Malliotakis Slams NYC Warehousing of Homeless & New Proposed Brooklyn Shelter

(BROOKLYN, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today slammed the City's proposal for a new homeless shelter in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, that would provide temporary housing for 150 homeless men, including those with mental health challenges. The proposal comes after the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that expands the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), something Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not yet brought up for a vote.

"When it comes to building more affordable, permanent housing units, New York City and State leaders have been all talk, no action. Instead of building permanent solutions to the housing crisis, the City has resorted to warehousing people in shelters that offer no transitional resources to get their lives back on track. Placing a homeless shelter in Bensonhurst just blocks away from six different schools is not only unfair and unsafe for the surrounding community, but also demonstrates a lack of leadership when the federal government has taken action to increase opportunities for cities to build more affordable housing units.

"In January, the House overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation to expand and extend pro-growth, pro-worker tax policies that provide financial relief to middle-class Americans, including strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit created under the Reagan Administration. Since it's implementation, the LIHTC has helped finance approximately 3.8 million rental homes serving 8 million low-income households. The provisions included in our tax package are expected to result in the creation of more than 200,000 units of housing, something the City could take advantage of, particularly as it looks to convert more commercial office space into permanent housing units. I urge the Senate to take up our legislation as swiftly as possible to give New York City the resources it needs to do the right thing and provide low-income New Yorkers with the stable affordable housing options needed to thrive in today's economy."