New York City is Sued Over Rule Change to Rent-Freeze Program Posted on June 3, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times When Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation a year ago that increased the number of older New Yorkers eligible to have their rents frozen, he called it a “godsend” and an “extraordinary lifeline” for people whose incomes could not keep pace with the c ..Read More
The American Dream is Thriving — Just Not in the U.S. Posted on June 4, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in CBS MoneyWatch The American Dream is alive and well — just not on U.S. soil. Seeking to assess if the Horatio Alger, “rags to riches” narrative behind that defining metaphor remains viable, researchers measured the odds of a child born to parents in the bot ..Read More
What it Will Really Take to End Vet Homelessness by the End of the Year Posted on June 2, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Huffington Post Much to the fanfare of VA officials, a fourth U.S. city announced on Monday that it has ended chronic veteran homelessness. But while skeptical advocates welcome the progress, they say other cities won’t follow suit fast enough to meet the looming deadline. ..Read More
Proven Homelessness-Fighting Program Loses State Funding, Faces Uncertain Future Posted on June 3, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in Gotham Gazette More than 60,000 people will spend the night in a New York City homeless shelter tonight. Estimates suggest roughly one-third struggle with untreated mental illness, many of whom find themselves trapped in a turbulent cycle of life including jail, psychiatric ..Read More
How New York’s Complex Rent Laws May Change—and Soon Posted on June 1, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in Curbed New York’s rent regulation laws are up for renewal on June 15th. The revised laws that are decided in Albany will affect the 2.5 million New Yorkers now living in rent-regulated apartments, and they will also shape the market for Mayor de Blasio’s ..Read More
Middle-Income New Yorkers Struggling With Heavy Rent Burden, Study Says Posted on May 29, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in AMNewYork Nearly half of middle-income New Yorkers are struggling to pay their rent, the worst percentage among major U.S. cities, according to a study released Thursday. About 43% of moderate income New Yorkers are severely rent burdened, meaning they pay at least 50% ..Read More
Mom of 3 Gets Help From HomeBase Program to Avoid Homelessness Posted on May 30, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in New York Daily News Keisha Wood is a working, single mother who, against all odds, avoided adding her three kids to the 20,000 children living in the city’s shelter system. Wood’s story shows a way for others to avoid being sucked into the abyss of homelessness. ..Read More
One in Five U.S. Schoolchildren are Living Below Federal Poverty Line Posted on May 28, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The Washington Post More than one out of every five school-age children in the U.S. were living below the federal poverty line in 2013, according to new federal statistics released Thursday. That amounted to 10.9 million children — or 21 percent of the total — a six percent i ..Read More
New York City Task Force to Investigate ‘Three-Quarter’ Homes Posted on June 1, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone in The New York Times Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday he had formed an emergency task force to investigate so-called three-quarter houses in New York City for potentially exploiting addicts and homeless people by taking kickbacks on Medicaid fees for drug treatment while forcin ..Read More
