Category: General

News and Insights is a dedicated source of the latest information and developments in family homelessness, poverty, and education. Make sure to visit this section weekly to stay informed. September 2024 US food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 as government benefits declined and food prices soared (The Conversation) Across the United States, an increasing…

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By: Maribel Maria, Policy Associate, HFH and Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate, HFH As the new year begins, we’re taking a look at family homelessness in New York City in 2023. Continuing the upward trend that began in 2022, family homelessness increased considerably in 2023. As of the end of December 2023, the number of…

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By Maribel Maria, Policy Associate, and Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate Pregnancy is often a time of joy and anticipation, but for homeless or housing insecure parents, it can bring new stressors, especially regarding finances. Guaranteed income is a policy that has the potential to mitigate some of the costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth and…

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By Maribel Maria, Policy Associate at HFH and Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate at HFH This month, New York City Mayor Adams’ Administration released the Mayor’s Management Report, an annual assessment of the City’s services. Like last year, we looked at how families experiencing homelessness fared over the course of the most recent fiscal year…

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By Maribel Maria, Policy Associate, HFH and Robyn Schwartz, Policy Advisor, HFH Students’ attendance rates are in the spotlight once again, with media highlighting the rising rates of absenteeism among students across New York City and the nation.1 Notably lacking in many news reports is attention to the alarming absenteeism trends among students experiencing homelessness. More…

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By Maribel Maria, Policy Associate at HFH and Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate at HFH This year, family homelessness in New York City rose steeply. As of mid-December, over 12,000 families with children were living in Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters—4,000 more than at the start of the calendar year—and the Adams administration—and about…

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By Robyn Schwartz, Policy Advisor, Homes for the Homeless (HFH) Last month, New York City voters approved an amendment to the City Charter that would require the City government to create a True Cost of Living measurement. This measure would track how much it costs to meet essential needs in New York City—including housing, childcare,…

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By Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate, Homes for the Homeless (HFH) This month, the Fair Student Funding (FSF) working group, convened by the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE), will present a list of recommendations for reforming New York City public school system’s Fair Student Funding metric. This metric determines 60% of each…

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By Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate, Homes for the Homeless (HFH) Recently, Mayor Eric Adams’ administration released the updated Mayor’s Management Report, or MMR, for fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022). While the new Dynamic MMR is updated throughout the year with new data for certain indicators, the September publishing of…

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By Caroline Iosso, Senior Policy Associate, Homes for the Homeless (HFH) In a major blow to New York City’s public schools, the City’s FY2023 budget passed in June with a more than $200 million budget cut to the school system. The City Council, which approved the Adams Administration’s plan, has now felt the pressure from…

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