City Changes Homeless Policy, Critics Dismayed

The city is changing its policy to let homeless people in its shelters, a move that worries advocates. Starting Friday, anyone arriving at the Bronx intake shelter after 5PM who has had their living situations investigated (many people been investigated when they apply for long-term housing) and were deemed ineligible for housing will be questioned again and turned away if nothing has changed. The city views this as a way to close a loophole that has been abused by families who may have other options, like staying with a friend or relative. From the NY Times:

The city had allowed families who had been ruled ineligible to be given shelter for one night if they reapplied after 5 p.m. Some families using this emergency provision would keep their belongings with them and repeat the process [see this earlier Times article], moving to a new shelter the next day, often late at night, the city said.

“Families began to realize if they came in after 5 they could evade that accountability,” said Linda I. Gibbs, the city’s deputy mayor for health and human services. “What we are doing now is closing the loophole.”

The number of families using emergency shelter increased this past summer, and the city and advocates alike believe that some families have been using emergency shelters for weeks, even months. Still, the Coalition for the Homeless issued a statement criticizing the new policy, noting that it may "force many homeless families to return to unsafe living situations or out onto the street," and that when the Bloomberg administration conducted a pilot of this program, the Coalition "ended up paying to shelter many of these families in hotel rooms and almost all were later deemed eligible for shelter" - because the denials were incorrect.

The Coalition adds that in spite of the Mayor's promises, homelessness is up 11% over last year and the number of families in shelters is at a record high. The Coalition has information about how family homelessness is due to housing affordability, not welfare, here.

Photograph of a homeless woman by New York Daily Photo

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on October 11, 2007 8:36 AM

Comments [rss]

Cuttock

Anyone here know that brother on Washington Place and 6th....

"Young Man...young man....."

That guy spends all his dough on weed. And is honest about it heh heh

guest

what is going on here? I'm agreeing with emilyD now.

You are right bout one thing, those drug rehab clinics/programs are all run by ex-addicts. for some reason, I've always hated that.

don't forget her criminal record and anything else that may show up on a background check.

She's totally invisible, society wrote her and others off long time ago.

guest

i've called her "hot homeless girl" for four or five years... i see her all the time... i once bought her a pizza but she wasnt very thankful... still a total babe...

emilydickinson

Wow you people are really harsh. I walk by this woman every single day on Spring St., and I have for a long, long time. Honestly, she's a sweetheart, and she's quite intelligent. She never asks for money, she just keeps a cup out and reads her book. She is very pleasant to speak with as well, and I never pass with giving her some cash and a smoke.

Honestly, if you find yourself in that position, how can you climb back out in NYC? No one will give you a job without an I.D., and address and a phone. The shelter system is totally fucked and scary, especially for a young woman. If you're hooked on dope, what options do you have? Methadone is probably worse than heroin and harder to kick, plus the people who run those clinics are worse than the dealers at Thompkins.

I will continually to feel bad for people in screwed up situations, no matter how they got there. All it takes is a few bad breaks and any of us can be there. I'm not self-righteous and self-centered enough to believe I'm better than that. Everyone has addictions, some folks are just lucky enough to be able to pay for them.

guest

Fortune Cookie Say: "If white homeless woman who drink Starbuck no can find shelter, imagine luck of homeless black woman who drink from rain puddle"

Mike D

62: What's really sad about this is that we're both just using this discussion of a woman's f*cked-up life as a way to deal with our boredom at work.

Why don't we just meet up and find her after 6 and get her to social services?

guest

“55: Basically you're saying "She might as well live for today because her life is over."

I choose to believe her life could get better.

All I am saying is, even on the streets, especially on the streets, there are better ways to spend $4.50.”

WTF? Please do not put words in my mouth, especially if they are stupid words. By no means do I believe her life is over. I said no such thing.

Please. Read only the words that I type and not the words that are inside your head.

1. You don’t get to judge whether this woman buys coffee or not.

2. This person needs professional help, not useless, asinine advice like “just save $4.50 a day and then you’ll be ok.”

3. Please tell us what she should spend her $4.50 on daily, or save it toward (and please name something that is a)realistic and b)helpful.)

By the way, I’m going along with your assumption that she has $4.50 of disposable income daily just for argument’s sake, though I think that is also rather silly on your part.

guest

when I know my life can't get better, which is sooner than you think.

I thank the founding fathers. they did their best.

Lead is still cheap. not $4.50 cheap but still cheap .

Mike D

Reposted from comments on Photobloggers site:

Anonymous said...
Stephanie was our "neighbor" for a few years in her Soho location. I've chatted with her about her reading and troubles on the street and bought her coffees.

She has a male partner who is occasionally around during the day and returns to bunk with her at night. They had a system for storing cardboard boxes to construct a little shelter each night. With many blankets, they made it through a couple very tough winters. Stephanie told me that she and her partner occasionally stayed with a friend when the weather was too extreme even for them.

She is known to social workers who do outreach among the homeless. We were told she would not accept help. I've never been able to come up with a strategy--her partner is an obstacle at the same time that he is her guarantee of physical safety in her current circumstances.

Her mental and emotional states varied substantially over the few years I saw her regularly. Often she was carefully dressed--she has great fashion sense--and made eye contact. At other times she was clearly not emotionally well and was in poor physical condition.

It sounds like she's in a codependent/abusive relationship and possibly mentally/physically ill. The photo poster says she refuses (for whatever reason) to speak to her family who are in Santa Monica. Sad. Very Sad.

guest

If you click on the link to the photo (at the bottom of the post), it gives information about the woman pictured. According to New York Daily Photo, she is a 27 year old Californian named Stephanie Green. The post contains links to other photos of her.

Mike D

Sorry, I meant 56.

Mike D

55: Basically you're saying "She might as well live for today because her life is over."

I choose to believe her life could get better.

All I am saying is, even on the streets, especially on the streets, there are better ways to spend $4.50.

guest

“49: We're all making a lot of assumptions. You're assuming she's a victim. I'm assuming she makes bad choices. We're probably both right. The simple truth is: There are better ways for ALL OF US to spend out money than a $4.50 cup of coffee.

If she managed to save that $4.50 every day, one day she could afford a bus ticket home to family or to or even, one day, to put down a security deposit.”

Hey, all I said was that if she wants to spend $4.50 on a cup of coffee, that is none of your damn business. That’s it.

If you really want to believe there is some perfectly sane, healthy person out there with no problems who just “oopsed” her way into living on the street, go ahead. But I’m not sure where you get this happy family idea from. If there is a family waiting with open arms for her to save up $4.50 every day until she can afford a bus ticket home, then there is probably a family waiting to wire money for that same bus ticket upon receipt of a collect phone call.

Though I do like your security deposit idea. Just think… if she sets her sights on a nice $600/m walk-up in Spanish Harlem, that $4.50 a day will get her there in just under eight years! Not bad! Of course then there’s first month’s rent. Maybe there’s some other unwise habit she can give up for that. Dentyne Ice? The Post? Toothpaste? Hmmm. What do you think, Mike D? What are some other unwise habits this girl can give up?

guest

you're not the only one who's addicted to addicts.

I can't stay away from the HBO docs on them, the streewalkers and pimps.

if you want to know more about her, click on the photo bloggers link.

guest

Commenter #5 here again. I'm pretty sure she is an addict. She is now on University. There was a man who I've seen a few times who was not so badly off that would bring her to the place on Spring St and seemed to fetch her at night. Occasionally I saw him bring food. I've seen him with some other thugs as well. My guess is that she's a prostitute as well since she's a youngish addict in the care of a more dominant male.

I know a lot of you people don't feel for addicts, but I do. Yes they made bad choices but I certainly don't wish them dead. I'd like to see them get some help. This woman once looked like someone who could pull herself up, she used to keep herself more together and look kinda attractive (this is definitely an older picture). She's pretty much completely gone now. I give her money from time to time and I think other people by her coffee. Sometimes that's better for people, to give coffee or food, knowing the money will be spent on drugs. At a certain point you just sort of hope you don't walk past and find her dead. Its bad enough seeing her talk to herself or seeing her just absolutely dissolve from person to animal.

Ah well. Someone will just say something snarky now, because its the internet.

guest

sorry, my friend.

you don't have a say where your money goes to. NONE AT ALL.

hate to break it to you.

molon labe.

guest

If the homeless are receiving public services than the public has a right to tell them how to spend their money.

guest

instead of coffee, I'm guessing some here would feel better if it were alcohol.

thankfully, I have lead which is still cheap.

Mike D

49: We're all making a lot of assumptions. You're assuming she's a victim. I'm assuming she makes bad choices. We're probably both right. The simple truth is: There are better ways for ALL OF US to spend out money than a $4.50 cup of coffee.

If she managed to save that $4.50 every day, one day she could afford a bus ticket home to family or to or even, one day, to put down a security deposit.

guest

"If she bought it herself, I think she could have spent more wisely."

More wisely? Please let us know what a possibly mentally ill homeless person could do with $4.50 that would be wise enough for you? A security deposit on an apartment, perhaps?

Dude, the homeless are people just like you. If she wants a coffee and happens to have enough money for it, let her buy a coffee. Jesus. She doesn't have enough problems without you standing over her shoulder and deciding which purchases are wise and which are not?