Posts Tagged: Housing

Child Welfare Budget Priorities

The rate for housing subsidies for those who have experienced foster care hasn’t been increased since 1988! This year’s #NYSBudget must modernize the subsidy by raising the rate, indexing it to inflation, and including youth up to age 24. Many young people that leave foster care without any family ties, or “age out”, are faced with homelessness. This year’s #NYSBudget must include S.2038-A/A.2525-A to modernize preventive housing subsidies and support youth who experienced foster care.

Stuck at … Read More

In Search of Security — When finding housing is a job in itself

Piazadora and her son

Six years ago I went into the New York City shelter system. For 11 months, I searched for apartments like crazy. I had few options. I had just come out of a psychiatric hospital. I had a 4-year-old son and was pregnant with my daughter. I had a housing voucher and was living off of supplemental security income and food stamps. I went in and out of real estate offices until … Read More

Broke and Alone — It wasn’t love that made me open the door to my daughter’s unstable father

When I was 23 and my doctor told me I was pregnant, I put my head down and burst out crying.

A piece of me felt grateful that God chose me to bring life into the world. But I also felt angry, ashamed, selfish and scared. The father and I had only been dating a short while. Plus, I had a job but he didn’t, and neither of us was financially secure.

Still, when my boyfriend told me that … Read More

No Room for Families — How the housing crisis contributes to kids entering foster care

Worrying about where your family will sleep while fearing the removal of your child is a burden that parents increasingly carry. In 2015, more than 200,000 families with children experienced homelessness in this country.

Here, Ruth White, Executive Director of the National Center for Housing & Child Welfare, explains how housing insecurity makes families more likely to face child protective investigations, have their children removed, and face delays in reunification.

Q: How do homelessness and … Read More

When Ends Don’t Meet — Lack of affordable housing can affect the strongest families

When my son Remi was 2, he was taken from me for three years. I felt so much hate and fear.

When he returned home, I was ready to create a loving, stable environment for him. I wanted to know that he was safe. I wanted him to have a yard to play in. I wanted him to have space to have fun.

Over time, my husband and I got more financially secure. When we saw Remi … Read More

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