- City orders end to sending homeless to illegal houses, By Julie Bosman, April 7, 2010, New York Times: “For years, homeless people were sent by the city to illegal boarding houses, places with crowded conditions, rows of bunk beds and vermin. For many of the buildings’ landlords, it was an easy way to turn a run-down house into a fairly lucrative operation – tenants were charged hundreds of dollars each month for little more than a mattress. ‘There was a situation where individuals realized very quickly they could change their home into an illegal setup and make money,’ said Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker. On Wednesday, the city said it was going to act decisively to end the practice. More than 200 staff members in shelters run by nonprofit organizations and the Department of Homeless Services will be told to stop referring homeless people to buildings that have been found to be unsafe based on inspections by city agencies…”
- Federal survey finds homelessness, shelters are more expensive than housing, By Ted Roelofs, April 7, 2010, Grand Rapids Press: “A new federal survey finds that housing the homeless in emergency shelters can be more costly than the typical cost of rent or transitional housing. For Grand Rapids, the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment is just under $600, compared to a cost of $744 a month at the Guiding Light Mission. And while the mission also offers three meals a deal and day shelter for that cost, Executive Director Stuart Ray said the point is this: It costs more to house the homeless than prevent the loss of a home in the first place…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty