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Dear John,

Today, I proudly voted YES on the Fiscal Year 26 City Budget — a budget that begins to move us beyond Mayor Adams’s austerity and Trump-era attacks on our communities. For the first time since I took office, we’ve passed a budget that does more than help us survive — it lays a foundation for a more caring, inclusive, and equitable city.

Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams and our collective advocacy, I secured $625,000 in additional expense funding and $7.4 million in additional capital funding for projects that directly serve our neighbors. In the coming weeks, we’ll share a full breakdown of our in-district allocations, but here’s a preview of key wins:

Speaker-Supported Expense Projects

Speaker-Supported Capital Projects

$250K for Women in Need (WIN), a trusted trauma-informed housing provider.

$4.1M for One World Project’s Community Center and Childcare Facility in Windsor Terrace.

$150K for the Gowanus Oversight Task Force to monitor implementation and ensure accountability of the Gowanus Rezoning commitments.

$1.5M for the Council of Peoples Organization’s (COPO) new satellite center.

$100K for Gowanus Canal Conservancy’s rain garden maintenance.

$1M for Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC) to build 111 units of permanently affordable senior housing in Park Slope.

$75K for Community Help in Park Slope (CHiPS) to expand soup kitchen, pantry, and mobile food justice services in District 39.

$750K to rehabilitate 48 units of permanently affordable supportive housing at FAC’s Supportive Slope residence in Park Slope.

$50K for Prospect Park Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts initiative, supporting racial justice, community history, and cultural programming.

From Crisis to Care: $34M+ for Real Public Safety

As Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus, I’m thrilled our Crisis to Care campaign secured over $34M for proven, care-first public safety solutions that will make our City safer and more compassionate, including:
* $4.5M for 60 additional Mental Health Peer Specialists to staff the City’s multi-agency mental health and crisis response teams.
* $1.5M for the Home+ program, which I codified last year to provide free lock and window changes for domestic violence survivors.
* $53M for Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) teams to support New Yorkers with serious mental illness and recent or ongoing involvement in the criminal legal system.
* $8.5M for Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) teams that deliver care and support directly within communities.
* $11.2M for Justice-Involved Supportive Housing (JISH), funding 500 units of housing to reduce recidivism and promote stability.
* $2.5M to launch four new Respite Centers, offering non-hospital alternatives for people experiencing mental health crises.
* $3M to expand mobile syringe services programs — a proven harm reduction strategy in the fight against the opioid crisis.
* $4.5M for 60 new Peer Specialist positions on B-Heard teams to strengthen non-police responses to mental health emergencies.
* $1M for a pilot EMS Wellness & Peer Support Program, including a crisis hotline, dedicated social workers, EMS peer support staff, and monthly support groups.

Defending Immigrant Families and Investing in Youth

This budget reflects the values of our City, even as the Trump Administration rolls out new attacks. We secured:
* $74.7M for immigration legal services to protect families from deportation.
* $25M to continue Promise NYC — a program I co-founded in FY23 with Council Member Tiffany Cabán and Comptroller Brad Lander — which provides childcare to immigrant families who were previously excluded from public support.
* $10M to pilot childcare for children ages 2 and under — a big step toward achieving universal childcare.
* $112M baselined for 3-K and Pre-K.
* $51.1M to support food pantries and emergency food providers in response to the Trump Administration’s devastating cuts to federal food assistance programs.
* $16.5M for transgender equity programs — the largest investment to date in our critical TGNC funding priorities, especially as the Trump Administration escalates its attacks on trans health, rights, and autonomy.

What Still Needs Work

While this budget includes hard-won victories—thanks to the tireless advocacy of the Council and community leaders—it falls short of being “the Best Budget Ever,” as Mayor Adams claims. I remain deeply concerned about the ongoing underinvestment in our parks, especially following last year’s historic brushfires and the first drought warning in two decades. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is still not adequately resourced to meet the scale of our affordable housing crisis, and we must do more for our students, workers, and renters.

I cast my vote with pride in what we’ve secured despite the limitations of Eric Adams’s mayoralty—and with renewed resolve for the work ahead. We must keep fighting for a more democratic, transparent, and inclusive budget process rooted in the principles of good governance.

As Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus, the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants, and your Council Member, I remain committed to building a City and District grounded in dignity, care, inclusivity, and collective power. This is a strong foundation—planting the seeds for a future that is safer, more just, and more affordable for us all.

In solidarity,

Council Member Shahana

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Our mailing address is:
New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif
197 Bond Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
USA
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