By The Times/Ledger
It was nearly two years ago that we reported to you about a crude and immature stunt carried out by a nonprofit organization that has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funding. At the time we questioned whether such an organization should be trusted with your tax dollars.
The group was Housing Works and last year the Giuliani Administration decided that they should no longer receive funding intended to provide housing for the homeless. The money was distributed by the city from grants provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In December, HUD Director Andrew Cuomo announced that he was taking control of the $60 million that HUD had given the city for homeless services because he didn't like the way the mayor was treating Housing Works.
Cuomo should find himself a more worthy victim to defend. The more people learn about the crew at Housing Works, the more likely they are to support the city's decision not to fund them. Among other things, the city alleges that Housing Works has failed to account for thousands of dollars in public money.
But our concern with these questionable characters is more local. As we reported, Housing Works sent official-looking letters to state legislators who had voted in favor of the AIDS notification law. The law requires that the state notify the sexual partners of people who test positive for the HIV virus. This was particularly an issue in cases where a married man might be reluctant to let his wife know that he had gotten the AIDS virus from a prostitute. The law was intended to limit the spread of AIDS.
The fake letters announced that a person claiming to be the sexual partner of the recipient had tested positive. They were designed to embarrass elected officials who opposed the radical agenda of the extremist AIDS lobby. One such letter arrived at the office of state Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn and was opened by her secretary. The secretary was horrified. She had served Mayersohn for years and knew her to be happily married and a grandmother. No matter how passionately they felt about the new law, they cannot justify their actions.
We have a number of questions about this stunt. Most important is did Housing Works pay for the mailing with HUD dollars? This is money that should be used to fund shelters and build low-cost housing. HUD money, which comes from your tax dollars, should not be disbursed to organizations whose primary purpose is the pursuit of a political agenda.
Cuomo should have been happy that the city had shown good judgment in dispensing the HUD money. Equally important, Cuomo, the son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, should have known that his action would look politically motivated. Cuomo was appointed by President Clinton and is an unpaid advisor to the senatorial campaign of Hillary Clinton. The extreme action appears designed to embarrass the mayor and boost Hillary's standing in the polls.
If Cuomo believes that the city is not doing a good job in providing for the homeless and that in fact HUD money is not being put to good use, he should make his case to the people of New York. He should also explain why Housing Works deserves even a penny of your hard-earned dollars. We'd like to hear that ourselves.
Andrew Cuomo must understand that the people of New York did not elect him and that the $60 million he has taken from the city is not his money. If he wants to control local affairs, he should run for office.
