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Picture the Homeless is so excited to announce the release of our latest policy report, The Business of Homelessness: Financial & Human Costs of the Shelter-Industrial Complex.

March 30, 2018 by Jonathan Leave a Comment

Picture the Homeless is so excited to announce the release of our latest policy report, The Business of Homelessness: Financial & Human Costs of the Shelter-Industrial Complex.

It’s the result of a year-long investigation by our research committee into the fiscal policies and priorities that influence the lives of homeless New Yorkers, and how those priorities could be adjusted to support permanent, stable, and decent housing for the lowest income New Yorkers.

This year marks the first time that the city’s share of homeless shelter spending will top ONE BILLION DOLLARS, bringing the total expense budget for DHS to 1.8 billion dollars. With so much money moving around, it’s clear that homelessness is “big business” in NYC–but if the system is bad for the budget, bad for homeless people, and bad for neighborhoods, who exactly is profiting?

Full video of the press conference where we launched the report is available here.

Photographs of the launch event are here.
Full text of the report is available here.

Please go check out the report. We’re proud of it – but this is the beginning, not the end, of our work to end the #BusinessOfHomelessness. Follow us on social media and stay tuned for all the exciting actions and events we’ll be rolling out.

This mess may be the consequence of multiple mayoral administrations refusing to confront the problem, but the Bill de Blasio Administration has the power to help end the Business Of Homelessness by backing the bold brave ideas coming from homeless folks.

…See below for quotes from us and our allies!

==

“‘Business as usual’ isn’t working,” said Charmel Lucas of Picture the Homeless, a shelter resident and one of the primary researchers on the report. “Shelters are costing taxpayers 1.8 billion dollars a year, but it’s not helping change the situation. The current status quo may be the result of bad decision-making by multiple mayoral administrations, but Mayor de Blasio has the power to help end the Business Of Homelessness by backing the bold brave ideas coming from homeless folks.”

“This groundbreaking report provides hard evidence for what we’ve always known is true – not only is building housing for our lowest-income neighbors possible, doing so would actually prove more financially sustainable in for our city in the long term,” said New York City Council Member Stephen Levin, chair of the Committee on General Welfare, which oversees homeless spending. “I applaud Picture the Homeless for its fearless work, and urge the de Blasio administration to start to adapt some of their common-sense, cost-effective solutions.”

“For years homeless people have known that the shelter system was profiting on their backs,” said Scott Hutchins of Picture the Homeless, a shelter resident and report researcher. “Now we have not only assembled the evidence to prove our case, but realistic recommendations to correct the problem and end the homeless crisis.”

“New York City needs to commit to getting out of the business of homelessness, and getting into the business of housing,” said Monique “Mo” George, Executive Director of Picture the Homeless. “Our members have done the hard work of breaking down city spending, and recommending cost-effective solutions. New York City needs to get behind these ideas, because the business of homelessness is getting bigger and bigger, with taxpayers footing the bill.”

“Thank you to Picture the Homeless for shining a light on who is profiting from our homelessness crisis,” said New York City Council Member Helen Rosenthal. “This inexcusable situation shows no signs of abating. New York City cannot claim that it is one of the great cities of the world when tens of thousands of its own residents cannot find affordable shelter. We must intensify our efforts to both protect existing affordable apartments and create sufficient levels of new affordable housing.”

“We recognize that the city’s mandate to provide shelter is a necessary social safety net for many New Yorkers,” said New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams. “But the system that we have today is no longer a safety net, and has become an increasingly permanent last stop for extremely low-income New Yorkers — at great personal and public cost. Homeless people need housing, not shelter – and that’s what the rest of New York City needs as well.”



 

Filed Under: Blog, Civil & Human Rights, National Allies, Poverty

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Part 12... Infractions and Due Process Rights Ant Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights 
Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law. The process by which homeless people face repeated incarceration generally follows this scenario: A homeless man is sleeping on the sidewalk. A local ordinance makes it illegal to do so. The man gets a ticket and is later arrested for not paying the ticket. He spends a couple of days in jail, and is just as homeless now as he was before, only now he has a criminal record. This was the case for many of the individuals interviewed by RWHP. One man relayed the familiar scenario, “I was sleeping in a tent in a hidden spot near the freeway. They gave me a ticket for trespassing. I don’t have money to pay it. I’ve never been in jail before. I keep to myself, but now they’re going to make me a convict just for sleeping.”
SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMH SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMHOMES ENCAMPMENT https://www.instagram.com/tv/ChAT9N5jNTY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This morning @phillysheriff ‘s came and evicted our protest encampment to Save the UC Townhomes. When asked why they were doing it, Rochelle Bilal responded that she “felt compassion for the townhomes residents but was just doing my job”

Even if the tents are gone WE AINT GOIN NOWHERE‼️
Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm Sunday AUGUST 2 Saturday AUGUST 27 — 9 am to 4pm
Sunday AUGUST 28 — 12:30pm to 4pm

Westminster Presbyterian Church
1300 N Street, Sacramento

https://wraphome.org/2022/08/02/sacramento-ca-advocates-community-summit-on-homelessness-august-27-28th/
California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Las California. (S)Care Court Hearing Tomorrow 8/3 Last Hearing before floor Vote
https://conta.cc/3vzRoWo
Part 11 ... California’s “anti-Okie” laws of Part 11 ...
California’s “anti-Okie” laws of the 1930s and the South’s Jim Crow laws in effect from the late 1800s to the 1950s are examples of the kinds of local laws overturned in previous generations. Yet, modern “quality of life” legislation and enforcement targeting homeless people can be found in communities across the nation.
The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 The City Council postponed their vote on the 41.18 expansion to August 2nd. If passed, this motion will add approximately 1,900 additional sites–a 376% increase in exclusionary zones across the city. 41.18 would then cover at least 88 sq miles (that’s 20% of the entire city).

Services Not Sweeps is urging EVERYONE to come to City Hall at 9:00am on August 2 and tell City Council that 41.18 is BAD POLICY and should be repealed.

When we fight, we win. 
But this fight isn’t over.

The community flooded City Hall inside and out on Wednesday to protest the expansion of 41.18 but the fight is not over. It’s clear that President Nury Martinez and friends weren’t prepared for our numbers and realized they were unable to rally their (few but loud) 41.18 supporters. Council delayed the vote to Tuesday August 2nd in an attempt to erode our momentum and stifle our voices. 
 
We won’t let that happen. The fight now is to keep the pressure on and show up next week!! See you next Tuesday 9am. Bring a friend.
 
WHO: You and your friends!
WHERE: City Hall, 200 N Spring St 
WHEN: Tuesday August 2nd at 9:00am
HOW: Read more details on our toolkit.
AGENDA ITEM 14 https://lacity.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=102513
Part 10... In fact, however, enforcement is very m Part 10...
In fact, however, enforcement is very much impacted by both skin color and appearance. Local governments cannot legally discriminate against people strictly because they do not have housing. Federal protections prohibit local and state governments from removing people from their communities due to the color of their skin or economic/employment status.
Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civi Part 9... This nationwide pattern has escaped Civil Rights protections because on their face, these programs are not clearly discriminatory. Local laws are often drafted in such a way as to appear to apply equally to all people in a community.
Part 8... While certain communities highlight diff Part 8...
While certain communities highlight different controls at different times, often depending upon the outcome of local elections and legislative and court efforts, all have one primary common goal: to remove the presence and resulting impact of people without housing from local communities. As the Mayor of Las Vegas stated when she outlawed feeding people in city parks: “If we stop feeding them, they will leave.”
Part 7... This type of ticket is not uncommon. The Part 7...
This type of ticket is not uncommon. The most common public space and activity restrictions are those aimed at camping, sitting, lying, or trespassing on either public or private land, panhandling, sleeping, blocking the sidewalk and possessing “stolen property,” such as shopping carts and milk crates—to name just a few. Furthermore, these restrictions are often implemented in conjunction with the closure of public parks and the outlawing of free food and clothing distribution.
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6 hours ago
Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights 

Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law. The process by which homeless people face repeated incarceration generally follows this scenario: A homeless man is sleeping on the sidewalk. A local ordinance makes it illegal to do so. The man gets a ticket and is later arrested for not paying the ticket. He spends a couple of days in jail, and is just as homeless now as he was before, only now he has a criminal record. This was the case for many of the individuals interviewed by RWHP. One man relayed the familiar scenario, “I was sleeping in a tent in a hidden spot near the freeway. They gave me a ticket for trespassing. I don’t have money to pay it. I’ve never been in jail before. I keep to myself, but now they’re going to make me a convict just for sleeping.”
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Part 12...
Infractions and Due Process Rights
Anti-homeless laws and ordinances and their application have, in fact, created a loophole that allows for the circumvention of a homeless person’s right to due process under law.

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SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE PEOPLES TOWMHOMES ENCAMPMENT
“felt compassion for the townhomes residents but was just doing my job”
Even if the tents are gone WE AINT GOIN NOWHERE‼️

Image for the Tweet beginning: SHERIFFS DEPARTMENT TALKING DOWN THE Twitter feed image.
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Los Angeles Homeless Sweeps Taxpayers pay over $70 million each year for the Los Angeles Police Department and LA Sanitation to displace homeless people under the guise of street cleaning. via @YouTube

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