Faults Process for Siting Facilities; Offers Vouchers for Families
Mayor
Bloomberg’s homeless policies have failed both the homeless and the
communities asked to accept homeless shelters, according
to policy papers released this week by the office of Comptroller John
C. Liu.
“It
is a disgrace that in a City where luxury abounds nearly 21,000
children go to sleep in a shelter each night,” Comptroller Liu said.
“The
Mayor’s disastrous homeless policies exclude communities from having a
real voice in the shelter siting process and waste millions of taxpayer
dollars each year. We desperately need a new approach to address the
record homelessness in our City.”
A
report released by the Comptroller’s office, “Down and Out: How New
York City Places its Homeless Shelters,” details
how the City is not meeting the goal of early and open public
consultation required by the so-called Fair Share siting process, and
makes recommendations for making the process fairer and more
transparent. In an accompanying brief, Comptroller Liu recommends
the creation of a Strong Families Rental Voucher Program that would
provide housing vouchers for up to 10,000 families living in the City’s
shelters at a substantial budgetary savings to taxpayers.
“Our
report found that homeless shelters tend to be clustered in the poorest
neighborhoods. The siting of the shelters in
these neighborhoods may permanently condemn these areas to poverty,”
Comptroller Liu said. “Moreover, there needs to be complete transparency
and significant community involvement in this process. That is not
happening.
“Homeless
families need concrete rental assistance that will enable them to have
stable residences and join their communities.
Our proposal is a win-win for homeless families and taxpayers alike,”
said Comptroller Liu. “Struggling families will be empowered and given
an opportunity to start over, and, at the same time, taxpayers could
save as much as $237.5 million annually.”
As
of May 3, 2013, the Department of Homeless Services reported that there
were 11,890 families in the City’s
shelters, representing 18,108 adults and 20,668 children. The number of
families has increased 60 percent under the Bloomberg Administration,
from an average of 7,100 families in FY 2002 to an average of 11,500
during the current Fiscal Year.
The
rental assistance program proposed in this report would cost about
$11,000 a year per family, compared to the current cost of sheltering a
family, which is about $35,000.
All told, 275 of the City’s 370 homeless shelters are located in Brooklyn and the Bronx, many in struggling neighborhoods.
“When
communities are excluded from prior discussion about the siting of
shelters and given little or no notification of the City’s plans,
the consequences for both the homeless and the neighborhood are dire.
Buildings owners make large profits at inflated cost while providing
poor services; local food pantries are swamped with new clients;
families do not feel welcome; permanent residents are
victimized; neighborhoods become polarized and resentful, and policy
makers are prevented from working together to avoid these problems. The
Comptroller’s sound and reasonable recommendations can help us house the
homeless properly and advise and protect affected
residents and neighborhoods,” said Council Member Gale Brewer of the Upper West Side.
“The
Comptroller’s report shows that the Bloomberg Administration is failing
both homeless families and New York City's communities. As a
result of the Administration's policies, homelessness is at an all time
high, shelters are more concentrated in low-income communities of
color, and contracts regularly bypass good-government protections
against corruption and fraud. It is time for a change,"
said Council Member Brad Lander of Brooklyn.
“The
Partnership for the Homeless believes planning and transparency are
critical for effective solutions to homelessness. We are concerned
that equitable access to resources is not being taken into
consideration when distributing homeless shelters. The report’s
findings reinforce our organization’s work and raise important issues
for communities, advocacy groups, and City leaders alike,” said
Roksana Badruddoja, Vice President of Research for The Partnership for the Homeless.
“The
health, mental health, and emotional well-being of New York City’s
almost 21,000 children living in homeless demands that the City take
action today. Citizen’s Committee for Children supports the creation
of a rental subsidy program that will assist families in leaving shelter
to permanent housing,” said
Jennifer March-Joly, Executive Director of the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York.
“The
2010 canceling of rent subsidies by the City and State is a leading
factor in the skyrocketing number of homeless families and individuals
in New York City – to levels not seen since the Great Depression almost
80 years ago. Right now, more than 50,000 men, women, and children are
staying in shelters when many could be living in homes. New York City
must invest in a rental subsidy program to
halt the growth of the homeless population and to provide a path out of
homelessness for those already mired in the shelter system,” said
Allison Sesso, Deputy Executive Director of the Human Services Council.
Background
Comptroller Liu’s report on shelter siting and its accompanying fact sheet:
Comptroller Liu’s rental assistance proposal:
January
28, 2013 testimony by Comptroller Liu submitted to the New York City
Council in support of Int. No. 193, which would require that agencies
notify the City Council of emergency procurements:
August
21, 2012 letter from Deputy Comptroller for Contracts and Procurement
Geneith Turnbull to Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Seth
Diamond, raising concerns about the proliferation
of emergency contract requests made by the agency: http://comptroller.nyc.gov/
March
25, 2010 audit published by Comptroller Liu finding that DHS paid out
millions of dollars to non-contracted service providers based on
an “honor system” of unwritten agreements, invented rates, and
duplicate client lists:
Visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov
Follow Comptroller Liu on Twitter. To receive Twitter updates via text message,
text “follow johncliu” to 40404.
View the latest Comptroller’s office videos on YouTube
Follow Comptroller Liu on Twitter. To receive Twitter updates via text message,
text “follow johncliu” to 40404.
View the latest Comptroller’s office videos on YouTube
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