The Partnership for the Homeless

Description

Our Family Resource Center (FRC) in East New York, Brooklyn, where several New York City shelters are located, works with individuals and families who are either at risk of homelessness or are already without a home. In this neighborhood, 57% of residents pay more than 30% of their income (the federal benchmark for housing affordability) toward rent; half of those pay more than 50%. The neighborhood is overwhelmingly African American (60%) and Latino (35%). At the FRC 48% of clients rely on public assistance, and over 70% have annual household incomes below $20,000. Even a minor setback can lead to persistent and recurring homelessness.

Our services include advocacy vis-à-vis the shelter system, housing search assistance and negotiations with landlords, access to subsidies, benefits, legal counseling and representation, health and mental health care and protecting the educational rights of the children. In order to create best practice models based on data and to advocate for policy changes at city, state, and federal levels, we also conduct applied research projects, together with leading social science experts.