Mayor Bill de Blasio will also be on hand for the governor's speech, even though for him, traveling to Albany is a bit like jumping into the political lions' den. In the run-up to his visit, de Blasio has been trying to look tough on homelessness, a subject the governor is expected to tackle in his address.
It was hardly the most high-profile homeless initiative the mayor has rolled out in recent weeks. But creating a task force on supportive housing a day before Governor Cuomo's big speech gave de Blasio an excuse to trumpet his response to the city's homeless crisis, in particular new housing with services.
"We are very proud of having committed to 15,000 apartments that are going to turn around 15,000 lives."
The mayor may seem like he's scrambling to respond to near-record levels of homelessness in the city. But he's also scrambling to execute a plan before Cuomo's state of the state speech. The governor is expected to announce a larger role for the state in fighting homelessness in the city.
"I think we need the state's support and we welcome the state's resources and partnership," the mayor said,
The mayor will be in Albany on Wednesday for the Governor's speech. He says he will also meet with legislative leaders and with Cuomo. He says he is prepared to speak with them about how the city is handling a shelter population of 58,000 people. Another 3,000 to 4,000 homeless individuals are estimated to be sleeping on the street.
"I can understand from the perspective of legislators and other leaders in Albany, they want to see that we have a plan," de Blasio said. "They want to see what we are doing within our capacity. I think we have a lot to show now and we are proud of that."
A trip to Albany is not likely something the mayor is looking forward to. He and the governor are on bad terms. And the Republican-controlled state Senate has also proved to be an obstacle.
Mayor de Blasio may just be hoping to get in and out of the state capital in one piece. After all, he does need to return there in a few weeks to respond to the governor's budget and build support for the city's agenda.