Opinion: How New York’s Next Mayor Can Tackle Homelessness on Day 1 

Homelessness in New York won t be solved by denial or tough love We ve tried those approaches and they ve all failed The Mamdani administration has a choice repeat the failures of the past or lead with compassion collaboration and evidence The city s homeless outreach teams in Michael Appleton Mayoral Photography Office Last month New Yorkers chose their next mayor When Zohran Mamdani takes office he will inherit a situation that sees people sleeping in shelters each night enough to fill Madison Square Garden five times over Despite portrayals in the run-up to Ballot Day New York s homeless district is not a mob of violent criminals In reality New York s unsheltered population is relatively small representing less than percent of the total homeless population across the five boroughs While a few people do struggle with mental medical issues and addiction this is a community wellbeing situation made worse by a housing predicament not a general safety matter More importantly these unfortunate caricatures belie a larger more uncomfortable truth Shelter beds are overwhelmingly utilized by families students and the working poor who access temporary services because of sudden job loss healthcare emergency fire or another unanticipated emergency function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' Our new mayor will soon confront this reality along with various funding overhauls by the federal executive including work requirements that will make it intentionally hard for vulnerable populations to access social services These challenges demand bold immediate action that supports individuals with chronic healthcare conditions while not jeopardizing services for families in their moment of need Here are five areas where the new administration can lead Improve shelter facilities and fully fund programs that address the immediate requirements of our city s bulk vulnerable populations My organization of late surveyed providers and detected that on average they receive as little as per meal to feed a homeless individual which is less than half of what s allocated for a National School Lunch undertaking meal It s not about creating a practices of dependence rather a lack of venture in shelter residences and food quality discourage homeless individuals from seeking social services which exacerbates an already complicated situation Update street outreach programs and coordination across executive entities and nonprofit organizations like mine It s no secret that there s been a fresh uptick in New York s unsheltered homeless population Current policies and programs do not reflect shifting demand which is why initiative makers should streamline a fragmented system that in the present includes more than two dozen outreach teams establishment agencies and details systems Ensure that contracted nonprofit providers are paid on time and in full In October my organization surveyed our nonprofit members and exposed that just one-third had million in combined outstanding budget actions dating back to Fiscal Year We also unveiled that multiple providers had paid more than million in annual interest on lines of credit needed to keep their doors open Expedite long-term housing placements and invest in affordable housing programs The shelter system is designed to be a waystation not a permanent approach Even more keeping individuals in shelters long term limits bed space for other New Yorkers who may be facing housing insecurity There are multiple moving pieces to this effort but it starts by accelerating permanent placements In the end the Mamdani administration can address the homelessness situation by bolstering workforce evolution programs and improving teaching and access to jobs Federal Medicaid work requirements will soon kick in which will cut off benefits for a great number of homeless New Yorkers We must adapt and develop new pilot programs in areas like worker training and placement guidance childcare and afterschool programs Despite New York City s extremely tight housing domain and other obstacles our members helped almost households move into permanent housing just last year Last winter a mother of two manifested up at a shelter run by a member organization after a fire destroyed her apartment She had never needed masses assistance before Within five months our member helped her secure permanent housing and find employment Her story is reality for thousands of New Yorkers each year Homelessness in New York won t be solved by denial or tough love We ve tried those approaches and they ve all failed The Mamdani administration has a choice repeat the failures of the past or lead with compassion collaboration and evidence All New Yorkers deserve the latter Kristin Miller is the executive director of Homeless Services United a nonprofit coalition that s committed to ensuring every New Yorker who is at threat of or experiencing homelessness has immediate access to shelter and high-quality services The post Opinion How New York s Next Mayor Can Tackle Homelessness on Day appeared first on City Limits