RELEASE: Advocates AND ELECTED OFFICIALS call on the city to RESTORE CRITICAL FUNDING TO THE NYC COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS

Advocates and Council Member Chi Osssé held a virtual event, “United We Fight! Defend Human Rights!” to call for increased funding in the City’s budget.

The Commission on Human Rights is tasked with enforcing the City’s human rights laws, soon to include Fair Chance for Housing. The current FY25 budget does not allocate sufficient funding to the Commission, which has been underfunded and understaffed for years.

Event recording available here. Passcode: hWqK!2p%

JUNE 4, 2024 (NEW YORK, NY) – The Fair Chance for Housing Coalition and the New York Human Rights Law Working Group held a virtual event this evening to call for critical funding for the NYC Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) in the City’s Fiscal 2025 Budget. Advocates called on Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Council to recognize the crisis at CCHR and fully fund the commission to protect vulnerable New Yorkers from discrimination.

The event, titled “United We Fight! Defend Human Rights,” included speakers who have faced all types of discrimination: Hilton Webb, a member of the Fair Chance for Housing Coalition, who has faced housing discrimination because of his conviction record; Nycole-Lanyse Jaqcques, a member of Unlock NYC Leadership Collective, who has faced CityFHEPS voucher discrimination, despite reporting it to CCHR; Cristobal Gutierrez, Lead Attorney – Workplace Justice Project at Make the Road NY, who addressed employment and public accommodation discrimination, particularly against trans people.

They were joined by Chi Ossé, Council Member for New York City’s 36th District, representing Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights. Council Member Ossé shared why funding the Commission is so important to his district of BedStuy, where Black people have been displaced from their homes at alarming rates.

“We need to act now, not later. The Mayor needs to take immediate action to fund the NYC Commission on Human Rights. I have been housing insecure for more than two years, sleeping in shelters or staying on my friends’ couches. I know people who have been in the shelter for years – it is inhumane. You can’t expect the Commission to do more with less,” said Nycole-Lanyse Jacques, Unlock NYC Leadership Collective member and housing voucher holder.

“The intersectionality of discrimination has deprived New Yorkers of their dignity and the opportunity to thrive in their communities. Funding CCHR in the city’s final budget for fiscal year 2025 is an investment in combating discrimination, creating a fair chance and equal opportunity for New Yorkers to live a life free from discrimination,” said Nailah Abdul-Mubdi, Community Organizer at Neighbors Together.

“As a New Yorker impacted by the criminal legal system, I support fully funding the NYC Commission on Human Rights because without its critical oversight, the progressive laws we pass mean nothing, and we will remain within a system that says we are seen and heard but in reality we will remain marginalized and unseen,” said Hilton N. Webb, Jr., LMSW, CASAC-T, CRPA, member of the Fair Chance for Housing Coalition.

“The Commission on Human Rights has been a cornerstone of New York City democratic wellbeing for years. Today, our city faces a housing crisis with little historic precedent. The pain of that crisis is deepened by the relentless housing discrimination exacted on our most vulnerable neighbors. We have a tool to combat that housing discrimination called CCHR, but the City is failing at its democratic mandate by failing to fund this vital institution. Grateful for Council Member Nantasha Williams’ leadership, I stand steadfastly with neighbors and advocates in our simple but necessary call: Fully restore funding to CCHR and live up to our commitment that housing is a human right,” said Council Member Chi Ossé.

“Only a properly staffed New York City Commission on Human Rights can enforce our Human Rights Law, educate the public against prejudice and protect New

Yorkers. It is vital that the Administration restore the Commission’s budget to pre-pandemic levels so that everyone is safeguarded by New York City’s comprehensive anti-discrimination laws. I applaud Council Member Williams who will continue to advocate with her colleagues to enhance funding in the upcoming City budget to this essential commission,” said Council Member Julie Menin.

“When my family was evicted from our home when I was a kid, we had no one there to tell us our rights or fight on our behalf. It was a scary feeling—and unfortunately, it is a feeling that too many families are experiencing right now, with evictions on the rise in our city. We need a strong enforcement mechanism against all forms of housing discrimination, and it turns out we have one: the NYC Commission on Human Rights,” said Council Member Shaun Abreu. “We can say housing is a human right, but it means nothing if we fail to invest in the institutions that defend this right—institutions like CCHR.”

“The Council is committed to investing in the NYC Commission on Human Rights to protect low-income New Yorkers. As we expand access to FHEPS vouchers and implement the Fair Chance for Housing Act, the Commission needs adequate staff capacity to prevent discrimination against formerly incarcerated New Yorkers and New Yorkers utilizing a voucher to access housing,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler.

“As Chair of the Civil & Human Rights Committee, I firmly believe that the fight against discrimination and for the protection of human rights must be a top priority for our city. The NYC Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) and the Equal Employment Practices Commission (EEPC) play pivotal roles in addressing these critical issues. To ensure they can continue their essential work, it is imperative that both the CCHR and the EEPC receive full funding from the City of New York. By adequately supporting these agencies, we reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of every resident and city employee, fostering a more inclusive and equitable New York City,” said Council Member Nantasha Williams.

“We waged a five-year campaign to secure anti-discrimination protections for the 750,000 New Yorkers with convictions, as a matter of racial justice, family unity, community well-being, and human rights. The Fair Chance for Housing Act will finally go into effect on January 1, 2025. But this landmark law will only be effective if the NYC Commission on Human Rights has sufficient resources to

educate people about their rights and responsibilities under the new law, and to enforce it. We urge the Administration and City Council to fulfill the promise of our robust human rights laws by fully funding the Commission,” said the Fair Chance for Housing Coalition Steering Committee.

CCHR is the sole agency tasked with protecting low-income New Yorkers from discrimination. The agency plays a vital role in addressing discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. When adequately funded, its early intervention unit has successfully resolved issues that could have led to significant hardships, and even homelessness. However, without sufficient funding, its ability to carry out this critical mission is severely compromised. All New Yorkers will continue to experience the cost of its absence.

The event participants advocated to increase the Commission’s budget to $18 million – a mere $4.4 million more than currently budgeted, and just 0.02% of the total NYC budget. This would restore the budget for the Commission’s Law Enforcement Bureau to its pre-pandemic level and provide necessary funds to enforce the new Fair Chance for Housing Act, starting on January 1, 2025, when it takes effect.