Homelessness is a permanent problem. We will never solve it.
The Fact is there are proven solutions to the problem of mass homelessness — and many of them were pioneered in New York City. They are just not being implemented at a scale large enough to solve the crisis.
Permanent supportive housing — a model of housing developed in New York City that combines affordable housing with support services for individuals and families living with mental illness or other disabilities — has been proven to reduce homelessness AND save taxpayer dollars otherwise spent on costly shelters and hospitalizations. Also, targeted affordable housing assistance for people experiencing homelessness, like Federal housing vouchers, is proven to reduce homelessness and help keep people stably housed for the long term. And living-wage jobs and other support services, like childcare and access to health care and mental health care, can help low-income families and individuals maintain their housing and avoid homelessness. The solutions to mass homelessness are not a secret; they are simply not being adequately funded by the government, as they are not a political priority.
Homelessness is not a housing problem, it’s only a jobs problem – and homeless people simply don’t want to work.
The Fact is the major cause of homelessness is the severe lack of affordable housing, both in New York City and across the United States. By every measure, the housing affordability gap — that is, the gap between incomes and housing costs — has grown dramatically over the past four decades.
From 1991 to 2017, NYC lost 1.1 million apartments that rent for $800/month or less. Between 2017 and 2021 alone, the city lost 96,000 units with rents under $1,500, and the current vacancy rate for apartments renting for $1,100 or less is only 0.39 percent. There is effectively no affordable housing in NYC. Today, a mother earning minimum wage would need to work more than 132 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent.
Around 30 percent of families living in NYC shelters are employed but still can’t afford an apartment. In addition, a significant portion of homeless adults have barriers to employment such as a physical or mental disability. Unfortunately, disability benefits, currently around $840/month maximum for a single person, don’t come close to covering the cost of rent in NYC.
It is their fault they are homeless.
The Fact is that people lose their homes for many reasons, from loss of a job or lowered wages, to a health care crisis, increased rent, a family emergency, or even landlord bullying. But homelessness is primarily driven by the lack of affordable housing, which has been exacerbated by the systemic racism that, over much of the history of our country, intentionally excluded people of color from decent and affordable housing. Eviction and domestic violation are the two most common precipitating factors that lead families to seek shelter placements in NYC shelter, and many others seek shelter after residing in doubled-up or tripled-up in overcrowded or substandard housing.. Nobody wants to be homeless, but there are simply no options for people who can’t afford the very high rents in NYC.
All homeless people have mental illness or substance use disorder.
The Fact is that the majority of homeless New Yorkers are members of families with children who were evicted or are fleeing domestic violence and are living in shelters or temporarily doubled-up or tripled-up in the homes of others. .. But disability rates are in fact quite high among families without minor children and single adults in shelter, at 75 percent and 65 percent respectively.. The instability and trauma of homelessness exacerbate these challenges and make it even harder for people to manage their health. Permanent supportive housing is a vital resource for helping homeless people with physical or mental disabilities to achieve stability.
All homeless people are dangerous.
The Fact is people experiencing homelessness are far more likely to be the victims of crimes than the perpetrators. The vulnerability of homelessness increases the risk of being victimized. One study found that half of the homeless people surveyed reported experiencing violence, and the risks were higher for people who were older, women, or those who were homeless for more than two years. Stable housing is key to safety.
Housing assistance causes more families to enter homeless shelters.
The Fact is that long-term permanent housing assistance leads to significant reductions in homelessness. A wide range of academic experts have found, in numerous research studies, that permanent housing assistance like public housing or Section 8 vouchers helps homeless families escape homelessness and remain stably housed. In addition, the myth that providing housing assistance to homeless families causes a surge in families seeking shelter has been disproven by academic research studies and years of experience. Indeed, after the Bloomberg administration eliminated Federal housing assistance for homeless families in 2005, the number of families seeking shelter increased precipitously.
The people who live in rent-regulated housing don’t need it and are making market-rate rents increase.
The Fact is that most rent-regulated tenants have low and moderate incomes, and rent-regulated apartments remain much more affordable than non-regulated housing.
Nearly one-third of rent-stabilized tenants and more than half of tenants in rent-controlled or other regulated housing have an income below $25,000. In fact, more poor New Yorkers live in rent-stabilized apartments than in public housing. In 2021, the median rent for a rent-stabilized apartment was $1,400/month, while the median rent for a non-regulated apartment was $1,825/month, 30 percent more.
Rent regulation remains one of the strongest tools for keeping rental housing in New York City affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class New Yorkers. Indeed, the weakening of rent regulation in recent decades, such as the implementation of the since-repealed vacancy deregulation policy, led to the loss of tens of thousands of rent-regulated apartments and is a major cause of worsening affordability in New York.
If people can afford a television or smartphone, then they really aren’t poor.
The Fact is right-wing pundits and ideologues have long tried to deny the severity of poverty in the U.S. by calling up images of homeless people with cell phones or poor families with TVs. As the cost of consumer goods and electronics have significantly dropped in price, the cost of essentials like food and housing have steadily gone up. People own items like smartphones and computers now because they have become necessities for communication and connection – critical for securing and maintaining employment, housing, and benefits.
It is wrong to give money to people on the street because it is always a scam or they will use the money for drugs.
The Fact is that most people asking for money on the streets or in the subway do so because they need it to survive, even if they are not homeless. Whether or not to give money to someone is a personal decision, and we all must decide for ourselves if we feel comfortable in a specific situation. But for the most part, the value of a gift of a few dollars to someone in desperate need is vastly higher than its face amount.
People living on the streets should just go to a shelter.
The Fact is that the Right to Shelter was a very important step toward ensuring the safety of people without homes, but municipal shelters can be very difficult places to sleep for many – especially those with severe mental illness and people who have languished on the streets for years. Shelters are often tight quarters with many rules and regulations, which can be confusing. Nearly all municipal shelters for homeless single adults have barracks-style dormitories with as many as 100 beds in a single room, and these arrangements often do not suit the needs of people living with serious mental illnesses like PTSD or mood disorders.
