Turn City’s Closed Catholic Churches into Homeless Shelters, Residents Say Posted on December 2, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in DNAinfo A group of Manhattan residents are calling on the Archdiocese of New York to turn the dozens of churches it closed earlier this year into homeless shelters. Instead of keeping them vacant or selling them for millions, the group — eight friends, most of whom ..Read More
Amid NYC Homeless-Housing Push, ‘Supportive’ Project Starts Posted on December 1, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in Associated Press As the city gears up a multibillion-dollar push to house the homeless, officials are showcasing plans to turn an empty South Bronx lot into apartments enhanced with help for residents contending with mental illness. City first lady Chirlane McCray joined in Tu ..Read More
Some NYC Landlords Illegally Refusing to Rent to Tenants on Government Aid: Controller Posted on December 2, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News As the city presses landlords to take in homeless families, some have decided it’s okay to illegally refuse to rent to tenants who get government aid, the city controller has found. A disturbing pattern has emerged on Craigslist of landlords openly warning o ..Read More
The Long Wait for Section 8 Posted on December 1, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in Marketplace Marylene Marrero is a 37-year-old hairstylist who lives in Yonkers, New York. She has spent the past couple of years bouncing from apartment to apartment. In that time, there’s something she has held onto very tightly: a letter from the Municipal Housing ..Read More
How to Help the Homeless in New York and Other High-Cost Cities Posted on December 1, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times Even as rates of homelessness decline nationally, the number of homeless continues to rise in many cities with high-cost housing markets, like New York City. While the cost of living in these cities has skyrocketed, wages remain stagnant for many low- and midd ..Read More
Governor Cuomo’s Life or Death Decision on Supportive Housing Posted on November 30, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in Gay City News Two weeks ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio took a major step in combating our city’s homelessness crisis, committing city resources to create 15,000 units of supportive housing. For me, this was more than just a welcome announcement by a mayor I have been waiting t ..Read More