New York plans to charge homeless for shelter space

Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2009-05-12 16:45

From Jeremy S.: Today I can guarantee an uptick in DV and Child Abuse allegations, specifically in New York .

Pulling out a 1997 New York law, Homeless shelters are going to start charging the homeless parts of their incomes in order to live in homeless shelters.

Domestic violence shelters do not do this!

Document EVERYTHING, if you are on rocky ground in your relationship...if you are about to lose your home, if you have an abusive partner/spouse...you could be a target for false allegations...but not in the normal 80 percent range now. I expect that reports of Domestic Violence will surge, over four hundred percent or more during this time of economic crisis, in any place where homeless people are being charged parts of their income in order to live in a homeless shelter. Excerpt:

'The Bloomberg administration has quietly begun charging rent to homeless families who live in publicly run shelters but have income from jobs.

The new policy is based on a 1997 state law that was not enforced until last week, when shelter operators across the city began requiring residents to pay a certain portion of their income. The amount varies based on factors that include family size and what shelter is being used, but should not exceed 50 percent of a family’s income, a state official said.

Vanessa Dacosta, who earns $8.40 an hour as a cashier at Sbarro, received a notice under her door several weeks ago informing her that she had to give $336 of her approximately $800 per month in wages to the Clinton Family Inn, a shelter in Hell’s Kitchen where she has lived since March.

“It’s not right,” said Ms. Dacosta, a single mother of a 2-year-old who said she spends nearly $100 a week on child care. “I pay my baby sitter, I buy diapers, and I’m trying to save money so I can get out of here. I don’t want to be in the shelter forever.”'

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Because of our tight economy, one would expect that we would see fewer and fewer free services. The $64 question is, "Will women still get all the free pampering and privileges they get now?" Considering that the vast amount of homeless are men, it appears men are already being targeted for more unfair treatment.

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Submitted by MR on Tue, 2009-05-12 23:45

I doubt it will be overt, with separate policies, but they will only enact policies that "help families", with the selective definition of homeless mothers with children and PERHAPS two parent homeless families. I doubt they'll do anything for homeless men who have children living with a non-homeless ex.

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Submitted by ItsDan on Wed, 2009-05-13 00:28