January 7, 2015 To the editor: Re: “No Place Like Home” January 2, 2015 Homelessness in New York City rose exponentially under Mayor Bloomberg when the City’s runaway affordability crisis met the Mayor’s disastrous decision to cut off permanent housing options – like Section 8 vouchers and NYCHA apartments – from families living in shelter. With no way to leave the shelter system, the number of homeless New Yorkers ballooned to the size of a small city, more than 54,000 by the time he left office. Mayor de Blasio has taken steps to begin moving thousands of families from homeless shelters into affordable homes, but we are only just beginning to see the effects of this welcome change. The causes of homelessness are indeed “complex” – but that doesn’t mean the answers are mysterious. Mayors of both parties have proven that we can reduce the homeless crisis with affordable housing, and if Mayor de Blasio stays true to his pledge to move families out of the shelter system, he will begin to heal one of Bloomberg’s worst legacies. Mary Brosnahan President and CEO Coalition for the Homeless
