Homelessness in NYC

       Recently, homelessness has reached its highest levels since The Great Depression in the 1930s. The amount of homeless people is at an all time high , reaching 58,056 homeless people and 13,922 homeless families in the city.The fundamental cause of homelessness is the widening housing affordability gap. In New York City, that gap has widened significantly over the past decades. Research as shown that the cause of the increase of homelessness, especially with families, is lack of affordable housing ,families being evicted from their current home , a family member losing a job , or severely overcrowded living situations. Other studies have shown that homeless people are at higher rates of developing mental illnesses , addiction , and serious health problems. However , this growing number of homelessness can be solved with methods proven to have beneficial results.

       Research studies have consistently confirmed that long-term housing assistance not only successfully reduces homelessness — it is also less expensive than shelter and other institutional care. One solution to the growing rate of homelessness is federal housing assistance. This method is the most successful , it involves giving vouchers that allow low-income households to rent modest market-rate housing of their choice and provide a flexible subsidy that adjusts with the family’s income over time. This method is highly successful with reducing family homelesses and making sure families remain in a stable living environment. Another method to reduce homelessness is permanent supporting housing , this has proven to be successful and a cost efficient solution.The supportive housing model combines affordable housing assistance with vital support services for individuals living with mental illness, HIV/AIDS or other serious health problems. Housing first is another method used in order to help homeless individuals find a place to live. This method involves moving long-term street homeless individuals — the majority of whom are living with mental illness, substance abuse disorders and other serious health problems — directly into subsidized housing and then linking them to support services, either on-site or in the community.

Source: www.coalitionforthehomeless.org

Brigid Meyers blog post 5