“The term ‘outreach resistant’ makes it sound like people are saying ‘I want to be here.’ They’re not resisting. They’re just not being offered what’s meaningful and helpful to them.” 2/2
“If I’m a vegetarian and you keep offering me a trip to Gallagher’s Steakhouse, you can offer it to me every single day and it’s still not what I need,” @giffendave.bsky.social, Executive Director of @nyhomeless.bsky.social told @nytimes.com. 1/
“The best way to end the use of hotels is to dramatically reduce the number of people who need shelters in the first place by building more housing that’s actually affordable to the lowest-income New Yorkers”, @nyhomeless.bsky.social Executive Director Dave Giffen told the New York Post.
Encampment sweeps do not effectively address the root causes of homelessness and often disrupt individuals’ access to essential services. There are other more effective and ethical approaches. www.world-today-journal.com/nyc-homeless...
We're in Albany w/ @nyhomeless.bsky.social, @vocal-ny.bsky.social, @nycbarassociation.bsky.social and Assembly Member Reyes to urge lawmakers to ensure that internet access is available in shelters.
Internet access is not a luxury - it's a necessity + is essential to secure housing, jobs, and more.
Can you imagine not having internet in your home? Tens of thousands of people sleep in shelters without WiFi every night, making it harder to search for apartments, apply for benefits, & access healthcare. You can help us by taking 2 mins to support WiFi in shelters by contacting your legislator.
“No young person in New York City should ever be faced with the question of where they're going to be sleeping at night,” Jamie Powlovich, a senior manager for the Coalition for the Homeless told @gothamist.com.
*** The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless Statement on City’s Planned Closure of 30th Street Intake Shelter ***
“If we want to live in a city where people don’t die on the streets, let’s live in a city where people don’t have to live on the street,” Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director @giffendave.bsky.social told @crainsnewyork.bsky.social this week.
“They shouldn’t be taking any actions that are going to put people at risk or lessen their ability to stay warm or survive the blizzard,” @giffendave.bsky.social, Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director, told @nytimes.com reporters. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/w...
If you see someone who has no place to get out of the cold, please let them know that warming sites across the five boroughs are available. Over 50 NYC hospitals, as well as DHS drop-in centers and shelters, are also operating with a full open-door policy. portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kan...
Regardless of the historic blizzard, the Coalition’s Grand Central Food Program vans were out last night – as they are every night – bringing hot meals, critical supplies, and info about the warming sites to people surviving on the streets of NYC.
Outreach is more effective when people do not fear enforcement. “When city workers show up & throw away all the belongings of somebody who’s surviving out on the streets, that creates a real feeling of distrust,” our Exec. Dir. @giffendave.bsky.social told amNY.
Alexius Marcano from @nyhomeless.bsky.social explains how imposing fees on unhoused populations creates a cycle of debt that makes it even harder to secure stable housing and undermines public safety.
This was just one idea discussed in our recent webinar, ‘Serve & Protect or Curb & Collect?’
*** Coalition for the Homeless and @legalaidnyc.bsky.social on City Revamping Homeless Sweeps *** Read full statement here.
"We must invest in solutions that move us closer to ending the homelessness crisis altogether...@NYCMayor could...immediately [move] 2,000 of the hardest-to-serve unsheltered New Yorkers into empty supportive housing units." 3/3
"These sweeps failed on multiple levels. First, they were glaringly inhumane – many unhoused New Yorkers lost the few possessions they had, and the process undermined their trust in city services...We fully support the mayor’s decision to end encampment sweeps." 2/
Our Exec. Dir. Dave Giffen and @winnyc.bsky.social CEO Chris Quinn, penned an op-ed in @cityandstateny.bsky.social. "Over the last 4 years, former Mayor Adams responded to the homelessness crisis with a series of...sweeps of encampments that failed to move a single NYer into permanent housing." 1/
Mark your calendars for April 24th! This year's Women Mean Business Luncheon is a celebration of courage. Join hundreds of NYC's most passionate leaders as we come together to raise crucial funds for the Coalition's First Step Job Training Program. www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/wmbl-tickets
Our new policy brief focuses on building more affordable housing for those who need it most. We are calling on NYC to build 60,000 new units over the next five years for New York's homeless and extremely low income households.
*** @LegalAidNYC, Coalition for the Homeless Urge City to Bolster Measures to Protect Unhoused New Yorkers From Looming Subzero Temperatures *** read full statement here:
The call for sweeps is an “opportunistic misframing of a terrible tragedy to try to get the administration to try failed approaches of the past,” @nyhomeless.bsky.social Executive Director @giffendave.bsky.social told @davidfbrand.bsky.social for @gothamist.com.
*** Coalition for the Homeless and The Legal Aid Society Applaud Opening of Pearl Street Safe Haven Shelter *** Read full statement here:
"The system does not do a good job of making sure that individuals are getting what they need in order to come in off of the street. We need to see far far more low-barrier shelters like safe havens," @nyhomeless.bsky.social Executive Director @giffendave.bsky.social told @cbsnews.com.
“We need to start with the people who don’t have homes, whether they’re artists, or work in the food service industry, or as home health aides, whatever their occupation. Who is most in need of that resource?” 2/2
“As a guiding principle, when you have a limited resource, you’d start with the people who are most in need," Executive Director for @nyhomeless.bsky.social, @giffendave.bsky.social told @smaldo.bsky.social for @thecity.nyc. 1/
Our donate page is currently under construction. If you would like to donate, please use www.paypal.com/donate/?host...
“If placement into supportive housing isn't an integral part of the approach, the revolving door between hospitals, shelters, jails, and the streets will sadly continue” @giffendave.bsky.social told @gothamist.com.
Our thoughts go out to Louis Gerstner’s family and friends today. Lou's generosity & vision saved 100s of families from homelessness through his support of our Eviction Prevention Program. His deep humanity inspired us all, & leaves an enduring legacy.
