Recently, each day in New York City politics brings new distractions, while problems mount. And those most at risk — those facing mental health and substance use challenges and in need of services, support, and safe, stable places to live — are likely to pay the steepest price.
New Yorkers don’t need another government study to confirm what they witness daily on the streets and in the subways: the homelessness crisis has reached a fever pitch, and the degree of human suffering knows no bounds.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) recent 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, an annual one-day census of all unhoused people nationwide, revealed the highest number of unsheltered individuals in more than a decade — with New York City experiencing a 59% increase in just one year.
As candidates ramp up for the fast-approaching elections, it’s encouraging that several are paying attention to homelessness and its causes and proposing solutions. But thus far, these plans have been largely lacking when it comes to supportive housing — a proven, cost-effective model for ending chronic homelessness.
Supportive housing is permanent, affordable housing combined with voluntary support services to address the underlying issues that prevent some people from maintaining stable housing. Services range from coordinating medical care to helping tenants access public benefits or achieve educational and employment goals.
The Supportive Housing Network of New York (the Network) and our more than 200 nonprofit members statewide that develop and provide supportive housing, along with our tenant community, should be a resource for candidates. Drawing on decades of expertise and lived experience, we know what it takes to help get people off the streets, out of the shelter system and into permanent housing.
To tackle the crisis effectively, the following are the non-negotiable matters that any serious homelessness and housing plan must address:
- Create more supportive housing. The ambitious NYC 15/15 plan to create 15,000 supportive housing units by 2030, is dangerously behind schedule. Relying on leasing half of those units in the private rental market is unworkable given the critically low 1.4% vacancy rate. The city must reallocate unspent funds to accelerate new construction and preserve existing units.
- Improve access to supportive housing. There are too many barriers to entering supportive housing. Applicants must meet one of 46 distinct eligibility criteria and fill out mountains of paperwork – a long and difficult process for a population already overburdened by bureaucracy. These criteria must be simplified and the application process streamlined.
- Move beyond a myopic view of housing first to a truly coordinated system. The political rhetoric around Housing First has reduced this comprehensive model to a “housing only” strategy that focuses solely on entry, and not on the robust services needed to promote long-term stability. Services embedded in supportive housing must be adequate to meet a wide range of service needs. A truly effective system balances rapid access to housing with ongoing tenant-specific individualized services.
- Listen to tenants. Critics maintain that there are thousands of vacant supportive units. But those involved in the day to day of operating supportive housing know that most of these are in shared apartments, where strangers are forced to live together — an undesirable arrangement. The Network met with more than 100 tenants last year who said only individual units provide the safety and comfort they require.
- Pay nonprofits on time. Chronic delays in city contract payments force many providers to take out costly loans and lines of credit to continue operating. The interest adds up quickly and is not reimbursable. Providers, already financially strained by increased demand and underfunded contracts, must shoulder the cost. Our workforce and tenants are negatively impacted by the resulting staff vacancies, turnover and service shortages.
Ending homelessness requires bold leadership and direct engagement with those on the front lines. Policymakers must move beyond abstract numbers and rhetoric and witness the transformative power of supportive housing firsthand. Whoever wins the upcoming elections must commit to engaging directly with nonprofit providers and tenants alike.
All New Yorkers deserve safe and stable housing. We have the tools to end homelessness for good if we invest sufficient resources in smart, proven programs. We stand ready to serve as a resource to help build effective policy solutions that tackle homelessness at its root.
Leone is executive director of the Supportive Housing Network of New York, which represents more than 200 nonprofits that develop and operate supportive housing statewide.
