When Governor Cuomo passed his belt-strangling budget back in April, one of the things that ended up on the cutting room floor was funding for the city's Advantage program, which helped 15,000 households with working family members by subsidizing up to $1,100 a month toward rent for up to two years. The state formerly paid $65 million toward the program, which has a budget of $140 million (out of which the feds pay $27 million and the city pays $48 million). With that money cut off, the city decided to scrap the whole thing, and now, after a court battle, a judge has give the Bloomberg administration the green light to do so. more ›

The Coalition for the Homeless says "little-noticed data" shows "the number of new homeless families... has surpassed all-time record levels each of the past three months." Last month, 1,464 new families moved into the shelter system, which is the "highest one-month count since the City began keeping records 25 years ago" and it's 22% higher than September 2007. The group's head, Mary Brosnahan, told the Daily News, "While both city and state budget shortfalls require difficult choices, vulnerable New Yorkers now need more support, not less." Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Robert Hess tried to find a silver lining, "The fact that our system is withstanding the test of recent high demand is evidence that we have successfully transformed the families system and put a solid infrastructure in place." Earlier this year, NY Magazine had an article about how homelessness is the "single biggest failure of the Bloomberg administration." more ›