| December 18, 2006
GMHC's Testimony to City Council General Welfare Committee
Ready Access to Assistance Act (REAACT)
Good morning. My name is Darryl Ng; I am the Director of
Public Policy at Gay Men's Health Crisis. I want to thank the
New York City Council and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum for
this opportunity to testify. GMHC is the nation's oldest AIDS
service organization. Last year, we served more than 15,000 New
Yorkers living with or at risk of HIV and AIDS. GMHC's staff
provides comprehensive services that include testing, financial
advocacy, meals, legal assistance, permanency planning, mental
health counseling and public education. I am here today to
speak about our support for the Ready Access to Assistance Act
(REAACT) or also know as Introduction #359.
It is our belief that the Ready Access to Assistance Act
would greatly improve the outcome, effectiveness and productivity
of city administered public benefits programs. By allowing non-for
profit advocates the ability to meet inside government offices,
individuals seeking public entitlements can get additional help
when and where they need it the most.
The Ready Access to Assistance Act would give community
advocates like GMHC, the right to perform a number of activities
in public areas of offices where the city administers public benefits,
such as public assistance, Food Stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housing,
housing subsidies and services, and child care benefits. Community
advocates would be available to inform people of their rights and
obligations, translating documents, providing interpretation, and
facilitate better communication with city representatives. In
addition, advocates could set up help desks, guide clients through
the complex application/recertification processes and when needed,
represent individuals in interactions with government officials. Community
advocates could also help city administered public benefits programs by
pointing out suggestions in ways of improving the system, and by monitoring
the government's compliance with federal, state, and local laws. All of
these benefits derived by the Ready Access to Assistance Act would be provided
to the City with no additional cost.
This year, GMHC is commemorating its 25th year. From the beginning
of the AIDS epidemic, we witnessed what happens when individuals and
families seeking public benefits try to work their way through the city
system without assistance from community advocates. Tragically, they
often died before their benefits or entitlements were activated. This
was the reason why the City originally created the Division of AIDS
Services, now called HASA. Although much has improved over the past
25 years, due in part to increased cooperation between city and
non-profit agencies, proper and expedited enrollment of public
entitlements continues to be a life or death situation for our
clients and many disadvantaged New Yorkers.
Whether in HASA sites or other public benefits offices, this
bill corrects an on-going problem. People seeking benefits often
do not understand what information the government needs from them,
and do not know when or what to do when government workers wrongly
deny them benefits. A case in point: several years ago, during one
of New York's harshest winters, HASA was illegally denying some
people with AIDS same day emergency housing. Because the City did
not have this law in place, HASA was also allowed to bar community
advocates from entering into the building and informing HASA clients
of their emergency housing rights. The results were that many New
Yorkers with AIDS were illegally tuned away by HASA, only to be
informed by AIDS advocates camped outside on the snowy sidewalks
in front of the HASA center. Clearly, a situation like this must
not be allowed to happen again.
We know that this act will work. In fact, the REAACT would
bring New York City's policy in line with those of other cities,
both in New York State and in other parts of the country. Buffalo,
Los Angeles and San Diego allow advocates to set up help tables
and distribute information to people seeking benefits. In New York
City, help tables are allowed at fair hearings offices in Brooklyn,
Family Courts and Housing Courts. In all of these offices,
advocates have shown that this adds a measure of fairness and a
ccountability to the administration of public benefits programs
without disrupting the operations of the offices.
GMHC supports the Ready Access to Assistance Act. We see it
as a vehicle to further improve a partnership between city and
non-profit agencies which will ultimately enable New Yorkers
for get the best possible services from their government. Thank
you for your time and consideration.
© 2006 Gay Men's Health Crisis |
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