Take Action Against Bloomberg’s Plan for Charging Rent for Homeless Shelter Users

In the latest chapter of Mayor Bloomberg’s misguided homeless policies, the mayor is now trying, yet again, to charge the homeless rent for staying in city shelters. The Working Families Party is working to get politicians in Albany to pass legislation that would prevent Bloomberg’s plan from happening.

Here are the details from WFP’s Dan Cantor, along with information on how you can reach out legislators in Albany:

Here is a shockingly bad idea: the Bloomberg administration wants to charge rent in the city’s homeless shelters.

At a time of record homelessness and foreclosures, his plan would force thousands of homeless families, veterans, and even the mentally ill and disabled would have to pay up to half of any available income they have — or get tossed out onto the street.

We can stop the Mayor’s plan — if we act now. Legislators in Albany are fighting to pass a state budget law that would prohibit the Mayor from charging rent to the homeless. It could be just days before their plan is put to a vote, so we don’t have much time.

Send a message to Albany leaders asking them to block the Mayor’s misguided plan — then forward this to everyone you know.

http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1545

We like plenty of Mayor Bloomberg’s ideas, but this isn’t one of them.  His administration argues that charging rent will incentivize the homeless to find housing on their own — as if anyone with options would stay in the city’s overcrowded and often dangerous shelters.

But experts say this plan will have the opposite effect.  As one woman who makes $8.40 an hour as a cashier told The New York Times: “I’m trying to save money so I can get out of here. I don’t want to be in the shelter forever.”

It’s counter-productive. Homeless New Yorkers need to rebuild their lives, and this won’t help.

Albany has the power to stop this plan in its tracks. Some legislators are proposing to do just that, but they need our help. Sign the petition, then forward this to other New Yorkers:

http://action.workingfamiliesparty.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1545