Dear Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn,

I write to you today as a concerned citizen with a commitment to standing with and for those who are homeless. I am very concerned that for the first time in three decades, with the ending of the Advantage rent-subsidy program New York City has no plan for helping the over 40,000 homeless men, women, and children – even those who are employed – to find and maintain housing as they work to rebuild their lives. On the heels of a court decision that could withdraw housing assistance for nearly 8,000 formerly homeless families with a portion of their two year subsidy remaining, I stand with a broad community of advocates for the homeless in calling on New York City to use existing federal resources to help move families from homelessness into permanent housing. I urge you to take immediate action to allow homeless families to access permanent housing resources by setting aside one in three New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) apartments and Section 8 vouchers for homeless families and individuals and utilize other available resources. Research has consistently shown that federal housing assistance – like public housing and Section 8 vouchers – is effective in reducing family homelessness. Setting aside only one-third of these apartments will have a discernible impact on the homeless community.

Currently,  homeless individuals and families have little or no access to these valuable federal resources. New York City currently faces the tragedy of a record number of homeless families and adults – over 40,000 men, women and children sleep in the city’s shelters each night and with the ending of the Advantage Program the number of people seeking emergency shelter is growing every day.  Yet, each year there are thousands of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) apartments and “recycled” federal Section 8 housing vouchers that become available.

I join many concerned citizens and the Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing, East Side Congregations for Housing Justice, and many others in calling on your administration to develop a plan utilizing these and other available resources that will provide homeless adults and families with the most effective path to permanent homes and dignified lives.

Please advise me at the address below as to your plans to address this vital issue.

Respectfully,

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