Read stories and get tips from homeless families on how to navigate New York`s emergency shelter system. Download the PDF (English / Spanish). In addition to certifying and inspecting homeless shelters, DSOC is also responsible for developing and managing agency policies in accordance with state regulations that set programmatic and physical standards for shelter facilities. “During the pandemic, the city has made reasonable changes to its child care system that have increased stability for families — but they are only temporary and could disappear at any time,” said Christine Quinn, a former city council spokeswoman who is now president and CEO of Win, which runs shelters and services for homeless families. Prior to the pandemic, city policy required entire families — including all school-aged children — to report to a Bronx facility known as the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing Reception Center (PATH) to complete an initial assessment and obtain conditional placement in a shelter elsewhere in the city. Over the next 10 days, Ministry of Homeless Services (DHS) staff would investigate and determine whether they felt the family was qualified to be admitted to the shelter system. Families who were not entitled to housing were forced to return to PATH to reapply. When DHS identified another “available housing option” for the family, such as a place in a parent`s home, they were locked out of shelters for 30 days. The DSS waived these requirements at the beginning of the pandemic, allowing children to check in via FaceTime or Skype, and families could reapply without leaving their homes. The developers, led by Win, called on the city to make these changes more “humane” permanent at PATH as well as the Adult Family Reception Centre.
Families, especially those with minor children, need stability that cannot be achieved if they have to pack their bags and move their belongings every 10 days, or worse, if they are forced to sleep outside,” they wrote in a September 23 letter to DSS Commissioner Steven Banks. Mayor Bill de Blasio and council spokesman Corey Johnson. “School and work schedules cannot be respected, jobs cannot be maintained, and uncertainty creates conditions that are prevalent for accusations of educational negligence. The letter is also signed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, the Family Homelessness Coalition (a funder for the city limits), VOCAL-NY, Legal Aid, the Citizens Committee for Children and 11 other organizations. In a response to City Limits, a DSS spokesman said the agency had no plans to reverse the changes, pointing to a september. The organization encouraged DHS to facilitate the application process, stop forcing children to miss school, and take families seeking protection at their word when they say they can`t return to a previous residence. A city council spokesman said the legislature was reviewing the lawyer`s proposals to make the current inclusion changes permanent. The Blasio Mayor`s office did not respond to emails seeking comment. Families with children make up the majority of homeless shelters in New York City, accounting for about 70 percent of residents of DHS shelters before the pandemic. Hundreds more families live in shelters run by Human Resources, the Ministry of Youth and Community Development and the Ministry of Prevention and Housing Development. The vast majority of residents of DHS shelters are black or Latino, and countless families, especially those headed by single mothers, continue to face eviction and homelessness. But over the past two years, the number of families entering the DHS protection system has dropped significantly, as a nationwide moratorium on evictions keeps many New Yorkers vulnerable in their homes.
As of September, 8,500 families with 14,798 children were staying in a DHS shelter. 30, according to the latest daily census of the city. In August, the average daily population of family shelters hit its lowest level in a decade, although the length of time families with children stay in a shelter has increased over the past year, according to the mayor`s management report. READ MORE: New York children have extended their stay in shelters, even as family homelessness declinesAll urban initiatives, such as the right to a lawyer in housing court, one-shot deal emergency cash assistance, and rent subsidies have also reduced the number of families in shelters in recent years. De Blasio and DSS recognized the work of the city`s workers and thousands of nonprofit organizations. Proponents warn that ending the state`s eviction protections could trigger another sharp increase in homelessness, showing the need for more affordable housing and faster exits from shelters for families and individuals. De Blasio also sounded the alarm about an imminent increase in homelessness. We are crossing a cliff here in this city, in terms of people who could lose their homes,” he said in July 2020. The Division of Shelter Oversight and Compliance (DSOC) is responsible for certifying and inspecting publicly funded homeless shelters for families and adults throughout New York State. A coalition of nonprofit service providers is calling on New York City officials to formalize pandemic-related rule changes that have made life easier for families looking for space in urban homeless shelters. The city`s Department of Social Services (DSS), which oversees homeless services, last year adjusted the tedious process of admission to a family shelter to reduce the number of trips required to an overcrowded Bronx assessment center and save children from hiking — which often meant missing at least a day of school. The DSS says it has no plans to overturn the new rules, but suppliers and nonprofit stakeholders say they want to see the changes codified in official policy.
*As of March 2020, there have been significant changes in the application process due to the pandemic. If you are currently applying for accommodation with PATH for the first time, only adults in your family should visit PATH (151 East 151st Bronx, NY 10451) in person. You don`t need to bring your minor children (but you can do it if you have to). If you are not eligible for accommodation, you will need to reapply. You can reapply by phone from your shelter and you do not need to return to PATH in person to reapply. It is important to call PATH to reapply once you have received a notification that you are not eligible. Families with minor children or pregnant individuals can apply to PATH (Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing) in the Bronx for Department of Homeless Services (DHS) accommodation. PATH will ask you to prove that you are homeless. If you are homeless, you are entitled to housing. PATH is located at 151 East 151st Bronx, NY 10451.
When you apply for housing, you must prove where you have lived in the past two years. If you`re having trouble proving your housing history, DHS may say you`re “not eligible,” meaning they don`t think you`ve proven you`re homeless. More information can be found here. Hello, I want someone to contact me. I want to tell my story as an amputee with a certified service dog. I lost my job and home and was forced to return to Path every few days to reapply, even though they knew my child and I had no one to help us. We were forced to leave the shelter, amputated again) and sleep in my car, in the freezing cold, because we were so embarrassed every time we were rejected. Did not understand their reasoning.
They confirmed that my family members could not accommodate us, and yet I risked losing my entire leg during this process of going back and forth in the cold, on a train, with a child and a service dog, to be told no and threatened by PATH. I want to tell my story! Accommodation throughout the state offers a range of services, including assessment and case management, access to health care and child care, and assistance in finding permanent housing. These units may be operated directly by the local social service districts or the local social services district may contract with a provider to operate the shelter.
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