Advocates Critique City, State on Homeless Policy Posted on July 15, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in City Limits It wasn’t until the waning days of his mayoralty that Mayor Bloomberg was held accountable for his failure to meet his goal of a major reduction in homelessness. The scrutiny of Mayor de Blasio’s shortcomings came earlier and from multiple sources: ..Read More
K2, Other Synthetic Marijuana Products Harming Low-Income Communities Posted on July 12, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News Synthetic marijuana is not like traditional marijuana; in fact, it’s not even made from a plant. Synthetic marijuana — like K2 — is a hazardous mix of industrial chemicals combined to imitate the effects of THC, the naturally occurring active compoun ..Read More
Today’s Video: Advocates Critique City, State on Homeless Policy Posted on July 15, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone Coalition for the Homeless Policy Director Giselle Routhier joined other advocates on the BRIC TV program BkLive this Wednesday to discuss the current state of homelessness and what further actions the City and State must take to turn the tide. Giselle pointed ..Read More
Mayor Signs Bills Offering Free Feminine Hygiene Products Posted on July 13, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Observer New York City’s girls and women in schools, prisons and shelters are now guaranteed access to free tampons and pads after Mayor Bill de Blasio signed three bills today—a high-profile step in a growing “menstrual equity” movement nationwide. The three b ..Read More
Six Months Later, Homeless New Yorkers Are Still Waiting on Cuomo Posted on July 13, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone Today marks six months since Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address, in which he made an historic commitment to fund 20,000 units of desperately needed supportive housing over 15 years. The Governor announced on January 13th that the first 6,000 of thos ..Read More
To Prevent Families From Entering Homeless Shelters, NYC Offers Debit Cards Posted on July 12, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in WNYC The City of New York is trying out a new approach to stop the increase in the number of families with children in the shelter system: giving them money. This month, the city will begin offering one-time $500 debit cards to doubled-up families and their hosts. ..Read More
Seen and Not Heard: Homeless People Absent from Election Even as Ranks Grow Posted on July 9, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Guardian It is no mean feat to cast a ballot when home is a doorway or a tent beneath a freeway underpass. When your mailing address is General Delivery, or the Prison Legal Services office, or someone else’s room at an SRO hotel. When the hunt for a voting precinct ..Read More
One Reason So Many Veterans Are Homeless? They Can’t Afford Lawyers. Posted on July 8, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Washington Post David Garrett returned home from war to find he had no home. A disabled veteran from Maine who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Garrett soon fell into homelessness. After almost a year of camping out, he found an apartment he could afford by negotiating a d ..Read More
Cuomo Expands Access to New York’s SNAP Food Stamp Program Posted on July 11, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News As many as 750,000 families in New York State are now eligible for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program following a change in the program’s rules. Gov. Cuomo announced that beginning July 1, families of three whose total monthly income is $2 ..Read More
