How Homeownership Became the Engine of American Inequality Posted on May 9, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times Magazine The son of a minister, Ohene Asare grew up poor. His family immigrated from Ghana when he was 8 and settled down in West Bridgewater, Mass., a town 30 miles south of Boston, where he was one of the few black students at the local public school. “It was us an ..Read More
Coalition Testifies on Mental Health Services Posted on May 8, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone Last week, the Coalition for the Homeless and The Legal Aid Society submitted testimony to The New York City Council Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disability, Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Disability Services regarding oversight of the ThriveNYC ..Read More
Congress Can’t Afford to Cut Housing for the Mentally Ill Posted on May 5, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in CityLab As Congress considers the federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2018 to reduce funding for services to poor and homeless Americans, programs with proven cost-effectiveness should not be on the chopping block. One such program is supportive housing for homele ..Read More
Homeless Performer Faces Uphill Battle From Shelter to Spotlight Posted on May 1, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in DNAinfo Wearing just a hint of eye makeup and a modest necklace on top of a simple white T-shirt, Freddie Cosmo took to the stage last Wednesday at famed gay bar Stonewall Inn for several songs during a show for charity. His friend and the club’s flamboyant ente ..Read More
Tenants with Housing Vouchers Deserve a Roof Over Their Head Posted on April 27, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in City Limits “It’s not fair,” a single father said. “Landlords assume you’re a drug addict or something just because you’re using a housing voucher to pay rent. They treat you like you’re less than human when you mention you have a Section 8 voucher.” “Ev ..Read More
How to Help the Record Number of Homeless Students Posted on April 26, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone Tonight, nearly 24,000 children will sleep in New York City shelters. Tomorrow, thousands of them will head to school, where they often struggle to keep up with their stably housed classmates while coping with the trauma of homelessness. A new report from the ..Read More
In New York City Schools, an Ever-Rising Tide of Homeless Students Posted on April 24, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times The number of New York City public school students living in homeless shelters has increased in each of the last five years, reaching nearly 33,000 in the 2015-16 school year, the city’s Independent Budget Office said in a report on Monday. That is 4,000 mor ..Read More
Community Rallies Around Shelter in Brooklyn Posted on April 25, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in Fox 5 News For all the poor press shelters get, The Kensington, named after the Brooklyn neighborhood in which it sits, is a source of optimism. But there were concerns in the beginning. Catherine Barufaldi, a volunteer at The Kensington, said many in the neighborhood we ..Read More
Coalition Testifies on Homeless Services Reforms Posted on April 21, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone On Thursday, the Coalition for the Homeless and The Legal Aid Society presented testimony before the New York City Council’s Committee on General Welfare regarding the status of reforms to the Department of Homeless Services and actions needed to address nea ..Read More
