Author: Patrick Markee

A new public opinion survey found strong support for the legal right to shelter for homeless New Yorkers, and for prevention and housing assistance. The survey results were released by the Institute for Children and Poverty in a report entitled, “Stemm ..Read More

New DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond, an architect of harsh Giuliani-era welfare policies, wants more homeless families to work — but fails to recognize that housing affordability, not joblessness, is at the root of record NYC homelessness. In an article i ..Read More

The Mayor’s FY 2011 Executive Budget proposal includes dramatic reductions in funding for street homeless services, homelessness prevention, and shelter and services for vulnerable New Yorkers — and will lead to more homelessness. Coalition for the ..Read More

Today we inaugurate an occasional feature called “Fact vs. Spin,” an attempt to counter some of the false, inaccurate spin about homelessness and housing policy that is, sadly, all-too-often perpetrated by public officials and pundits and then tran ..Read More

Last night Mayor Bloomberg’s appointees to the Rent Guidelines Board signaled their support for further rent increases affecting half of all rental apartments in New York City — a recipe for more homelessness. As the New York Times and other news ..Read More

In both life and death, far to many people walked past Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax. But he’ll be remembered for heroically giving his life in an attempt to protect a woman from an attack in the Jamaica section of Queens. The New York Times and other local ne ..Read More

Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to charge homeless families “rent” for shelter has earned national ridicule. Salon magazine featured the Mayor’s plan in their “This Week in Crazy” column. And a Newsweek writer labeled it the & ..Read More

Currently there are more than 39,000 homeless men, women, and children sleeping each night in New York City municipal shelters, an all-time record.  And during the past year the number of homeless families and single adults in shelters increased significantly ..Read More

The premise behind Mayor Bloomberg’s shelter denial plan — which was fortunately blocked by a New York State Supreme Court ruling this week — has always been more than a little far-fetched and absurd. Since November, Bloomberg administratio ..Read More