Posted on March 22, 2013 by SARAH MURPHY For Immediate Release: March 22, 2013 Contact: Dan Levitan, (201) 674-7475 COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS RESPONDS TO CITY’S DANGEROUS PLANS TO KICK SANDY VICTIMS OUT OF HOTELS The Coalition for the Homeless responded today to reports that New York City will kick Hurricane Sandy victims out of hotels at the end of April. The following statement can be attributed to Mary Brosnahan, President of the Coalition for the Homeless: “We were thrilled that the City announced today a laudable proposal to use Community Development Block Grant funding, Section 8 vouchers, and NYCHA vacancies to help house low-income families still homeless from Sandy. But the subsequent announcement that the mayor now plans to terminate payments to hotels for these vulnerable New Yorkers on April 30th is nothing short of a disaster. “With a record 50,000 people packed into New York City shelters each night, the last thing we need is a five-week deadline of certain homelessness looming for Sandy refugees. Unless Mayor Bloomberg quickly rescinds the April 30th hotel deadline, he will essentially be kicking courageous Sandy victims to the curb long before planned permanent housing options can realistically be fully available.”
