NEW YORK—With the release of his report on homelessness, Comptroller Scott Stringer said on Oct. 21 that nearly half of all homeless families in the city are driven into shelters by domestic violence.
The murders of four homeless men in Chinatown put New York City’s record-level homelessness problem under the media spotlight. Multiple organizations report that homelessness has increased in the city; meanwhile, nationally, the number is dropping.
“It is a crisis that as many of you know overwhelmingly impacts some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said the comptroller. “What I think most people do not know is that today, domestic violence has become the leading driver of homelessness in New York City by far.”
Over 40 percent of families entered shelters due to domestic violence in last year’s fiscal year, according to the report. Stringer also proposed changes to the city to benefit these families, such as expanding mental health services and providing them with permanent housing.
He said that, under the current system, survivors of domestic violence are not set up for success.
“The city is increasingly relying on commercial hotels,” he added.
From the fiscal years 2014 to 2018, the number of families placed in hotels increased from 0.1 percent to 21 percent. Stringer said the hotels are costly and proposed the city provide affordable housing instead.
Severity of Homelessness
“I believe it’s getting out of control,” said Enes Vic, a restaurant manager, referring to New York City’s homelessness problem. “It’s all over the place.”
The Bowery Mission, an organization dedicated to helping the homeless, reports that over 60,000 New Yorkers are homeless—families make up two thirds.
Vic said he thought the comptroller’s idea of providing more permanent housing would help. Meanwhile, Kevin Doyle, who works in television production, also said homelessness is a problem, but providing housing is probably not the answer.
“It’s sort of like the expression ‘when you give a man a fish, you feed him for the day, you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime,’ said Doyle.
He added that other things need addressing, such as the opioid crisis and mental health.
Aine Duggan, CEO of Partnership for the Homeless, an organization focused on homelessness prevention, told us that other than domestic violence, drug addictions and overcrowding are also driving people into shelters.
“Housing is so expensive in New York,” she said. “Very often you have families living doubled-up or tripled-up. And there are moments when that becomes untenable for a family.”
Duggan said that the most cost-effective way to solve homelessness is by moving people into housing, rather than placing them into shelters.
While Stringer mentioned services he would like victims to have, he did not propose a solution for domestic violence. He also did not answer if his roadmap included a plan to help people eventually reach full independence and no longer rely on government assistance.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that homelessness declined by 13 percent nationally from 2010 to 2018.
