Record number of homeless kids in New York

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 20:00:00 +0000

A record number of children are homeless in New York this year, according to new figures from the Coalition for the Homeless. Almost 20,000 children are sleeping in homeless shelters -- a number that has risen by 20 percent over the last five years.

Giselle Routhier, a policy analyst with the Coalition, wrote:

Behind these astonishing numbers lie the policy failures of Mayor Bloomberg and his administration. For the past year and a half, the City has had no programs in place to help move families from shelter to permanent housing – a historic break from the policies of previous New York City mayors.

Alongside the number of children spending the night in shelters, the report notes that thousands more school-age children live in unstable locations "such as doubled-up in apartments or hotels." Data from school districts estimates that 67,000 students in New York are either homeless or in unstable living situations.

The Coalition put forward a number of proposals, aiming to move families and children into permanent affordable housing:

Salon.com > Coalition for the Homeless

Record number of homeless kids in New York