Apologies for sounding a depressing note on a Friday morning when it's 12 degrees outside, but some tenants falling behind on their rent in what some people believe is a recession are pretty much going to get tossed on the street because a major state program that helps stop evictions is being in the polite language of bureaucrats "de-funded." To you and me, it basically means shutting down the program will mean thousands of people will be shit out of luck, as they say. It's called the Homeless Prevention Program and it's a meager $5 million effort that keeps about 7,000 people a year in New York City from being evicted. The program delays eviction via, in the words of the Times, "court appearances, inquiries, document research and applications for public assistance and charity available in crises." One director of a nonprofit that oversees a program in the Bronx says that "This destroys the ability to keep housing for many, many people.” The program reports a success rate of 90 percent and and average cost of $1,400 per family. It costs $35,000 to keep people in the shelter system for a year. A state spokesperson said people would have to "rely mostly on Legal Aid and Legal Services offices around the city to step in and help. Okay. Per the Times: "Asked about that proposition, Edwina Frances Martin, director of communications and government relations for Legal Services of New York City, could not immediately respond, because she was laughing too hard." When she recovered, she basically called BS on the claim.
· A Safety Net for Those Facing Eviction Is Itself in Peril [NYT]
· Number of Homeless Families at Record Level [Curbed]
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