Welcome to the new online edition of UNCENSORED, Fall 2016/Winter 2017, featuring recommendations from service providers for what the new presidential administration should consider in the growing crisis of family homelessness.…
Return to shelter is a critical factor contributing to the growth of family homelessness in New York City. Among families living in shelter at any point during the last half of 2014, 84% had entered shelter for the first time prior to 2014. This trend is reflective of the focus on moving families out of the shelter system as quickly as possible, with limited attention directed towards addressing the underlying reason that each family entered shelter in the first place. In order to further the conversation about the dynamics that drive family homelessness in New York City’s communities, this report provides a geographic analysis of demographic patterns and newly-available data on family homelessness.…
The return of a policy to give some homeless families priority placement in New York City public housing has been hailed as a first step to ending family homelessness. With close to one in six families entering shelter from public housing, what impact will this policy actually have? There has been little discussion about the role of public housing as a feeder into the family shelter system. This policy brief examines the complex relationship between city policies and families entering shelter from public housing. …
a policy brief from ICPH May 2013 Finding a job continues to be a challenge for many New Yorkers. In March 2013 the city’s jobless rate was 8.9%;1 for homeless families, unemployment was significantly higher, with some estimates at 57%.2 Yet work has become practically the only means out of shelter, as budget constraints have…
This special report proposes using the family shelter as a tool for parents with limited education and work experience, as well as for victims of domestic violence, and those with mental health and substance abuse issues, and a history in the child welfare system.…