In 2004, Mayor Bloomberg declared that he would “make the condition of chronic homelessness effectively extinct in New York.” He detailed a five-year plan that aimed to reduce the homeless population by two-thirds. When Mayor Bloomberg made that declaration, the estimated shelter population was 36,600. The estimated shelter population is now nearly 60,000. This number, a far cry from the promises made in 2004, raises the critical question of why Mayor Bloomberg’s homelessness plan was unsuccessful.
The answer appears to rest on the failure of two major affordable housing policies: Section 8 vouchers and public housing for homeless families, and Advantage, a rent subsidy program. The city discontinued the practice of allocating Section 8 vouchers and setting aside a number of public housing for homeless families due to a belief that people were abusing the policy, declaring themselves homeless to access affordable housing. When Advantage ended, 8,500 families who had begun to settle themselves into apartments were suddenly left without rent and forced back into the shelter system. The failure of these two policies worsened the affordable housing crisis, forcing many out of their homes and into shelters. When these two programs ended, new and improved programs did not replace them, and many people were pushed out of their apartments and back into homelessness.
New York City has battled homelessness since before the time of tenement housing and poverty in the Bowery. In the 1980s, although New York City faced a period of economic prosperity, homelessness rose dramatically. The demographics of the homeless shifted towards younger individuals and families. As the middle class shrank, the housing market shifted away from affordable housing and towards luxury housing. Individuals who depended on affordable housing were left with far fewer housing options. Affordable housing and homelessness are inextricably tied together. The lack of affordable housing in New York City is a major contributing factor to the homelessness crisis. Mayor De Blasio’s $41.1 billion affordable housing agenda contains plans to move homeless individuals into affordable housing units. The plan involves giving homeless families priority for Section 8 vouchers and NYCHA housing units. Mayor De Blasio hopes to move the City’s 10,000 homeless families into permanent housing.
The City’s current mayor has vowed to work vigorously on tackling homelessness. These promises evoke memories of similar promises made in 2004. Perhaps the Mayor’s dedication to ending homelessness, coupled with his devotion to affordable housing, will finally produce the successful results that the City’s homeless population deserves.
This post was written by a student enrolled in the Capstone Seminar course in the undergraduate program in public policy at Hunter College. Any opinions expressed here are solely those of the student.
