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Shelter Shut-Out: Starting tonight, NYC leaves homeless families to freeze on the street
Submitted by emmaia on Sat, 10/13/2007 - 03:11.
The scene outside the PATH shelter, where people who know they're labeled "ineligible for shelter" are camped out, waiting for 5pm when they can try to get a bed just for the night. But tonight, the city's new policy goes into effect -- no beds, even for one night, if they think you're "not really homeless." Most people don't know about the policy.
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Interviews with shelter residents & homeless folks who were turned away from shelter. People have been found ineligible for shelter dozens and dozens of times -- sometimes DHS comes around and eventually says they're eligible, sometimes they don't. Families and pregnant people sleeping in parks because DHS thinks they can go stay with friends. Whole families told to go stay with relatives who can't house them because they're already way overcrowded. People told to go double-up with friends in NYCHA or on Section 8, which could cost them their housing. DHS calls them "freeloaders" when they apply for shelter.
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Interview with Katina, a working mother whose family was locked out of their shelter room when they were suddenly deemed "ineligible."
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ineligiblity
how dare the DHS judge on who is eligible and who is not. more often than not, we cannot go to our family members because they don't have the space for one person, much less for someone who has children. we are not "freeloaders". we just a comfortable place to call home. also the housing stability plus program is not working out either. sure they give you 5 years for you to be able to pay your full rent, but after 2 years, they start reducing the amount of rent they pay and you still have to come up with your half of the rent. when you cannot do this, the landlord takes you to court and then eventually you get evicted and you have to wind up in the shelter system again. the city administrators need to revamp these programs to actually help us out.
homelessness
as a former homeless person with children, i can relate to what these people are going through. i was at the Emergency Assistance Unit on E. 151th Street. i was there 31/2 months, but it was the worst time in my life. they treated us like if we were the lowest of the low. this used to be the greatest city in the world, but no longer. there is too much injustice in this city and possibly in other cities as well. MAYOR BLOOMBERG come to the PATH center and see for yourself how these people struggle for a bed and food in their stomachs. the administration should also come down to see for themselves. remember, we're only a paycheck away from being homeless.