There are no shortage of ideas on what the city should do now to deal with rising shelter numbers. But selecting the right cure depends on diagnosing the causes of today’s homelessness problem.
Point-in-time surveys of the street homeless can yield important data, but—contrary to how politicians sometimes cast the numbers—not a precise tally of who’s unsheltered at night.
Some homeless people do suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. But contrary to an increasingly popular canard, the problem for most of New York’s homeless is not in their heads, but in their wallets.
It’s a good thing we’re talking more about New York City’s homelessness problem—if the talk is aimed at addressing the crisis.
A veteran advocate digs through the available statistics to find a fuzzy answer on how many homeless there are, let alone whether their numbers are increasing.
Tabloids say there’s a surge in street homelessness. The de Blasio administration disagrees. With only a much maligned, once-a-year survey to go by, it’s hard to say who’s right.
The leader of the New York Housing Conference weighs in on wins and losses in Albany and what’s next on 421-a and rent regulations.
Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) hosted its panel discussion “Brooklyn Stand Up! The Future of East New York. Panel discussed topics including housing, the critical need of basic services, jobs and maintaining the identity of East New York.
Organizations are still digesting the details, but the newly approved state budget looks to have sprinkled a little good news on a dish of disappointment for housing advocates.
“In a political climate that is unfriendly toward financing for social services, supportive housing stands out as a shining example of public policy success.”
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