2011 State of the Homeless

8/7/2019 2011 State of the Homeless

1/20

State of the Homeless 2011

One in Three:A Plan to Reduce Record New York City Homelessness

and Reverse the Failed Policies of theBloomberg Administration

April 11, 2011

By Patrick Markee, Senior Policy Analyst, andGiselle Routhier, Policy Analyst

Coalition for the Homeless129 Fulton Street

New York, New York 10038www.coalitionforthehomeless.org


2/20

Coalition for the Homeless State of the Homeless 20112

Coalition for the HomelessState of the Homeless 2011

In the midst of high unemployment, the steady loss of affordable housing, and years of failed policiesunder the Bloomberg administration, an all-time high number of New Yorkers turned to homeless shelters last year and the New York City homeless shelter population is now larger than at any time since the City began keeping records.

An all-time record 113,553 homeless people including 42,888 children slept in municipal shelters in FY 2010, an 8 percent increase from the previous year and a 37 percent increase from FY 2002 when Mayor Bloomberg took office .

This includes a record 28,977 families, a 10 percent increase from the previous year and a remarkable 81 percent more than when Mayor Bloomberg took office .

And by the end of February of this year, the nightly census of homeless adults and children in the municipal shelter system 39,542 people reached the highest point ever recorded .

Number of Different Homeless Adults and Children WhoSlept in NYC Shelters Each Year, FY 2002-FY 2010

82,808

95,388

104,028

98,241 96,612

102,187

109,314 105,365

113,553

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

110,000

120,000

FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010Total Unduplicated Number of Persons Who Utilized the Municipal Shelter System at

Some Time During Each Fiscal Year

Source: NYC Department of Homeless Services, Critical Activities Reports

In the midst of this historic homelessness crisis, the Bloomberg administrations only response hasbeen to defend its failed policies. Unlike previous New York City mayors from Ed Koch through Rudy Giuliani, Mayor Bloomberg refuses to use proven and cost-effective Federal housing programs to move homeless families from shelters to stable homes . Instead, for more than sixyears the Bloomberg administration has replaced proven Federal programs with a series of untested, time-limited subsidies like the recently-terminated Advantage program.


3/20


Larger Share of Homeless Families Entering ShelterSystem Are "Repeat Families," FY 1999-FY 2011

22% 24%

29% 25%

27% 24%

26%

37% 39%

45%

40% 40%

47%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

FY1999

FY2000

FY2001

FY2002

FY2003

FY2004

FY2005

FY2006

FY2007

FY2008

FY2009

FY2010

FY2011YTD

City Cuts Off Homeless Familiesfrom Federal Housing Programs

and Launches Time-LimitedSubsidies

Source: Mayor's Management Reports and NYC Department of Homeless Services, "Critical Activities Reports"

However, City data show that these flawed time-limited subsidies have forced thousands of formerly-homeless children and families back into the shelter system and homelessness, at tremendous expense to taxpayers .

Since the Bloomberg administration cut off homeless families from proven Federal housingprograms and replaced them with time-limited subsidies like the Advantage program, more than twice as many formerly-homeless families enter the shelter system each year .

In the seven years before Mayor Bloombergs misguided policy change, an average of 2,003formerly-homeless repeat families entered the shelter system each year, but in the five years after the change an average of 5,020 repeat families entered the shelter system each year,a remarkable 151 percent increase . And in FY 2010, an all-time record 6,294 repeat families entered the shelter system .

Before the Mayors time-limited subsidies were implemented, only one in four families (25 percent) entering the shelter system was formerly-homeless, while now nearly half (47 percent) of all families entering the shelter system was once homeless .

The record number of so-called repeat families entering municipal shelters has already cost taxpayers an estimated $370 million in shelter costs alone and has contributed to the all-time record number of homeless children and families .

Faced with all-time record homelessness and the end of the failed Advantage program, MayorBloomberg and his administration must look to the proven policies of previous mayors. To address rising family homelessness in the past, Mayors Koch, Dinkins, and Giuliani marshaled Federal housing resources to help homeless families move from costly shelters to stable, permanent homes . In particular, previous mayors targeted roughly one in three public housing apartments and


4/20


Section 8 vouchers administered by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to homeless children and families .

As a result, Mayors Koch, Dinkins, and Giuliani saved hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, oversawmuch smaller homeless shelter populations than Mayor Bloomberg, and helped tens of thousandschildren and families secure safe, affordable housing.

Taking a lesson from the past, Mayor Bloomberg and his administration should target one of every three NYCHA public housing apartments and Section 8 vouchers to help homeless families move from shelters to permanent housing .

The one in three policy will reduce family homelessness, save taxpayer dollars, and improve the lives of vulnerable children and families .

The following State of the Homeless 2011 report summarizes the major trends in New York Cityhomelessness over the past year, and highlights data showing a new all-time record homelesspopulation and the failures of the Bloomberg administrations experiment with time-limited rentsubsidies.


5/20


Part IMore New Yorkers Experiencing Homelessness Than Ever

In the last City fiscal year, according to City data, more New Yorkers slept in New York City municipal homeless shelters than at any time since the City began keeping records . And as ofthe end of February 2011, the nightly census of homeless people in the municipal shelter system 39,542 people was the highest ever recorded .

All in all, the City data indicate that last year more New Yorkers experienced homelessness than at any time since the Great Depression of the 1930s .

NYC: Number of Different Homeless Children WhoSlept in Shelter System Each Year, FY 2002-FY 2010

30,884

36,271

39,342

35,254

33,471

35,811

38,813 39,227

42,888

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010Total Unduplicated Number of Children Who Utilized the Municipal Shelter System at



Overview of the Past Year

In FY 2010 a record 113,553 homeless people slept in municipal shelters, an 8 percent increase from the previous year and a 37 percent increase from FY 2002 when Mayor Bloomberg took office .

During the same period a record 42,888 children slept in municipal shelters, a 9 percent increase from the previous year and 39 percent more than when the Mayor took office .

During the same period a record 28,977 families slept in municipal shelters, a 10 percent increase from the previous year and a remarkable 81 percent more than when Mayor Bloomberg took office .

On February 28, 2011, there were 39,542 homeless men, women, and children sleeping in the municipal shelter system, the highest nightly shelter census ever recorded .


6/20


NYC: Number of Different Homeless Families WhoSlept in Shelter System Each Year, FY 2002-FY 2010

15,996

18,924

21,197 20,248 20,174

21,826

23,294

26,336

28,977

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000

22,000

24,000

26,000

28,000

30,000

FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010Total Unduplicated Number of Families Who Utilized the Municipal Shelter System at



At the end of February there were 15,657 homeless children sleeping in New York City municipal shelters . During the past six months, the number of homeless children has increased by 8 percent .

At the end of February there were 9,864 homeless families sleeping in New York City municipal shelters . During the past six months, the number of homeless families has increased by 4 percent .

During the past year the number of homeless single adults in municipal shelters has soared to the highest levels since the late 1980s .

During the past year, the average nightly census of homeless single adults in the shelter system increased by 17 percent .

At the end of February, the number of homeless single adults in municipal shelters was 9,774 people (including 7,033 men and 2,741 women), the highest number since 1989 .

During the past year the number of homeless single women in the shelter system reached the highest point since the City has kept records .

During the past year, the average nightly census of homeless single women in the shelter system increased by 20 percent .


7/20


New York City: Census of Homeless People in theMunicipal Shelter System, 1983-2011

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Average Daily Census of Homeless Adults and Children Residing in the Municipal

Shelter System

Source: New York City Department of Homeless Services and Human Resources Administration, shelter census reports Prepared by Patrick Markee, Coalition for the Homeless, 212-776-2004

February 28,2011Shelter Census:

39,542

March 1987Shelter Census:

28,737

New York City: Census of Homeless People in theMunicipal Shelter System, February 28, 2011

15,657

14,111

9,774

Children

Adults in Families

Single AdultsNote: Number of homeless single adults, homeless children, and homeless adult family members, residing in the municipal shelter system.Source: New York City Department of Homeless Services, shelter census reports Prepared by Patrick Markee, Coalition for the Homeless, 212-776-2004

Total NYCMunicipal

ShelterPopulation:

39,542


8/20


Number of Homeless Families in the New York CityShelter System, 1983-2011

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Number of Homeless Families Residing in the

Municipal Shelter System on the Last Night of Each Month


February 28, 2011Homeless Families:

9,864

New York City: Average Daily Census of Homeless SingleAdults in the Municipal Shelter System, 1983-2011

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

11,000

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Average Number of Homeless Single Adults

in the Municipal Shelter System Each Month



9/20


New York City: Average Daily Census of Homeless SingleWomen in the Municipal Shelter System, 1983-2011

0200400600800

1,0001,2001,4001,6001,8002,0002,2002,4002,6002,8003,000

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Average Number of Homeless Single Women

in the Municipal Shelter System Each Month



10/20


Part IIThe Bloomberg Administrations Failed Experiment with Time-Limited Subsidies Instead ofProven Federal Housing Programs

For more than six years, the Bloomberg administration has denied homeless New Yorkers access to Federal housing programs , despite overwhelming evidence that those programs successfully helphomeless families move from costly shelters to long-term, stable housing. In contrast, previous New York City mayors, from Ed Koch through Rudy Giuliani, all allocated a modest share of New York Citys scarce Federal housing resources to move homeless children and adults from the shelter system to stable homes .

Mayor Bloomberg replaced those proven Federal housing programs with a series of untested,time-limited rent subsidy programs first the abandoned Housing Stability Plus program, and thenvarious versions of the recently-terminated Advantage program. Those programs provided limited,restricted subsidies and then cut off rental assistance even when formerly-homeless families were too poor to afford their apartments .

The results of the Citys experiment with time-limited rent subsidies are clear:

Thousands of formerly-homeless children and families have been forced back into homelessness, with some making a third trip through the shelter system ;

The homeless shelter population has reached all-time record levels ; and

City and State taxpayers have paid hundreds of millions of dollars more in shelter expenses than if the City had maintained the policy of using Federal housing programs .

Homeless NYC Families Receive Only a Tiny Fraction ofFederal Housing Aid, FY 2010

5,544

7,523

134 193 -

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

NYCHA Public Housing NYCHA Section 8 VouchersNumber of NYC Households Placed into Federally-Assisted Housing Units in FY 2010

All NYC Households Assisted

Homeless Families Assisted

Source: Mayor's Management Report and NYC Department of Homeless Services


11/20


City data confirms the failures of time-limited rent subsidies, and also shows how New York City,unlike other cities around the country, denies vital Federal housing assistance to the neediest families and children .

Recently, the Bloomberg administration chose to end the Advantage program after a dispute withGovernor Cuomo and his administration over the Citys failure to use Federal and other housingresources to address the problem of homelessness. The end of the Advantage program offers New York City the opportunity to abandon the failed experiment with time-limited subsidies and return to the use of proven Federal housing programs .

Share of NYC's Federal Housing ResourcesTargeted to Homeless Families, FY 1999-FY 2010

12%

13% 15

%15%

23% 2

6%

25%

9%7% 6%

2% 2%

34%

60%

29%

16% 1

9%

32%

46%

9%

4%

3%

3% 3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

FY 1999 FY 2000 FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010

NYCHA Public Housing Units

Section 8 Vouchers

Source: Mayor's Management Reports

How the Bloomberg Administration Denies Federal Housing Aid to Homeless Children and Adults

Beginning under the Koch administration, the City of New York began helping homeless families re-locate from the municipal shelter system to permanent housing by allocating a modest share of scarce Federal public housing apartments (administered by the New York City Housing Authority, or NYCHA) and Federal housing vouchers, known as Section 8 vouchers . This policywas continued under Mayors Dinkins and Giuliani and even under Mayor Bloomberg in his first term.

The Bloomberg administration announced its break with this successful policy in October 2004, with thedenial policy fully enacted a year later.

From FY 1990 through FY 2005, under four New York City mayors, the City helped 53,302 homeless families move to long-term, permanent housing with Federal housing programs (18,340 families with public housing and 34,962 families with Section 8 vouchers).

Over the same period, an additional 11,292 homeless families were moved from shelters to City-funded apartments assisted by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation andDevelopment.


12/20


Before and After NYC Helps Homeless Familieswith Federal Housing Resources:

Average Number of Homeless Families in Shelter Each Night

5,916

9,058

-

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

City Helps Homeless With Federal HousingResources (FY 1990-FY 2005)

City Denies Federal Housing Aid to Homeless(FY 2006-FY 2010)

Source: NYC Department of Homeless Services

Since FY 2005, when the Bloomberg administration enacted its denial policy, only 2,899 homeless families have been assisted with Federal housing programs (1,548 families with public housingand 1,351 with Section 8 vouchers).

In FY 2010, during which an all-time record 28,977 different homeless families slept in themunicipal shelter system, the City assisted only 327 families with Federal housing programs (134 families with public housing and 193 families with Section 8 vouchers).

Thus, in FY 2010 only 1 percent of all homeless families in New York City received Federal housing assistance .

During the period when the City used Federal housing resources (FY 1990-FY 2005), an average of 5,916 homeless families resided each night in municipal shelters .

In the period since the Bloomberg administration enacted its denial policy (FY 2006-FY 2010), an average of 9,058 families resided each night in municipal shelters, 53 percent more than under the previous policy . At the end of February 2011 there were 9,864 homeless families with 15,657 children sleeping in the municipal shelter system.

In the seven years before the denial policy was enacted (FY 1999-FY 2005), an average of one in five poor New York City families (19 percent) which was placed into a NYCHA public housing apartment was homeless .

During the same period, an average of one in three poor families (34 percent) placed into housing by NYCHA Section 8 vouchers was homeless .


13/20


However, since the denial policy was enacted (FY 2006-FY 2008), only one in twenty poor families (5 percent) placed in NYCHA public housing was homeless . And only one in twenty- five families (4 percent) placed in housing with a NYCHA Section 8 voucher was homeless .

In FY 2010, at a time of record family homelessness in New York City, homeless families were only 2 percent of families placed into public housing apartments and 3 percent of families placed with Section 8 vouchers .

When the Bloomberg administration announced the denial policy in late 2004, City officials claimedthat cutting off homeless New Yorkers from Federal housing assistance would lead to fewer familiesentering the shelter system. The opposite has happened .

In FY 2005, when the Bloomberg administration first enacted the denial policy, 8,986 homelessfamilies entered the shelter system. In FY 2006, the following year and before the economic recession began, 10,251 homeless families entered the shelter system, a 14 percent increase . And in FY 2010, an all-time record 15,748 homeless families entered the shelter system, a remarkable 75 percent more than in FY 2005 .

Even Before City Ended Program, Advantage

Placements Had Fallen by Nearly Half

590 553

591 581

525

745

533 535

816

572

523

798

676 681653

339

288

360 326 319

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

JUL2009

AUG2009

SEP2009

OCT2009

NOV2009

DEC2009

JAN2010

FEB2010

MAR2010

APR2010

MAY2010

JUN2010

JUL2010

AUG2010

SEP2010

OCT2010

NOV2010

DEC2010

JAN2011

FEB2011

Number of Homeless Families Placed into Housing Through Advantage Program

City Implements New, MoreRestrictive Rules forAdvantage Program

Soure: NYC Department of Homeless Services, "Capacity Management Plan"

The Failure of the Bloomberg Administrations Time-Limited Rent Subsidies

In 2005, the Bloomberg administration replaced proven Federal housing programs with a series of untested, time-limited rent subsidies . The time-limited subsidies were widely criticized becausenumerous research studies including an acclaimed Vera Institute Study commissioned by the NYCDepartment of Homeless Services itself found that (1) families without rental assistance return to shelters and homelessness at high rates and (2) families with long-term, non-limited subsidies (like public housing and Section 8 vouchers) have remarkably low rates of return to shelters .


14/20


The Bloomberg administrations first experimental program, Housing Stability Plus, limited rentsubsidies to five years but cut the value of the subsidy by 20 percent each year while requiringrecipients to remain on welfare. The City abandoned the program as a failure in 2007, and replaced itwith a series of time-limited subsidy programs under the label Advantage. The most recentAdvantage program, launched in August 2010, limits rent subsidies to only two years, but, due to restrictive requirements, cuts off subsidies for many families after only one year . Indeed, Cityofficials projected that 40 percent of all Advantage families will receive only one year of subsidy .And after the August 2010 implementation of more restrictive requirements, the number of families placed into housing under the Advantage program had fallen by nearly half .

More than six years after the Bloomberg administration launched its experiment with time-limited rentsubsidies, the verdict is clear. City data shows that the time-limited programs have forced thousands of formerly-homeless children and families back into the shelter system, at tremendous cost to City and State taxpayers . And the programs have played a significant role indriving New York Citys homeless shelter population to all-time record levels .

Comparing Rate of Return to Shelter for Time-Limitedand Non-Limited Housing Subsidies

37.4%

25.6%

3.9% 4.1% 1.4%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Advantage*(applicants to return

to shelter)

Advantage* (alreadyreturned to shelter)

All SubsidizedHousing**

Section 8 Voucher** NYCHA PublicHousing**P

ercentage of Families Returning to Shelter System with Varius Subsidy Programs

Notes: *Advantage data refers to share of All Advantage families without rental assistance as of 1/31/2011. **Other housing subsidies refers to families who exited shelter in 2001.Source: NYC Department of Homeless Services, and Vera Institute, "Understanding Family Homelessness" (2005)

The City-commissioned Vera Institute study found that families leaving the New York City shelter system with long-term subsidized housing have very low rates of return to shelter . Only 1.4 percent of families who left to NYCHA public housing returned to shelter after two years, andonly 4.1 percent of families leaving with Section 8 vouchers returned after two years.

In contrast, City data shows that, by the end of January 2011, 37.4 percent of Advantage families whod lost rental assistance had applied for shelter , and 25.6 percent of such families had already returned to the shelter system .


15/20


One of the driving forces behind the rise in the number of homeless families entering the New YorkCity shelter system is the dramatic rise in the number of formerly-homeless families who had previously resided in the system what the City calls repeat families.

In the seven years (FY 1999-FY 2005) before the City began using time-limited subsides, anaverage of 2,003 so-called repeat families entered the shelter system each year.

In contrast, since the City began using time-limited subsidies to move families from shelters (FY2006-FY 2010), an average of 5,020 repeat families entered the shelter system each year,an astounding 151 percent increase .

In FY 2005, when the Bloomberg administration began only partially using time-limited subsidies,2,368 so-called repeat families entered the shelter system.

In contrast, in FY 2010, an all-time record 6,294 repeat families entered the shelter system,an incredible 166 percent increase from FY 2005 .

In the seven years (FY 1999-FY 2005) before the Bloomberg administrations time-limited subsidieswere implemented that is, during the period when the City used Federal housing programs to helpfamilies move from shelters to permanent housing an average of 25 percent of all families

entering the municipal shelter system were repeat families. In contrast, since the City began using time-limited subsidies (FY 2006-FY 2011), an average of 41

percent of all families entering the shelter system were repeat families.

In the first half of the current City fiscal year (FY 2011), nearly half (47 percent) of all families entering the shelter system were repeat families.

Larger Share of Homeless Families Entering ShelterSystem Are "Repeat Families," FY 1999-FY 2011

22% 24%

29% 25%

27% 24%

26%

37% 39%

45%

40% 40%

47%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

FY1999

FY2000

FY2001

FY2002

FY2003

FY2004

FY2005

FY2006

FY2007

FY2008

FY2009

FY2010

FY2011YTD

City Cuts Off Homeless Familiesfrom Federal Housing Programs

and Launches Time-LimitedSubsidies

Source: Mayor's Management Reports and NYC Department of Homeless Services, "Critical Activities Reports"


16/20


Higher Costs to Taxpayers from the Bloomberg Administrations Time-Limited Subsidies

The large numbers of so-called repeat families entering the shelter system each year has resulted inenormous costs to City and State taxpayers, because the cost to shelter a homeless family is $36,000 per year and the average homeless family resides in shelter for more than nine months .

Coalition for the Homeless calculated the high cost to taxpayers of the increase in repeat familiesduring the period the Bloomberg administration has used time-limited rent subsidies. We compared theCitys recent record with a scenario where so-called repeat families entered the shelter system at the same rate as when the City used Federal housing programs to help homeless families secure stable housing .

With Federal Housing Programs, Far Fewer HomelessFamilies Would Have Entered NYC Shelter System

6,346 5,757

6,392

8,467

9,7319,253 8,986 8,689

9,584

7,835

11,496

12,668

1,401 1,396 1,864 2,107 2,644

2,238 2,368

2,205 2,432

1,988

2,917 3,214

6,346 5,757

6,392

8,467

9,7319,253 8,986

10,251

11,792

10,643

14,182

15,748

1,401 1,396 1,864 2,107 2,644

2,238 2,368

3,767 4,640 4,796

5,603 6,294

-

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

FY 1999 FY 2000 FY 2001 FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY 2007 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010

Number of Families Entering Shelter (projected)Repeat Families (projected)Number of Families Entering Shelter (actual)Repeat Families (actual)

Source: Mayor's Management Reports, NYC Department of Homeless Services "Critical Activities Reports," and Coalition for the Homeless analysis

If repeat families had entered the shelter system since FY 2005 at the same rate as before theCity implemented its time-limited subsidies, the estimated total number of families entering theshelter system would have declined by an average of 20 percent each year .

Under this scenario, in FY 2010 an estimated 3,214 repeat families would have entered the shelter system instead of the all-time record 6,294 repeat families. And during that year, an estimated total of 12,668 homeless families would have entered the shelter system, 20 percent fewer than the all-time record 15,748 families that entered the system .

Under this scenario, from FY 2006 through FY 2010 an estimated 12,345 fewer repeat families cumulatively would have entered the New York City shelter system .

Those estimated 12,345 repeat families would have avoided shelter under the Citys old policy of using Federal housing programs . At an average cost of $30,000 per family for a ten-


17/20


month shelter stay, the 12,345 repeat families have cumulatively cost taxpayers an $370.4 million in additional shelter costs alone from FY 2006-FY 2010, or an average of $74.1 million per year .

The additional 12,345 repeat families have also led to the enormous growth of the number of homeless children and families sleeping in municipal shelters .

Coalition for the Homeless estimates that, without the additional 12,345 repeat families enteringthe shelter system under the Citys policy of time-limited subsidies, the number of homeless families residing each night in the shelter system would be at least 20 percent smaller .


18/20


Part IIIOne in Three: How to Move Forward and Address the Crisis

With New York City confronting the worst homelessness crisis since the Great Depression, the time toreverse the failed policies of recent years is long overdue. Fortunately, the Bloomberg administrations recent decision to terminate the flawed Advantage program offers an opportunity at last to abandon the failed experiment with time-limited, restrictive subsidies that have forced thousands of formerly-homeless children and families back into homelessness with thousands more still at risk of the same fate .

Mayor Bloomberg and his administration should look to the past and learn the lessons of previousmayors who, at various times, had to confront rising homelessness. Indeed, Mayors Koch, Dinkins,and Giuliani may have little in common, but they did agree on one thing: The smart, cost-effective,and proven way to help homeless children and families move from costly shelters to long-term,stable homes is by using Federal housing programs .

Coalition for the Homeless calls on Mayor Bloomberg and other City officials to build on the success ofthe past and enact the following policies:

NYC Homeless Families Assisted by Federal HousingPrograms Each Year, FY 1990-FY 2010

2,183

2,010 2

,743

3,202

4,042

2,857

3,537

3,646

3,530

3,035 3,

418

2,852

2,880

3,975

5,777

3,615

779

626

678

489

327

-

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

FY 1990

FY 1991

FY 1992

FY 1993

FY 1994

FY 1995

FY 1996

FY 1997

FY 1998

FY 1999

FY 2000

FY 2001

FY 2002

FY 2003

FY 2004

FY 2005

FY 2006

FY 2007

FY 2008

FY 2009

FY 2010

Number of Homeless Families Moved from

Shelter with NYCHA Public Housing and

Section 8 Vouchers Each Year

Services

1. Immediately begin to use one in three available NYCHA public housing apartments and Section 8 vouchers to help homeless families and individuals move from shelters to permanent housing .

This can be swiftly accomplished by using the existing priority system for both the NYCHA publichousing and voucher waiting lists, which makes households referred by the NYC Department ofHomeless Services the highest priority applicants.


19/20


In addition, NYCHA should act to restore the separate emergency priority for all homelesshouseholds that was reduced in 2005.

The New York City Council should require the Bloomberg administration to enact the one in threepolicy as part of the final FY 2012 City budget agreement.

2. In coming years, the City should set aside at least one in ten City-assisted apartments created or preserved by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development for homeless families and individuals.

This policy would build on the success of Mayor Kochs ten-year Housing New York programwhich allocated 15,000 affordable apartments 10 percent of all housing units created or preservedunder the program for homeless New Yorkers.

Currently Mayor Bloombergs New Housing Marketplace plan allocates only around 4 percent ofall City-assisted apartments to homeless people, even at a time of much worse homelessness.


20/20

Notes on Data Sources

Data for homeless families and children is from DHSs Emergency Housing Services for HomelessFamilies Monthly Report, which has been published by the City since the early 1980s. This DHSmonthly report includes approximately 200 families (with approximately 1,000 people) who reside inhomeless shelters administered by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation andDevelopment.

Data for homeless single adults in municipal shelters is from three DHS reports: (1) DHS dailycensus reports for shelters for homeless single men and women, which have been produced dailyby the City since 1982; (2) DHS census reports for shelters for homeless veterans; and (3) DHScensus reports for safe haven shelters, which are restricted to long-term street homeless adults.(Note that the large majority of shelters for veterans and safe haven shelters were once includedas part of the DHS daily adult shelter census report. These shelters were converted to differentservice models beginning in 2007 and were then excluded, in various stages, from DHS daily adultshelter census report and from DHSs website.) Data for homeless single adults does not includedata for homeless people sleeping in DHS stabilization beds, which are also restricted tochronically street homeless adults; DHS has never publicly released this data in comprehensiveform, although currently there are several hundred homeless people in DHS-administeredstabilization beds each night.

Data about Federal housing programs, the Advantage program, and other housing subsidyprograms is from the City of New York, Mayors Office of Operations, Mayors ManagementReport for various years, available at http://www.nyc.gov/html/ops/html/home/home.shtml .

Data about families entering the shelter system, including formerly-homeless families (so-calledrepeat families), is from the Mayors Management Report for various years, and from the NYCDepartment of Homeless Services, Critical Activities Report, available athttp://www.nyc.gov/html/dhs/html/home/home.shtml .

For more information, please visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org .

Documents

2011 State of the Homeless