Comments on: A Home for the Homeless

By: jlafontaine

jlafontaine — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:09:58 +0000

As a person who has worked within the shelter system for over 4 years, I can tell you that from my perspective that some of the people who sleep on the streets during the summer do so BECAUSE THEY WANT TO. Summer is the time of year that has the highest incidence of curfew violation, meaning, people leave the shelter and do not report to their assigned beds in a timely fashion, if at all. The summertime is the time of year where there a the highest number of vacancies within the shelter system compared to lower incidence of vacancies in the winter. During the summer the police do not force the homeless in to the shelters because it is hot enough to survive on the street. During the winter season the police have no alternative but to force the homeless into shelters to avoid that population risking chances of freezing to death.

By: Simone

Simone — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:15:44 +0000

I agree with Jessica. Its seems that many homeless people would rather rough it out on the city streets than to stay in a shelter. The city would have to provide security and safety within shelters for them to be used as they were intented. Shelter programs dealing with young adults or kids, especially need to provide a safe, warm and nurturing environment for it to do any good.

By: Jessica Baptiste

Jessica Baptiste — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:52:53 +0000

Homelessness is one of the biggest problems in the five boroughs. Many homelesses individuals complain that shelters are unsafe that’s why they don’t to stay here. This shelter program sounds like a good program to help homeless teenagers. There should be more specific shelters like this one in more neighborhoods.

By: schow

schow — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 20:41:28 +0000

I live near a park and I found the same thing occurs in Brooklyn. During the summer time the homeless people come and make it their home at night, but I don’t know where they go during the winter time. I believe that it is a good idea that other communities provide these services to homeless people.

By: rjohnson

rjohnson — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:06:28 +0000

I agree, it is very important for the city to provide a place where the homeless can go. They need to be shown that they are cared for and that people are working hard to help them get back on there feet. Chelsea Now is doing a wonderful thing and I hope that other organizations will use them as an example.

By: jcassermere

jcassermere — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 02:00:33 +0000

Shelter programs are absolutely necessary in a city that has a ridiculous amount of homeless individuals. Hopefully, Chelsea Now can make a real difference in the lives of homeless and housed Chelsea residents alike.