This guest policy commentary by Barbara Duffield, director of policy and programs for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), reexamines the assumptions of current federal homelessness policy, its emphasis on chronically homeless individuals, and its impact on homeless families.…
This policy research commentary examines rapid re-housing where the rubber hits the road, recounting experiences in cities and communities across the nation and taking a closer look at where it works and where it does not. …
In New York City, more and more children are facing the most extreme form of instability and poverty—homelessness. The new report provides a detailed picture of homelessness within the city’s educational system: where homeless students go to school, what kinds of support they may need, what their academic outcomes look like, and what the lasting impacts of homelessness are educationally—even after a student’s housing instability has ended.…
This Policy Research Commentary takes a closer look at the interim results of HUD’s Family Options Study, the most comprehensive study ever conducted to test different approaches to addressing family homelessness, and raises serious questions about the ability to draw any definitive conclusions thus far.…
A new policy report examines when the special education needs of homeless students in New York City are most often identified, the impact of that timing on educational and behavioral outcomes, and the role that school stability plays in timely identification. Meeting the special education needs of homeless students as early as possible ensures this already marginalized group of children does not needlessly fall behind in school.…
This community profile takes an in-depth look at “affordable housing” in the Concourse/Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx—one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City. A large percentage of new affordable housing units are financially out of reach for low-income residents in the neighborhood. Could new plans for development and affordable housing in the Jerome Avenue Corridor of the South Bronx destabilize this already vulnerable community?…
Struggles with homelessness and poverty are not new to East New York. It is the largest feeder of families into New York City’s shelter system and one of the first neighborhoods designated for affordable housing redevelopment. This new community profile examines the impact this redevelopment may have on the neighborhood’s poorest residents. Will it prevent more families from becoming homeless or are these “affordable units” out of reach for the families who need them most?…
Return to shelter is a critical factor contributing to the growth of family homelessness in New York City. Among families living in shelter at any point during the last half of 2014, 84% had entered shelter for the first time prior to 2014. This trend is reflective of the focus on moving families out of the shelter system as quickly as possible, with limited attention directed towards addressing the underlying reason that each family entered shelter in the first place. In order to further the conversation about the dynamics that drive family homelessness in New York City’s communities, this report provides a geographic analysis of demographic patterns and newly-available data on family homelessness.…
Educators have long known the negative effect that housing instability can have on a child’s education, but this policy brief suggests that these effects do not end when a student is stably housed. This brief looks at the educational outcomes of homeless and formerly homeless students during the 2013–14 school year and the implications these outcomes have for education policy in New York City.…
This report reveals that low-income families in the Elmhurst/Corona section of Queens, New York, are at risk of growing housing instability in the face of gentrification, rising rents, and a rapidly vanishing affordable housing stock. Community development and gentrification often push lower income residents out of desired and affordable neighborhoods. Understanding that a potential crisis is on the doorstep, this community has a unique opportunity to manage and hopefully reduce the instability that ultimately drives many families into homelessness.…
At present, more than 12,000 families and about 23,000 children reside in New York City homeless shelters. New York City has built more affordable housing, has dispersed more rental vouchers, and has established more prevention programs than any other city in the country. So, why, after 30 years, do the number of families residing in shelters continue to grow?…
School absences are pervasive across New York City. Almost one in five New York City public school elementary students (19%) were chronically absent in SY 2013-14, missing 20 days or more of school. Worse, homeless elementary students were chronically absent at roughly twice the rate of elementary students overall. This report examines the disparities in absenteeism and its impact on educational achievement, comparing homeless students and their housed peers, regardless of family income level.…
