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Of all the families who seek temporary shelter in New York City, 40% have had at least one prior shelter stay.
Why this horrific rate of shelter recidivism?
“Homelessness is not about housing. It never has been. It is about poverty!” And, to address the problem, governments and nonprofit service providers must follow “A New Path” that marks a sometimes radical departure from current policies guiding homeless shelters and services.
That was the message that hundreds of advocates and providers from across the nation heard from Ralph da Costa Nunez, President and CEO of the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness (ICPH) at the ICPH conference on Thursday, January 19th. When scheduled Keynote Speaker Jonathan Kozol couldn’t attend due to illness, Nunez filled in on an emergency basis. As a result, conference attendees were given a broad-ranging history that traced the evolution of poverty and homelessness in the U.S. over the last 150 years. And, Nunez offered a preview of a new report and policy prescription being released by ICPH.
A New Path: An Immediate Plan to Reduce Family Homelessness proposes using the family shelter as a tool for parents with limited education and work experience, as well as for victims of domestic violence, and those with mental health and substance abuse issues, and a history in the child welfare system.
While many families are forced to go to shelters because of the lack of affordable housing in the United States, A New Path argues that approximately 15% of families living in shelters are further held back by lack of education, work experience, and family support. For this subpopulation, A New Path argues that shelter stays should be extended to 12-18 months, and used as an opportunity for parents to immerse themselves in an on-site learning, career-building, and healthy environment. Although some residents will have a longer initial shelter stay, this will lead to less recidivism.
“New York City has long led the way in confronting the challenge of homeless families, and should serve as a model for reducing recidivism,” said Nunez. “This is not a 10-year plan, but an immediate action that can serve as a guide to cities, suburbs, and rural communities throughout the country.”
ICPH proposes restructuring NYC’s family shelter system into three separate components, based on assessments of a family’s situations or needs. The report stresses that approximately half of all families placed in a shelter leave within 30 days and never return. It is the other half, those who cycle in and out of the shelter system, which requires more extensive services – and in some cases longer stays in the shelter system – to prevent recidivism. Under the ICPH proposal, the shelter system would be structured as follows:
• Tier I Emergency Shelters would look like the current system of services for families who enter the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) Office. During an initial 30-day stay, assessments would be conducted to 1) identify those families unable to quickly find and retain permanent housing, 2) determine their specific service needs, and 3) develop a future plan of service.
• Tier II Transitional Shelters would serve those families whose need can be addressed during shelter stays of between 2 and 12 months. These programs would look similar to the current Tier II shelter model but would be targeted for households where the parent has some education and work history and requires only some help from case managers and housing specialists in finding new or better employment and low-income market housing.
• Tier III Specialized Shelter Programs – a new programmatic proposal – would serve families who demonstrate more complex needs and have higher barriers to maintaining permanent housing. These Tier III shelters—also known as Community Residential Resource Centers -- would offer on-site employment opportunities for shelter residents starting at minimum wage; job search, readiness, and retention training; and GED classes.
Rather than focusing on having families leave shelter as quickly as possible, ICPH proposes that longer shelter stays of 12-18 months be approved for Tier III families who require more intensive services to prepare them – once and for all – to live successfully in permanent housing.
The report also recommends the foll owing:
• Some “Tier III” shelters should be designated “Safety First” residences, and serve domestic violence victims. In 2010, there was only bed space for 70% of families deemed eligible for DV Shelters. These shelters would offer the same safety and support as those at DV shelters.
• “Child Wellness Residences” would provide on-site assistance to families with active child welfare cases and those receiving voluntary preventive services. On average, 670 active child welfare cases and 1,300 closed cases were identified each month among homeless families in New York City in 2010.
• “Health and Recovery Residences” would provide targeted services to those with mental health and substance abuse concerns.
ICPH goes on to recommend that the City also restructure its approach to allocating housing supports for families coming out of the shelter system. “Some families, especially those with some level of education and employment histories, are able to move into market housing, or at least low-income market-rate housing,” the report states. “However, families who complete Tier III programs will still be fragile as they exit the program. As they have made the commitment to complete the Tier III program, the City should honor that commitment with housing assistance. As there are not rental assistance programs on the fiscal horizon, the City must prioritize subsidized housing for families who complete the Tier III programs.”
To download a copy of A New Path: An Immediate Plan to Reduce Family Homelessness visit the ICPH website at http://www.icphusa.org.
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