Do Homeless People Vote? Posted on September 10, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in City and State A week before the 2016 presidential election, Cecelia Grant didn’t know who she’d vote for – “This election is in a ditch,” she said – but she was sure she wanted to cast a ballot on Nov. 8. “I am planning to vote, but there is one obstacle in my ..Read More
City Busing Over 5,000 Students Living in Homeless Shelters to Public Schools This Year Posted on September 8, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News The city will bus a record number of homeless students from shelters to public schools this year in an effort to get more kids to class. City officials said the 5,161 homeless students being taken to school in buses represent a nearly 77% increase over last ye ..Read More
City Council to Consider Expanding Stays at Shelters for Runaway and Homeless Teens, Young Adults Posted on September 6, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News Homeless and runaway youth would be able to stay longer in the city’s crisis shelters under new legislation that will be introduced in the City Council Thursday. One bill would allow teens and young adults to stay in the shelters for 120 days, up from 30 day ..Read More
Coalition Testifies on NYPD’s Responses to Persons in Mental Health Crisis Posted on September 7, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone According to national estimates, nearly one-third of homeless single adults in shelters likely suffer from a severe mental illness and/or chronic substance use disorder – and the rates are even higher for homeless adults sleeping on the streets. Unfortunatel ..Read More
These Cities Are About to Make It Harder for Landlords to Evict People Posted on August 28, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Nation In 2013, Randy Dillard found himself on the wrong side of an eviction notice. “I was numb,” he says of the moment he discovered the notice from his landlord. “I was frightened. I was scared. I didn’t know what to do.” A single parent of five a ..Read More
Help Homeless Kids Go Back to School Posted on August 24, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in Queens Chronicle Shopping for school supplies is oftentimes an unexpectedly expensive endeavour. But for homeless children, it’s not often they have the luxury of breaking out that brand new binder or notebook on the first day of classes. So Borough President Melinda Katz is ..Read More
Cities Are Guaranteeing Tenants Access to a Lawyer to Help Them Fight Eviction Posted on August 24, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in Fast Company In 2013, Randy Dillard was living with his four sons and a daughter in an apartment at 198th Street and Bainbridge in the Bronx. The windows were broken; mold and mildew streaked the walls. In the winter, Dillard’s family had to boil water on the stove to ba ..Read More
The City Council’s Fair Share Bill is Unfair to Homeless Families Posted on August 22, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in City and State New Yorkers understand that homelessness is a serious problem: 93 percent say it is a very serious (69 percent) or serious (24 percent) problem, according to a May 2017 Quinnipiac University poll. We notice that there are more people on the streets and we feel ..Read More
Today’s Read: The City Council’s Fair Share Bill is Unfair to Homeless Families Posted on August 23, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone As rents in the city continue to soar while renter incomes remain stagnant, more and more New Yorkers are left with no option but to apply for shelter with the NYC Department of Homeless Services. Unfortunately, the City has often faced local opposition to ope ..Read More
