Posted on September 10, 2024 by M. Harmer, A. Marcano, and G. Worth In August, the Coalition for the Homeless welcomed our Client Advisory Group (CAG) back to our Fulton Street headquarters for a special in-person meeting with the Commission on Racial Equity (CORE). CAG is a peer support space for currently and formerly homeless community members. Thirty-two clients joined Coalition staff members to welcome Linda Tigani, the Chair and Executive Director of the newly established NYC Commission on Racial Equity (CORE). The purpose of this commission is “to advance racial equity in government operations and to increase community voice in government decision making.” In an effort to begin such work, CORE is gathering feedback from communities across New York City to build a set of Community Equity Priorities to inform city agency plans and CORE’s ongoing work. For CAG members, this was a chance to contribute to this valuable discussion. One CAG community member captured the frustrations felt by many in the room. Living in a shelter, they feel like second-class citizens, regardless of their efforts to attain stable housing. They shared, “In many cases, homeless people are economic refugees – because even if you’re working, you can’t pay the rent. Sometimes even with two jobs – at which point, what kind of life do you have? You’re just a slave to the system.” Another theme that resonated throughout the event was the need for accountability among City agencies and leadership, with many attendees pointing to a lack of accountability for staff working at Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelter facilities. CAG community members also shared that they feel inadequately informed when it comes to services (including targeted homeless services), as well as feeling like they are not treated with dignity. Variations of the same experiences were shared, contributing to the collective group feeling like it’s difficult to see a realistic path out of the shelter system to a home of their own. Reflecting on Mayor Adams’ track record while in office, another member told of some sad realities. “He promised to … take people off the streets and get some help. He’s saying ‘in the area where I live, there are homeless living on the street and that’s because they want to be there’. But if Mayor Adams would have did what he said, he would try to employ these people to get off the streets and get … help because you are not helping by walking by them. What you’re actually doing is neglecting the problem!” We are incredibly grateful to CORE for facilitating this conversation and to CAG community members who took the time to share their lived experiences. The discussions during this meeting highlighted the critical importance of inviting homeless community members into conversations about issues that impact them, and the need to ensure their knowledge and experiences informs the policies and initiatives being developed to reduce and eliminate inequities in New York City. Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Dave Giffen was encouraged by the many clients who joined the CAG meeting and lent their voices to the conversation. It’s been too long since our last in-person Client Advocacy Group meeting, and it was so energizing to be among such an engaged group of individuals speaking frankly and passionately about their experiences and opinions. What’s most inspiring is hearing how focused they are on making a real difference. They want to break the cycle of homelessness – not just for themselves, but for all who find themselves without a home – and they know better than anyone how the deeply-embedded systemic inequities play out on the front lines of the relief systems and create obstacles to stability. We appreciate NYC CORE taking the time to listen to those who are impacted so profoundly by the City’s policies and practices, and look forward to seeing some concrete and meaningful changes in how the City engages with homeless individuals and families. Mary Harmer, the Coalition for the Homeless’ Manager of Disability Advocacy, led the organization of this event and contributed to the virtual leadership of CAG over the last four years. It was wonderful to welcome new and existing CAG community members into an invigorating discussion about equity from their perspective. The homeless community is frequently underrepresented in pivotal conversations and decisions that directly impact their lives, and we’ve received resoundingly positive feedback from CAG members that having the dedicated space to envision a more equitable New York City was really empowering. We are excited to continue growing CAG as a supportive space where homeless New Yorkers can gather to engage in collective and self advocacy. The Coalition is committed to increasing opportunities for our neighbors without homes to have their voices heard, to meet with the City and State officials whose actions and decisions impact their lives, to tell their stories, and to help shape effective solutions to mass homelessness. CAG meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month, and may meet virtually or in person. Should you or a person you support be interested in joining a meeting, you can do so by registering for our virtual CAG meetings using this link or emailing us at CAG@cfthomeless.org.
