Queens Borough Board Expense and Capital Priorities Fiscal Year 2019 Preliminary Budget Melinda Katz Queens Borough President MELINDA KATZ (718) 286-3000 PRESIDENT web site: www.queensbp.org e-mail:
[email protected] CITY OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOROUGH OF QUEENS 120-55 QUEENS BOULEVARD KEW GARDENS, NEW YORK 11424-1015 March 13, 2018 To: The Mayor of the City of New York Members of the City Council Director of the Office of Management and Budget From: Queens Borough President Melinda Katz The Borough of Queens is home to more than 2.3 million residents1, representing more than 120 countries and speaking more than 135 languages2. The seamless knit that ties these distinct cultures and transforms them into shared communities is what defines the character of Queens. The borough’s diverse population continues to steadily grow. Foreign-born residents represent nearly half of Queens’ population3. Traditional immigrant gateways like Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona, and Flushing are now communities with the highest foreign-born population in the entire city4. Yet, the immigrant population remains largely underserved, primarily due to linguistic and cultural barriers. Residents with limited English proficiency now represent 28% of the Borough5, indicating a need for a wide range of social service support and language access to City services. At the same time, Queens’ communities are quickly outpacing the available housing stock. Already, Community District 3 is the most severely overcrowded Community District in the entire city; Community District 4 is the second most severely overcrowded6. Low-income households are left with few alternatives to living in overcrowded conditions.