Homeless Agency Blasted for Using Poor as Guinea Pigs

subway ad.jpg The NYC Department of Homeless Services, curious to see how effectively it services the homeless, is being berated for conducting a study that left 200 families banned at random from city assistance. In lieu of gentler polling, a total of 400 families on the brink of homelessness were split into two categories: An experimental group, who were allowed to continue their use of the service, and a control group, who were banned from receiving aid for two years and told to fend for themselves.

Homebase, the service in question, helps 7,700 people a year prevent homelessness though emergency rental assistance, job training and tenant/landlord remediation, according to their website. The 200 banned families were sent a letter with the names of other agencies who might help, and the notification that the city would be tracking their progress through their social security numbers.

"We serve thousands of people through this program, and this study is only looking at 400 people," Deputy Homeless Services Commissioner Ellen Howard-Cooper told the Daily News in defense of the experiment, which was embarrassingly halted by her higher-ups on Tuesday. City Councilwoman Gale Brewer wasn't buying the "greater good" schtick, calling the method "bizarre. It's like they're being cast to the wind." And with them went the $368,000 in taxpayer money used to fund the analysis flop.

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

By Zoe Schlanger in News on October 1, 2010 2:51 PM

Comments [rss]

Brainwash

Amateur science fail.

John L

What heartless, callous bastards!

Those weren't 200 numbers, those were 200 families!

Families in need, that probably lost it all for their unethical experiment.

Whoever proposed and executed this experiment should be immediately fired and those 200 families should get reparations for being denied benefits they were qualified to receive but didn't.

grandzu

The 400 people comprise about 5% of the 7,700 people who use the program every year.

Get over it. If you want to rely on others for your food and shelter you gotta jump thru their hoops.

madjoy

Oh, come on. Randomized experiments have an essential role to play. They weren't just "curious" to see if they effectively serve the homeless - they're trying to get strong evidence that there are significantly beneficial outcomes to prove that it's worth continuing to fund. Better 200 people denied treatment thoughtfully in an effort to preserve the program in the future, than everyone being denied funding a year from now when the city decides to slash spending for untested, "ineffective" programs!

what_a_dick

what dicks

Petey

Well? What were the outcomes? Were the people who were denied coverage better off in the long run, hence a failure in the social services?

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

LOL, I want a study on how they city would be without the city council and their DICKtator Slush fund Christine Quinn.