October 2013 Homelessness is an issue that many New Yorkers are forced to confront every day—from passing a homeless person on the sidewalk or subway to facing homelessness themselves. A basic awareness of the growing crisis is unavoidable. But in a city as large and economically diverse as New York, it stands to reason that…
The Fall 2013 issue of UNCENSORED features excerpts from the Tackling Poverty panel discussion in early 2013. “Girls Write Now” takes a look at a highly successful New York City program, pairing professional women writers and editors with often at-risk female high school students to enhance the girls’ writing skills. “Judy Centers” examines efforts to bring together educational and family services under one roof for preschool-aged children and their parents. “The Sanity Project” comprises heartbreaking and inspiring personal essays by a Michigan-based homeless education liaison.…
Our spring issue features “It Takes McCarver to Raise a Child: The Tacoma Housing Authority’s Education-based Fight against Homelessness” and “Beyond Freedom: Survivors of Domestic Violence Learn Self-Care.” The National Perspective focuses on “The Struggles of Homeless Hispanic Families;” The Historical Perspective revisits “Fresh Air for City Kids: the Early Years of Summer Camp”; the Voices column looks closely at “Rapidly Re-Housing Homeless Families: New York City—a Case Study.”…
In this policy brief, ICPH finds promising results with regard to rapid re-housing program design, implementation, and certain outcomes. Questions are raised regarding replicability of aspects of the program in other localities where certain conditions, such as a depressed housing market with below-market rents, may not exist.…
Need for shelter in community districts in the South Bronx and central Brooklyn dominate the list of the highest-contributing areas, while comparatively few families in shelter come from Manhattan.…
a policy brief from ICPH May 2013 Finding a job continues to be a challenge for many New Yorkers. In March 2013 the city’s jobless rate was 8.9%;1 for homeless families, unemployment was significantly higher, with some estimates at 57%.2 Yet work has become practically the only means out of shelter, as budget constraints have…
This opinion brief points to New York City as a case study on rapid rehousing and takes a critical look at the long-term impact of federally driven rapid rehousing policies, raising fundamental questions about the effectiveness of rapid rehousing as a solution when it is used in a one-size-fits all manner.…
The feature articles in this issue take both broad and up-close looks at the work of serving poor and homeless families. Our cover story, “Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Life,” which examines widespread efforts among medical professionals and others to ensure the well-being of mothers over the long term. “Lives in Transition,” meanwhile, focuses on one facility, Transition House in Santa Barbara, California, which works with families who are motivated to overcome the crises that have led them to homelessness and rebuild their lives. …
In 2011, over one-third (35%) of New York City residents had difficulty affording essential food. … Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit allowance does not take into account the higher cost of food in New York City compared to other urban areas.…
“Failure to complete high school or an equivalent is correlated with low lifetime earnings, few and low-paying employment prospects, and poor family-planning decisions, factors that can ultimately translate into a crippling cycle of poverty and dependence on public assistance.”…
This issue of UNCENSORED includes three features on programs aimed at helping those who find themselves homeless, as well as a piece on a New York domestic-violence shelter written by journalist who has firsthand experience there.…
This issue examines the plight of undocumented families in “Reaching into the Shadows;” the bureaucratic and legal challenges to receiving food stamps in “Little Becoming Less;” the positive effects of gardening in “Green Thumbs Up;” and the need for better data to understand and target services to homeless youth in “National Perspective.”
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