Long Island’s Homeless Problem

We talk often about affordable housing on Long Island. Mostly, we think of young workers still living with their parents, or older adults who no longer want their sprawling homes. Rarely do we think of the Long Islanders who are homeless.

But we must. There are about 3,800 Long Islanders who don’t have a permanent place to live. Half are children. Most are living in shelters, but as many as 300 are now on the streets, according to estimates from the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, which does a once-a-year count. At the start of 2014, there were fewer than 3,000 homeless people, and 64 on the streets. Amid a worsening problem, the funds and attention aren’t sufficient.