On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York staff and volunteers will join the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and hundreds of volunteers from across the metropolitan area to survey parks, the subway system and other public spaces for a single night to estimate the number of homeless people in the archdiocese’s five counties. DHS has led the city’s Homeless Estimated Population (HOPE) count since 2005.
Catholic Charities of New York will host a special panel discussion on the topic of homelessness in New York at 7 pm at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Mary and Jesus located at 325 W. 33rd Street in Manhattan before departing to the streets to conduct the homeless count, which begins at 10 p.m.
Joining Catholic Charities Executive Director Monsignor Kevin Sullivan will be New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly WasowPark; President and CEO of Catholic Homes of New York, Russell Lang; Nazareth Housing Executive Director Rachel Levine; and Covenant House Executive Director Dr. Shakeema North; as well as a former homeless client of Catholic Charities, to discuss how this vulnerable population can obtain better housing and physical and mental health services to help stabilize their lives.
Homeless New Yorkers are often abandoned and overlooked by many. Catholic Charities hopes to provide an opportunity to understand what makes those who are out on the streets on one of the coldest nights of the year choose that over seeking shelter. Panel participants will also address the number of unmet needs that prevent people from seeking that shelter and ways to better address those needs.
During the count, volunteers work in pairs, and that night there are New York City-sponsored vans with relief teams on the streets in case the homeless decide to go to a shelter and can be transported.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires HOPE to receive funding under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Using a consistent sampling methodology since 2005 and decoys as a quality control measure, HOPE remains one of the most methodologically rigorous efforts nationwide to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness and on the streets.
DHS employs a comprehensive, year-round outreach program, through which teams engage with the street homeless population throughout the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Outreach programs provide services directly to those in need, as well as alternatives to traditional shelters, such as safe havens and temporary beds while people stabilize.
Luz Tavárez, MUP, is Director of Public and Community Engagement, Catholic Charities
2024-01-18 17:35:15
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