Press Room

"The right to shelter, a right codified by my Homeless Bill of Rights which passed last month, has been our legal and moral obligation for decades. The mayor attempting to weaken those rights now—in a moment of immense need for so many asylum seekers—is a misguided and harmful action in the face of the real, urgent challenge exacerbated by a lack of decisive and timely state and federal action.

"Denying rights and resources to people arriving in desperate need and fervent hope will not replace action needed from the President, who has failed to provide sufficient federal funding or a national response, or the Governor, who has failed to support the city, and therefore the state, by coordinating with other municipalities. Instead, this action will only harm our newest, aspiring and long-term New Yorkers and shift, not solve, the crisis. While it is clear that the current situation is unsafe and unsustainable, we need Democratic leaders on all levels of government to focus on getting the support needed to uphold the right to shelter, not undercut it."

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams today pushed to pass legislation designed to incentivize the building of green projects throughout New York City. The bill, Intro 689, was discussed at a Wednesday morning hearing of the Committee on Housing and Buildings, and would continue the work of increasing efficiency, decreasing emissions, and building a greener New York City.

“Now is the time to continue our support and fight for the sustainability of New York City. It is a scary reality for us and future generations if we do not prioritize climate change and address it head on,” said Public Advocate Williams before the committee. “Every New Yorker deserves access to a safe and healthy home. We must invest in clean energy and actions towards environmental justice. Not only will this allow us to reach our environmental protection goals but it will also allow us to reach economic growth with new jobs.”

In 2019, the city enacted Local Law 97, which requires buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet new energy efficiency standards and greenhouse gas emissions limits by 2024. The law also created an advisory board and climate working group that supports the City on meeting these aggressive sustainability goals, with the goal of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from buildings to 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

The new legislation from the Public Advocate would broaden the parameters for certain green incentives established in that 2019 landmark law to include smaller buildings. By expanding the definition of a green building project to include those undertaken in one to four family homes and eliminating fees for those projects, the bill would provide incentives for owners to improve green energy efficiency. The Public Advocate noted that in implementing this measure, just as with Local Law 97, it would be critical to verify that sustainability standards are truly being met to merit these incentives.

“This bill doesn’t require green building projects but it incentivizes them to move forward with this option,” closed the Public Advocate. “Hopefully, this inspires them to get it done.”

Read the Public Advocate’s full comments at the hearing below.

TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS

TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON

HOUSING AND BUILDINGS

MAY 3, 2023

Good Morning. 

Bringing up the issue with homeowner particularly in black and brown district is crucial. The former Mayor was very surprised when they visited the homes in my district as many thought they were all apartments.

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you very much Chair Sanchez and members of the Committee on Housing & Buildings for holding this hearing and allowing me the opportunity to provide testimony. 

The previous administration committed to increasing the sustainability of buildings across our city. Then Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a package of bills that were part of his Green New Deal to ensure that we are taking steps forward to address climate change and issues of environmental justice. Local Law 97-2019, which passed in 2019 requires buildings over 25,000 square feet to meet new energy efficiency standards and greenhouse gas emissions limits by 2024. This bill also creates an advisory board and climate working group that supports the City on meeting these aggressive sustainability goals. In addition, these buildings are required to file a report that includes their annual greenhouse gas emission to the Department of Buildings. The main goal is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from buildings to 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. 

To continue the City’s dedication to this issue including some of the great work the Council has done, I hope my colleagues can support my bill, Int 0689-2022. This bill will create a new definition for green building projects that would include 1-4 unit family homes and waive any building permit fees for green projects in these buildings. About 29% of available units right now are 1-2 family homes in New York City. It will capture smaller sized buildings since Local Law 97-2019 applies to larger buildings consisting of 25,000 square feet or more. We must ensure that any project filed can show energy and water efficiency and has a seamless process for the permit waivers. In addition, my colleague, Majority Whip Brooks-Powers is introducing Int 0384-2022, which creates an Office of the Homeowner Advocate within the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. This office will be tasked with providing support to homeowners and connecting them with any needed resources. Int. 0683-2022 will incentivize homeowners of small buildings to take action to reduce gas emissions while Int. 0384-2022 will provide assistance, guidance, and referrals. 

Now is the time to continue our support and fight for the sustainability of New York City. It is a scary reality for us and future generations if we do not prioritize climate change and address it head on. Every New Yorker deserves access to a safe and healthy home. We must invest in clean energy and actions towards environmental justice. Not only will this allow us to reach our environmental protection goals but it will also allow us to reach economic growth with new jobs at the Office of the Homeowner Advocate and close the social equity gap. This bill doesn’t require green building projects but it incentivizes them to move forward with this option. Hopefully, this inspires them to get it done.

Thank you.

"Harry Belafonte was a trailblazer in music history and a titan in the civil rights movement. In his art and his activism, he was unapologetic and undaunted by the barriers before him, which he went on to break. I mourn this enormous loss together with the entire city and all who were impacted by his songs and his story. 

"As a fellow Black New Yorker of Caribbean heritage, I was honored to meet Mr. Belafonte and learn from his experience and example. His political and civic engagement, his righteous anger in the face of injustice, continued throughout his long life. His legacy continues not only in his songs that have survived generations but in the change he helped to create for generations to come. May we all aspire to follow in the steps of Harry Belafonte, and his lifelong, selfless, and concrete support of civil rights."

Following a trip by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams to Washington, D.C. to discuss an agenda of asylum seeker aid and immigration reform with federal agencies and elected officials, advocates and elected officials are voicing their support for urgent action on the issue at the national level to ease transition for people seeking asylum and other immigrants, establish a number of support services, and reform an inhumane and failing system of immigration infrastructure and enforcement, among other proposals. This comes at the end of NYC Immigrant Heritage Week.

“We traveled to the nation’s capital to convey the urgency of action to the federal government, and to collaborate on things we can do right now if we prioritize these needs and have the political will to get it done,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams after the trip. “I was happy to find leaders in Washington receptive to and understanding of the urgent need for action to support asylum seekers and improve our immigration infrastructure. I’m encouraged that movement and momentum toward these critical goals will continue beyond our ‘days of action’ as we work on all levels of government to provide the aid and systemic reforms needed for our newest, aspiring, and incoming New Yorkers.”

During the trip, the Public Advocate released a joint statement with Representatives Jamaal Bowman, Yvette Clarke, Daniel Goldman, Grace Meng, and Nydia Velásquez, highlighting the need for legislative and executive action on the federal level. Read their statement here.

A coalition of elected leaders and organizations also joined Public Advocate outside the Capitol for a press conference to reiterate and reinforce the urgency of this agenda. Video of the event is available in full here.

“It’s long overdue that Congress acts in a compassionate, comprehensive and bipartisan fashion to address our broken immigration system,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08). “I supported funding at the conclusion of last year to provide assistance to overwhelmed and under-resourced frontline communities across the country like New York City to help deal with the strain that may exist on local services because of the arrival of migrants. While a comprehensive solution is the only way to ensure that we can adequately address and process individuals seeking asylum in a lawful and humane way, we must provide as much funding as required to address the increased needs of cities like New York to feed, shelter and provide resources to asylum seekers in a manner that is consistent with our history as a nation of immigrants.”

“Our immigration system is in desperate need of repair,“ said Representative Jerrold Nadler, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee. “As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee last Congress, I was proud to advance legislation to reform our immigration system by establishing real legal pathways for migrants who are fleeing terrible situations or want to be reunited with family. The ability to seek asylum is a bedrock principle protected by federal law. Unfortunately, with Republicans now in control of the House, they have made it clear they will not fix this crisis which is growing by the day. In the face of their inaction, I urge President Biden to redesignate TPS for Venezuela and expand humanitarian parole access for asylum seekers so they can get the work authorizations they desperately need to get on their feet and build their lives in the United States.”

New Yorkers can join our coalition’s ongoing call for action by sending a message to elected officials as part of our Immigrants Rise 2023: NYC to DC effort.

“The #WelcomeWithDignity campaign for asylum rights is proud to stand with New York City’s Office of the Public Advocate and members of Congress to call on the U.S. government to change course in how it treats families seeking safety at the U.S. border with Mexico,” said Bilal Askaryar, Interim Campaign Manager of the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign. “The fact is that we can – and in many cities like NYC – are welcoming people seeking asylum with dignity. Refugee organizations and city governments around the country are stepping up to not only welcome asylum seekers, but also to mitigate the devasting effects of the Biden administration’s border policies. Instead of keeping Trump-era polices on life support, President Biden should demonstrate the humane approach to asylum reception that he espoused on the campaign trail.”

“New York has long been a beacon for immigrants, and we are proud of that history. Just like those who came before them, the families seeking asylum today are fleeing violence and persecution with the hope of a better life in America — and they deserve our support,” said Christine C. Quinn, President & CEO of Win, the largest provider of shelter and supportive services for homeless families with children in the country. “But the harsh reality is non-profits can only do so much. Homeless New Yorkers — whether their family has been in the city for generations or just arrived — need housing. Until asylum seekers can work legally, however, stable housing remains out of reach. That’s why this week we’re taking our advocacy straight to the federal government and urging them to find a solution that helps these families get to work, get out of shelter, and begin establishing their new lives in New York.”

"The Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP) commends New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams for his pronounced support for asylum seekers. ASAP members - more than half a million asylum seekers living across all 50 states and U.S. territories - have told us time and again that they are eager to work, support their families, and contribute to their communities," said ASAP Co-Executive Director Swapna Reddy. "We need Congress to take action and pass legislation to bring asylum seekers into the workforce. In the meantime, the Biden administration has the ability to expedite work authorization with just a few simple measures - shorten the application form, allow people to apply for work permits sooner, and create more accessible online application processes."

"We thank the Public Advocate for his leadership and his advocacy for the communities BAJI fights for. Black immigrants in the US who have contact with the criminal legal system have a 70% chance of being deported compared to 45% of the immigrant population overall. Black immigrants pay the highest bonds, spend the most time in detention, and are six times more likely to be placed in solitary confinement," said Ronald Claude, Director of Policy and Advocacy, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. "The conditions for Black LGBTQ immigrants is even more dire. At all levels of government, this country must address anti-Black laws that criminalize migrants."

"Immigrants are an integral part of our community; protecting immigrants is protecting our community." Nils Kinuani, CCWM Board Director and Immigration Coordinator.

New York has been the city most impacted by the recent surge of asylum seekers, with more than 50,000 people moving through the city’s intake systems in the last year. Public Advocate Williams and other elected officials representing New York City have long called for both state and federal aid to help support the newest New Yorkers.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the below statement in response to the reported $53 million settlement agreement for people held in solitary confinement in New York City filed in federal court today.

"Today’s settlement agreement shows that no matter what officials argue to the contrary, no matter what words they use to disguise the reality, solitary confinement has been and is still happening in New York City. The city can’t continue to hide this practice under new names – we need to pass my bill to finally ban solitary, the practice that the United Nations has designated as torture, and put in place further due process. Hopefully, the findings in this case prevent future disingenuous disagreements about the semantics of solitary confinement and the false assertions that it does not occur.

"Though New Yorkers who have been subject to solitary without due process won a legal victory today, money does not undo the damage. True justice means ensuring no one else suffers that harm in our city again. This ruling shows the financial cost of this continued abuse, and it is nothing compared to the human cost incurred by continuing to put forth defenses of an indefensible status quo that harms people on both sides of the bars."

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams issued the below statement in response to House Republicans' attempts to spread misinformation about New York City and its public safety policies during today's House Judiciary Committee hearing in Manhattan.

The Public Advocate will hold a virtual media availability to further address the hearing at 2:15 PM on Monday. Reporters interested in joining the availability via Zoom can register here.

"I have been working on issues of gun violence and public safety my entire career. I would welcome a legitimate examination of ways to promote and produce safety, in New York and nationwide.

"This hearing was not that discussion, and deliberately so. Chair Jordan and his conservative colleagues came to our city in an attempt to further disingenuous narratives and discredit District Attorney Bragg and the reforms he has helped bring about.The reality they choose to ignore is that New York City remains among the safest large cities in the country despite the nationwide increase in crime, and that it is in conservative-controlled states — including the Chair’s home state of Ohio – rates of violence are dramatically higher.

"Rankings and statistics mean nothing to victims of violent crimes or their families, and we must recognize their trauma and work to prevent future pain. But today’s show was not about lifting up victims’ voices. It was about exploiting their grief to score political points, protect Donald Trump, and mislead the public about what policies threaten public safety. It was about demonizing not only District Attorney Bragg, but New York City itself and the people who call it home – part of a long campaign by conservatives to otherize urban Americans. 

"Unfortunately, these false narratives about public safety are furthered by voices here in New York who disregard data to stoke fear and push policies rooted in that fear. Efforts like rolling back bail reform – again – are disconnected from the reality in New York, but closely aligned with Jim Jordan and his conservative colleagues. Today’s theatrics and the narrative that surrounds them show the danger of exaggerating political rhetoric – that people will believe you. 

"If conservatives are truly concerned about our city, I invite them to expand federal funding for the programs that we know actually protect public safety. I’d be eager for the opportunity to further facts rather than fear, to support victims rather than play one, at a future hearing – even one in a statistically more dangerous space like the Chairman’s Ohio home."