1979

The founders of Coalition for the Homeless file the landmark Callahan v. Carey class-action lawsuit, arguing for a legal right to shelter for homeless men under Article XVII of the New York State Constitution. The plaintiffs are homeless men who had been denied access to the few emergency shelters in existence. In December 1979, New York State Supreme Court Justice Andrew R. Tyler rules in favor of the plaintiffs and orders the City and State to provide shelter to all homeless men.

1980

After police begin clearing homeless people from the area surrounding Madison Square Garden to “clean up” the area for the Democratic National Convention, St. Francis Church begins letting those displaced sleep in the churchyard. A group of advocates, fighting for their rights to stay there — including Ellen Baxter, Kim Hopper, and Robert Hayes — first form the Coalition for the Homeless, as Governor Hugh Carey and Mayor Edward Koch blame one another for deinstitutionalization of State psychiatric facilities and the loss of the city’s single room occupancy housing stock to development.

1981

The City and State of New York enter into a landmark consent decree in Callahan v. Carey, guaranteeing decent emergency shelter for homeless men in New York City and setting basic municipal shelter standards. The Coalition is designated by State Supreme Court Justice Richard W. Wallach as the court-appointed monitor for shelters for homeless adults: Coalition co-founder Robert Hayes said: ”The key thing to the whole decree is monitoring.”

Months before the consent decree bearing his name is signed, Robert Callahan, a homeless Korean War veteran, is found dead on the streets of Manhattan near the Bowery.

Coalition for the Homeless Incorporated

The Coalition for the Homeless, Inc., is fully incorporated as a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt charity in March of 1981. Homeless New Yorkers start showing up at the Coalition’s doors asking for help, and the Crisis Intervention Program is born.

Private Lives, Public Spaces

Coalition co-founders Ellen Baxter and Kim Hopper release the groundbreaking study “Private Lives, Public Spaces,” documenting the lives of homeless men and women on the streets of NYC.

1982

The Coalition files Eldredge v. Koch to extend legal right to shelter to homeless women. The case was eventually consolidated in the Callahan v. Carey consent decree.

Mayor Edward Koch begins second term and runs for Governor, but loses.

1983

Coalition Opens DC Office

The Coalition opens its Washington, D.C., office, which later becomes the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Mario Cuomo Takes Office

Mario M. Cuomo becomes the 52^nd Governor of the State of New York, following Gov. Hugh Carey and having served one term as Lieutenant Governor.

McCain v. Koch

Building on the victories in the Callahan and Eldredge cases, the Legal Aid Society files McCain v. Koch, a class action lawsuit that argues that, under the New York State Constitution and statutes, the City and State are obligated to provide decent shelter to homeless families with children.

Homeless and Housing Assistance Program

New York State establishes the Homeless Housing and Assistance Program — one of the few programs nationally focusing on the provision of shelter and housing for homeless individuals and families.

1984

Camp Homeward Bound

In the summer of 1984, the Coalition opens Camp Homeward Bound in Harriman State Park — the first summer sleep-away camp designated exclusively for homeless children.

Pitts v. Black

The Coalition’s landmark Federal lawsuit Pitts v. Black ensures the right to vote for homeless New Yorkers. The case is brought against the State and City Boards of Election on behalf of homeless New Yorkers residing in shelters, hotels, or on the streets who were not permitted to register to vote because they lacked a home address. Before trial, a consent decree permitting homeless people in shelters to vote is signed. In October 1984, Judge Mary Johnson Lowe orders election officials to permit persons living on the streets to also register to vote, writing: “Homeless individuals identifying a specific location within a political community which they consider their ‘home base,’ to which they return regularly, manifest an intent to remain for the present, and a place from which they can receive messages and be contacted, satisfy the more stringent domicile standard and should not be disenfranchised solely because they lack a non-traditional residence.” The decision in Pitts v. Black gives homeless people in New York some of the strongest voting rights protections in the United States.

Klostermann v. Cuomo

The Coalition files a lawsuit, Klostermann v. Cuomo, which seeks permanent housing and support services for thousands of former patients of New York State psychiatric institutions who were made homeless.

1985

Grand Central Food Program

In response to a homeless woman starving to death in Grand Central Terminal, the Coalition opens the Grand Central Food Program, bringing meals to homeless people where they are, every night of the year. The program soon becomes the largest mobile soup kitchen in New York.

Wilkins v. Perales

The Coalition files a lawsuit, Wilkins v. Perales — the first of several legal challenges against the City for unlawfully operating large mega-shelters with more than 200 beds. The case, brought on behalf of a group of homeless people sleeping in municipal shelters, seeks to compel the State to enforce several of its own regulations regarding shelter operations. Specifically, plaintiffs seek an injunction ordering the State to prohibit a shelter from maintaining a capacity of over 200 people. At the time, more than 1,400 men are bedding down on a single drill floor in one City-operated shelter. In early 1985, the State Supreme Court holds that the State failed to enforce regulations limiting the size of City shelters, and that the regulations apply to all buildings used as shelters, including armories that can readily accommodate more than 200 people. The court acknowledged that the City can request a waiver to exceed the 200-person capacity limit by demonstrating a compelling need and that the health and safety of residents will not be compromised.  Subsequent lawsuits in the early 1990s lead to the downsizing of several large armory shelters.

Palmer v. Cuomo

After a City report finds that more than a quarter of young people staying in shelters had been discharged from foster care, the Coalition and allies file Palmer v. Cuomo and State Supreme Court Judge Elliott J. Wilke orders officials to continue supervising and providing independent living preparation for those between the ages of 18 and 21. The order is upheld on appeal.

1986

Albany Office

In an effort to have a stronger presence in State matters, the Coalition opens its Albany office.

McCain v. Koch

In the McCain v. Koch case, the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division, First Department, rules that homeless families with children in New York City have the legal right to shelter.

Baby Jennifer v. Koch

The Coalition files the lawsuit, which involves a group of several hundred healthy infants, known as “boarder babies,” who were living in hospital wards simply because public officials claimed they could find no foster homes for these infants. A final judgment by consent mandates that the City develop sufficient placements with foster families and cease leaving children in hospitals.

1987

Coalition Houses

After corrupt and abusive landlords are found guilty of hiring thugs and drug dealers to scare tenants out of three residential brownstones on the Upper West Side, a court orders the buildings turned over to the Coalition. The new project is named Coalition Houses.

Rental Assistance Program

The Coalition creates the Rental Assistance Program, a pilot program giving homeless families a two-year rental subsidy and case management services so that they can become independent by the end of the program period.

Koch and Affordable Housing

Mayor Koch commits to 15,000 units of affordable housing for homeless families and individuals.

Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act

The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act is signed into law, following intensive advocacy by the Coalition and national allies in support of the broader Homeless Person’s Survival Act introduced the year prior and marking the first major Federal legislative response to homelessness.

Koskinas v. Boufford and Heard v. Cuomo

Following the 1984 Klostermann case, the Coalition files two other lawsuits (Heard v. Cuomo and Koskinas v. Boufford) seeking to expand protections for people living with mental illnesses facing discharge from State psychiatric centers and City hospitals. The New York State Court of Appeals ultimately holds that City hospitals must follow plans that provide for adequate, appropriate housing upon discharge from psychiatric units, thereby curbing the common practice of hospitals discharging homeless patients directly to shelters or the streets. The State was found not to have violated the same requirements, in part because it was investing in the development of housing for this population, even though it did not have enough such housing for everyone.

1988

Coalition Houses Re-Opens

The doors of Coalition Houses re-open to provide permanent housing for homeless single men and women. The Coalition returns as many of the original tenants as possible to their homes, and uses any vacancies to provide housing with supportive services to homeless single adults.

Mixon v. Grinker

The Coalition files the Mixon v. Grinker lawsuit, demanding that medically appropriate housing — including, at a minimum, private sleeping accommodations and private sanitary facilities — be provided to all homeless persons in New York City who are seropositive for HIV. According to the suit, conditions in municipal shelters and on the streets endangered persons whose immune systems are compromised by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The lawsuit leads to improved emergency housing for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS.

Foster Care Rent Subsidies Established

Coalition wins State legislation establishing rent subsidies to help reunite homeless families with children living in foster homes.

1989

New York’s shelter census drops by 20 percent — from roughly 26,000 to 21,000 homeless New Yorkers — over the course of the year.

1990

Scattered Site Housing Program

The Coalition creates the Scattered Site Housing Program for people with HIV/AIDS, to help fight discrimination against people living with AIDS by housing them in private market apartments throughout several buildings.

Alternative Pathways

David Dinkins, former member of the NYS Assembly and Manhattan Borough President, is sworn in as the first Black Mayor of the City of New York, and launches “Alternative Pathways” to combat homelessness.

NY/NY Housing Agreement

The first NY/NY Housing Agreement and Housing New York Capital Investment Plan create 26,000 units of housing for homeless and low-income New Yorkers. The City is forced to end the use of welfare hotels that do not comply with the City regulations by the Legal Aid Society.

The New York/New York Agreement, a joint State-City initiative, is signed by Mayor Dinkins and Governor Mario Cuomo and — by creating 3,800 units of permanent supportive housing — is the largest effort to date to create housing with on-site support services for homeless individuals living with mental illness.

1991

First Step

The Coalition begins providing job training to victims of domestic violence, marking the start of our renowned First Step Job Training Program.

Bridge Building

Bridge Building opens in East Harlem, providing safe one- and two-bedroom apartments for homeless women and their children.

6,000 Families in Shelter

The failure of Mayor Dinkins’ “Alternative Pathways” causes the number of families living in shelters to reach a then-record of 6,000.

Investments in HIV/AIDS Housing

In the wake of Mixon vs. Grinker and litigation surrounding the spread of Tuberculosis in congregate shelters in tandem with compromised immunity associated with HIV, Mayor Dinkins and Governor Mario Cuomo make significant investments in housing for people with HIV/AIDS.

1992

The Coalition sues the Orange County Board of Elections for refusing to allow hundreds of homeless residents of the Camp LaGuardia shelter in Chester, NY, to register to vote. In Coalition for the Homeless v. Jensen, a New York State appellate court rules that the election officials did not take reasonable, good faith steps to determine the true residency of these homeless individuals and orders that the applications of all the Camp LaGuardia residents be accepted and their ballots counted for the 1992 general election.

1993

Community Mental Health Reinvestment Act

The Coalition is instrumental in drafting and negotiating the Community Mental Health Reinvestment Act of 1993, which adds new community-based mental health programs and services – including housing and specific programs for homeless people – by reinvesting $200 million per year in State funds saved through the closure of State inpatient psychiatric beds. This initiative moves more than $1 billion out of institutions into the community to help people with serious mental illnesses over the first five years alone, creating a new baseline of expanded community mental health services.

Fighting Detention of Haitian Refugees with HIV/AIDS

Coalition leaders are arrested with leaders of Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS, and ACT UP — along with Rev. Jesse Jackson, actress Susan Sarandon, and others — for shutting down Fifth Avenue in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in protest of the Clinton Administration’s detention of Haitian refugees with HIV/AIDS in Guantanamo Bay. The act of civil disobedience is successful, and the Coalition helps find housing in NYC for the released refugees.

Foster Care Rent Subsidies Expanded

The Coalition wins State legislation expanding foster rent subsidies to help prevent the placement of homeless families’ children in foster homes.

1994

StreetWatch v. National Railroad Passenger Corp.

The Coalition works with the Center for Constitutional Rights on the StreetWatch v. National Railroad Passenger Corp. case, which charges Amtrak police with illegally ejecting, harassing, and arresting homeless people at New York City’s Penn Station. A preliminary injunction is granted in February of 1995, and a permanent injunction is subsequently issued in March 1996, making a series of temporary restrictions on police treatment of homeless people in Penn Station permanent. Judge Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman appointed to the Federal judiciary, and the first to argue a Supreme Court case, writes: “Defendants contend that the court should either concur in their labeling of the homeless as a criminal class or give weight to a perceived public interest in avoiding the aesthetic discomfort of being reminded on a daily basis that many of our fellow citizens are forced to live in abject and degrading poverty. The court cannot endorse either of these proposals,” and later awards $5,000 to $7,000 to each homeless person whose rights were violated by Amtrak.

NYC Adult Shelter Population Drops

The adult shelter population decreases 37 percent since 1989, thanks to investments in permanent housing via Mayor Koch’s 10-year capital investment in affordable housing, the use of Section 8 certificates and NYCHA units, and the NY/NY agreement.

Rudolph Giuliani Takes Office

Rudolph Giuliani becomes the 107^th Mayor of the City of New York.

Education of Homeless Students

Coalition wins State legislation which codifies and expands the educational rights of homeless students, including transportation to and from school, initiated previously under Federal law, which the NYS Education Department and local school districts were ignoring.

1995

George Pataki Takes Office

George E. Pataki becomes New York’s 53^rd Governor after defeating Gov. Mario Cuomo, who lost his bid for a fourth term.

New Shelter Rules for Families

Mayor Giuliani works with Governor Pataki to institute a wide array of rules to eject homeless families and individuals from emergency shelters. Gov. Pataki issues new shelter regulations that require homeless people to pay for the cost of shelter – homeless children and adults would be ejected from shelter for failure to comply. The Coalition challenges these rules in court and the State regulatory process, delaying their implementation.

Archie v. Grand Central Partnership

The Coalition launches a major class action lawsuit, Archie v. Grand Central Partnership, in Federal court, which sought back wages for a group of several hundred homeless individuals who were paid $1 per hour under the guise of a “job training program” while working for the Grand Central Partnership, a Midtown Manhattan business improvement district (BID). The plaintiffs worked as security guards, kitchen staff, and custodial staff, many working more than 40 hours per week. Federal district court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who later became the first woman of color and first Latinx person to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, rules that the BID violated the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act as well as Federal and State minimum wage laws, and orders it to pay back wages to the workers. After five years of delays, a settlement is reached in October 2000 in which the Grand Central Partnership agrees to pay workers $816,000 in back wages.

1996

President Clinton signs the Welfare Reform Act, known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), into law.

1997

Despite the economic boom, the City does not commit to create affordable housing for low-income New Yorkers. The homeless population steadily rises.

1998

Eviction Prevention Program

The Coalition formalizes its practice of providing emergency grants to New Yorkers about to be evicted from their homes as the Eviction Prevention Program.

Persistent Shelter Flooding

After months of persistent flooding at a municipal shelter for homeless veterans in Queens and the Giuliani administration’s failure to make necessary repairs, the Coalition files an enforcement action pursuant to the Callahan consent decree. A State court justice orders the City to make repairs to prevent flooding.

1999

Punitive Shelter Rules Challenged

Under the Callahan consent decree, the Coalition challenges the Giuliani administration’s attempt to implement punitive 1995 State regulations issued by the Pataki administration that would deny shelter to thousands of homeless men and women each year.

NY/NY II Agreement

The NY/NY II Agreement signed by Gov. Pataki and Mayor Giuliani creates just 2,320 units of permanent supportive housing.

Housing a Growing City

The Coalition publishes groundbreaking housing report: Housing a Growing City—New York’s Bust in Boom Times.

Giuliani Arrests Homeless; Massive Rally in Defense of Right to Shelter

Giuliani begins arresting people sleeping on the street if they refuse shelter, and the Coalition holds a massive rally in Union Square Park to defend the right to shelter on the 20^th anniversary of the preliminary order in Callahan.

The Coalition releases public opinion survey showing New Yorkers find homelessness to be an urgent problem, support housing solutions, and have serious concerns about Giuliani’s homeless policies.

2000

Callahan Enforcement

In February 2000, New York State Supreme Court Judge Stanley L. Sklar rules for the Coalition and homeless plaintiffs, blocking the punitive rules pending the City’s appeal, and writing: “The simple bureaucratic error which might send an individual out into the street because he or she was unable to understand or to cooperate with these requirements might be the error which results in that individual’s death by exposure, or death by sheer neglect. The risk is simply too great to take.”

Bound for Success

The Coalition initiates the Bound for Success after-school program in family shelters.

Rental Assistance Program

Due in part to the success of the Coalition’s Rental Assistance Program, the City Council begins providing limited funding for other Rental Assistance Programs.

Poll Shows Many New Yorkers Have Been Homeless

The Coalition releases a statewide public opinion that shows one in six New Yorkers reports that either they or a household member have stayed in a shelter or been homeless.

New York Kids Need Housing

Homeless children participate in New York Kids Need Housing actions, including building Lego houses at Battery Park City and later delivering some of them to Mayor Giuliani at City Hall.

2001

Client Advocacy Program

The Coalition is awarded funding from the NYS Assembly to start the Client Advocacy Program to help homeless people with disabilities to secure disability benefits and housing.

The attack on the World Trade Center occurs just blocks away from the Coalition’s main offices, literally leaving airplane debris at the intersection, and forcing an emergency evacuation of staff and clients. The Coalition’s Grand Central Food Program continues serving homeless New Yorkers on 9/11, never missing a night. The Coalition resumes serving clients at the Lower Manhattan headquarters on Chambers Street a week later, despite the tragic losses and what would become a months-long interruption in internet and telephone service.

2002

Bloomberg Takes Office

Michael Bloomberg becomes the 108^th Mayor of the City of New York. Bloomberg’s plan to use unused jails as shelters is opposed by the Coalition and ultimately rejected by the courts.

State of the Homeless

The Coalition releases its first annual State of the Homeless Report and publishes the second edition of Housing a Growing City—New York’s Bust in Boom Times.

Youth Against Homelessness

JR Bennet and other homeless young people form Youth Against Homelessness, offering homeless children the opportunity to participate in NY Kids Need Housing events – including building model houses to deliver to Mayor Bloomberg, a popular postcard campaign, and a public forum with East Side congregations featuring a documentary about homeless children and several young people telling their own stories about living in shelters and trying to succeed in school without a home.

2003

CFH Moves to 129 Fulton

The Coalition renovates and moves to 129 Fulton Street, bringing most Coalition programs under one roof.

NYS Appellate Court Allows Shelter Denial Regulations

In a significant setback for the legal right to shelter, a New York State appellate court rules in favor of the Bloomberg administration’s appeal of Judge Sklar’s February 2000 ruling blocking the City from implementing State shelter denial regulations.

2004

Five-Year Plan to End Homelessness

In June, Bloomberg announces his five-year plan to end homelessness.

In December, the Bloomberg administration announces that it will no longer prioritize homeless families for NYCHA and Section 8 and will replace these stable housing options with Housing Stability Plus, a time-limited and restrictive substitute.

The Coalition releases a briefing paper critical of the City’s methodology for estimating the homeless population.

Youth Against Homelessness holds its first Annual Forum.

2005

DRIE

Coalition for the Homeless and our allies in the tenant, legal, and disability communities re-write and win State and City legislation to authorize the Disability Rent Increase Exemption program (DRIE).

NY/NY III Agreement

Following an intensive campaign led by the Coalition and our allies, the NY/NY III Agreement is signed by Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg, adding 9,000 units of supportive housing over 10 years: 7,500 units for single adults and 1,500 for families.

NY City Council legislation establishes the annual homeless death reporting requirement.

2006

New York’s comprehensive mental health insurance mandate and parity requirement, Timothy’s Law, is signed into law. It is later made permanent and broadened to include substance use disorders and public managed care plans. It is the subject of an early study of its effectiveness, and eventually requires minimum and equitable insurance benefits for more than 11.8 million New Yorkers in public and private health plans, including: 4.95 million insured via employers; 1.09 million non-group plan members; 391,000 enrolled in Child Health Plus; 4.3 million Medicaid managed care recipients; 885,000 Essential Plan enrollees; and 214,000 served through Qualified Health Plans offered through New York’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange. Non-compliance with the law produces significant fines and millions of dollars in consumer compensation as a result of enforcement actions by the Department of Financial Services and the NYS Office of the Attorney General.

2007

Advantage

Seeing the absolute failure of Housing Stability Plus, Bloomberg replaces the program with Advantage, another flawed, short-term housing subsidy program.

Eliot Spitzer Takes Office

Eliot Spitzer becomes New York’s 54^th Governor, following Gov. Pataki, who served three terms.

Grand Central Food Program Expanded

The Coalition expands the Grand Central Food Program to deliver hot meals to people living on the streets of the Bronx, as well as two routes in Manhattan.

2008

The Right to Shelter for Families

In a major victory for the legal right to shelter, the City and State agree to a settlement of longtime litigation involving homeless families. The final judgment in Boston v. City of New York enshrines the legal right to shelter for homeless families with children.

David Paterson Takes Office

David Paterson becomes New York’s 55^th Governor, following Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s resignation in disgrace after serving less than 15 months. He is the first blind person to serve as a governor in the United States, and is New York’s first Black governor.

Mental Health Parity

With advocacy of Coalition staff and partners to preserve the integrity of Timothy’s Law, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act passes and ultimately strengthens State law.

Following years of advocacy, including extensive early work by Coalition staff, the National Housing Trust Fund is established.

2009

The Bloomberg administration proposes punitive rules requiring many homeless families and individuals to pay for shelter, in some cases more than $900/month. The Coalition, working with the Legal Aid Society and others, challenges the new rules and wins a change in State law to block the misguided “shelter rent” provision from taking effect in New York City.

Bloomberg’s failing policies on homelessness are chronicled by the Coalition as a Lost Decade, in which more New Yorkers experienced homelessness than under any previous New York City mayor since modern homelessness began three decades prior.

2010

During the winter of 2009-2010, the City fails to provide sufficient shelter for homeless men and women. Following months of reports and first-hand documentation by Coalition shelter monitors, the Coalition files an enforcement motion under the Callahan consent decree. In early 2010, a State court justice orders the City to provide sufficient shelter for homeless adults and to cease the practice of shuttling homeless men and women from one overnight shelter placement to another each night.

2011

Andrew Cuomo Takes Office

Andrew M. Cuomo becomes New York’s 56^th Governor, following Gov. Paterson’s completion of Gov. Spitzer’s term.

End of Advantage

After Gov. Cuomo withdraws State funding for the faltering and flawed Advantage rent subsidy program, Mayor Bloomberg abruptly cancels it. Working with the Coalition, the Legal Aid Society files a class action lawsuit on behalf of some 15,000 formerly homeless families who had been promised up to two years of rental assistance under the program but whose subsidies were stopped. Although a State appellate court ultimately rules against the families, temporary court orders help provide eight additional months of rental assistance to the families. Nevertheless, half of the families whose subsidies expire return to the shelter system: More than 8,500 Advantage families, with more than 18,000 children and 12,000 adults, return to the shelter system after their Advantage housing subsidy expired.

Shelter Eligibility Rule Change Proposal

The Bloomberg administration attempts to implement new shelter eligibility rules for homeless single adults that, according to City officials themselves, would have denied emergency shelter to thousands of homeless men and women each year. The Coalition, working with the Legal Aid Society, immediately challenges the misguided rules, and the New York City Council files suit based on the Bloomberg administration’s failure to follow proper administrative procedure in attempting to introduce the new regulations. State Supreme Court Judge Judith J. Gische ultimately rules in favor of the City Council, The Legal Aid Society, and the Coalition, declaring the procedure containing the rules “a nullity.”

2012

20,000 Children Reside in NYC Shelters

With few resources for homeless families to exit the shelter system, the number of children in the family shelter system surpasses 20,000. The New York Times calls on Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Cuomo to help with permanent housing assistance.

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy slams into NYC on October 29, killing 48 people, destroying thousands of homes, and leaving whole swaths of the city without power. Even during the height of the storm, the Coalition’s GCFP continues distributing meals to those in need and steps up its emergency relief efforts in the chaotic days following the storm, delivering food, blankets, and other critical supplies to storm victims throughout the hobbled and blacked-out city. In the initial dearth of any coordinated effort by the City to monitor and ensure the well-being of those displaced by the storm, Coalition staff work around the clock in the field, helping hundreds of evacuees in the makeshift evacuation shelters set up in high schools and colleges, the haphazard and unsafe evacuation shelters crowded into Callahan shelters, and in dozens of hotels and YMCAs scattered across NYC. The thousands displaced by the storm add to the record number of people already sleeping in municipal shelters.

Medicaid Ombudsprogram Proposal

The Coalition co-authors a proposal to establish a new State-funded advocacy service to help recipients navigate the complexities of Medicaid Managed Care. The resulting program is slated to provide $23 million in ombudsprogram services statewide over the first five years and is called the Independent Consumer Advocacy Network (ICAN), comprised of community-based advocacy programs coordinated by the Community Service Society to help people with managed care plans that cover long-term care or behavioral health services.

2013

Court of Appeals Blocks Bloomberg Policy

Ruling on the Bloomberg administration’s appeal of previous court decisions blocking it from implementing its proposed 2011 shelter eligibility rules for homeless adults, New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, upholds the previous court’s rulings that the administration had violated the City Charter.

Shelter Census Tops 50,000

The homeless population reaches 50,000 for the first time ever. More than 10,000 NYC schoolkids sign a petition asking Mayor Bloomberg to help the more than 20,000 homeless kids to get out of shelters and into real homes.

2014

Bill de Blasio Takes Office

Bill de Blasio becomes the 109^th Mayor of the City of New York, having served previously as the New York City Public Advocate and a Member of the New York City Council.

Mayor de Blasio re-instates “Code Blue” shelter rules for homeless families seeking refuge during freezing weather, reversing the dangerous and much-criticized Bloomberg policy that turned families away from shelter intake during sub-freezing cold. The Coalition convinces the City and State to launch rent subsidy programs to help homeless families and single adults move from shelters into permanent housing. Mayor de Blasio moves 750 homeless families in NYCHA apartments.

Mayor de Blasio Initiates LINC

Mayor de Blasio initiates a series of new rental subsidy programs (called “LINC” for “Living in Communities”) to help homeless families and individuals move into permanent housing. After needless delays by the Cuomo administration, the City is able to launch six separate LINC programs and also make hundreds of Federal Section 8 rent subsidies available to homeless families.

The Coalition debunks as a “Zombie Lie” the conservative assertion that targeting housing subsidies to help homeless families leads to a surge in families seeking shelter.

Campaign for NY/NY Housing

The Coalition leads the Campaign for NY/NY Housing, calling for a new City-State agreement for 35,000 units (30,000 in NYC) of supportive housing to be built over the next 10 years.

DRIE Income Limit Increased

The income limit for the Disability Rent Increase Exemption program is increased to $50,000, making families with more than one person with a disability, or veterans with 100 percent disability ratings, eligible for the protective rent freeze that helps disabled New Yorkers living in regulated housing to save on rent and avoid homelessness.

2015

The de Blasio administration commits to funding 15,000 new units of supportive housing for New York City, stating that it cannot wait any longer for the State. The Coalition and other advocates from the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing encourage Gov. Cuomo to make this a true NY/NY Agreement by committing to 15,000 additional units for NYC and 5,000 units statewide.

2016

Gov. Cuomo Commits to Funding 20,000 Units of Supportive Housing

In his 2016 State of the State Address, Governor Andrew Cuomo commits to funding 20,000 new units of supportive housing – 15,000 in New York City and 5,000 elsewhere in the state – over 15 years. However, the initial $2 billion set aside in the 2016 State Budget is not released in 2016 due to the Governor needlessly demanding that a memorandum of understanding (MOU) be signed by the Governor, Assembly Speaker, and Senate Majority Leader. The Coalition and other advocates from the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing hold weekly rallies throughout 2016 (and into 2017) to urge Governor Cuomo to #SignTheMOU and release the promised funds.

Mayor Appoints Coalition for the Homeless as Monitor of Family Shelters

After NYC Department of Investigations and the NYC Comptroller release scathing reports on deplorable conditions in shelters for homeless families with children in 2015, Mayor de Blasio designates Coalition for the Homeless as independent monitor of the family shelter system. The Coalition has been the court-appointed monitor of shelters for single adults since 1981.

2017

Butler v. City of New York

The Butler v. City of New York class action settlement ensures people with disabilities are able to meaningfully access Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters and services. The lawsuit was brought against the City in 2015 by The Legal Aid Society on behalf of homeless people with disabilities, the Coalition for the Homeless, and the Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York, and a settlement is reached in 2017. The five-year settlement agreement will remove barriers to shelter access, ensure that reasonable accommodations are provided, and comprehensively improve the DHS system for New Yorkers with disabilities through an evaluation of the current system and facilities, remediation plans, and staff training – a landmark victory for homeless people living with disabilities.

NY State Releases Funding for Supportive Housing

After nearly a year of rallies, weekly protests, and demonstrations by the Coalition and other members of the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing, the 2017 New York State budget authorizes the release of $1 billion in State funds to pay for the first 6,000 new units of supportive housing for homeless individuals and families (of the total 20,000 promised by the Governor in 2016).

New York Becomes First City to Guarantee Lawyers to Tenants Facing Eviction

Thanks to three years of steadfast advocacy by the Right to Counsel NYC Coalition – of which the Coalition for the Homeless is an active member – Mayor Bill de Blasio endorses a right to legal counsel in housing court in February 2017 and signs Intro. 214-B into law in August, guaranteeing that all tenants with incomes up to 200 percent of the poverty level will have access to free legal representation, and tenants above that threshold will receive brief legal assistance.

2018

The Coalition launches the House Our Future NY campaign to call on Mayor de Blasio to increase the number of permanent affordable housing units set aside for homeless New Yorkers to 30,000 – or 10 percent of his 300,000-unit Housing New York 2.0 plan – including 24,000 units to be created through new construction.

More than 100 kids join the Coalition for the Homeless for the NY Kids Need Housing March, once again building Lego houses to send Mayor de Blasio a message: “If we can build houses – why can’t you?”

Client Advisory Group Launches Newsletter

The Coalition for the Homeless’ Client Advisory Group (CAG) launches a newsletter for shelter residents, The Monitor, written by homeless and formerly homeless members. CAG is a multifaceted mutual support and activism group that for nearly 20 years has engaged in advocacy, education, empowerment, and socialization to help organize New Yorkers living in NYC shelters.

Safe Housing for Survivors of Human Trafficking

The Coalition and allies win a State law requiring the provision of safe, culturally competent shelter and housing for survivors of human trafficking.

Parity Reporting

The Coalition and allies win passage of the NYS Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Report Act.

2019

Intro. 1211-a Enacted

Following months of relentless advocacy by the House Our Future NY campaign, in December the New York City Council passes the landmark Intro. 1211-a, legislation that requires the majority of new housing developments that receive City financial assistance to set aside at least 15 percent of apartments for homeless individuals and families. The bill becomes Local Law 19 of 2020 absent the Mayor’s signature and takes effect July 1 of that year.

DRIE Saves Disabled Renters Millions

The Disability Rent Increase Exemption program saves people with disabilities $25 million in rent payments in 2019, and has covered over $200 million in excess rents for families and individuals with disabilities since its inception.

2020

Say Yes to HSS

The Coalition launches the Say Yes to HSS campaign to urge Governor Cuomo to fund Home Stability Support, a statewide rent subsidy designed to bridge the difference between woefully inadequate public assistance shelter allowances and actual rents for New Yorkers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness due to eviction, domestic violence, or hazardous conditions. The pandemic interrupts the campaign, but momentum in support of State-funded rental assistance builds nonetheless, as reflected in a statewide public opinion survey showing that 74 percent of New Yorkers support including Home Stability Support in the State budget.

COVID-19 Pandemic Begins

The cataclysmic COVID-19 pandemic abruptly alters the lives of all New Yorkers. Homeless people are particularly vulnerable, as they have much higher rates of serious underlying health problems, generally lack access to quality health care, and many have no way to self-quarantine unless they are part of a family living in a private self-contained unit. The Coalition quickly adapts its programs and advocacy to respond to the crisis, continuing the Grand Central Food Program and other vital services even at the height of the pandemic, and releases a report chronicling the early months of the burgeoning health and economic crises.

Single Adult Shelter Census Climbs to New Record

For the first time, the number of single adults sleeping each night in DHS shelters, including safe havens and stabilization beds, climbs to more than 20,000 (20,210).

Fisher v. City of New York

In October, The Legal Aid Society and Jenner & Block LLP file a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court on behalf of the Coalition for the Homeless and homeless single adult New Yorkers. The lawsuit is against the City of New York, the Department of Social Services (DSS), and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) for failing to take appropriate action to temporarily provide safe shelter for single adults that is free of significant health risks from aerosol transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

E.G v. City of New York

In November, The Legal Aid Society and Milbank LLP – representing the Coalition for the Homeless and certain individual shelter residents and their children – file a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the de Blasio administration for its failure to provide students who reside in City shelters access to reliable internet service so they can attend school remotely.

2021

View From the Street

The Coalition releases a report documenting the lives of unsheltered New Yorkers in View From the Street.

State Budget

The New York State Budget includes $250 million in additional funds for supportive housing as well as $2.6 billion in emergency rental assistance and another $100 million for rental assistance that could be used to support Home Stability Support or a similar type of rent subsidy. The Coalition and allies succeed in defeating an ill-advised expansion of the involuntary commitment statute proposed by Gov. Cuomo.