\nBy Jonathan Custodio<\/em>
\nFebruary 8, 2023
\nExcerpt from original article<\/em><\/p>\n
In 2022, young adults who were working with Safe Horizon applied for studio apartments in a building in the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx.<\/p>\n
On December 8, Joseph Armato, the landlord\u2019s real estate broker, informed Safe Horizon that nine of its clients had been accepted, including five of the six plaintiffs, according to the suit filed on Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court. A few days later, it alleges, Armato submitted tenancy approval documents signed by Kalaj for the nine apartments.<\/p>\n
Seeking Studios \u2014 and Damages<\/h2>\n
Under city and state law, landlords are barred from rejecting any prospective or current tenants from using housing vouchers or discriminating based on source of income.<\/p>\n
As young adults experiencing unstable housing or homelessness, the six plaintiffs all qualified for an emergency housing voucher program that helps with costs like security deposits and brokers\u2019 fees. The program operates under the same rules as the Section 8 program from which they also all received vouchers to help with rent.<\/p>\n
The suit seeks to have Kalaj offer apartments to all qualifying Safe Horizon applicants while paying at least $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages per plaintiff, and to enjoin the building from renting or leasing any units until that\u2019s happened.<\/p>\n
Rudolph emphasized that housing is the principal goal for the litigation but that damages are also on the table, especially if the landlord refuses to move forward with housing for their clients.<\/p>\n
While the city housing authority is named as a defendant in the suit, \u201cNYCHA has been incredibly helpful to us throughout this process,\u201d Stephanie Rudolph, The Legal Aid Society attorney representing the prospective tenants and Safe Horizon, told THE CITY in an email.<\/strong><\/p>\n With limited resources available to support young adults experiencing homelessness, any disruption in supplying them with housing slows down services that can be provided to others. That\u2019s according to Joe Westmacott, assistant director of housing and benefits for Safe Horizon\u2019s Streetwork Project,<\/strong> which operates drop-in centers, a 24-bed shelter and an outreach program for young New Yorkers. Nearly 60% of its clients are Black, and about half identify as LGBTQ, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything has waiting lists,\u201d Westmacott continued. \u201cWe had 14 clients who were supposed to be already housed in this building, and not not only are they not moved in, but we have to spend time trying to find them other housing so they don\u2019t lose their vouchers.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that takes away from time and resources that should be going to other clients if these people have been housed.\u201d<\/p>\n Read original article here.\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Safe Horizon aids in providing housing for youth in need and joins suit combatting source of income discrimination against voucher-holders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":{"id":9685,"alt_text":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","caption":"Peggy Duffy Memorial fund","description":"Support children and families in domestic violence shelters","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":512,"height":512,"file":"2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png","filesize":31715,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png","width":300,"height":300,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":18595,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-300x300.png"},"thumbnail":{"file":"Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/png","filesize":8008,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail-150x150.png"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":9684,"source_url":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Safe-Horizon-Flower-Logo_TransparentThumbnail.png"},"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[183,1661,1863],"class_list":["post-10027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-horizon-in-the-news","tag-homeless-youth","tag-housing","tag-nycha","issue-client-centered-practice","issue-homeless-youth"],"acf":{"page_header_title":"","title_font_size":"42","page_header_excerpt":"","sub-headline_placement":false,"page_header_image":false,"custom_scripts":false,"show_author_bio":false,"related_initiative_title":"Do you need help?","related_initiative_link":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/streetwork\/","related_initiative_link_text":"Visit our Streetwork page ","featured_posts":[{"ID":9177,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2021-06-23 15:42:39","post_date_gmt":"2021-06-23 19:42:39","post_content":"Waiting Lists<\/h2>\n
![\"Challenges](\"http:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Challenges-Homeless-LGBTQ-Youth-Face-When-Seeking-Permanent-Housing-1024x725.jpg\")
By Carolyn Strudwick<\/em>\r\nJune 2021<\/em>\r\n\r\nThe young people experiencing homelessness who come to Safe Horizon\u2019s Streework Project<\/a> overwhelmingly identify as LGBTQ+. From June 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021, youth who identify as transgender and gender non-conforming increased from about 10% to 16%.\r\n\r\nLGBTQ+ youth often become homeless because they have been forced out of homes where they experienced violence and neglect from family members. When seeking respite, LGBTQ+ homeless youth face the most challenges to obtaining a chance for permanent housing \u2013 for many reasons.\r\nScarcity of Shelters Dedicated to the LGBTQ+ Community<\/h2>\r\nFor many LGBTQ+ homeless youth, shelter options remain few and far between. The majority of homeless young people are given adult shelters as their only option for a safe place to stay. While entering a shelter for adults can be intimidating for any young person, LGBTQ+ youth face additional dangers such as fear of being outed. Once that happens, it puts young people at an even greater risk for violence from other residents. Access to stable housing is even more critical for trans youth. Homeless trans youth are often being forced into a shelter that does not match their gender identity, which poses an even greater risk of them being targeted and sexually harmed or exploited. This is especially true for youth who identify as trans women and are going through a process that requires medical care like hormone treatment or gender affirmation surgery. Access to safe medical care and housing are important in this process. With limited options and real worries about safety, young people can be forced into the streets where they often opt to take unsafe street hormones, which poses an even greater risk to their health and safety.\r\n
Lack of Shelters with Sufficient Mental Health Services<\/h2>\r\nBecause many LGBTQ+ youth have been forced out of their homes and abandoned by family, they experience a higher degree of behavioral health challenges. Many suffer from mental health issues as a result of the trauma they experience around their sexual orientation and gender identity. Adult shelters are often not equipped to support their care or address their mental health needs. That\u2019s why it's important that staff in housing programs serving LGBTQ+ homeless youth are specifically trained in addressing the developmental stages of teens and young adults.\r\n
Limited Access to Housing Vouchers<\/h2>\r\nAs I explained in my op-ed in the Gotham Gazette<\/a>, LGBTQ+ homeless youth face a tremendous amount of red tape to obtaining housing vouchers. These vouchers are important public benefits that allow people to find their own independent housing at an affordable price. New York City\u2019s Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) shelters and drop-in centers are specifically designated for youth and young adults ages 16-24. Yet, youth within that DYCD system aged 18-24 are not eligible to receive housing vouchers unless they move into a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) adult shelter \u2013 which would mean displacement, isolation, and often fear. These critical housing vouchers were being withheld from young people in DYCD programs rather than providing a viable solution for permanent affordable housing to these individuals.\r\n
LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth Deserve Shelter and Safe Housing<\/h2>\r\nHousing is a form of safety and it's important that we provide LGBTQ+ homeless youth easy access to it. I can't stress how difficult it is to remember that many young homeless LGBTQ+ people have to cope with systems which are often not sensitive to or know how to respond to their unique needs. With our collective and continued advocacy, we can help NYC ensure safe housing for homeless young people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.","post_title":"Challenges LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth Face When Seeking Permanent\u00a0Housing","post_excerpt":"LGBTQ+ homeless youth face scarce options for shelter and permanent housing. Let's help NYC ensure safe housing for LGBTQ+ homeless young people.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"challenges-lgbtq-homeless-youth-face-when-seeking-permanent-housing","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2025-06-10 13:12:08","post_modified_gmt":"2025-06-10 17:12:08","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=9177","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":9164,"post_author":"13","post_date":"2021-06-02 17:08:24","post_date_gmt":"2021-06-02 21:08:24","post_content":" \r\n\r\nGotham Gazette<\/em>\r\nBy Carolyn Strudwick<\/em>\r\nJune 2, 2021<\/em>\r\n\r\nNew York City Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) shelters and drop-in centers are specifically designated for youth and young adults ages 16-24. Yet, those same youth, when between the ages of 18-24, are not eligible to receive housing vouchers unless they move into a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) adult shelter. For its entirety, the de Blasio administration has withheld critical housing vouchers for young people in DYCD programs rather than provide a viable solution for permanent affordable housing to these individuals. When will it end?\r\n\r\nThe time for a solution is now \u2013 no more band-aids. Year after year, Safe Horizon\u2019s Streetwork Project<\/a> witnesses youth in this age group cycle in and out of homelessness because they cannot readily access a housing voucher at the very facilities created for them. Our own overnight youth shelter cannot issue housing vouchers to our clients, a true disadvantage to them, and we must direct them to a DHS shelter to go through the \u201cproper channels.\u201d\r\n\r\nThis ineffective policy is hurting these youth in the worst possible way. Housing is a right, not a privilege. To that end, access to housing vouchers and priority access to NYCHA apartments for this age group cannot be put on hold by the city administration any longer. And the COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened this urgency, especially when it comes to safety.\r\n
Why Homeless Youth Need Housing Vouchers<\/h1>\r\nOur clients feel safer in DYCD shelters among their peer group. DYCD shelters were created specifically for young people because of their unique needs. This age group is at a different stage developmentally, socially, and emotionally. DYCD youth facilities have staff trained in youth and adolescent development to support and address their needs as we prepare youth towards independence. It is critical to have this particular age group in a setting where staff is skilled in addressing their behavioral health within this specialized focus.\r\n\r\nAs a resource to young adults seeking safety, stability, and housing, we are faced with the harsh reality of having to tell them we cannot provide them with a housing voucher and have them go down the \u201crabbit hole\u201d of obtaining one which in some cases can take years.\r\n\r\nA transgender client who recently came to our overnight shelter and felt safe staying with us had to make the tough decision to leave and go to a DHS shelter to possibly obtain a voucher. She is under 21, single with no children; criteria that makes it twice as difficult for her compared to others. Being transgender, she has already experienced rejection from her community. Being homeless and transgender, she is also at greater risk of harm on the streets, as well as at a DHS shelter, which is most often not equipped with the same staff or resources to make her feel safe.\r\n\r\nThe longer someone is homeless, the prolonged exposure to the violence and poverty only intensifies mental health needs, placing an unnecessary strain and burden on communities. For those who end up on the streets, public survival behaviors such as petty crime, substance use, and sex trade activity, often result in avoidable harm on communities, particularly those of color. Bias and discrimination against poor and homeless young people begets stigmatization, oppression, and consequential outcomes such as drug overdose, incarceration, and dissolution of families.\r\n\r\nThe ripple effect of leaving DYCD shelters to go to DHS shelters for the purpose of obtaining a housing voucher is another unnecessary step that further exacerbates the city\u2019s homelessness crisis. Providers who offer shelter and services to homeless youth want to work in tandem with the city administration. Eliminating inefficiencies of the system, streamlining processes, making it less complicated to navigate the system, and leveling the field of eligibility for young adults are the keys to getting them into housing. Lack of investment in homeless youth does not benefit the adults they are to become, and it does not benefit the city they call home.\r\n\r\nEqual access to vouchers and priority for NYCHA housing is a right for these individuals. They face the same challenges as others being homeless. Though age discrimination is deemed illegal by landlords, why are these young adults being subjected to it as a result of the systems created to assist them?\r\n\r\nAs New York City transitions into a new mayoral administration for the start of next year, a sound and resolute policy for providing housing vouchers and priority access to NYCHA housing to young adults while in DYCD shelters and programs is imperative. One simple step to accomplishing this is to have all DYCD and DHS shelter and program administrators report to one primary contact in the administration. This alone can streamline communication and align policy-making for equality to be a priority instead of division.\r\n\r\nEveryone deserves a home. Everyone deserves an equal chance at obtaining housing. New York City\u2019s young adults deserve to know that is a fact and an easily attainable reality for them, not an abyss of red tape that serves no one.\r\n\r\n***\r\nCarolyn Strudwick, MSW, is Associate Vice President of the Streetwork Program at Safe Horizon. On Twitter\u00a0@SafeHorizon<\/a>\r\n\r\nRead the original article here<\/em><\/a>.","post_title":"Homeless Young Adults Must Have Equal Access to Housing in New York City","post_excerpt":"Providing homeless youth with housing vouchers and priority access to NYCHA housing is imperative. Safe Horizon's Carolyn Strudwick explains.","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"homeless-young-adults-must-have-equal-access-to-housing-in-new-york-city","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-29 20:46:39","post_modified_gmt":"2023-10-30 00:46:39","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.safehorizon.org\/?p=9164","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"original_url":""},"yoast_head":"\n