A new report shows that more than 100,000 children in the New York City public school system are homeless. That is pretty shocking. They show up to school, but when they leave, it’s for a shelter or a friend’s couch, or worse. With that many young people homeless, is it an unsolvable problem? Is the only answer to throw more money at it? And are the city and the City Council even coming close to doing enough to make a dent? City Councilman Levin and Giselle Routhier say it is not unsolvable, the city is not doing enough, and money will help only if it is spent on housing. They talk about what the government and advocacy groups can do if they join together to fight for the housing and funding necessary to treat the causes of homelessness, treat the homeless with humanity, get them the mental and physical help they need and get them into homes. And they talk about why it is important for all of us to look at those living on the streets as human beings rather than an inconvenience. They are not just grown up men and women who fell on hard times. They are children and families. And they point out, you may think you recognize the homeless person on your subway car, but there may be 10 people there who are homeless and you’d never know.
Helping the Hidden Homeless
PUBLISHED December 1, 2019 @3:18 PM