Time to Pass the Homeless Protection Act Posted on February 6, 2015 by Nicole Bramstedt and Jeff Foreman in Gotham Gazette As we work to help the homeless, among the most vulnerable in our society, find stable housing, we must also act to protect their well-being. New York State should pass the “Homeless Protection Act” (A.1353 and S.813). ..Read More
New York City Reaches Out to Homeless People Who Are Wary of Traditional Shelters Posted on February 8, 2015 by Winnie Hu in The New York Times The city’s Department of Homeless Services plans to extend hours at more drop-in shelters. It has also expanded a network of beds in churches and community buildings that serves as an alternative to the traditional shelter system, and allows homeless people ..Read More
Mayor’s veteran homelessness campaign nears goal Posted on February 10, 2015 by Brendan Cheney in Capital As the number of homeless veterans in New York City continues to trend sharply downward, the de Blasio administration’s newly reemphasized goal of entirely eliminating veteran homelessness in the five boroughs by the end of the year seems within reach. ..Read More
One Night to Count the Homeless: Critics Question Accuracy of Annual Tally Posted on February 10, 2015 by Noreen O'Donnell in NBC “The idea of doing a single night count or guesstimate of all of homeless people on the streets of New York City, which has the largest homeless population in the country, is just by its very nature kind of absurd,” Markee said. ..Read More
New York conducts annual homeless count, critics say it’s flawed Posted on February 10, 2015 by Ellen Wulfhorst in WTAQ Thousands of volunteers fanned out across New York before dawn on February 9th to conduct the city’s yearly homeless survey, trying to count the people who wander the sidewalks all night, sleep in subways for warmth or slip into the shadows to avoid bei ..Read More
Assemblyman wants to address city’s homelessness crisis by increasing housing allowance Posted on February 8, 2015 by Kenneth Lovett in Daily News Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, the Queens Democrat appointed this past week as chair of the Social Services Committee, says increasing the allowance would be cheaper than housing people in shelters. ..Read More
Coalition Testifies: Cuomo Budget Falls Short on Supportive Housing Posted on February 6, 2015 The Coalition’s Deputy Executive Director for Policy, Shelly Nortz, testified on Thursday at the State Budget Hearing on Housing in Albany. Ms. Nortz and nearly everyone who testified at the hearing, called on Gov. Cuomo and the Legislature to fully fund a f ..Read More
Thousands of New Yorkers living in dangerous ‘cluster units’ as homeless population tops 59,000, a record high Posted on February 1, 2015 by Harry Stevens and Greg B. Smith in New York Daily News The homeless count represents a 10% jump during Mayor de Blasio’s first year in office. Despite his vows to turn around the problem and ditch the use of cluster units, the city is still forced to house families in these much-criticized apartments, which ..Read More
Number Of Homeless In The Shelter System Reaches Record High Posted on February 1, 2015 by Christopher Robbins in Gothamist According to data collected by Coalition for the Homeless, more than 60,000 people—25,000 of them children—will sleep in the city’s shelter system tonight, an increase of 10,000 from when de Blasio took office a year ago. The mayor inherited the epid ..Read More