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Mayor Adams: 'Is it going to be filet mignon? No it is not'
Mayor Eric Adams and Deputy Mayor for Housing Maria Torres-Springer joined Good Day to talk about public housing, budget cuts, and the FBI investigation into the mayor.
NEW YORK - As New York City nonprofits face an overwhelming demand for food, New York City Mayor Eric Adams defended his administration amid reports of food being wasted at local shelters.
During a joint interview with Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer on Good Day New York, Adams said the city's obligation is to provide food those who need it.
"Is it going to be filet mignon? No, it is not. It is going to be a basic meal," he said.
A New York City Council hearing held Tuesday examined the quality of meals being served at local shelters, and according to reports, the food at some has been spoiled and rotten.
"There are those that are stating that we should spend more money on meals, and we're not going to do that," Adams said.
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Migrants facing food insecurity
FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers explains it's leading to overwhelming demand at soup kitchens and food banks.
"We're giving people a basic meal like we would give anyone that needs the care, so we can be efficient with taxpayers' dollars," he continued.
Free food giveaways, especially around the holidays, have become a source of tension between New Yorkers struggling to get by and newly arrived migrants who are using the system to survive.
A month ago, one alleged altercation between a resident and a migrant got so heated that someone ended up in the hospital.
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Brooklyn NYCHA repairs vote
A critical vote is happening at a NYCHA complex in Brooklyn, where people living at the Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay will decide if they want to be part of a new trust which will give them access to additional funding. FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers breaks down how it's supposed to work.
NYCHA repairs
In a landslide decision, residents at the Nostrand Houses in Sheepshead Bay voted to approve the NYC Housing Preservation Trust, releasing millions of dollars in funding for repairs and improvements.
Brooklyn NYCHA residents had until Dec. 7 to cast their vote for either the preservation trust, the Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) or to remain in Section 9 public housing.
Torres-Springer said that the majority opted in for the trust.
"NYCHA residents have been calling for real investments in NYCHA for years," Mayor Adams said.
"One out of 17 New Yorkers live in NYCHA, so it's a substantial population," he explained.
When asked by FOX 5 NY's Rosanna Scotto if the trust would actually improve conditions, the mayor said that it was a move in the right direction.
Critics say the move could end up costing the city even more money than it already has.
Torres-Springer pushed back on that, saying that the trust would be permanently affordable for residents and that the funds would come from the federal government.
"This program really unlocks the kind of funding needed to fix the problems that NYCHA have been living with for way too long," Adams said.
NYPD oversight body forced to halt investigations amid budget cuts
Tensions are rising between NYCHA residents and newly-arrived migrants over limited food and resources.
FOX 5 NY's Bianca Peters questioned the mayor on the enormous amount of funding needed for both NYCHA and the ongoing migrant crisis.
Although Adams has long called on Washington for help, the requests have yet to be met.
He explained that the requests for those funds were unrelated.
"The dollars that we're using with the trust [are] not going to be part of the pegs or the efficiency cuts that we must make," Adams said.
"This is a different stream of money that is coming in so that we continue to move NYCHA forward," he added.
"What we're seeing with this $12 billion budget deficit over a three-year period is something that New Yorkers should not have to sustain or pay for," Adams said.
NYCHA claims to need $78 billion in funding to properly upgrade all of its apartments.
"I'm not going away when it comes to protecting this city," Adams said.
Under the trust, the Nostrand Houses will become the first public housing development in the city to join the Public Housing Preservation Trust.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation establishing the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust back in June.
The trust will essentially keep rents capped at 30% of income and provide funding for overdue repairs.
How The Trust Works
The Trust is 100% public according to the mayor's office. NYCHA owns, controls, and manages the property, and there is no private manager.
- NYCHA remains the permanent owner of the land/buildings.
- The Trust intends to issue bonds that fund comprehensive building renovations (with input and partnership from residents at the development).
- The Trust intends to hire better vendors who can work more efficiently and faster.