SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

New York City

Friday, April 30, 2004
10:30 a.m.
Assembly Hearing Room, Room 1923, 19th Floor
250 Broadway, New York, NY

Affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities has become scarce over the years. This housing shortage is a gigantic hurdle in the effort to ensure that people with disabilities are served in the most integrated setting possible, because oftentimes these individuals wish and deserve to live in their own homes -- and in their own communities. There currently is not enough housing to serve this population appropriately. Therefore, it is critical to address this concern immediately to help ensure that people with disabilities can obtain affordable, comfortable and accessible homes, and live as independently as possible, in the near future.

Please see below for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Task Force and Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes' duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Task Force and Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Task Force staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Task Force and Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Task Force's interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING TOPICS TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

1. Statistics regarding persons with disabilities currently living in affordable, accessible housing, and the number of people seeking such accommodations.
2. Experiences of New Yorkers who have not been able to find affordable, accessible housing, and the particular obstacles that they have come up against.
3. Possible solutions to this significant problem, including, but not limited to: banning income discrimination, creating a state registry of accessible and affordable housing, making visitability a part of the NYS Building Code and expanding SCRIE to people with disabilities.
4. Recommendations for funding solutions to develop affordable, accessible housing units and any other pertinent data or information.
5. Recommendations for legislative response.

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on the lack of accessible and affordable housing for people with disabilities across New York State are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail or fax it to:

Kimberly Hill, Director
Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities
Agency Building 4, 13th Floor
Albany, New York 12248
Email: hillk@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4592
Fax: (518) 455-4731

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required: