New York Legal Assistance Group Inc.
03/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/13/2026 11:03
Testimony: NYLAG Advocates for Reduced Barriers to Shelter and Benefits Access
Testimony: NYLAG Advocates for Reduced Barriers to Shelter and Benefits Access
- March 13, 2026
- 12:47 pm
Graham Horn, Coordinating Attorney with NYLAG's Shelter & Economic Stability Project, testified before the New York City Council's Committee on General Welfare on March 9, 2026 to advocate for reduced barriers to shelter and public benefits access.
However, in our opinion, families should not have to prove housing history in order to be eligible because families who desperately need shelter are often turning to the shelter system as their last and only option. In fact, single adults do not have to go through the same onerous eligibility determinations to prove that they are actually homeless; families should not either.
If there must be eligibility investigations, DHS should perform them in a different way by assisting the applicant in obtaining necessary documentation and allowing attestation as proof of homelessness to be enough. If these occurred, the process would be much more efficient, and it would allow eligible homeless families to obtain shelter and stability more expeditiously.
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