Advocacy Blog Post | Published November 2025
New Destiny Housing’s Response to HUD’s Continuum of Care Rule Changes
On November 13th, HUD announced major changes to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program that could dismantle decades of evidence-based work to prevent and end homelessness. If this stands, at least 170,000 households nationwide and more than 13,000 across New York State will be at risk of losing their homes, including thousands of domestic violence survivors. New York State Attorney General Letitia James lead a coalition in filing a lawsuit against HUD to stop the new rules on November 25th.
New Destiny Housing relies on this funding to serve about 350 households through our Housing Access and Stability Services program on any given day. To highlight the importance of the CoC for domestic violence survivors, our Vice President of External Affairs, Gabriela Sandoval Requena, spoke with Tom Eschen at CBS 6 Albany. New Destiny remains committed to advocating to protect rapid rehousing programs, and we will do everything we can to save our contracts and preserve this critical model.
NYC Housing Updates: CityFHEPS and COPA Advocacy
This month, New Destiny Housing testified in opposition to HRA’s proposed elimination of CityFHEPS unit-hold incentive payments. Our recommendations focus on improving transparency, streamlining processes, and safeguarding vulnerable families. Read our full response here.
Also, Maritza Rico, our Policy and Advocacy Manager, joined New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse, the New Economy Project, and fellow advocates at a rally urging the City Council the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA).
New Destiny Housing at SOMOS: Advocating for Housing Equity
New Destiny’s CEO Nicole Branca and VP of External Affairs Gabriela Sandoval Requena joined thousands of advocates and government partners at the annual SOMOS Conference in Puerto Rico.
Housing champion Assemblymember Epstein invited Nicole to speak on a panel addressing the impact of federal funding cuts and strategies for moving forward alongside NYC HPD Acting Commissioner Tigani; Ellen Davidson, Legal Aid Society; Sienna Fontaine, Make the Road NY; and Lauren Schuster, URI. This thoughtful conversation was moderated by Kristin Miller from Homeless Services United. Watch our recap reel and check out our Facebook album here.
