Thousands of formerly homeless families are at risk of returning to shelter because of the City's flawed rental subsidy program, Advantage, which provides just two years of rental assistance to families before cutting them off entirely. Today's economic climate, with high rates of unemployment, the rising cost of housing, and the unavailability of Section 8 vouchers are leaving many families unable to pay their rent at the end of the program. Hundreds of families have already returned to shelter and thousands more are at risk. Please join us in demanding that the Bloomberg administration fix this flawed program by providing longer term, flexible subsidies to families that will effectively bridge the gap between their income and rent.
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In 2005 Mayor Bloomberg broke with a longstanding and successful New York City policy which targeted scarce Federal housing resources -- including Section 8 vouchers and public housing -- to homeless families and individuals. Instead, the administration actually eliminated homeless New Yorkers' priority for such assistance. Since then, the number of homeless children and families has skyrocketed, hitting an all-time high in the fall of 2009, when more than 10,000 families slept in shelter each night. Please urge Mayor Bloomberg to restore Federal housing assistance to homeless New Yorkers.
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This summer, at the urging of the Bloomberg administration, New York State officials approved punitive new rules that will result in many homeless children and adults in New York City being ejected from shelter to the streets. This new policy requires that homeless families be ejected from shelter for at least 30 days for failing to comply with a long list of bureaucratic requirements such as missing appointments, failing to pay shelter "rent," or if a homeless family's welfare case is suspended or closed - something that happens routinely due to bureaucratic error.
The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless have submitted a petition to New York State to modify these new rules, which are dangerous and counterproductive for homeless families in many ways. Please urge Governor Paterson to make the proposed changes in State rules to protect homeless families and individuals from loss of emergency shelter.
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Mayor Bloomberg announced on June 4th that the City would back down on its plan to charge homeless families "rent" for shelter. Instead, with State approval, they will implement savings plans for families with income. This is a victory for the thousands of New Yorkers who are working every day to get out of shelter and back on their feet. Instead of thowing away upwards of $900 a month in shelter rent, families will now put a portion of their income in an interest-bearing savings account that they can access upon their exit from shelter. Thanks to the leadership of Assemblyman Keith Wright and State Senator Daniel Squadron, along with Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson, this agreement creates a common sense solution that will help families move out of shelter once and for all. Thanks to the more than 6,000 people who signed the petition to end rent for shelter!
Rosa Bracero was on track to graduate until her family's homeless shelter application process forced her to miss her Regents exam. She took a make up exam, but school officials would not accept it, and moreover, might not let her graduate. In large part because of the pressure and attention the Coalition was able to garner for Rosa's story, David Steiner, the New York State Education Commission, took swift action to move forward with her graduation. With your help, hundreds of letters were sent urging Mayor Bloomberg to take a stand and change policies that hurt homeless students. YOU gave a voice to the 16,000 homeless children in New York City who face hardships like Rosa's every day. Because of YOU, Rosa will now have a brighter future! Thank you!
Let's keep the momentum going! This success demonstrates what can happen when the Coalition fights back. Please take a minute to participate in our other action campaigns to help us continue to improve the policies affecting homeless and low-income men, women, and children.