POLICY MATTERS
A monthly update on policy issues in the fight against homelessness in NYC
January 2023
Remembering Those We Lost in 2022
Last month, Care For the Homeless, in partnership with Urban Pathways, hosted our first in-person Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day (HPMD) since 2019. During the observance, we honored the lives of about 340 individuals who passed away in 2022 while unstably housed or due to the stressors of homelessness. The list of names is not an official count, but rather a grassroots effort to gather the names of community members to memorialize. As each name was read, attendees lit a candle in their honor and a bell was rung.
 
Several eulogies were also provided in remembrance of those we lost, including those whose names we did not know, those we lost to the adverse health impacts of homelessness and those we lost to violence. First Deputy Commissioner of the NYC Department of Homeless Services, Molly Park, also provided a eulogy in memory of those we lost to addiction, she said, “as a community focused on mitigating the effects of addiction, we want to take the time to remember our loved ones who we have lost…we want their stories to touch the lives of others who are struggling now. Our work is not finished until our communities and our families are no longer struggling with the grave costs of this disease”. First Deputy Commissioner Park’s words were a moving tribute to the hundreds lost every year to this public health crisis.
 
Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day is not only about bearing witness to the lives and deaths of our neighbors, but it is also about recommitting to the fight to prevent and end homelessness. The solutions to end homelessness are grounded in greater access to comprehensive health care, affordable housing, and supportive services to help individuals not only meet their basic needs but thrive in their community. We want to thank everyone who helped make this important memorial possible. You can view a recording of the memorial here. An article by David Brand at City Limits on the observance, can be read here.
Protect Your Unhoused Neighbors From Violence

Care For the Homeless and Urban Pathways' consumer advocates are supporting the Homeless Protection Act (HPA). This proposed state legislation would classify homelessness as a protected status and deem acts of violence with the intent to harm a person experiencing homelessness as a hate crime. A coalition of organizations and advocates, including victims of violence, are now rallying support for this initiative.
 
Research clearly demonstrates that people experiencing homelessness are much more likely to be the victim of a violent crime than to commit one and we are seeing a disturbing and increasing trend of unprovoked violence directed at people perceived to be experiencing homelessness.
 
Take action now to support your neighbors and sign on to the HPA below. #PasstheHPA
Biden Administration Announces Plan to Reduce Homelessness by 25% by 2025
Last month, the Biden administration released a plan called, “All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness”. Developed by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, the administration sets an ambitious goal of reducing homelessness by 25% by 2025. The plan serves as a roadmap for federal action to ensure state and local communities have sufficient resources and guidance to build effective systems required to end homelessness. It is modeled after the federal commitment to reduce veteran homelessness which has decreased by more than 50% since 2010.
 
The plan is built around three “foundational” pillars: equity, data, and collaboration, and three “solutions” pillars: housing and supports, homelessness response, and prevention. The administration lists out vital ways to address homelessness but stops short at implementation, explaining more guidance will come soon as localities craft plans to support their specific communities.
 
These are a few strategies put forward to help formulate plans to end homelessness nationwide:
  • Promote inclusive decision-making and authentic collaboration by including people with the lived experience of homelessness in the development and implementation of policies and programs;
  • Examine federal policies and practices that may have created and perpetuated racial and other disparities among people at risk of or experiencing homelessness;
  • Expand availability and supply of accessible and integrated housing opportunities that meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities;
  • Identify mechanisms to provide more flexibility, speed up the approval for, and reduce administrative burdens associated with applying for social support programs;
  • Increase the supply and impact of permanent supportive housing for individuals and families with complex service needs—including unaccompanied, pregnant, and parenting youth and young adults;
  • Integrate treatment for mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders into primary healthcare settings and other non-traditional settings that lower barriers to services; and many others.

The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act has Passed!

The Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act has passed! The MAT Act will streamline the use of buprenorphine by allowing physicians to prescribe the opioid treatment medication without first obtaining what is referred to as an “X” waiver. Care For the Homeless, one of the largest street outreach providers of buprenorphine to treat opioid addictions in NYC, has advocated for this legislation alongside providers and advocates nationwide. We are grateful that now every person who needs this intervention will be able to access this life-saving medical treatment because it will be integrated into primary and behavioral health care practices. Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for people experiencing homelessness in NYC (and for all Americans under 50 nationwide) and this legislative victory will ensure that many lives will be saved.
 
The MAT Act reduces stigma by integrating substance use disorder (SUD) treatment into primary care, reduces costs by making the most cost-effective form of treatment for opioid use disorder widely available, and expands education by launching a national education campaign to connect providers to publicly available training resources on treating SUD.
NYC Launches Innovative Drug-Checking Program
Substance use disorder has ravaged communities across the United States and the drugs in use today are nothing like those used even a decade ago. Fentanyl and other synthetic drugs have suffused the drug supply as they are much stronger and cheaper to make, which has in turn rapidly increased the rate of fatal overdose. Last month, the city’s health department began its pilot of a new drug-checking program through OnPoint NYC and other centers to help decrease the rate of overdose deaths and keep New Yorkers safe.

Those who use drugs can use Fentanyl test trips to see if there is any Fentanyl present in their supply, but that does not tell them how much is present (specifically if there’s enough to trigger an overdose). Technicians in this new program use a machine to determine the percentage of various substances in drugs. With the amount of Fentanyl in the current drug supply, it is near-impossible for those who use to avoid it without more advanced testing. Equipping folks with this information will help them use more safely and avoid fatal overdoses. The machine also detects other dangerous substances, such as the powerful animal sedative xylazine (also called “tranq”), as they come up and take over the drug market.

This may seem like a controversial intervention, but addiction is a disease that can take years to treat, and we should equip our neighbors with the tools to stay safe while managing their use. A person should not lose their life because of addiction. Harm reduction tactics such as safe injection sites, clean needle exchange programs, and drug-checking programs have been shown to be the most effective in eliminating overdose deaths, decreasing rate of transmission of disease, and getting folks into treatment when they are ready for it.
 
NYC Council Provides Recommendations to Better Support Asylees

The New York City Council released a report last month on the city’s response to the arrival of asylum seekers. The report includes a package of policy proposals aimed at improving short-term emergency relief efforts and addressing long-standing structural shortcomings in the City’s supportive services. Over 30,000 people fleeing violence, political prosecution, the effects of climate change, and other crises have arrived in NYC since the spring. The report focuses on bolstering the safety net for all New Yorkers, supporting both those who have lived here for decades and all newcomers.
 
The recommendations include expanding housing assistance to all regardless of documentation status and cracking down on source of income discrimination by landlords, proposals Care For the Homeless has advocated for as part of the Homes Can’t Wait coalition; and vastly broadening access to health care including mental health care, a core part of our mission at CFH and a straightforward and indisputable way to support a person or family’s stability and well-being. 
The Busy Advocate's January Calendar
 Mental Wellness Month and National Poverty in America Month

Mon., Jan. 16th, Martin Luther King Day, many people observe this with volunteer public service.

Tue., Jan. 17th, 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., The CARE Hub, a community event to support our neighbors experiencing homelessness with volunteer opportunities hosted by Immanuel Cares Global Inc. located at 800 Barretto Street The Bronx, NY 10474. Register here.

Wed., Jan 18th, 1:00 p.m., Committee on General Welfare Oversight Meeting on the CityFHEPS Rental Assistance Program, located in the Committee Room at City Hall, 250 Broadway, New York, NY 10007 and via Zoom (link forthcoming at this site). Register to testify here.

Thur., Jan. 19th, 1:30 p.m., NYC City Council State Meeting, City Hall Council Chambers, 250 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.

Thur., Jan. 26th, 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., UPSTREAM 2023: Solutions to Homelessness and the Mental Health Crisis, hosted by the Museum of Jewish Heritage, located at 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280. Get tickets here.
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