16 DECEMBER 26, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Make a diff erence this holiday season
It is the season for giving and this
year it seems as if it has become
more important to give back in
recent years as homelessness in New
York City has reached the highest
levels since the Great Depression of
the 1930s.
In September for instance, there
were 62,391 homeless people, including
14,962 homeless families with
22,083 homeless children sleeping
each night in the city’s municipal
shelter system.
The number of homeless New Yorkers
sleeping each night in municipal
shelters is now 59 percent higher than
it was 10 years ago and the number of
homeless single adults is 142 percent
higher than it was ten years ago.
Research shows that the primary
cause of homelessness, particularly
among families is lack of aff ordable
housing while other triggering
causes include eviction, domestic
violence, job loss and hazardous living
conditions.
The de Blasio administration
recently announced new measures
EDITORIAL
With homelessness in the city at a level not reached since the Great Depression of the 1930s, remember that
you can make a diff erence this holiday season. Photo via Getty Images
including 1,000 “safe haven” beds and
an equal number of new low-barrier
housing for the estimated 3,600 people
living on the streets and subways and
days later the City Council passed
legislation that will require housing
developers receiving city funds to reserve
15 percent of units for homeless
New Yorkers by a vote of 38-3.
This will result in permanent housing
for thousands of people in our city
that are currently living in shelters.
But it will take time.
That is why giving is so important
be it through faith-based organizations
or community-based groups.
Check with the district offi ces of
your elected offi cials and see what
kind of food or clothing drive they
might be organizing during the holiday
season.
You can even make an impact by
visiting new car dealers such as Koeppel
Mazda and Helms Bros. Mercedes
Benz and donate winter coats for
those in need. With their highly visible
retail locations and deep ties to
their communities, franchise new car
dealers who make up the Greater New
York Automobile Dealers Association
serve as the largest collection sites for
the 31st annual NY Cares Winter Coat
Drive with 25 locations in Queens, the
most in the fi ve boroughs.
As the thermometers plummet
consider this. The number of students
living in temporary housing this year
is over 114,000, about one in every ten
students, compared to 69,000 children
in 2010, according to New York Cares.
Let’s give them a little warmth in the
spirit of this holiday season.
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