The New York State budget season is here and our members have been heading up to Albany to make sure elected officials include healthcare, a financial safety net, housing, and more for our communities in the final budget.

We’ve been leading the way on three critical fights this month:

Our members joined the Fund Excluded Workers coalition in Albany to call for passage of the Unemployment Bridge Program (UBP)–a plan that will give New York’s 750,000 excluded workers a financial safety net for when they lose their jobs.

Implementing UBP makes sense on every level, especially since it can be paid for by a “digital ad tax” on businesses like Facebook and Google, who use our information to make money but don’t pay their fair share in taxes. New York has the resources, we just need our elected officials to fight for us!

You can support our organizing efforts by donating here!

We also took over the halls of the New York State Capitol to demand that the state budget expands access to healthcare coverage to all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status.

Health coverage for all not only saves lives, but it can save the state millions of dollars it currently spends on Emergency Medicaid for immigrants. Even better, this plan can be paid for with federal money—we just need our legislators to act on it.

Want to help us advocate for healthcare for EVERYONE in our communities? You can donate to our ongoing organizing efforts now!

But that’s not all, our members have been canvassing every week in key districts and talking to their legislators in Albany to call for passage of Good Cause eviction legislation, and the Housing Access Voucher Program.

Across our neighborhoods, tenants are facing rent hikes, unsafe living conditions, and dealing with slumlords who want to force us out of our homes, and we need legislation that will keep our neighbors housed. Help us keep up the fight for tenants with a donation today.

Without a safety net for excluded workers, healthcare coverage for all and, bold action to address our housing crisis, New York is missing an opportunity to provide critical care for immigrants and working class New Yorkers.

It’s time to take action for tenants, end the exclusions and close these economic and health gaps for good!

¡Sí se puede!

– Jose Lopez, Arlenis Morel, and Theo Oshiro, Co-Executive Directors