I help cats many colonies. Um, all of this is coming out of my own hard-earned pocket, whether my job, other entrepreneurial endeavors. Um, you heard a bunch of stuff here from our other rescuers, fellow rescuers. Um, we're just looking for some money for 1.5 million for the um, TNR services to um, and for the food bank. Um, that's about it. Y'all got questions for me? All right. Thank you so much. If you want to adopt the animal, strays on Broadway on Instagram, Rosari Animal Foundation.org, or um and in and Instagram. Um that's it for me. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Next. >> Put your uh mic on. Yeah. >> Hi council members. Thank you so much for having us. My name is Delmare Leon, founder of K9 Rescue NYC, the only rescue who is also a top networker for both California and New York City Kill Shelter, focused on dogs who are euthanasia commanded and awaiting euthanasia with less than 24 hours to live. In the past year, I have split my time between California and New York City animals who need lastm minute placement in order to save them before they get euthanized. As one of the only, if not the only rescue and networker who focuses strictly on New York City ACC Youth Commanded, I have witnessed a failing animal shelter system and how they are treating our homeless or surrendered animals. They are being overmedicated, then mislabeled and placed as behavioral dogs to then be euthanized. Moreover, I have noticed one of the most crucial job openings of two veterinary roles that has that have not been filled since February of 2025. A role that pays 130,000 to 140,000 a year. Meanwhile, I wonder who is taking care of our of close to 300 dogs within three shelters. This year alone, they have killed close to a 100 dogs. That is an entire shelter capacity. And we are only two and a half months into the year. And in the past month, New York City Animal Care Center have returned 24 dogs who have been surrendered as owner reclaims with only six adoptions since the year started. In the past couple of weeks, I have seen multiple animals being silent killed without giving them more than two weeks or three days. And two days ago, the silently killed one with only 24 hours since intake. What is the point of playing the role of a municipal shelter for New York City when they are unable to get the get them adopted and relying on their new hope partner system who can only pull a limited amount and has hit a bottleneck and I believe it has also been a reason that dogs with fosters ready to help have been killed. >> You need to you need to >> I'm almost done. There is no new hope partner to pull. I am concerned as New York City ACC is planning to open a new location in Bronx and has still yet to reopen Brooklyn and we don't if we don't address this failing operational matters before that happens our animals will continue suffering and more of them will get no chance to see the light of day once they enter ACC. New York has always been an we got to wrap it up here of what other states you can submit to emulate and we are >> you can't you I I said to wrap it up we >> submit submit testimony to us >> okay thank you >> next thank you chair Kaban and members of the committee for holding this hearing on the FY27 preliminary inary budget as it relates to mental health, disabilities, and addiction. My name is Sheena Bernette. I am the managing director of advocacy for justice for peer coalition and a steering committee member of CCITNYC. I'm here today to testify about the need for substantial investments in the behavioral health continuum of care with an emphasis on employing peers individuals with live mental health experience to prevent crisis and utter stability and offer stability post crisis including real investments and be heard Pierre my beloved cousin murdered by NYPD four years ago while experiencing a mental health crisis after calling 911 is why I continue to show up here exposing my grief grief, my frustrations, and my purpose to honor his life and his legacy. So he is not defined by how he was killed. When Rosario, King Wong, Michael Lynch, not limited to survivors like Jabz Chakraarti, 22 years old, who is faced not only with more trauma and stigma, but criminal charges bought on by him by brought on by the Queen's DA. Countless New Yorkers have been traumatized by inappropriate responses to mental health crisis calls. Since 2015, over 200 individuals have been killed by the police officers while experiencing a mental health crisis in New York City. The situation is dire and the system needs accountability, change, and transformation immediately. There is no bigger investment in this critical time we are in than investing in human lives. Invest in peers. Um, okay. Furthermore, expand the number of be her teams to match the call volume. Expand the number of be her teams to ensure the citywide and 247 coverage. Establish 988 as a number to be dialed for mental health and substance use crisis in lie of 911 while ensuring interoperability among 988, 911 and 311. Um we also ask like Jordan mentioned before for the committee on mental health addiction disabilities jointly with the committee on workforce development must hold an oversight hearing this spring. Um and I'll submit the rest. Thank you for Thank you very much. Okay, this panel is done. Thank you. Thank you very much. >> Okay, next. Marilyn Galin. Um, Jesus Garcia Eve. Uh, Eve Matt >> Eves, sorry. Eves East. >> Okie dokie. Ricky McGinty. Patricia Honey and Tanya Cop Copeland. Okay, we'll start with you. Yeah, just put on the mic. >> Oh, it is on. Okay, great. it. You just push it. >> Um, thank you all for still being here. Um, my name is Ricky McGinty and I am a caretaker of community cats. Last October, I met Leon, whose neighbor had a female cat he could not afford to get spayed. And when she had kittens, the neighbor put them on the street. Leon rescued uh two newborns and bottle raised them. When I met him, he Mumu and Leonard were five months old, and I urged Leon to have them neutered soon. Three weeks ago, I heard from Leon again, who had struck the same financial barriers as his neighbor. He could not afford to have the cats neutered or the ongoing costs of cat food and he wanted my help to find a new home for the cats, otherwise he would have to surrender them to the ACC. One of the brothers had already started to mark his territory, meaning he was urinating around the apartment. Um, peeing outside of the litter box is the top reason cat owners abandon their pets. Um, I immediately reached out to cat to Flatbush Cats, which you allocated $500,000 for spay and neuter services in last year's budget, but they were swamped with surgeries delayed to the blizzard. Um, after a week of networking, I found an affordable option and Mumu and Leonard were neutered this to this Tuesday. Um, rescuing cats no longer applies only to cats living homeless in our neighborhoods, but also to the cats in our homes. To reduce the misery on the street and to keep our pets safe, we need affordable spayneuter services and pet food pantries. These solutions work together. We need them both to address the dire situation of cats and rescuers. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. Next. Oh, give her the mic. >> Oh, yes. >> Hi, my name is Patricia Honey and for the past six years, I've rescued hundreds of strays off of our streets year after year. What you're looking at in this room is not a group of helpless constituents. It is the safety net of New York City's animal welfare. Up until now, you've had us as somewhat of a stop gap system, but this system is collapsing. New Yorkers can't donate like they used to. The stray population is exploding now as the cost of living's become unbearable for pet owners. This crisis has broken us, and the only way through now is with you by our side. Recently, I was urged by fellow rescuers to step in where they could not find a way past someone intentionally starving cats. The cats had been locked in a basement for nearly two months without food on purpose. Granted, I'm trained in gaining compliance, but why was I the best option? Within 20 minutes, all documented, she was giving me a full tour. I'll save you a lot of time, but I had to step over plenty of ha halfeaten corpses everywhere. The abuser laughed because the police had been called three times, and each time they took two steps in and walked back out. Sadly, it's no coincidence that through all of my own calls to the police, watching them consult the ASPCA, I've only come to know more than I could ever dread knowing about that twostep and the true song this system dances to. Justice for animal cruelty currently feels hopeless. So, please empower us to spay and neuter the majority of this issue away. Leave your mark on this city. Put your name on the grants. Let us thank you every day on social media all year. I'm begging you fund spay and neuter fully this time. Audit the ASPCA. >> Okay, Daniel. >> Roll over the NYPD and we will take care of the rest. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Next. Good evening to all uh health committee members and uh thank you for being here so late um and for this opportunity to speak. My name is Jesus Garcia and I live in the Upper East Side. Um I feel like I'm a in a bit of an odd member here speaking today because I'm speaking on behalf of two serious issues which kind of counter all the testimonials that I've heard today or at least a majority of them. uh they have to do with uh issues that affect public health and um nothing has been done about them. Issue number one, New York City's health code prohibits live animals in food establishments. But despite that, we see dogs in every restaurant and food market that I that I've experienced. This is primarily due to the overpopulation of dogs since COVID. Um, dog owners feel entitled to bring their pets inside because there's really no enforcement and no accountability. Um, these dog owners claim that the dogs are service dogs. This is imminently uh and and inherently false. Uh there is overwhelming evidence. I have both videos and photos showing their behavior uh not depicting that of a legitimate service dog. Um they not only are committing fraud, um they are also knowingly violating the city's health code and take and and and taking full advantage of the lack of enforcement. Okay. Um, due to the loophole in the ADA law, there's really no credible way to distinguish a fraudulent service dog from a legitimate one. And despite no pet signs, dog owners bring their dogs inside and business owners can't do any can't do anything or say anything for fear of litigation. Um, this situation is out of control. >> We just have to wrap up. I urge the committee to uh I'm not asking for budget or increase. I'm just urging for them to take uh the health code and enforce it. >> Okay. Thank you. Next, >> Marilyn Galin voices. Excuse me. I think I have to start over. Wait, go. Go on. Come back. All right. >> I lost my voice. >> Go ahead. Hello. Um, I'm not from the Upper West Side. My name is Ease. I'm from Brooklyn, New York. Born in Flatbush. Thank you so much for taking the time to hear me out today. I've been rescuing and fostering pit bulls here in New York for over 13 years. Working at and with and through the NYCC, including pet food pantries and also filling pantries will cost less than building an entirely new infrastructure. We live in a city, a world, and a time where pets are people's families. And it's no secret that certain pets are not allowed in certain neighborhoods and homes. Breed restrictions are directly connected to discrimination to certain people. And this causes people to despondently choose between their pets and their homes. For a lot of people, their home is wherever their pets are. And since we can't rectify that situation yet, the least that we can do is provide food for these pantries to at least help people feed their pets because to show up for our community is to show up for ourselves. Thank you for listening to me today. >> Thank you. Okay, want to go back to you now or you good? Okay. >> Maryland galin voices for shelter animals. New York City animal care centers reported 692 dogs, 863 cats euthanized in 2025. The actual number may be higher as these figures may not fully reflect all outcomes. 36 dogs that we know of so far have already been killed in the last two and a half weeks. Today there were 23 dogs and 14 cats on the at risk list and some may have been destroyed already. I asked if the health committee can push for a temporary halt and euthania at ACC unless an animal is irmediably suffering or severely dangerous, create a task force to address this crisis and put emergency protocols in place. We need an oversight hearing to ensure accountability and transparency. And I urge the health committee to contact ACC and encourage life-saving policy changes such as making bios that actually make the animals look adoptable and updating emergency placement outcomes lists so advocates aren't promoting dead dogs. I urge this committee um we need an uh and if they're not willing, we must codify these protections into law. We need immediate oversight of shelter operations by an independent third party, such things as monitoring drug use on the animals. It's a moral responsibility to the city to protect shelter animals. We must end the cycle of healthy, adoptable, treatable animals entering the shelter, receiving inadequate care, inhumane conditions, and having their lives needlessly taken. Shelter animals are not disposable commodities. With the $127 billion proposed city budget, an ask of 15 million, just over 100th of 1% for animal welfare and prevention can reduce shelter outtake, I mean intake, save lives, save money for the city in the future, and help people keep their beloved pets who for many are family. In addition to funding for spay and neuter, affordable vet care, pet food, we need mandatory microchipping, humane education grants, hoarding awareness intervention, and the creation of an animal protection and emergency unit that would replace the police, animal response duties, and a task force to address animal abandonment and enforce animal laws. Animal welfare is not just a moral issue. It's a social justice issue. We must protect and preserve life. It is time for the government to show compassion, act with comp uh compassion, and make animal welfare a real priority and invest in it. >> Thank you. >> Were you going to speak? >> Yeah. >> Oh. >> Hi, I'm Tanya Copeland. Um I run an organization, a traper return organization called Bronx Community Cats. Um since 2020, we've fixed over 5,300 cats in the Bronx. But today I'm here as a Bronx resident, a pet owner, and also a volunteer for two other organizations. Uh, one is positive tales and one is Bronx Dog Haven. Um, we uh partner with them to provide uh wellness and vaccination services as well as a large pet food pantry in the South Bronx. Um, back in December after the big snowfall, we had um 200 families show up with their pets in the freezing cold waiting for um pet food. And one thing I want to underscore to the council is that people are not relying on the pet pantries as their sole source of pet food. Rather, this is supplemental and they're hardworking people, hardworking families, and they're trying to make ends meet. And so, you know, this is a a noticeable service gap that can be just very easily addressed by allocating funds in the 2027 budget. Um, the other thing I wanted to mention is that um a disproportionate number of cats that are or animals really uh surrendered to our municipal shelter are from the Bronx. And so any investment into prevention of surrender, we're already paying for it. So, why not divert the funds to prevent um people from surrendering their animals and keeping families together? Thank you. >> Thank you very much. I want to >> You're done, right? Yeah, you're good. >> Yeah, I was just saying thanks. >> You're good. That's fine. >> I I want to thank this panel. Um I had a question. >> Thank you. >> Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Um uh Chair Hanife wants to ask a question. >> Thank you. Of the panel. I have a question for you uh about dogs and restaurants and establishments. Could you just speak a little bit more about where you're seeing dogs inside establishments? >> Um pretty much every restaurant that I've been to >> in the Upper East Side and and pretty much throughout the city. Uh it's noticeable. I mean uh I've been to restaurants. I've asked the management. Uh they don't bother. There's an apathy uh with management because they fear litigation. Uh the way the law is structured, nobody wants to take the chance. I'm I'm a previous dog owner. Um >> I mean, have you tried 311? I'm just trying to understand because I know dogs are allowed >> for some restaurants who are participating in outdoor dining >> and that's different. >> Yeah. And that's not outdoor dining. Um I'm talking specifically about indoor dining. Um it's a health concern that the health code is very specific about this and uh they're breaking this left and right. It has nothing to do with uh you know any kind of animosity towards again again I'm a I had a dog. I would never think of bringing it into a into a restaurant. >> I mean it's the first time hearing it so I wanted to just get some more details. I look forward to your >> Yeah. I've been complaining to the health department and all I get is uh you know uh your order has been uh closed. Thank you very much, you know. So I I I hope that they take this seriously that it's an obvious health concern. I don't really need to go into, you know, but it's it's concerning and it's getting out of hand. >> Thank you. >> Um thank you. >> I want to thank the panel. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Lynn. Okay. So, we have we have one more in-person panel to call. Um, Andrew Lean, >> Sanja Chai, Michael Phillips, Jean Bouley. No. Oh god, she's coming. >> Oh, she's coming. Sorry. >> Okay, should do that now. Um, if there's anyone here who who hasn't filled out one of these cards and still needs to testify, um, please see one of the sergeants and they'll fill you'll they'll have you fill it out. Okay, go ahead. >> Thank you so much. Uh, my name is Sonia Shai. I'm managing director of Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition. We own and operate Brooklyn Cat Cafe and BBWC Rescue Clinic. Um, keeping companion animals has proven to be incredibly beneficial to the mental, physical, and emotional health of their owners. But it's become a privilege to provide species and nutritionally appropriate food for pets. It's become a privilege to be able to spay or neuter your pet, and it has therefore become a privilege to own a pet at all. We looked at our organization's pet food purchases dating back to March 2019. Across the selection of the most affordable and widely available cat foods on the market, we found on average a 62% increase in prices over between 2019 and 2026. That rate of increase outpaces that of human food which grew 33% over the time peri same time period according to the consumer price index and a 21% increase in median rent in New York City according to street easy. Meanwhile, wages have remained stagnant and public assistant benefits have been reduced. Spayneuter is also fundamental to keeping pets and their owners healthy and in their homes for the long run. Yet, affordable surgery appointments are virtually non-existent in New York City. We have conducted free community vet clinics and met many people who have waited months or even years for affordable spayneuter appointments while stressing over the risk of losing their homes because of complaints from neighbors or landlords regarding their intact pets nuisance behavior such as fighting, marking, or spraying. Also, spayed and neutered cats and dogs simply live healthier, longer, healthier lives. When people are better able to keep their pets, cats and dogs healthy as long as they can, they are better able to reap the benefits of sharing their life with a pet. They're less likely to need to surrender or abandon their animals to an already overburdened shelter and rescue system or to a dangerous life on the streets. This is why we strongly support measures to help make both pet food and spayneuter more accessible and affordable. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Next. >> Hi, my name is Ann Leven. I'm the executive director of Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition, which is Brooklyn Cat Cafe and the BB AWC Rescue Clinic. Accessible and affordable Spain neuter surgeries are fundamentally important to solving the homeless cat crisis in New York City and ensuring pet ownership remains accessible to all New Yorkers and not a privilege only available to the wealthy. Our organization BBAWC operates a lowcost rescue clinic that proves that making lowcost and free spayneuter widely available can be achieved both quickly and affordably. Since completing our first surgery in 2021, our lowcost clinic has spayed and neutered over 15,000 cats. Many of these procedures have been offered for free to rescuers or for as low as $40 for neuter and $60 for spay to pet owners. There is no significant waiting period. Clients are almost always able to obtain an appointment within a month. Easy surgery also. Each surgery also includes other important care such as parasite treatment, vaccines, and a microchip at no additional cost. We designed our clinic model to be rockable by other organizations and critically scalable for New York City's homeless cat crisis. We're able to fully furnish our spayneuter suite in under six months with a startup grant of around 100,000. Our rescue clinic broke even in under three months and continues to do so today, even while we have kept the cost of our surgeries well under $200 for most of our clients. To put that in perspective, it would cost about a,000 to 2,000 to obtain the same services from a private vet in New York City today. On an individual level, this basic veterary care has ensured healthier and longer lives for each of the cats that have come through our doors. From a systemic view, the speed, affordable startup cost, and ongoing economic viability of BBAWC Rescue Clinic demonstrates a feasible and scalable solution to New York City's homeless animal crisis, the urgency and magnitude of which worsens by the day. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next. >> Sorry. >> Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Jean Bubbley and I'm a member of the cat rescue community. The city's cat crisis is undeniable. Sadly, the city has done very little to address the issue. The only people out in the field tackling the problem are private citizen volunteers. They spend their free time trapping cats and they spend their own money to spay and neuter them. And what do they get for their efforts? They get whopping vet bills. They get divorces. And they get nasty messages from people who think they aren't doing enough. To make matters wor to compete with each other for the scarce lowquosters cannot stem the tide because new unaltered cats keep showing up and reproducing. These are dumped cats, indooroutdoor pets, and indooroutdoor store cats. What can the city council do? Well, there are two things that would have an immediate impact. One is to triple the funding for lowcost spayneuter surgeries to $1.5 million. The second thing is pet food pantries to help prevent people from surrendering or abandoning their pets due to financial hardships. As helpful as these measures would be, they are not enough by themselves. We need to educate people about spaying and neutering. We need more affordable housing that allows pets. We need legislation and social services to deal with animal hoarding cases. We need affordable veterinary care beyond spay and neuter. In short, we need a separate department of animal welfare to address these complex issues. I hope this will be a high priority topic for the new animal welfare committee. Meanwhile, increasing funding for lowcost, high volume spayneuter surgeries and funding pet food pantries would be an excellent start. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. I want to thank the panel. Okay. So, I'm going to call a list of names that of people that we called before that signed up but didn't answer. So, we want to see if you're here. If you're not, then we'll move on to virtual. Michael Phillips, Isaac Eriari, Patrice Green, Sima Ellis, Jamal Seas, Allison Valentine, Sophina Tani, Angel Hernandez, Faith Beham, Casey Star, Fiorina O'Grady, Kamari Cruz, Elaine Laenna, Omar Cow, Lori from include NYC. Um Alice Buffkin, Michael Schnull, Evie Hansa Polus, Martha Neighbors, Anita Quark, Assada Terry. Okay, so these people are not here. Now we're going to go to virtual. We will now move to virtual testimony. Um, everyone who's virtual have two minutes to testify and only two minutes. If you have longer testimony, please submit it online at testimony at councsil.nyc.gov. Please wait for the sergeant-at-arms to prompt you before you begin your testimony at at Oh, that's for me. Sorry. All right. So, the first one is Molly Senk. >> You may begin. >> Let's see. >> Good evening. Um, thank you so much for allowing me to testify today. My name is Molly Senak. I am the education and employment community organizer at Center for Independence at the Disabled New York. Um, there are nearly two million adults with disabilities living in New York City. I know that that number is a little bit higher than what moped typically says um and what um the American Community Survey says. These numbers are directly from the CDC and from the New York State Department of Health. Yet, despite the fact that people with disabilities make up almost a quarter of the population of New York City, the office that is designed to serve that population currently receives less than a million dollars in city funding. This is obviously not sufficient funding to adequately address the address the numerous interconnected barriers that people with disabilities face in their daily lives. More information on what those barriers are are included in the written testimony that I have already submitted specifically as they relate to education employment transportation voting, health care, mental health care, housing, and climate change. Um, but as I said, we're looking at 2 million people and there are a number of budget asks that we would like the council to uplift to address some of these issues, including baselining the mental health continuum, adding an additional $450 million for school accessibility projects in the capital plan, expanding New York City at work to double its staff from 6 to 12, um, and increasing investments in accessible voter technology. However, we would also like to acknowledge that having Having an office whose primary purpose is to address these interconnected barriers, specifically looking at disability as its primary focus is key. And to this end, we ask that the city fund moped for $10 million, which I know it sounds like a large number, but only in comparison with its current >> time expired. >> Thank you. >> Let it finish up. Thank you. >> Thank you. um just in comparison um with its current funding levels which are insufficient not in comparison with the population it serves. Thank you so much. >> Thank you so much. All right. Next is Dawn Eustster. >> You may begin. >> I'm Don Eustster, a staff attorney in the Legal Aid Society's Education Advocacy Project. The Legal Aid Society thanks chairs Schulman, Kaban, and Hane for the opportunity to testify and for the city council's zealous advocacy for investments in school-based mental health services and behavioral supports in New York City public schools. The Legal Aid Society is deeply concerned about the enduring mental health crisis facing children and youth based on our experience as New York City's largest law firm working with thousands of children and youth each year who have significant mental health challenges and who have been unable to access the mental health services they need to be successful in school and in life. Studies have shown that young people are much more likely to seek mental health services when they are accessible in school and that these services are associated with increased attendance and academic achievement and can help reduce racial disparities and access to care. Yet far too many of our schools are inadequately resourced and unnecessarily routing students with mental health and behavioral needs to 911 emergency medical services and hospital psychiatric emergency rooms. invoking NYPD school safety agents and police on student behavior and resorting to suspensions. The harm disproportionately impacts black and brown students, students with disabilities, and students who are homeless or in the foster system and has been linked with lower educational attainment and higher odds of future contact with the juvenile or criminal legal system. It is vital that the city prioritizes the creation and funding of a comprehensive integrated system of school and community-based mental health and behavioral supports with cross agency collaboration to support students in schools, prevent emotional crisis by addressing the root causes of student behavior, and respond to crises using trauma-informed culturally responsive approaches. Finally, we urge the city council to work with the new administration to ensure the fiscal year 2027 budget extends and baselines $5 million for the mental health continuum. Extends, expands, and baselines $12 million for restorative practices in schools. Invests in basion. just summarize the the rest of it and then submit the the >> sure. Um $8 million for behavioral specialists in each school district and invests in baselines funding necessary to create school-based mental health clinics, therapeutic school day treatment programs, and also necessary to expand be her 247 citywide, adding peers, and establishing 988 as the phone number for mental health crisis in lie of 911. Thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. Okay, next is Edmund Ly. >> You may begin. >> Thank you. Um, good evening, Chair Shman, Kaban, and Paneife. Thank you for staying so late to listen to public testimony. Uh, my name is Edmond Loy, and I'm testifying on behalf of the Charles B. Wong Community Health Center. Uh, we are a federally qualified health center with locations in Chinatown and Flushing. In 2024, we served 65,000 patients. Uh 77% of whom were limited English proficient, 83% of whom had household incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, and 60% who were uninsured or on Medicaid. Um our health center and many healthcare organizations around the country are facing cuts, um funding cuts, but remain open to serve the community. Um this is only possible in part uh because of support from city council discretionary funding. Um, I'm testifying today to ask for continued support for several initiatives so that we can continue to serve vulnerable New Yorkers. Uh, the Czech heep program under the viral hepatitis initiative uh provides culturally and linguistically competent health education, patient navigation, and care management services for New York City residents with chronic hepatitis B. Um, New York City alone, an estimated 255,000 people are living with hepatitis B in 2023. At CBWCHC, one in 10 adult patients have chronic hepatitis B. If left unmonitored or untreated, hepatitis B can severely damage the liver, potentially causing liver failure, liver cancer, or even death. Uh, the Czech heep program has a strong record of success with 97% of participants completing hepatitis B medical evaluation through this program. Uh, through Access Health, we provide education to the Asian-American community about health insurance coverage, aiming to increase vulnerable New Yorkers access to healthcare services. And lastly, through the cancer services initiative, uh we increase awareness of risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options for breast and colurectal cancers. City council's continued support would ensure uh cancer screening access through patient navigation for several hundred members of the Chinese American community, many of whom are uninsured and face numerous barriers to health care. Um with continued funding and resources, our initiatives can continue to address the health disparities and inequities experienced by the communities that we serve. Um, thank you for your time and for the opportunity to testify today. I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have. >> Thank you very much. Um, next is Ella Grace. >> You may begin. >> Hello. Good evening. Thank you all so much for uh staying so late and listening to public testimony. My name is Ella Graci DS. I'm a social worker and the deputy director of policy and advocacy at Girls for Gender Equity. Uh GGE is a small black queer immigrant-led social work centered nonprofit doing racial, gender, and sexuality justice work in today's hostile world. And the funding we receive is imperative to the development and growth of black girls and gender expansive youth of color across NYC. We request continued support from city council for our FY27 youth programming so that GGE may continue to address the mental health needs of young people across all five burrows. The political environment, including lack of accountability for perpetrators in Epstein files and the continual presence of ICE in our communities, is impacting the mental health of youth that attend our programs. Young people feel powerless, which our staff has responded to by shifting program curricula, increasing one-on- ones, updating safety protocols, and developing a new political education initiative to reempower the youth. Uh this is the Alliance on Gender Equity or AIDS and we're requesting 300,000 in the form of a new city council initiative to sustain this work. It's a youthled space for civic engagement, leadership, development, and community building. Uh last November, we held a town hall with over 70 young people from all five burrows where we heard from them from six in six priority areas with issues coming up that are of direct interest to this committee. specifically a demand for more student mental health and wellness centers and resources. GGE is doing this work despite financial constraints, and we hope to continue equipping young black girls, queer, and gender expansive youth uh with the tools they need to fight for an NYC that is resilient against harmful national forces working against them and to provide uh social work informed and trauma-informed mental health care. We're requesting 350,000 from the YWLD >> time expired education. >> Just just just summarize your the end of it. >> Yes. Just um and 200,000 for our survivorship program from Dove, 100,000 from STARS, and 250,000 from ATI for our um restorative justice initiatives. Thank you all so much. >> Thank you. And if you have extended testimony, you could submit it online so because we look through all of it. All right. >> Absolutely. >> Great. Thank you so much. Okay. Next is Glenn Bolofski. >> You may begin. >> Thank you. Good afternoon. Good evening um everyone and thank you again for the opportunity to be here. Good evening. Nice to see you again. Uh Chair Schman and nice to meet you, Chair Kaban and Chair Hanife. I wish you all good luck in this next four years uh with much success. Uh it's interesting to me to listen uh all day to everybody's needs uh for uh budgeting. That's what this hearing is about. I'm here to say we know where the money is. We're giving it away to Amazon. We're giving it away to FedEx. Uh over $750 million through 2018. May I quickly share my screen to show the IBO report? >> No, we can't. We're not allowed to do that. >> If you want to if you want to if you want to copy it and submit it in in submitted testimony, you can do that. >> Thank you. Yes, I already sent it to your staff uh Chair Shman and uh yesterday I provided it to the transportation committee and uh to finance to Linda Lee and to um um Sean yesterday. So, um, the New York City Department of Finance created a stipulated fine program under Mike Bloomberg in 2001. The city council got a bill in 2007, a 0637, and tabled it because they didn't want to give any money to FedEx UPS when we need the money. Um, but the city of New York Department of Finance didn't care what our elected officials had to say and went away with it, ran away with that program anyway. And for all these years, it's been now over1 billion dollars in discounts. Why do that billion dollars is 50 million that's supposed to go to court justice funds under vehicle and traffic law 1809A of the New York State vehicle and traffic law. Imagine we've given away tens of millions of dollars in discounts to Amazon for illegal double parking in Steinway Street, Atoria Boulevard, Queens Boulevard, throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan and all burrows. It's insane. Um in um 2018 11:41 2018 >> time expired, >> right, Glenn? You need to wrap it up on the bill. Thank you so much. 39 members on that bill and we're trying to uh uh get with the speaker to have her move it in this session. >> Thank you so much. Thanks. >> Okay. Next is Jane Knee. >> You may begin. >> Good. Good evening, chairs and council members. My name is Jane Knee and I'm the assistant director of policy. On behalf of the Community Healthcare Association of New York State Chicanees, representing all of New York's health centers. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. In New York City, health centers serve more than 1.3 million patients at more than 460 sites, including mobile sites and school-based health centers, providing essential primary and preventive care to all, no matter their insurance status or ability to pay. Today, we are here to ask for your help. Health centers are facing their most severe crisis in decades. These are the challenges. A health care system that doesn't invest in primary care. Only 5 to 7% of healthcare spending goes to primary care despite accounting for a third of all healthcare visits. An outdated Medicaid reimbursement system that pays health centers only.7 cents on the dollar because of reimbursement rates set more than 25 years ago. Rates that don't account for today's inflation costs and workforce. Already health centers have had to close sites, forced to cut services, unable to recruit and retain providers. And now because of HR1, New York City health centers are at risk of losing 224 million in revenue annually. And the number of uninsured patients are expected to triple from more than 181,000 right now to over 503,000, a 178% increase. And critical services like school-based health centers, urgent and same day care are at risk. And so we urgently need your support. We are asking that you invest in community health centers to push the implementation of New York City Care Program Expansion INT 1660 uh 166081 oh sorry 1668A passed by the council in 2021 to ensure health centers can continue care for the uninsured to create a stable funding model for schoolbased health centers and to support and expand initiatives that will strengthen the healthcare workforce. Um, more details are in our written testimony and so if we fail to act, the consequences will be felt across the city. Our patients are really counting on us. >> Time expired. >> Just you just summarize the the end and then submit the rest of the testimony to us. >> Oh, that was the end of the testimony. >> Oh, okay. Thank you very much. Okay. Next is Jesse Taylor. >> You may begin. It was not letting me unmute myself. Sorry for that. Blessings to you all and thank you for your >> You're good. You're good now. We can hear you. >> Well, great. I'm Jesse. I'm a member freedom agenda and I'll get right into it. Mayor Mani needs to live up to the commitments he made during his campaign and our city budget must include intentional increased investment in community resources that center the well-being, safety, and civil liberties of New Yorkers. particularly criminalized marginalized and chronically neglected New Yorkers who are not only the most often deprived of the resources needed to survive, but are also the most often exiled to toxic, violent, carceral spaces that exacerbate existing health issues brought on by conditions of structural injustice. Conditions that can be improved, fundamentally changed, and prevented with the help of intentional investment in community resources that center the well-being, safety, and civil liberties of New Yorkers. As our mayor said, every New Yorker deserves to be safe, including captive New Yorkers on Riker's Island. Rikers is an environmental sacrifice zone and set of torture and abuse built on a toxic landfill that negatively impacts the physical and mental health of the captives forced to suffer there. Over 60% of whom are only there because they can't afford bail. Further, our city spends nearly half a million dollars a year to incarcerate just one person on Rikers. Given the countless studies and reports that detail how investment in community programs, mental health resources, and reantry services reduces recidivism and enhances community safety, reallocating funds to meet those needs is a crucial step toward keeping every New Yorker safe. Like $1 million more to eliminate the wait list for intensive mobile treatment teams, 3 million in capital funds to support 60 new residential treatment beds, and 3.5 million to open more crisis respit centers. Additionally, as our mayor said, if we want young New Yorkers to chase their dreams here, we have to make it clear that their struggles are not just their own. Our city budget must ensure that young New Yorkers, our children, are met with love and support in times of crisis instead of torture, abuse, and systemic neglect. Ending solitary confinement for child captives is not enough. Mental health care, literacy, and arts programs for our children must be prioritized and well funded in our budget. So must non-punitive alternatives to incarceration programs and initiatives that ensure our children are housed, fed, and held. >> Time expired. >> Um, just just summarize the rest of it, please. >> Let's stop manufacturing preventable disasters that cause mass harm. And yeah, keep New Yorkers safe and I'll share the rest in written testimony. >> Great. Thank you so much. All right. Next person is Kathleen Collins. >> You may begin. I just keep you waiting. Uh, thank you, CHZ. And, uh, my name is Kathleen Collins. I'm a disabled New Yorker and I'm the treasurer of disabled in action, so I understand money. Uh, the mayor's office for people with disabilities is chronically underfunded, and it shows. While New York's budget tops 150 billion, the New York the mayor's office for people with disabilities funding has not kept pace with inflation, rising costs, or growing disability population. That's not just underfunding, it's invisibility. The mayor's office for people with disability needs adequate funding to ensure accessibility is built into every city policy and project. Without adequate resources, however, accessibility becomes an afterthought. The failure at Hunter Point Library makes that painfully clear. We must invent we must invest differently. fund the mayor's office with dis for people with disabilities to act proactively at the start of planning, not after mistakes occur. Investing in accessibility is a necessary commitment to ensuring a fully inclusive city where no New Yorker is left behind. A significant budget increase for the mayor's office for people with disabilities is essential for proactive planning and economic fairness. Please do that. We definitely need more funding. It's dismal that it's less than a million dollars for this office and so many people need it and it has to do so much work. I can't believe how it even gets all it does with the little budget it has and the very tiny staff. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Um, next person is Lauren Pac. >> You may begin. >> Hi everybody. Thank you for taking the time to uh be here tonight uh very late. My name is Lauren PAC. I'm the director of health homes and non-medaid care coordination services at JCCA. I'm a social worker and I've been at JCCA for 14 years. JCCA is a child and family services agency that works with about 17,000 of New York State's children and families each year. We provide a continuum of behavioral and mental health programs in New York City which are listed out in our written testimony. Uh thank you to the city council for funding our court involved youth mental health initiative which provides counseling to youth who are court involved or at risk of court involvement. This program is so successful that we consistently have a weight list and aim to expand the program to serve more at risk youth. Thank you for also funding our opioid treatment and prevention initiative that provides counseling to youth facing or at risk of an opioid addiction. The young people and families we meet at JCCA face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Children are enrolling into our programs with high acuity needs, presenting with increased anxiety, depression, and anger. Many of these youth are diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities with co-occurring mental health diagnoses such as major depressive disorder and anxiety and require more intensive supports like youth act, HBCI, community residences, and day treatment programs. At JCCA, we aim to provide youth with high quality treatment, but we face the same workforce challenges as other human services agencies. Low reimbursement rates and high case loads have caused significant staffing challenges. We routinely have weight lists for our programs and we are unable to serve many of these children due to our staff shortages. We experiences high turnover resulting in youth losing continuity of care. The current mental health system needs reform to better serve our young people and we're recommending that we provide investment in the current mental health system, support diverse work enforcement with education and training supports and encourage state partners to increase their reimbursement rates. Thank you. >> Okay. Next is Michael Ring. >> You may begin. Thank you for waiting for me. Uh my name is Michael Ring. I am vice president of Disabled in Action. And if anyone needs a verbal description of my appearance, I'm a 62 year old white guy and I hope you can see me um uh in Presby Park. It's kind of dark. Um earlier this evening, the new commissioner of Moped mentioned that when you help people with disabilities, you help everybody. And that's called the curbcut effect. That, you know, when we put curb cuts at every intersection, it really helps everybody. Uh parents with strollers, people making deliveries, tourists with suitcases. Um, I wanted to take this moment to talk about the snow removal problem we had a few weeks ago. People with disabilities can't travel when there's snow on the ground. Unless there's a 4 foot shoveled area on the sidewalk, it means you can't go anywhere. I could I'm in the middle of running a loop of Prospect Park right now. I can do that. But if one person doesn't shovel their snow, I can't walk through snow. I can't walk on slippery surfaces. I would urge the city when there's a snow emergency to remind people that property owners that it's their responsibility to shovel their walk and to shovel the crosswalk. Um and revenue can be generated on this by um you know give make people know they're going to get tickets. They'll you know they'll get some tickets and then they'll shovel the snow next time. Um I hope this can be done and uh I hope everyone has a nice day and uh thanks for being there all day. Bye. Thank you for waiting for us. Um, the next person is Rachel Gazdic. >> You may begin. Rachel Gazdick All right. Um, Rhonda Braxton, >> you may begin. >> Good evening. My name is Rhonda Braxton, vice president of health and wellness at Children's Aid. >> Thank you to the committee chairs and council members for the opportunity to testify. Children's Aid believes that children and youth can only thrive when they are healthy, supported, and surrounded by stability. Our health and nutrition programs are designed to meet the needs of the whole child and to engage families as essential partners and long-term well-being. To accomplish this, we integrate comprehensive health and nutrition services directly within our community school centers and clinics. Through two community health clinics and six schoolbased health centers, we provide coordinated medical, dental, behavioral, and reproductive health care. Our nutrition programs complement these services with education, gardening, food access, and culturally responsive activities that strengthen both health and community connection. Our school-based health centers operate in communities where families face significant barriers to care. Last school year, we served more than 3,800 students and delivered over 20,000 visits, supporting preventive care, keeping students up to date on immunizations and connecting families to follow-up services. Youth mental health needs continue to escalate with suicide now being the leading cause of death among young people nationwide. Four of our centers operate on article 31 mental health clinics and all six clinics connect students to community- based supports. Without these entry points, many students would simply go without care. Despite their essential roles, school-based health centers remain significantly underfund funded. Former controller Lander's 2025 report recommended dedicated school-based health center funding as a core element of citywide mental health continue. As the state proceeds with the plan carve in of schoolbased health centers into Medicaid managed care, stable city investment is critical to preserve access and prevent clinic closures. We urge the council to increase city levy funding to $25 million providing $100,000 per site for all 139 schoolbased health centers. Our nutrition >> time expired. >> Just um just um summarize um the the end part and then submit the rest of it to us please. Thank you. >> Um as a result of HR1, our SNAPED funding was eliminated without this intervention. um without an intervention, this work will end in September. We're asking for um we are asking for the uh city council to to add to establish bridge funding of 5 to7 million to sustain SNAPED programming through community- based providers and to coordinate with agencies to close nutrition education gaps. All effective providers should be included in any city investment aimed at preserving this critical work. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Rachel Gazdek, I'm going to I'm making the call again. >> You may begin. >> Okay. Um, Sylvia Pizaro, >> you may begin. Uh oh. Hello. Um hi, my name is Sylvia Pisaro. It has been a recovery journey for me at Lifelings Clubhouse. I developed relationship with the members. It has been a positive experience because I would get to do involved with activities like wellness. Without lifelinks, I would be isolated in the community. I would be sad, depressed, and lost. I wouldn't know what to do with my time. The way that the program lifelings has helped me is that I got to know the people there. I leave home to go to Lifelings and I feel better because I got better when I was there. I like to do the reception desk because I would greet members and answer the phone correctly. There are other parts of the lifelink which I think that are very good like it provides structure and structure is necessary to have consistency in the involvement of club houses. Thank you very much. All right, one more time we'll call for Rachel Gazdick. >> You may begin. Hello, good evening. My name is uh Daycoin Nashurn representing New York Edge After Schools. Um I'm here today to ask that you prioritize New York Edg's uh fiscal 27 school wide citywide funding request. New York Edge is the city's oldest and largest provider of afterchool and summer programming serving almost 33,000 students in 134 schools across the city including four beacon centers and 21 community schools. We also operate food pantries in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, providing food and personal hygiene products to our students and their families. Our program are in 37 of the 51 council districts. We are seeking 250,000 under the s the council's social emotional support for student initiative. Social emotional learning is integrated in every element of our program. We are identified as U Mosaic by ACT the largest after school provider in the nation offering social emotional support. This funding will enable us to support our current programming providing highquality evidence schoolbased social emotional learning assessments curriculum and resources for all of our partner schools and our students and their families. We are also seeking $1.5 million under the council's afterchool enrichment initiative. For over three decades, the New York City Council has been a vital partner in helping us fulfill our mission. Since 2020, we have tripled in size and have significantly increased the number of students served. Our council citywide funding, however, has remained flat at $1 million. New York Edge, its students and families are extremely grateful for the council's past support. This time the time has come however we increase funding >> where increased funding is vitally needed. >> Uh council discretionary contracts are not eligible for cola increases. This is making it increasingly difficult for New York Edge to attain attract and maintain quality staff to continue to offer the wide array of programs that we are known for. Increased funding will enable us to keep providing youth throughout the city with the e with the edge that need they need to succeed. Your support and adv advocacy on our behalf are requested. Thank you. >> Can you just give us your name again? >> Hello. >> He's not. >> Thank you. My name is uh Day Mash representing New York Edge. >> All right. Thank you. Thank you. >> Okay. So, I'm going to call these names one more time, and if you don't answer, then um then we're going to move on. Then we're going to move on and close the hearing. Um, Alisa I mean I'm sorry Aliyah Jessa Manuel De Jesus Falquz Rhonda Braxton Lily Shapiro we had her already daxine Roberts Naen Daly Jeffrey Zeissman okay at the end oh >> if what Alexis foot, Stacy Wagal, Alex Stein, Kathleen and >> they did already. >> Um, Dylan Lewis. Okay, this this closes out the the March 19th preliminary hearings for the health committee for mental health and substance use and disabilities. We are adjourned. >> I want to get I want we should get a picture with the staff and the three of us.