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April 29, 2024, 5:30 p.m.: Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) Public Hearing
The first public hearing of New York State's Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council was held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 29, 2024, Gramercy Park Suite, The New Yorker Hotel, 481 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001.
Summary: New York State's Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) will convene a public hearing on April 29 in New York City. The public hearing will provide an opportunity for CPRAC to hear directly from New Yorkers about their experiences applying for and receiving public benefits. The hearing will focus on “administrative burdens” that New Yorkers face when applying for and receiving Public Assistance (also known as Cash Assistance or Temporary Assistance), food assistance (SNAP), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), including but not limited to:
- Challenges completing application forms
- Understanding requirements related to each program
- Managing benefits once receiving them
- Getting help with these processes
New Yorkers interested in attending can register here: https://forms.office.com/g/0a6AZX4N2X
Attendees are invited to offer formal verbal statements at the public hearing. To provide time to comment for all attendees, attendees are asked to keep formal verbal statements limited to 2-3 minutes or less. Registration is not required to attend or offer statements, but is encouraged. Registrants who provide an email address will receive a reminder email with public hearing details a few days before the event.
To organize its work, the Council has formed committees based on subject-area, to meet independently from CPRAC's statutory members. Through these smaller, more focused group discussions, which include additional advisory experts, committees will help develop recommendations in each policy area based on the evidence-based research CPRAC has presented.
The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance will provide a webcast of this meeting in real time on April 29, 2024. However, the public hearing will not have the capability to allow for virtual participation. The public hearing will be hosted by CPRAC co-chair and OTDA Acting Commissioner Barbara Guinn, along with other statutory members of CPRAC.
New Yorkers interested in providing feedback about experiences with public benefits can also:
- Complete and submit this brief anonymous survey by May 15, 2024 https://forms.office.com/g/iXXyiDETtG
- Send written statements by May 15 to: cpracpublichearing@otda.ny.gov
The statements and feedback received from New Yorkers will help CPRAC develop recommendations to reduce child poverty by improving program access.