How to truly help N.Y.’s homeless

You cannot solve the homelessness crisis by throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into a bottomless cup. The city hasn’t seen a homeless population as vast as today’s since the Great Depression. It stands at over 62,800. Most heartbreaking of all are the homeless families who are shuffled in a disorganized system, where vast amounts of money are poured into temporary shelters.

Frustrated communities across the city have reacted loudly, protesting in front of motels. These settings, often used without the input of community groups, lack foresight.

As a result of this myopic approach, homeless families sometimes find ritzy roofs over their heads, like $629 a night rooms in Times Square, or are sheltered in other hotels and motels across the city averaging nearly $200 a night.

This Band-Aid answer keeps over 42,000 children from sleeping on the streets, but does nothing to stem the tide of homelessness or put families back on track.

Despite the high price tags, there’s nothing glamorous about the quarters either. Rooms are often inadequate, sometimes riddled with violations and lack accommodations like kitchens required in family settings. It’s simply an indignity to let families reside like this.

Housing in hotels and motels keeps families and individuals in a state of transiency, a constant state of upheaval which negatively impacts children. During the 2014-15 school year, 32% of homeless students missed in excess of 20 days of school, while another 34% were absent for more than 40 days.

Apartments steady family life. A stable home makes job hunting easier too, removing the stigma of a temporary address.

There is a need to keep families in one steady place that they can call home.

The real solution is subsidizing permanent housing for homeless families and those on the brink of homelessness, a wise investment that will save taxpayers money and keep families off the streets, out of inappropriate hotels and out of the shelter system.

This year, the Independent Democratic Conference will partner with Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi to create the Home Stability Support program, a new statewide rent supplement for families and individuals facing eviction, who are currently homeless or who have lost housing due to domestic violence living conditions.

More than 170,000 individuals already collect shelter allowances, rent subsidies that are supposed to help stave off homelessness. The biggest problem is the disparity between that allowance and the market rate of an apartment.

Take New York City, where the allowance is $400 and the fair market rate set by the U.S. Department Housing and Urban Development is $1,571. That’s a difference of over $1,100 a month. Not to mention the fact that a family needs other necessities like food and clothing. As a result, many find themselves in shelters or on the street.

The new law would bridge the gap between the shelter allowance and 85% of the local fair market rate set by HUD. Local governments would be able to fund the remainder of the benefit, if needed, adding flexibility across the state.

This would provide over 80,000 households with the stability of residing in a home rather than a desultory string of expensive hotels or motels with deplorable living conditions. Children would experience less stress and attend school regularly without packing up and moving from place to place. With the security of a consistent roof, parents and individuals can stay near family, establish routines and feel comfortable as they rebalance their lives.

To ensure landlords do not discriminate, the IDC is proposing a fine for those who refuse to accept rent vouchers. To further alleviate the homeless crisis, New York City should give New York families already in the shelter system and ready to reestablish themselves in apartments priority for the city’s affordable housing lottery.

Finally, a comprehensive shelter survey sent to the Legislature and governor must be conducted quarterly across the state to ensure that homeless individuals and families receive the help they need.

We cannot turn our backs on our homeless families and individuals, and we cannot stow them in costly hotels and motels and pretend the problem abated. The solution is a simple investment that keeps families at home and costs far less than sheltering families in pricey hotels. or hazardous