Homelessness in NYC: A Solution is Ready!
There is a solution ready to help 1000’s of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness but the Mayor refuses to act!
by J. RueMel Parkin, Co-Founder & Chair of the helpNYC Corporation
August 2, 2021 — Please see update at bottom of article.
The COVID Crisis has left our beloved City in shambles. In many areas of life we are struggling to regain some kind of normalcy that provides us with the security and comfort that allows us to move forward in the uncertain future of the delta variant. New Yorker’s are a tough bunch and regardless if you’re able to maintain your home or you have lived on the streets of our City for sometime, we make it work.
For those tough New Yorkers who are currently experiencing street and shelter homelessness, The New York City Council has opened a door of opportunity to finally fix a broken system that far too long has been a “paper of false hope”.
The City of New York’s City Family Homelessness Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS), along with a couple of other population specific program types, are commonly referred to as “the voucher”, providing an income restricted rent subsidy on modest apartments for up to a five year period for people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. A single adult can receive a voucher up to $1,265 and a family of four can receive a voucher up to $1,580 per month.
Sounds great until you read the Voucher amounts, right? A modest apartment, rent regulated or not, for a single adult that can only pay the voucher amount of $1,265 is a hard find in our City. Many New Yorkers who are experiencing homelessness receive vouchers continue to be shuffled around from one inadequate shelter to another; experience abuse by DHS personnel on a regular basis; and are traumatized by the Department of Homeless Services system merely because there are no housing units available within the constraints of this voucher system.
There is a solution to this disparity!
City Council Introduction 146 will solve our challenge. City Council Member Stephen Levin (District 33), with the cosponsorship of many council members from across the City, introduced the first version of Intro 146 back in 2018 to raise the CityFHEPS to the level of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Housing Choice Voucher program, commonly referred to as “Section 8”. The rental subsidy is based on the Fair Market Rent (FMR), which is a determination based on the size, type, and location of the housing. Today, the Section 8 voucher will pay approximately $2,916 for a one bedroom apartment and adjusts accordingly based on the zip code of the apartment’s location.
The current version of Intro 146 (I-146C), which was passed with an overwhelming majority of the City Council, goes several steps past the original bill. It not only maintains the CityFHEPS voucher subsidy at the level of the Section 8 program, but also eliminates the five year maximum renewal, which will prevent renters from becoming homeless people if they still can’t afford to pay rent after the fourth year of being successfully housed by the program.
Homeless Rights Activists, Housing Advocates, and those directly affected by homelessness, past or present, strongly believe that the immediate implementation of Intro 146 will allow those with the CityFHEPS in hand to get immediate housing. The housing inventory is available, but the current CityFHEPS amount locks them out of the ability to get the housing due to the amount the City is willing to pay.
Why isn’t Intro 146 in effect right now?
In New York City most laws that pass the City Council have an effective date to allow the City to adjust accordingly to the new law. If the law does not have an effective date, and the Mayor doesn’t veto the bill, the law becomes effective thirty days after the bill is approved by City Council. If the Mayor vetoes, the City Council can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote, and if the veto is overturned, the bill becomes law on the original effective date.
In the case of Intro 146, the City Council established an effective date of 180 days after the bill became law, which would be November 27th based on the May 27th passage of I-146C. But, the City Council also provided the opportunity, by way of language in the law, for Commissioner Banks to implement the rules and increase the maximum rental allowances anytime before the effective date.
The Mayor ceremoniously returned Intro 146 to the City Council on June 28th unsigned. Which sends a strong message that the Mayor and Commissioner Banks, along with their other actions endangering New Yorkers in the shelters, have no interest in prioritizing the safety and housing of our most vulnerable neighbors, the homeless of New York.
One challenge that Intro 146 doesn’t solve is the CityFHELPS income cliff. While the voucher is in effect, a person normally pays 30% of their annual income towards the lease rent, and the voucher pays the remaining 70%. When a person is gainfully employed and exceeds the income criteria of the voucher, however, they are forced off the program and end up paying upwards of 70%-80% of their annual income. This in turn puts them at risk of losing their housing, and repeating the cycle again.
Implementation of Intro 146, even with the income cliff challenge, will be far more impactful to end or at least mitigate homelessness in New York City, than not. This particular challenge can be solved with the introduction of more reforms that are already in the works by several officials in and out of City government. Nonetheless, it is critical that we, residents of our Great City take action in making this happen.
What’s Next?
This past Friday (7/16/2021) on The Brian Lehrer Show’s Ask the Mayor, Mayor de Blasio, when pressured by Homeless Rights Activist from the UWS Open Hearts Initiative, Olivia Killingsworth, said that he was not aware that Intro 146 could be implemented immediately.
When pressured by other caller’s on the radio show, the Mayor continued to blame the State Legislator, and brag about how he has done far more for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness than any other Mayor.
All of this is smoke and mirrors. The inaction of the Mayor and Commissioner Banks proves that they have no interest in providing solutions to help New Yorkers who are experiencing homelessness get permanent housing, and it’s time for us to make them do their job.
Your Call to Action!
We need all New Yorkers to demand action on Intro 146! I urge every New Yorker to do their part, and make things happen!
Here are somethings you can do to help New Yorkers experiencing homeless:
- On all social media platforms, follow and repost the hashtag #JulyHomelessRights and #Intro146. All of the stakeholders in the NYC Homeless Rights Coalition are doing social media actions everyday, make sure you get involved!
- Call, email, visit, and hit up on social media your Member of City Council. Urge them to put pressure on Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Banks to implement Intro 146 immediately.
- Contact Mayor de Blasio directly demanding that he implement Intro 146 now.
- Contact Commissioner Steven Banks directly demanding that he pressure the Mayor and for him to implement Intro 146 now.
In closing,
I want to reflect on personal experience I have with experiencing homelessness and achieving housing.
When I was street homeless for several years in the early 2000’s, I was close to receiving a voucher similar to the current CityFHEPS and the opportunity was lost because of a federal and state budget shortfall that was caused by the financial crisis of 2008.
Being a Department of Homeless Services “consumer”, I was traumatized, underfed, regularly mentally, sexually, physically, and emotionally abused by staff and DHS law enforcement for something that I could not control, being homeless. This abuse caused me to cycle in and out of the shelters. Many times I was safer staying overnight on the streets or couch surfing with random people, rather than enduring the constant verbal and physical abuse by DHS staff.
I did not have the means, by myself, to get housing and end the cycle of homelessness, so I had to endure the trauma caused by the DHS system to get housing. Eventually, I did receive Independent Permanent Supported Housing, for which I am so grateful for. But it took fighting daily for my life and wellbeing while I waited for any type of housing to become available, and that took far longer than it should have. I just wanted any way out of the shelter system and into permanent housing because I knew I would be able to start my Recovery and work towards the life I have today if I was housed.
Regardless of the situation that causes New Yorkers to experience homelessness — a financial disaster, addiction, mental health crisis, domestic violence, house fire, foster care age-out, natural disaster — they all have the same solution in common. Housing.
A home provides a place for a person’s healing to start, and the community at large to heal as well. Without housing no one can deal with the challenges they face.
And I know this to be true because permanent housing has saved my life.
As a fellow New Yorker, I ask you to let New Yorkers experiencing homelessness know you care about and see their struggle by stepping up, speaking out, and holding accountable those who refuse to respect the dignity of New Yorkers, right now!
UPDATE: New Yorkers experiencing housing insecurity and homeless and have won! Mayor de Blasio in a July 30th press release announced Intro 146 would take effect on September 1, 2021 after a period of public commentary.
J. RueMel Parkin (they/them) is a Homeless Rights and Low Barrier Services Advocate. They are the Co-Founder of the helpNYC Corporation, a registered non-profit organization helping New Yorkers in need seek no- to low-barrier services at the helpNYC.info Resource Navigator, and is a New York State Certified Peer Specialist that works directly with those impacted by housing insecurity, mental health concerns, and substance use challenges in New York City. They currently live in The Bronx, and call New York City their adopted home. You can follow Rue on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook or email them at rue@helpNYC.co.
With Editorial support by Greg Pettyjohn, Sara Newman, and the UWS Open Hearts Initiative.
This article appears as apart of helpNYC’s sponsorship of the the 2021 #JulyHomelessRights campaign promoted by the Homeless Rights Coalition which includes those who have lived experience being homeless in New York City, and organizations that support New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
July 19, 2021 Revision: The article previously stated misleading information about the “Moratorium” on laws passed by the City Council. This has been corrected, removed, and clarified. Apologies for any confusion.
