A New Progressive Agenda



Jeff Foreman, Director of Policy

New York is flush with conversation about the new city administration and the typical who is coming/who is going chatter, not to mention the interest in who the new City Council Speaker will be. It is exciting. And for homeless advocates there’s special excitement with a new Mayor committed to a progressive agenda that includes housing the homeless and 200,000 units of affordable housing. We’re also excited with the prospect of Councilwoman Letitia James, who stood with our Care for the Homeless contingent on the steps of City Hall at a recent United to End Homelessness rally, and Scott Stringer as new citywide officials.

Mayor-elect de Blasio has taken on the most hopeful agenda to fight homelessness in New York City ever. His promise of 200,000 units of affordable housing, commitment to reinstate a priority for people experiencing homelessness to get NYCHA and Section 8 housing, and his pledge to never cut shelter beds for runaway and homeless children give us all great hope. People should remember that as Councilman Bill de Blasio chaired the General Welfare Committee that oversees the city Department of Homeless Services; he is more expert on city homelessness and housing issue than any incoming Mayor in history.

Care for the Homeless does the life-sustaining and life-saving work, every day, of providing health care and human services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness in New York City. With a new city administration pledged to fight to house the homeless we’re more certain than ever that we can fight, prevent and actually end homelessness as we know it.

That’s what the Care for the Homeless Agenda to End Homelessness is all about. You can check it out here. Modern day mass homelessness didn’t plague New York, or America, before the late 1970s. It doesn’t have to be like this. We can and we must end homelessness.

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