City University of New York



MEMORANDUMTO: Shola Olatoye, Chair & Chief Executive Officer, Housing Authority, New York City (NYCHA) and Gilbert Taylor, Commissioner, Homeless Services, Department of (DHS)FROM: Jessica DudleySUBJECT: Homelessness & Affordable Housing in New York City DATE: February 18, 2016TOPICThe purpose of this memorandum is to address the 91% increase in homelessness in New York City over the past two decades. Specifically, the correlative relationship between homelessness and affordable housing. PROBLEMOver the past two decades, New York City has seen the number of homeless New Yorkers nearly double. As of December 2015, there were more than 60,000 homeless people in NYC municipal shelter system. The progressive growth suggests that a change in course is necessary. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless “a lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance programs have contributed to the current housing crisis and to homelessness.” HARMSEach and every homeless person in New York City is in danger of harm, as well as all New Yorker’s who are struggling on the poverty line. The numbers are staggering and as the Coalition for the Homeless points out there are several disadvantaged groups at risk: Children (there are over 42,000 homeless Children in NYC)People living with mental illness and/or other severe medical conditionsAfrican-American and Latino (NYC’s homeless shelter residents are 58% African-American, 31% Latino)Homelessness is a traumatic experience for anyone, but children especially need a stable environment to help them excel in life. The American Psychological Association reports that “homelessness affects children’s health and well-being, their brain development, causes stress, and hinders readiness for school.” Homelessness often interrupts children’s access to stability of their school environment and can cause socio-emotional harm, which furthers the negative impact on their health and wellness. It is a well accepted fact that today’s youth are the future leaders of our world – their health and development is important for our society to continue to thrive. The APA’s Helping people without homes states that 18% of homeless adults met criteria for current severe mental disorder, twice the rate found in the general population. The APA further explains the heighten prevalence of other health problems including tuberculosis, hypertension, asthma, diabetes, and HIV/ AIDS. These serious health conditions are exacerbated by lack of shelter, stress and trauma associated with homelessness, putting recovery and care at risk for a substantial segment of the homeless population. African-American, Latino and other ethnic minorities have long faced discrimination, which may lead to increased risks of poverty and homelessness. According to the APA “discrimination against racial and ethnic minority populations long embedded in American society has resulted in the overrepresentation of people of color, particularly African Americans, poor people, and correspondingly, people who are experiencing homelessness” leading to economic instability. Ensuring discrimination-free and affordable housing for people of color is imperative to reducing homelessness. Providing a solution for homelessness will protect New York City’s children, mentally and physically ill, ethnic minorities and other marginalized groups. The homeless population has risen significantly in the past decades and is at it’s highest level since The Great Depression and exploring it’s causes may light the way to some possible solutions.CAUSES: The National Coalition for the Homeless states “homelessness results from a complex set of circumstances that require people to choose between food, shelter, and other basic needs.” Of these circumstances, the National Coalition for the Homeless argues that poverty and lack of affordable housing are the leading causes over the past 20-25 years. Although there are many programs in place, there is more that can be done to improve housing affordability and achieve the New York City Department of Homeless Services critical objective “to increase the number of households prevented from becoming homeless.” Addressing the homelessness crisis in relationship to the lack of affordable housing in NYC is a critical to the health of our city. According to the Citizens Budget Commission affordable housing in NYC “is especially important because rental housing constitutes the bulk of the housing supply: the rental share of occupied housing units is 68.3 percent, greater than every other large city.” The lack of affordable rental units is further expounded by the unusually slow growth in the rental market – the short supply contributes to NYC’s lack of affordable housing for the general population and those struggling with poverty and getting back on their feet from homelessness. CONCLUSIONUnderstanding that the lack of affordable housing is root cause of the majority of homelessness creates an opportunity for offices like Housing Authority, New York City (NYCHA) and the Homeless Services, Department of (DHS) to work together to alleviate the problem. Mayor de Blasio’s policy to end use of clusters provides room for some new opportunities. However, the homeless population has grown so dramatically that providing housing solutions is imperative. Thank you for your attention to the important matter of addressing the combined issues of homelessness and affordable housing. Together we can combat the housing crisis. I have a strong desire to help you in arriving at a solution for the well-being of our city and it’s residents. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download