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Releases & Statements
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum joined
homeless families and individuals at City Hall to call on Mayor
Bloomberg and State officials to repair flaws in new policies
that deny vital housing assistance to thousands of homeless New
Yorkers.
“With nearly 37,000 homeless New Yorkers, including 15,000
children, the City can do more to provide housing assistance,”
said Gotbaum. “However, new City policies actually deny
housing aid to some of the most vulnerable families and individuals,
including the disabled and working poor.”
Gotbaum called the new City Policy a catch-22 because while the
goal is to help families get off welfare, only families who are
on welfare and remain on welfare qualify for a housing subsidy.
"It's a flawed policy that shuns working families, seniors
on social security, veterans, the disabled, and victims of domestic
violence," continued Gotbaum.
Over recent months, the City has introduced
dramatic changes in homeless housing assistance policies. They
eliminated emergency priority for Federal housing programs for
homeless families and introduced a new rent subsidy program for
the homeless called “Housing StabilityPlus.” However,
according to City data, at least one of every eight families in
shelter is ineligible for the new “Housing StabilityPlus”
rent subsidy program, along with thousands of homeless individuals
and couples.
Camille McKinnon, a working homeless woman, said, “There
are lots of people like myself who are working hard every day
and following the rules, but the City’s new policies offer
us no help at all to move from shelters to our own homes.”
Calvin Alderman, a disabled homeless shelter resident who uses
a wheelchair, said “I couldn’t believe it when I heard
that people like me don’t qualify for the new ‘Housing
StabilityPlus’ program. Once again, people with disabilities
are being left out.”
Shelter providers and advocates –
including the Council on Homeless Policies and Services (representing
50 homeless service providers), the NYC Coalition of Domestic
Violence Residential Providers (representing 17 member agencies),
Coalition for the Homeless, and Partnership for the Homeless –
joined the Public Advocate and homeless people to call for restoration
of priority access to Federal housing assistance and improvements
to the new rent subsidy program.
“There are two steps the City
can take to make sure that homeless people can get out and stay
out of shelter,” said Lauren Bholai-Pareti, Executive Director
of the Council on Homeless Policies and Services “Homeless
families and domestic violence survivors should have the highest
priority for Federal housing programs, and City and State officials
should address the flaws in the new ‘Housing StabilityPlus’
program.”
Carol Corden, speaking on behalf of the New York City Coalition
of Domestic Violence Residential Providers, said “Many domestic
violence survivors need help making the move from shelters to
safe, permanent housing, and we urge City and State officials
to ensure that every family fleeing domestic abuse has access
to appropriate housing assistance.”
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