By Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate, Homes for the Homeless (HFH) The much-anticipated plan to address New York City’s dual housing and homelessness crises was released by Mayor Adams last week. The plan, Housing Our Neighbors: A Blueprint for Housing and Homelessness, is full of impressive ideas and goals, though more could be done to…
Overview The New York City mayoral election will be a decision on the proper localized response to the continued pandemic, similar in its gravity to the 2001 mayoral election that followed the dual wounds of 9/11 and the related economic downturn. Given the current financial crisis and increased unemployment, many New Yorkers will be approaching…
While homelessness impacts families in every neighborhood of New York City, some communities have a combination of neighborhood instability factors that make families particularly vulnerable to homelessness. Meanwhile, coronavirus is ravaging these same low-income, predominantly minority neighborhoods. For residents of Central Queens, Eastern Brooklyn, and the South Bronx—which already have a high percentage of families facing housing instability—the daily impact of coronavirus has…
The integral role that schools play in the lives of students experiencing homelessness and the many challenges they face have never been clearer as the threat of coronavirus continues to grow and schools across the country close. Below are ten things to keep in mind about homeless students amid the COVID-19 crisis. Students and families…
Student homelessness is at an all-time high, with over 1.5 million children nationwide experiencing homelessness over the course of the 2017-18 school year. That is the sobering verdict of a new report released by the National Center on Homeless Education (NCHE). This record-breaking total is an 11% increase over the previous school year and a…
Read the full report on the Dynamics of Family Homelessness in Brownsville.…
How does food insecurity impact children experiencing homelessness in my neighborhood? Over 105,000 or one in ten students in NYC public schools is homeless. In some school districts, as many as one in five students experiences homelessness. Hunger and the high cost of food are a devastating reality experienced by NYC’s homeless children and their…
Do homelessness and poor nutrition affect children in my community? Poor nutrition has a harmful effect on the physical and cognitive development of children. Unfortunately, it is too often a reality for homeless children. No parent should have to worry about their children going hungry nor be unable to provide them with a diet that…