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Reducing Eligibility to Life Saving Services

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The current administration has continuously targeted federal benefit programs important to low-income Americans for drastic cuts. A new effort follows suit by proposing a change to how the ‘poverty threshold’ is to be calculated, which will decrease the number of people eligible for important federal benefit programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. This would affect millions of extremely low-income individuals and families. The current measurement called the “consumer price index (CPI)” has been used for a long time to set the annualized increases in the official poverty threshold. The administration is considering using what is known as “the chained CPI”, a different inflation measure that would result in a slower annual increase of inflation over time. “Chained CPI” assumes that as the prices of goods go up, individuals substitute less expensive items, thereby reducing their overall expenses. Why is this important? The proposed change wou

Join Us in Celebration

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Care For the Homeless, in partnership with Broadway Community Inc., will hold its sixth annual Summer Solstice Celebration recognizing the success stories of New Yorkers who have overcome incredible obstacles while experiencing homelessness. The celebration will be held on Thursday, June 20 th , at Broadway Presbyterian, 601 West 114th Street in Manhattan, beginning with a meal at 4:30 p.m., followed by the program at 5:30 p.m. Join us as we recognize the success of our friends and neighbors in their achievements in obtaining and maintaining stable housing, overcoming health obstacles and reaching outstanding advocacy achievements in the campaign for better policies and programs to fight, prevent and end homelessness. We will also recognize our incredible CFH clinicians who work with our clients to achieve health successes all year around. We will also be announcing the winner of CFH’s annual Short Story of Success Essay Contest. The celebration is free and open to all.

Targeting Immigrants, Producing Terrible Outcomes

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Care For the Homeless is opposing a proposed rule published by the Trump administration and urging all advocates to consider filing an official comment in opposition to the rule that would evict 25,000 immigrant families from public housing, including over 55,000 children. On May 10, 2019, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a draft rule that would significantly change HUD’s regulations by restricting eligibility for federal housing assistance based on immigration status. It would also impose new documentation requirements for U.S. citizens and individuals 62 years of age or older who will be at risk of eviction and homelessness if they cannot prove their citizenship. The proposed rule prohibits “mixed status” families from living in federally subsidized units. “Mixed status” families are households made up of members that are eligible and not eligible to receive housing subsidies through HUD based on their immigration status. "Mixed status" f

Patient Stories Vol. 2 | Finding the Right Tempo

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Victor's Story Nothing but a man doing what he loves. Music is Victor’s life. He’s partial to jazz, jump blues, R&B, and classic soul, but is up for any style as long as he can play the drums. As a successful freelancer, Victor has shared his talents with a number of different groups at a number of different venues. However, for the past three years, he’s played consistently at the famous Red Rooster Restaurant in Harlem, NY. Coincidentally, it was also three years ago that Victor first visited Care For the Homeless’ (CFH) Health Center at the Living Room/Safe Haven Shelter in the Bronx, NY. “I was on heroin for 25-years before I came to the Living Room,” said Victor. “Since then I’ve been on Suboxone, which I take three times a day.” Victor’s condition began all those years ago while he was out on tour. He recalled, “It was the 80s and I was on tour with a major artist at the time. Whether we were all just hanging out or travelling on the tour bus, there were

Provider Profile Vol. 5 | Dr. Andrea Littleton

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Addressing the Whole Person Dr. Littleton with a Patient The streets outside the Care For the Homeless (CFH) Health Center (located at the Living Room/Safe Haven Shelter) rattle with a rhythm that should be familiar to most New Yorkers. Semi-trucks blow by, footsteps patter on the sidewalk, and the nearest park teems with laughing children. Across the street, a Dominican monastery stands as tall and proud as the day it was built in 1891, adding a touch of history to the area. Conversely, the rhythm inside the halls of the shelter and health center are anything but familiar. Located in the Bronx, the Living Room/Safe Haven a is a 24-hour, open access drop-in site, meaning anyone experiencing street homelessness is welcome to come in and spend time off the streets. CFH site partner BronxWorks offers hot meals, showers, laundry, and housing services to compliment the medical services provided by CFH. Despite the similarities it shares with other CFH sites, the Living Ro