Care For the Homeless

Destiny found herself homeless after her mother’s home became “overcrowded.” Her family realized it was time for someone to move out or else they would need to find a larger place to live, which they could not afford. To ease her mother’s financial burden, Destiny decided to leave home with her two children. After an unsuccessful search because she could not afford New York’s high cost of living, Destiny and her two daughters moved into a family shelter. They have been living in the shelter for three years now and receive health care at one of Care for the Homeless’ (CFH) health centers. During one of her health center visits, Destiny learned about CFH’s Peer-to-Peer Outreach Program (PPOP). PPOP is a program created by CFH to reach out to and connect with unstably housed people, who are often hard to reach and may not have adequate access to health care. Destiny currently has a job, but says she does not work enough hours to qualify for housing through Section 8, federally su...

2016 Homeless Persons' Memorial, Photo Credit: Sai Mokhtari On Thursday, December 21, Care for the Homeless (CFH) will hold a memorial service in observation of Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. In the United States and remainder of the Northern Hemisphere, December 21 is also the winter solstice, which marks the longest night of the year. The memorial will commemorate those who passed away in New York City while unstably housed. The memorial is co-sponsored by the Master of Public Administration Program at LIU Brooklyn and Urban Pathways . At CFH’s memorial service, the names of approximately 100 individuals will be read at the service. As each name is read a bell will toll, a candle will be lit, and information about the person will be projected on a screen. Several individuals will receive short eulogies by people who knew them. There will also be an opportunity for participants to add the name of anyone they are remembering who passed away this year while unstably hous...

After constant disagreements with her mother, Yasmin found herself homeless. “I guess you could say things were a little dysfunctional growing up,” she said. Yasmin does not blame her mother for being homeless. “If it were up to my mom, I would have never left home, but I was rebellious, a lot. I would leave and always come back,” she said. It eventually got to a point where Yasmin’s mother ran out of patience. Yasmin decided to leave home with her two-year old daughter and move into a shelter. “I’ve been in the shelter for about a year now,” she said. We need more people to care about homelessness. When asked about her stance on the growing number of homeless people living in New York City, Yasmin said, “we need more people to care about homelessness in order for it to end. There is an obvious money issue in the fight to end homelessness.” She said if people can afford to give to the cause, they should. If they cannot financially afford to give, then they should try to he...