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
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
Congress Should Not Balance the Budget on the Backs of Low-Income Americans Posted on April 19, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in City & State All of us at the Coalition for the Homeless, New York’s premier homeless advocacy and direct service organization, are disheartened that the budget debate in Washington has not paid enough attention to just how much these spending cuts will affect people in ..Read More
When Mayor de Blasio Released His Plans to Open Over 90 Homeless Shelters, It Sent Shock Waves Throughout the City Posted on April 17, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in Our Time Press Immediately after his announcement, many residents from the communities of Crown Heights and Prospect Lefferts-Gardens came out to an emergency meeting in order to voice their outrage over another shelter being placed in their area. I shared that concern. When ..Read More
Advocates Urge de Blasio to Reinstate $10.3M in City Budget to Provide Crucial Services for Homeless Kids Posted on April 19, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News Mayor de Blasio must restore $10.3 million to the upcoming city budget for critical services for homeless kids, advocates and families insist. De Blasio included the money in his 2017 budget as part of a $30 million package of services for homeless families, b ..Read More
Evictions Aren’t the Answer, Say Advocates, After Investigations Dept. Slams NYCHA Posted on April 19, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in City Limits Criminal justice advocates are hoping to head-off the crackdown against NYCHA tenants that the city’s Department of Investigation endorsed in a report last month. In an investigation released March 28, DOI alleged that the public-housing authority is too len ..Read More
Living by the Girl Scout Law, Even Without a Home Posted on April 16, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times The girls streamed into what once served as a dining room at a Sleep Inn in Queens, ready to begin their meeting with a roll call. One by one came the names: “Jessica. Luz,” recited Karina, a fifth grader. “Carmen?” The room was small enough that Karin ..Read More
How Homelessness Has Worsened in the City Posted on April 16, 2017 by Jacquelyn Simone in NY1 Giselle Routhier from the Coalition for the Homeless and George Nashak from HELP USA talk about why the City’s homeless problem has worsened over the years. ..Read More