NYC to Eliminate Cash Bail for Some Defendants Posted on July 8, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Wall Street Journal Thousands of people awaiting trial in New York City for some low-level offenses will be released to community supervision programs rather than detained in jails under an initiative to be announced Wednesday eliminating cash bail for certain defendants. The $17 ..Read More
Free Mental Safe Houses Open in New York City Posted on July 7, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in CNN A new program is taking an innovative approach to helping New York adults with mental health issues and those who may be on the brink of a psychiatric crisis. Parachute NYC, a federally funded project more than two years in the making, has created respite cent ..Read More
The Final Push to Eliminate Veteran Homelessness Posted on July 7, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in Capital New York Communities throughout the state, spurred by an Obama administration goal set in 2010, are working to eliminate veteran homelessness in New York by the end of the year. Last year, first lady Michelle Obama, as part of the nationwide effort, announced the Mayor ..Read More
Oren Moverman Talks Homelessness, Realism in Richard Gere’s ‘Time Out of Mind’ Posted on July 5, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Hollywood Reporter The Hollywood writer-director insists most Americans, squeezed financially, consider the homeless failures and look right through them as passers-by. Oren Moverman isn’t bothered his latest movie Time Out of Mind has been criticized for too little backst ..Read More
For Homeless Families, Quick Exit From Shelters is Only a Temporary Fix Posted on July 7, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in NPR More than 150,000 U.S. families are homeless each year. The number has been going down, in part because of a program known as rapid rehousing, which quickly moves families out of shelters and into homes. But new research by the Obama administration finds that ..Read More
Richard Gere Says Begging on New York’s Streets Was a “Profound Experience” Posted on July 4, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Hollywood Reporter Actor Richard Gere revealed how he made “two and a half dollars” panhandling on a New York street while filming test scenes for his role as a homeless man in Oren Moverman’s Time Out of Mind. Gere and the film crew made an effort to practice ..Read More
New York City Works to Improve Safety of Homeless Shelter Workers Posted on July 6, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times The huge, turreted castle that looms over Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn is the first stopover for many of New York City’s homeless men. Some call it Castle Grayskull after the forbidding fortress in the Masters of the Universe stories. The building, a former ar ..Read More
Homeless Given One Day to Leave Long-Term Shelter Posted on July 2, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in Pix11 Gentrification can be a difficult issue because it can improve communities while also sometimes making conditions for the poorest and most vulnerable residents even worse. A clear case of this is found at a large apartment building in Brooklyn where the landlo ..Read More
Rent Freeze! Rent Guidelines Board Approves Historic Zero Percent Increase Posted on June 29, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Observer The Rent Guidelines Board voted for a historic rent freeze on rent-regulated units on Monday night, the first time in its 46 year history that it has done so. The Board approved a zero percent increase for one-year leases and a 2 percent increase on two-year l ..Read More
