Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the reactivation of the Just Home Supportive Housing Project, marking a renewed push to provide stable housing combined with social and support services for residents in need. City officials say the program is designed to address long-term housing insecurity while improving access to essential care. The move signals a broader effort by the administration to strengthen housing infrastructure and community support systems.
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NewsTranscript
00:00It feels fitting, frankly, that we are celebrating this progress on the day set aside
00:04to remember a man who dedicated his life to fighting for the downtrodden.
00:10Because make no mistake, as we reactivate the Just Home Supportive Housing Project,
00:16I want to say thank you, This Day Possible.
00:21Thank you, Fortune Society.
00:30Thank you to Health and Hospitals.
00:41And thank you to the elected officials who made today possible in the months and years prior to this moment.
00:47And I'm proud to say that Councilwoman Nurse is also here with us.
00:55Thanks to her for being one of those.
00:56We are together here to announce the reactivation of Just Home.
01:12A first-of-its-kind housing initiative that promises to transform the lives of those that it serves.
01:20But I don't need to tell anyone that this day was far from promised.
01:24We stand here only because of the hard work of so many whose names I have shared, as well as those that I have not.
01:31Advocates and activists in the Bronx, as well as across this city.
01:35Only because of the untiring work done by so many in the Council who believe that this project could be won despite the opposition.
01:42And only because of New Yorkers' refusal to abandon the most vulnerable among us.
01:47And only also because of the incredibly talented public servants that I am proud to call a part of my administration.
01:54It feels fitting, frankly, that we are celebrating this progress on the day set aside to remember a man who dedicated his life to fighting for the downtrodden.
02:03Because, make no mistake, as we reactivate the Just Home Supportive Housing Project,
02:10we are not simply creating 83 new apartments and supporting those who are struggling.
02:16We are advancing the cause of justice.
02:19I think of what Dr. King said in his Three Evils speech when he called for our nation to undergo a revolution of values.
02:27That revolution, he said, will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies.
02:36True compassion, he said, is more than flinging a coin to a beggar.
02:40It understands that an edifice which produced beggars needs restructuring.
02:44I know that many of us have no difficulty questioning the fairness and justice of many of our city's past policies and those who pursued them.
02:53But I seek not to dwell on questions of blame.
02:57I seek instead to pursue that rule of true compassion.
03:02To focus City Hall's attention on the restructuring that so many of our fellow New Yorkers have called out for so long.
03:08Because today, as we stand together near the future site of Just Home at Jacoby Hospital, we are doing exactly that.
03:18This initiative, it is a testament to the new city that we are building together.
03:22One that uplifts those among us who have struggled the most.
03:26One that is innovative and creative in its solutions.
03:29And one that does not shy away from the challenges that we face.
03:33If you do not mind, I would like to take a moment to extol this project's virtues, because there are many.
03:40It is comprised of 100% affordable housing.
03:43It will create 83 apartments on this campus.
03:47Apartments which will support New Yorkers.
03:49Who have medical conditions that leave it impossible for them to be cared for in shelter.
03:54Who have a history of cycling through the criminal justice system.
03:56Who have too long been deprived of the external support that has been proven time and time again.
04:02To reduce recidivism and to improve outcomes.
04:06This is a project which will provide a rent stabilized lease to every single tenant.
04:12And it will prove that our commitment to homeless New Yorkers and those who need supportive housing is anything but abstract.
04:19It is tangible and it is actionable.
04:20I know that we have walked a long, hard, contentious path to arrive where we are today.
04:28And my sincere belief is that soon, Just Home will be seen as clear evidence of New York's commitment to a new era.
04:35Where every one of our neighbors, even those who have made mistakes in their past, is entitled to dignity and safety.
04:43And to a home that they can call their own.
04:44And I thank all of those who refuse to abandon any New Yorker who calls this city home.
04:51And all those partners who are standing alongside me in this moment.
04:54Who are sitting in the crowd in front of me and those beyond the walls of this building.
04:58Who worked together to make today not only possible, but inevitable.
05:03Thank you so much.
05:04And I would like to call up Dr. Mitchell Katz.
05:06Wow, what a great mayor we have.
05:19And what an amazing commitment.
05:21Right?
05:22Yeah.
05:25Right?
05:25For those of us who've spent our careers working on trying to take care of the most vulnerable,
05:32Mr. Mayor, it's great to have you and to know that in the next years we can really expand our programs to help people who need it the most.
05:42So I welcome all of you first to Jacoby Hospital.
05:45A place where lives are saved and healed every day by dedicated nurses and doctors and social workers and the people who support them.
05:54So it's a great hospital.
05:56As a primary care doctor, I know that the most important prescription for my unhoused patients is housing.
06:05It's a permanent solution that changes, yes.
06:15Unlike blood tests and hospitalizations and MRI scans, housing changes the arc of someone's life.
06:23And that's why we're so glad to be here, why we're so glad that the mayor has affirmed his support for this amazing program.
06:32And I want to tell you, Mr. Mayor, we got land.
06:36And we want to house people.
06:39We see that housing is part of the health continuum.
06:43And we want to be at the forefront.
06:45We want to use our land in order to house our patients.
06:49And we look incredibly forward to the next few years with you.
06:53And I now have the privilege of calling up our public advocate, Jumaane Williams.
07:14Sorry, my phone stopped.
07:15Peace and blessings, love and light to everybody.
07:18Happy MLK Day.
07:19I'm honored to be here.
07:21I can't believe I'm old enough to say this now, but early in my career, I started as a tenant organizer, housing organizer, understanding the intersections of public safety and housing were critical.
07:32And so to finally have a mayor that gets it, not just in words and action, it's just an awesome place to be.
07:40And Just Homes is about dignity.
07:42It's about recognizing that seniors who are experiencing incarceration and homelessness deserve the same safety, same stability and respect as any other New Yorker.
07:50For far too long, this project was stalled by fear-based opposition that treated people as problems instead of the neighbors that they are.
07:58Restarting Just Homes is a statement that our city chooses humanity over exclusion.
08:03Supportive housing works.
08:05We know it works.
08:05It's data to back it up.
08:07It keeps people housed, improves health outcomes, and makes communities safer.
08:10And it is far more effective and far more compassionate than cycling people through shelters, hospitals, and jails.
08:17And for those who don't watch the numbers, you've heard it's cheaper as well.
08:2183 deeply affordable homes may not solve our housing crisis on their own, but for the seniors who will live here, it means stability, means independence, and a real chance to age with dignity.
08:31If we are serious about addressing homelessness, about re-entry, and about public safety, we must invest in supportive housing across the city.
08:39Just Homes shows what's possible when we lead with courage and we lead with care.
08:43I've always found it fascinating that the thing people need the most is housing and work.
08:48And by law, we've actually tried to prevent returning citizens and residents from that the most, which makes no sense.
08:54MLK died on an economic justice battle.
08:58And some of that economic justice is about housing.
09:02So once again, we've waited for a long time for a mayor not to just be about words, but about actions, about making difficult things and having difficult conversations, but understanding what it means to keep us safe.
09:15We must have housing for everybody.
09:17So thank you so much for that.
09:18I appreciate the opportunity to be here.
09:49Good morning, everyone.
09:50I think I want to start by reflecting on the inauguration of our new mayor, where public advocate Jumaane Williams said he waited 40-something years to speak to a young black man, black boy.
10:09Jumaane Williams said he waited 65 years to hear that.
10:15That I am enough.
10:19I have always been enough.
10:23That I am valued.
10:26That my mistakes and incarceration and trials and tribulation in my life don't define me.
10:34And on this day, when we come together to lift up Just Home, it is a moment for me of reflection and appreciation.
10:46So thank you, Mayor Mandani, for your bold commitment to building housing and seeing people, not for what they did, but for who they could be.
11:00So it is an honor to stand here with you and your administration.
11:05I also want to thank the city council for their bold leadership and having council member Sandy Nurse here.
11:13As chair of the criminal justice committee, she has always been an advocate and a supporter of justice, true justice.
11:24And I am so thankful for her.
11:26I want to thank our advocates and supporters who have been here throughout this process of getting Just Home launched.
11:38You see, Just Home is one simple but profound idea.
11:45Everyone deserves a home.
11:47This initiative will create permanent, supportive and affordable housing for people who are coming out of incarceration, with complex medical needs, who would otherwise be homeless.
11:59Right now, too many people are stuck in shelters, on the streets, or even on Rikers Island, because there is nowhere safe and stable for them to go.
12:09Once this building is renovated, it will provide a mix of permanent and supportive housing, with on-site case management, care management, and wraparound services under one roof.
12:22This model is rooted in what the Fortune Society has experienced over decades of providing services in New York City.
12:30When people have stable housing and robust support, they are far more likely to become positive, contributing neighbors, and that's what we should be all striving for.
12:44The people who will live here are some of the city's most vulnerable neighbors.
12:49New Yorkers returning from incarceration who are medically fragile, who have paid their debt to society,
12:56and who deserve the dignity of recovering and rebuilding their lives in a safe home, instead of a jail cell or a crowded shelter bed.
13:05Just Homes will keep them connected to care, to community, and their families.
13:10And in doing so, will make us all safe.
13:15You see, for me, this is not abstract work.
13:19I was born at Jacoby Hospital and grew up in Soundview Projects.
13:24So, this is my birthplace.
13:36In 1961, this hospital gave birth to me.
13:40And when we close and open the doors of Just Home, it will give hope and stability to 83 New Yorkers.
13:49And we are thankful for that.
13:50To now stand here, as President and CEO of the Fortune Society, working with all of you to transform this building into a place of healing, stability, and second chances,
14:02is deeply personal and profoundly meaningful.
14:05Together, together, together, we are proven that when this city chooses housing, care, and community, we choose safety, dignity, and justice for every New Yorker.
14:21We look forward to ensuring that this building lives up to the promise of its name, a just home for all of us.
14:30So now, it is my pleasure to introduce someone who lives in one of Fortune Society's buildings,
14:36and who has been a long-time advocate for this project, and dignity for all, my friend, Helen Taylor.
14:44Good afternoon.
15:00Good afternoon.
15:01And thank you for the opportunity today.
15:05I am so grateful to be here to celebrate with the mayor and Fortune Society about Just Home.
15:22I left my wonderful supportive housing apartment to be here with you on this very cold afternoon.
15:32And I want to share why my apartment is so very important to me.
15:39I want to share why other people who have been incarcerated, like myself, need to have access to supportive housing.
15:49This is especially important for the people who have health issues
15:54and would not be able to survive in a shelter, yet alone on the streets.
16:02I am lucky that I am now in good health, thanks to my supportive house and Fortune Society.
16:15But there was times when I was not.
16:26Living in supportive housing make a huge difference.
16:30As I always say, supportive housing saves my life.
16:35Having my apartment, my very first apartment I ever had in my life has made a difference in my life today
16:47because it is a step closer to fulfilling my mission to live better in life.
16:58It's not just a place to live, it's a tremendous amount of support that may exist.
17:08Acknowledging I am a part of a community.
17:13My story should not be unique.
17:16I'm certain, multiple, everyone, everyone should have access to supportive housing.
17:25Access to the life they want and deserve to live.
17:31A life of health, safety, and dignity.
17:36Thank you again for the opportunity to speak.
17:40And now, let's celebrate just home becoming reality.
17:49Love is love.
18:08She wants to stand.
18:10Just before we start with questions, I do also just want to take a moment
18:17to celebrate the incredible team in my administration that have helped to make today possible.
18:23So if you can please join me in a round of applause for our deputy mayors for housing and planning,
18:28Layla Bozart.
18:30Our deputy mayor for health and human services, Helen Anteaga.
18:36Our new heads of HPD and DOB.
18:39I want to take this moment to say their names because so often in politics, we lose sight
18:51of the people who are making this possible behind the scenes.
18:54For this announcement to take place, it requires meetings.
18:57It requires pushes.
18:58It requires a fluency amidst an ambition and an imagination.
19:01And I'm so lucky in each of these incredible New Yorkers, we have exactly that, that can
19:06make a day like today possible.
19:07But we can absolutely start with questions now.
19:10You know, I think what it says more is that even to build 83 units in this city has taken so much struggle.
19:35It should not be that way.
19:38This should be something that is far more straightforward.
19:41We said over the course of the campaign that we wanted to build 200,000 truly affordable homes over the next 10 years.
19:47We absolutely intend to fulfill that.
19:49This is an example of the scale of progress that was being held up for years.
19:55Progress that we will now deliver and then return back to the scale of the crisis at hand for each and every New Yorker.
20:00Can you say that one more time?
20:03Sure.
20:03So 84 apartments has 84 individuals or those are roommates?
20:08These are single apartments.
20:11Yeah.
20:12Single units.
20:13You can have as many apartments as much as you can for this apartment.
20:17What I can tell you is that we want to build as much as possible across this city.
20:21We want to build for those who call this city home and those who would love to call this city home if only it were more affordable.
20:26Thank you, man.
20:27Okay, it was said by Dr. Katz that he doesn't like park a lot and there was talk of more buildings coming.
20:35Are there going to be more buildings coming, the second building or the third building, as you said during the talks?
20:43Sure.
20:44Well, we know that at Health and Hospitals we have land and now we have a mayor and administration that is committed to housing.
20:54And we want to use that land, as you say, you can always build a multi-story parking garage on a small piece of land instead of surface parking and use that land to build housing.
21:06And the land is there and often the additional benefit like for just home to be on a hospital campus where people who have serious illness can easily get care is tremendous advantage.
21:20So the combination of a hospital campus with people who have illness, we think is a great marriage.
21:28Obviously, our mayor has made clear.
21:34We're here to talk about today's announcement, but what I will absolutely commit to you is as there are more, as there will be in our plans to build more housing across New York City, we will absolutely be communicating that.
21:43I was wondering where the segue was.
22:09I haven't made any plans to attend a gala at this time.
22:14What I can tell you, however, is that the housing crisis is going to take all of us.
22:19It's going to take the private sector, building in a way that they haven't been able to for years before.
22:23It's also going to take the public sector, understanding that we need to build truly affordable housing.
22:29And I'm so thankful to have partners in government and our public advocate and our councilwoman who are here who have long been proponents of what it looks like to make for a more affordable city.
22:43Speaking of housing, you know, the first day on your inauguration, you announced the city intervening on the Pinnacle lawsuit.
22:51Last week, you were handed a loss on that, and that sale went through.
22:55Do you feel like you failed, especially because of your focus?
22:58I mean, and what do you say to any other, anybody else that you're looking to intervene on when it comes to these housing issues that you will be successful if your very first one you were not able to actually get it through?
23:10So after I was inaugurated on January 1st, I went to meet with tenants of Pinnacle Realty.
23:18And there was one woman who gave me a tour of her apartment, and she took me into her bathroom, and she said, this is the kind of state of disrepair that I'm living with.
23:27And I could see and feel the rust quite literally coming off in my hands.
23:31I asked her, how long have you been living in conditions like this?
23:34She pointed to her son, who's more than 20 years old.
23:38She said, before he was born.
23:40Because we decided to intervene in that case, the new owner of these apartments has committed to $30 million in repairs and rectifying the violations.
23:58I consider that to be a victory, and I consider it to be an example of what it can look like when you have an administration that looks to use every tool at its disposal to make a case for those that the court is going to be.
24:10And the corridors of power have often overlooked.
24:12And the corridors of power have often overlooked.
24:12Hi, Amy.
24:20Just after you were elected, the Adams administration offered reinstatement to city workers who lost their jobs under the 2021 vaccine mandates.
24:34That process has apparently not moved forward.
24:37There are numerous workers who met the December 5th deadline to request reinstatement or reporting that they've heard nothing from the city since then.
24:45And there's a rule change required for some of those reinstatements that has not been sent from DCASP or before office up to the Civil Service Commission for approval.
24:56So my question for you is, will your administration, given your support for labor and workers, be expediting that process and letting those workers know when they can expect to move forward with the statements, and will you be expediting the rule change being sent to the Civil Service Commission for approval?
25:16So I appreciate you flagging this issue.
25:17This is something that we'll follow up on and then let you know.
25:19Thank you very much.
25:21Yes, the vetting process is a complete one that presents all of this information to us in advance of any hiring decisions.
25:42And I can tell you that Afiya has built a career where she has been dedicated to New Yorkers who have often not been thought of within the corridors of power, whether they be at the city level or the state level or the federal level.
25:59And she has frankly been a brilliant addition to not only our campaign, our transition, but now also our administration.
26:06And I have the utmost confidence in her ability to fulfill the mission to make this a city that each and every New Yorker can afford, no matter their race, their religion, where they were born, where they come from.
26:16Thank you so much.
26:50Sorry.
26:52Everyone right here.
26:54Sorry, just one right here, please.
26:56Right here.
26:59Right here.
27:04Right here.
27:04Right here.
27:04Right here.
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