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Homelessness in The Bronx

Homelessness in The Bronx. Definition of Homeless. Lacks fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence Has a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter to provide temporary living accommodations

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Homelessness in The Bronx

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  1. Homelessness in The Bronx

  2. Definition of Homeless • Lacks fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence • Has a primary nighttime residence that is • a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter to provide temporary living accommodations • An institution that provides temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized • A public or private place not designed or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (U.S. Code, title 42, Chapter 119, Subchapter I, Section 11302)

  3. Homelessness During the Great Depression • Great Depression Timeline • 1929 – Stock Market crash • 1930 – Unemployment Rate rises from 3.2% - 8.7% • 1931 – Unemployment rises to 15.9% • 1932 - Unemployment rises to 23.6% • 1932 – FDR defeats Hoover in presidential election • 1933 – Unemployment tops out at 24.9% Statistics provided by www.hyperhistory.com

  4. Homelessness During the Great Depression • Great Depression Timeline (con’t) • 1933 – Economy turns around; Unemployment drops to 21.7% • 1935 – Social Security Act is passed • 1939 – WWII begins • 1941 – U.S. enters WWII Statistics provided by www.hyperhistory.com

  5. End of the Great Depression • FDR’s New Deal (many programs developed) • Inflating the money supply • Deficit Spending • World War II (creation of more jobs)

  6. New Deal • Franklin Roosevelt established programs between 1933-1937 (relief, recovery, and reform) • Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) – work relief program • Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) • Public Works Administration (PWA) • Works Progress Administration (WPA) • Social Security Act • Unemployment Insurance • Resettlement Administration & Farm Security Administration – relief for rural America

  7. Other Programs • Food Stamp Program – 1st developed in 1939 • Food Stamp Act – 1964 – (To be continued) • Medicare – (To be continued) • Medicaid - (To be continued) • Head Start – (To be continued) • Recovery Act of 1983 – (To be continued) • Hud Reform Act -1989 – (To be continued) • Many other programs designed to fight poverty and homelessness

  8. Homelessness Today

  9. How homelessness happens • Homelessness is something that can happen to anyone and fast • Generally someone is laid off at work and cant pay the bills

  10. Reasons for homelessness • Abuse • Vietnam war veterans • Mental illnesses • Lack of affordable housing • Working families struggle to keep up • Declining federal support • Low profit margins bring neglect • Fraud and waste • Factors that inhibit construction

  11. Homelessness Today • 3.5 Million people will experience homelessness in a given year • 1.35 million children are homeless on any given night • 41% of children are under the age of 5 • Families are fastest growing population of homelessness (2000 census – 39% of Nation’s Homelessness)

  12. Additional Problems of Homelessness • 25% of single adult population of homelessness suffers from persistent mental illness • Homeless spend more time in hospitals and jails than the housed poor • ¼ lack medical care • Homeless children do worse in school (low attendance & learning disabilities) • Majority of homeless have experienced hate crime • 1999-2005 – 472 acts of violence against homeless (169 murders while in shelter care)

  13. Problems of Homelessness • 25% of single adult population of homelessness suffers from persistent mental illness • Homeless spend more time in hospitals and jails than the housed poor • ¼ lack medical care • Homeless children do worse in school (low attendance & learning disabilities) • Majority of homeless have experienced hate crime • 1999-2005 – 472 acts of violence against homeless (169 murders while in shelter care)

  14. Measuring the Homeless • Point in time count – counts all people who are homeless on a give day or a given week • Period prevalence counts – examines the number of people who are homeless over a given period of time “Hidden Homelessness” not counted (59.2% former homeless report periodically living in cars or other homes)

  15. New U.S. Research • Largest group of homeless – 80% transitional • 10% stay and return in response to assistance efforts • Third Group – chronic homeless

  16. The South Bronx Decline began in 1960s • Robert Moses seized properties for expressways. • Welfare recipients were stuck in the remains. • 1967 – Decade of arsons began • Most buildings were not restored, leaving tracts of rubble • 300,000 left the neighborhood • Roughly 3/5 of population

  17. Number of Homeless people applying for a shelter in New York

  18. Policies and Laws • 1981 – Housing and community development Amendments • Recovery Act of 1983 • Stewart B. McKinney Homelessness Assistance Act • 1989 – HUD Reform Act • Subsidized housing and voucher programs • NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard)

  19. Origins: NYC’s Homeless Services • New York State has a ‘Right to Shelter’ • NYC has developed an extensive shelter system administered by the Department of Homeless Services • Multiple city agencies & non-profits offer transitional housing, rental assistance, eviction prevention, aftercare • Series of studies conducted on homeless services in NYC • Special Masters Panel: Family Homelessness Prevention (2003) • NYC’s 5 year plan Uniting for Solutions Beyond Shelter (2004) • Vera Institute: Understanding Family Homelessness in NYC (2005)

  20. Origins: Recommendations • Affordable Housing and Rental Subsidies help prevent homelessness • Early Identification: Identify precipitating factors; high-risk populations • Identify prior housing sources, conditions and precipitating events that lead to family homelessness • Incidents of Prior Homelessness, Areas of high receipt of public assistance • “Doubled up” households, Young head of household • Families at risk may not be help-seeking: need for Outreach, Community Education

  21. Origins: Recommendations • Prevention Services must be Data-Driven, Targeted • NYC develops geo-coded agency tracking system • Includes data matches with multiple city agencies • Geographic Analysis • Patterns of shelter entry, poverty, public assistance • Prevention services must be community-based, provide a range of interventions in a variety of settings • Cross-agency coordination is essential; need exists to tie together a range of services provided through a variety of sources • Program design must be flexible and timely • Legal (anti-eviction) services must be included • Short-term financial assistance is key

  22. Has Anything Changed?

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