Picture the Homeless | Don't talk about us; Talk with us

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+ Accomplishments
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   + Intro 48
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Solidarity T-Shirts Just In!

Support Picture the Homeless with a $113 annual donation and get your own Solidarity Member T-shirt! Blue with our black logo. 100% cotton, in M, L, XL, and XXL. Email Anika Paris for more information.

Picture the Homeless Members Deliver a Bill to City Council Member Erik Dilan.

In 2011, Picture the Homeless leaders, staff and housing allies counted vacant property in all five boroughs. Picture the Homeless partnered with the Hunter College Center for Community Development to develop and execute a count of vacant buildings and lots in 20 of NYC's 59 community boards.

The study is the latest development in Picture the Homeless’s six-year campaign to document the extent of vacant property in NYC and the culmination of an ambitious community survey involving 295 volunteers who walked throughout the five boroughs to identify empty buildings and lots in the summer of 2011.

In January 2012, we issued a report, "Banking on Vacancy: Homelessness and Real Estate Speculation" documenting the outstanding amount of underutilized housing stock that is available in just a third of New York City! Our survey proves that there are enough vacant properties in just 20 community districts, a third of the city, to potentially house 199,981 individuals essentially clearing out the shelter system! NYC VACANT PROPERTIES COULD HOUSE EVERY HOMELESS PERSON... AND THEN SOME!

By pushing for rehabilitation of the existing vacant buildings the city could create jobs and house people immediately. For information or to get involved in our Housing Not Warehousing campaign, email Adrian Antonio Paling.

Instead of putting homeless people in shelters, the city should turn vacant buildings and lots into housing! Mayor Bloomberg refuses to count vacant property, so we've counted these buildings ourselves, and force the city to turn them into housing. Learn more....

Homes without people. People without homes.

At Picture the Homeless, we think there's an easy answer to both these problems. Instead of putting homeless people in shelters, the city should turn vacant buildings and lots into housing! But, the city refuses to count vacant property; Mayor Bloomberg insists it's not a problem. So we did it ourselves and in 2011 we completed a citywide count of empty lots and buildings in low-income neighborhoods throughout NYC! Now, we’re going to force the city to turn these vacant properties into affordable housing.

People are homeless because there isn't enough housing, yet the city is full of vacant buildings and lots, partially-occupied condos, and warehoused apartments in public housing! AND the city spends $750 million a year to keep homeless folks in shelter. The Housing Committee at Picture the Homeless is made up of homeless people who are ready to FIGHT BACK and demand that the city fix this problem. Our work is currently focused on our HOUSING, NOT WAREHOUSING campaign, which would address the huge quantities of abandoned buildings and create housing for homeless folks out of those properties. Support Our Housing Not Warehousing! Campaign.