My name is Rhonda Jackson and I am a proud mother, grandmother, disabled and retired New York City Transit Authority worker, and a life-long New Yorker. This is my home. I care about this state, and I want it to continue to be a place where generations of New Yorkers can live and thrive. However, we are currently in the midst of a housing crisis. Our governor has the power to ease it. So, I am asking her today, as a fellow mother, grandmother, and New Yorker, please fight for the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) in Albany and help countless families like mine get the support we desperately need.
Governor Hochul, as a grandmother, you know how precious it is to watch your grandchild grow up. I also know how deeply you must love her and want to keep her safe. Do you remember the first time she recognized you or the first time you held her close, her new baby smell?
Imagine if your grandchild was left without a home. If your child had to pack up and move away, taking your grandchild with them because they were left without the safety of a permanent place to live or left without options. Imagine spending holidays alone, staring at photos instead of hearing your grandchild’s laughter.
That’s what happened to me. When my daughter fled a domestic situation in order to keep her children safe, they lost their home, schools, friends, family and were thrust into homelessness, all to escape violence. I lost my family. My home is empty and almost unbearably quiet. It didn’t have to be this way and you, Governor Hochul, have the power to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else.
The HAVP is a solution and it would have kept my family together in our home state of New York. This rental assistance program is designed to help families stay in their communities, homes, and schools. This is not just a program; it’s a lifeline, especially for people like me —grandparents desperate to stay close to our families and the children we love.
Can you put a price tag on ensuring all children like your grandchild have a safe place to call home? According to a report released by the non-profit Win, the $250 million used to fund the Housing Access Voucher Program would serve 12,457 households representing nearly 28,653 individuals across New York State. In New York City, our city could save $144 million by implementing HAVP.
I know your family navigated similar hardships, with your grandmother and mother also experiencing the trauma of an abusive home. I know your parents fought hard to give you and your siblings opportunities they never had, with your father working at a steel plant at night and going to school during the day. Now you have the opportunity to make life a little less difficult for the New York families living the same experiences as your parents. I’m asking you to seize that opportunity and deliver real support for families struggling in New York City and across the state.
Thousands of New York families have been displaced already, many because of the lack of affordable housing available. The data substantiates this; New York continues to rank as one of the top states families are leaving from to go to more affordable states.
Governor Hochul, please ask yourself: What would you do if you were in my shoes? If your grandchild was taken from your daily life, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to be there? You have that power now. You can ensure no parent, child, or grandparent must endure the pain of being separated from their family due to the housing crisis.
Please fight for HAVP this year, as families like mine need it now more than ever. Fight for the families who simply want to stay together and find permanent housing in the towns they grew up in. Fight for the grandmothers like me, like you. You know how fleeting those precious moments are. Don’t let another family miss out on time with their grandchild because families can’t afford to stay in New York and build a life here. Faced with a growing housing shortage, we are counting on you to help hardworking New Yorkers and deliver the support we desperately need. The housing crisis and affordability crisis are relentless. Housing vouchers are a path forward. Please act on this today.
Rhonda Jackson is a lived experience community engagement consultant and Senior Fellow with the Family Homeless Coalition, Family Peer Advocate (FPA), certified Master Coach, and Co-founder of IMANATION, a grassroots project dedicated to advocating for change and shifting the trajectory of children and families experiencing shelter by investing into their future.
