Response Panel Regarding Child Homelessness
Chinsia Francis-Hill, Shawn Hu, and Katie Roberts
The presenters provide solid evidence of the severity of child homelessness in New York City. The case has turned from bad to worse in recent years and it is vital that the US citizens are educated and informed about this problem. It is very clear that the homeless child problem is not about to be overcome by the government alone and it is vital that the public intervene. It would be helpful to know if child homelessness varies among different races and different education levels. It would also be helpful to see more information on how the NYC homeless system is currently set up to handle families. How many family shelters are there? Are families split up or are they able to stay together? What kinds of services are currently offered in shelters? This background information can provide a better backdrop to what needs change within the current structure.
The policy options presentedfocus heavily on improving the effectiveness of the current housing policy and programs. We agree that the New York City Housing Court should strengthen the enforcement of the illegal eviction law. The government and social work agencies should educate tenants about the law so that they can better understand their rights. In additional, public defense attorneys and social workers can provide legal aids, helping tenants to collect necessary facts to sue their landlords.
We do not support the Housing First Model as an appropriate model for families. While this could be great for couples or single people, it is not good for families. If parents have mental health issues or substance abuse issues, the children should not be living with them until these issues have been resolved. Children may need to be put under the care of Child Protective Services until the parents prove that they are able to safely care for their children. Or, the focus could be on the Long-term Supportive Housing Model that was mentioned in the paper. This seems a good model for increasing mental health services and providing some semblance of stability for families. In regard to long-term supportive housing though, we would be interested to see some data on how much this costs, statistics on its benefits, etc. While it sounds like a good model is there any data to support its implementation?
In line with this, we are also supportive of offering family support services. This would help guide the parents and elder members of a family to developing the required knowledge, experience and accepting social support needed to root their families out of their current financial crisis (Alstete, 2014). To remain stable in the future, every individual must consider adapting independent finance generation techniques through skills they master and not be dependent on employment. Having a preventive approach is a great way in identifying the causes of the problems and what preventive measures that can be helpful. In order to give a child a fighting chance at a future with a home, it is essential for them to have the mental and emotional strength and stability to overcome the fears and doubts that were subconsciously instilled within them due to their homelessness” (XXV). While it was mentioned that we should increase access to family support, we would like more specific proposals on how our city agencies can cooperate to address children homelessness in a more effective way.
The presenters suggestedan increase inhousing assistance such as the Public Housing and Housing Choice (Section 8) Vouchers programs. In spite of many existing problems, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which is the public housing authority (PHA) of the City, is regarded by the experts as the most successful public housing program in the U.S. Currently NYCHA owns and operates 178,000 public housing apartments, and administers under 100,000 Section 8 vouchers in the City (Metropolitan Council on Housing, 2015). However, the programs are funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at the federal level, and we at the municipal level cannot help much about the funding of these programs. It is also worth noting that the funding for Section 8 vouchers has run out and the waiting list is currently closed. In the recent three decades, the government has relied more on new affordable housing programs that typically financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). LIHTC would be a better option to provide more affordable units to the homeless people.
To better address child homelessness in New York City, the presenters couldconsider other agencies, besides NYCHA, at the city level that are working on child homelessness. For example, the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is running a Runaway Homeless Youth program, including a range of services from drop-in centers, crisis shelters and street outreach. The Department of Homeless Services also aims at addressing child homelessness in many ways from preventing eviction, providing shelters to transitioning clients to permanent and stable housing.
Another option is to offer tax credits to employers who hire homeless employees. Such a law became effective in the State of Utah in 2014, allowing for tax credits to businesses of up to $2,000 per homeless person employed per year with a cap at 50 such employees (Stoddard, 2014). The employed homeless person must have a primary nighttime residence on the date of hire, and must be hired as an employee but not an independent contractor. The employer must also abide by specific requirements and file an application for each homeless individual to receive a “tax credit certificate.” The main incentive of this law is to get homeless people off the streets. Finding a job is also extremely difficult without having a home and the security it provides. Often times the lack of security and responsibility leads to the addiction to alcohol and drugs. The tax credits will also have great impact on the mental health and educational outcomes of the homeless children because a more stable living environment can be secured. The most important thing is that the homeless parents can become better, stronger role models for their children. The magnitude of this program is subject to the budget constraints of the New York City. Prior to implementation, further research is needed to estimate the benefit to the homeless families and our society as a whole.
References
Arnott, G. (2011). The Disability Support Worker. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Higher Education AU.
Gibson, K. (2011). Street Kids: Homeless Youth, Outreach, and Policing New York's Streets. New York: NYU Press.
HCH Clinicians’ Network,. (2000). Protecting the Mental Health of Homeless Children & Youth. Healing Hands. 4(1).
Metropolitan Council on Housing,. (2015). New York City’s affordable housing programs. Metcouncilonhousing.org. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
Stoddard, A. (2014). New law creates incentives to hire homeless people. St George News. Retrieved 18 November 2015.