Hope in NYC homeless shelters

Manhattan: Leave it to someone unfamiliar with and apparently unwilling to get up to speed on the changes afoot in New York City homeless shelters to recommend measures already being implemented to address our city’s homeless crisis (“Give homeless kids a chance,” Op-Ed, July 5). Yes, structural problems in the U.S. economy and a fraying federal safety net have caused homelessness to explode in major coastal cities like New York. But to their credit, Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Steve Banks have actually put in place pragmatic solutions to this persistent and growing problem.

Ellen Bassuk wants more services in shelters? De Blasio recently authorized $200 million in additional funds for just that purpose. Bassuk wants more permanent housing? She should catch up on the mayor’s unprecedented and ambitious affordable housing production program and the Living in Communities initiative, the largest locally funded homeless rental voucher program in the nation. Bassuk thinks shelters are too dreary, too large and have too much security? She should see conditions in hotels and cluster sites for homeless families, which the de Blasio administration is working to shut down, before questioning the size and safety of nonprofit-run Tier II shelters.

Unhelpfully, Bassuk makes fixing our city’s shelters sound simple and easy, but the mayor is right: We can no longer fall back on simplistic bromides. We must actually do something concrete and practical about homelessness, by investing in better shelters and more housing, as de Blasio is doing now, while others critique those who are doing the hard work. Ted Houghton, Gateway Housing

Serving the homeless

Middle Village: The studies Ellen Bassuk uses and the outcomes that arise from children living in shelters are right on the money. But building more so-called service center shelters is going in the wrong direction. Families need homes, not shelters. No shelter can ever replace a home, a real home. Why endorse the problem? Give us a permanent solution, a permanent home. We live in the richest city in the world; we are building, day in and day out, gargantuan condos and coops(just look at the Long Island City skyline) for the rich and upper middle class. Let’s do what Fiorello LaGuardia did 75 years ago — build homes. Why are we wasting $1.6 billion of taxpayer money per year? Why give the wealthy tax breaks when families can’t pay the rent for a one-, twoor three-bedroom apartment in “Bushwhack,” “Bed-sty,” Crown Heights, etc.? The cause of the horror that the good doctor describes can be ended by new, low-density, green, modular housing built on city-owned vacant land. In 36 months, we can end homelessness for 70% of our people in shelters and on the border of being in shelters. All we need is real political leadership, not cronyism of the well to do.

Jerry Frohnhoefer, founder Fiorello Homes for the Homeless Campaign Association

Affordable opportunities

Manhattan: To Voicer Genine Chavis: My heartfelt condolences to you, a public servant. Let me explain the two major affordable housing pipeline options. One is city housing (NYCHA) where those referred by DHS, HPD, etc. have priority. Meaning, there are over 60,000 people ahead of you on line waiting patiently. The other is the city’s housing lottery where thousands apply for a handful of units that will become available at a future date. Be thankful you have a job, good credit, do not know anyone who has ever been on a tenant blacklist and have time enough at last to wait the city out on a dream apartment. Raudna Ganthier

Helping homeless critters

Hoboken: Voicer Karli Godwin says that pets need homes too. In February 2017, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) reintroduced the Pet and Women Safety Act, or PAWS Act. Its aim is to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and dating violence from emotional and psychological trauma caused by violence against their pets. We need to raise awareness of this bill and write Congress to pass it. There are shelters who will house such victims and their pets. The Urban Resource Institute (URI), a provider of domestic violence programs and services in New York City, launched the URIPALS (People and Animals Living Safely) program in 2013. URIPALS is the first program in New York and one of the few nationally that allows domestic violence survivors to co-shelter with their pets. Forty-one percent of domestic violence survivors report they are unable to escape their abusers because they are concerned about what will happen to their pets when they leave. In addition, 71% of pet-owning women entering emergency shelters report that their batterer had injured, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims. No one should have to stay in an abusive relationship because they don’t want to leave their beloved pets behind. Cathy Kleinke

Mourning a hero

Manhattan: How incredibly heartbreaking and sad to hear about the execution of Police Officer Miosotis Familia (“Point blank atrocity,” July 6). God bless her children! She is the definition of a true hero, protecting our city, to be gunned down in cold blood. Her children should be proud, knowing their mother was a true hero. Where is the outcry from Al Sharpton and the marches? Oh right, he only opens his big, loud mouth when the NYPD shoots someone, not the other way around. Everyday, members of the NYPD risk their lives for a job that is often thankless and taken for granted by the city. What a senseless loss of a wonderful, dedicated mother by a career criminal piece of crap.

Lora Stubin-Amelio

Parole reform

Valley Stream, L.I.: Another life is snuffed out by a career criminal out on parole (“Killer raged at police on the web” July 6). I believe that any member on a parole board, including judges, should be held personally liable when someone they let out of prison kills another, while still on parole. Better yet, eliminate parole and have prisoners do their full time. Can their victims ever forget being raped or maimed, or return to life and enjoy dinners with their families? I think not. Make people responsible for their decisions.

John Esposito

Losing the vote

Floral Park: To President Trump: Your request to have all states release their voting records will never happen, because they are “under audit” by the IRS (“Kobach complains about reports on voting commission,” July 5). Does that sound familiar? You said if the voting records aren’t released, “what are they hiding?” Well that line applies to you also. What are you hiding by not releasing your returns? Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney hit the nail on the button when he called you a phony and a fraud. Ed Rankin

Overexposed actress

Woodside: Who at the Daily News is obsessed with Emily Ratajkowski? She has almost constant coverage on your website, regardless of anything she actually does, and it just seems completely biased and uneven. Why not split that time with other actresses or other public figures? It’s gotten to the point that it’s becoming creepy, and calls into question the quality of your content. Does her publicist pay for the exposure? Jennifer Swan

Dangerous reality

Manhattan: I shake my head every day over the President’s now-daily antics. We are all watching nothing more than another television reality show. Sadly, reality shows appeal to too many Americans, only this reality show has potentially serious consequences. Cindy Roberts

Different sports a-genders

East Meadow, L.I.: Voicer Diane Hombach played loose with the English language when she claimed only male Voicers claimed Serena Williams was not as good as male players. Serena is not even close; she admitted that. Men and women are different. She is the most dominant female player I have ever seen. For your information, Chris Evert said she could not beat her brother in tennis. Did you ever hear of him? Lastly, my daughter just received paperwork from a police department. Men have to run a mile and a half in 12 minutes and women 14 minutes. Why?

Hugh M. Masterson

Sock it to me

ANDREW SAVULICH Bridgeport, Conn.: As an American but admirer of many things Canadian, I have to say Voicer Patty Findlay’s letter is one of the funniest I have ever read in the Daily News. One might ask, however, what is wrong with being a maker of socks?

Bob Birge