NYC shifts policy on permanent housing for street homeless
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NYC shifts policy on permanent housing for street homeless. Photo via DHS.
By David Brand
New Yorkers who stay in public spaces instead of the Department of Homeless Services shelter system will now qualify for permanent housing vouchers — a significant policy shift in a city mired in a historic homelessness crisis. About 3,600 New Yorkers, including 157 in Queens, spent the night on subways, sidewalks and other public spaces, according to the city’s annual one-night count.
Under a new strategy announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday, the city will create 1,000 new permanent apartments to house so-called street homeless individuals. Homeless New Yorkers will no longer have to enter the DHS shelter system and go through an onerous process to qualify for housing vouchers. The city will work with nonprofit organizations to provide case management, healthcare and other support services once a person is housed.
The city will also fund 1,000 new “safe haven” beds — mattresses, cots and beds located in churches, non-profit drop-in sites and other privately run locations — for homeless New Yorkers reluctant to enter the sprawling DHS shelter system. There are currently 1,800 safe haven beds citywide.
“Homeless New Yorkers are just like us — they deserve our love and compassion and a commitment to go as far as we can to help,” de Blasio said. “So here’s our promise: we will help every last person experiencing long-term homelessness off our streets and we will do more than we ever thought possible to bring them home.”
New Yorkers living on the street account for a tiny fraction of the city’s overall homeless population — in fact, families with young children make up the largest cohort of unstably housed New Yorkers. But they are the most visible, and the most likely to draw media attention and public scrutiny.
“They are a small percentage, but they paint the picture of homelessness in New York City,” said Floating Hospital Executive Director Sean Granaham. His Long Island City-based organization provides healthcare for homeless families in shelters and other settings.
“People who help the street homeless work with people who have unique needs because they are not living in shelters,” Granaham said. “Whether it’s dermatological, mental health or disease prevention, they have unique needs.”
An estimated 3,588 unsheltered individuals, stayed on subways, sidewalks and public spaces in New York City on Jan. 28, the date of the annual point-in-time Homeless Outreach Population Estimate. The one-night count, conducted by volunteers, is used to gauge the extent of street outreach services and is also used rough marker for reporting on street homelessness.
About 60,000 of other New Yorkers stay in DHS shelters each night; roughly 70 percent of the DHS shelter residents are families with young children. Tens of thousands of others stay in other temporary settings, often “doubled up” with families, friends and other people in apartments where there names do not appear on the lease.
LaGuardia College urban sociology professor Gerard Frohnhoefer works with Queens churches that provide temporary shelter for homeless New Yorkers and said the city’s plan was a “helpful” step for reaching people who stay outdoors, but he said New Yorkers should not lose sight of the families who make up the bulk of the homeless population.
“Those are the folks we see in our public places, and they’re the ones who really need in-depth psychological help and in that sense it’s good,” he said. “It can and should be done, But at the same time, don’t ignore the hidden homeless who are the biggest part of the problem.”
