Posts
February 3, 2009
Hon. Bill de Blasio
Member of the NYC Council
250 Broadway, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10007
Re: Closing of Peter’s Place
I’m writing to let you know that, with great sadness, the Partnership for the Homeless will be closing Peter’s Place – our city’s only drop-in center specializing in the needs of older homeless adults – on June 30, 2009. While it has been a critical safe harbor for homeless seniors since 1993, the Department of Homeless Services, through its new RFP, has decided to reduce the total number of Drop-in Centers city-wide from nine to five, and completely eliminate funding for specialized centers like Peter’s Place.
As a result, New York City seniors, who’ve fallen prey to homelessness, will now be relegated to one of five overburdened centers, forcing them to navigate a confusing and often unsafe network of homeless services designed for a more physically able population. Without Peter’s Place, seniors will clearly face special challenges within the city’s shelter or drop-in center environments, putting them at-risk for victimization, with a staff not always well-prepared to effectively meet their geriatric needs.
And though the needs of seniors are obviously significantly different from their younger counterparts, the Department of Homeless Services is making no distinction between the two. Rather, the Department of Homeless Services, in a stunningly simplistic approach, is only concerned with broad social categories in which older homeless adults are subsumed without special notice (e.g., “chronically homeless”, disabled persons, veterans).
Having developed real expertise in helping homeless seniors over the past 15 years, we’re especially concerned about how this very vulnerable and unique group of New Yorkers will be served moving forward. Requiring these individuals to enter the drop-in system with a general population may likely result in these individuals opting out of the system and remaining exposed to the risks of life on the street. By ignoring their distinct concerns, we are putting hundreds of homeless older New Yorkers at risk.
Please know though that the Partnership is absolutely committed to continuing to serve homeless and at-risk seniors throughout our city. In fact, we’re currently working with experts and academics in the field to develop a homeless prevention program for seniors, modeled after a NORC, without Department of Homeless Services’ funding. Nonetheless, we believe that the loss of Peter’s Place will leave a substantial gap in services for homeless seniors, many of whom
have become homeless, for the first time, in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.
The Partnership certainly had hoped that, alongside a newly developed prevention program, we could continue to serve homeless seniors through either the Department of Homeless Services’ Safe Haven or Drop-in Center programs. While we have a new site and community board approval for a safe haven, the Department of Homeless Services informed us that there were no longer any funds available.
We, of course, know that these are terrible economic times, but believe, precisely because of these times, there’s a special need to continue our work with homeless seniors. Today, more and more New York City seniors are finding it difficult to hold on to their homes and, consequently, are increasingly at-risk for homelessness, with many falling over the precipice. In fact, nearly one-quarter of all senior-headed households in New York City now earn an annual income below $10,000.
We thus hope that the Council will intervene to restore these critical services. Specifically, we request that you use your budget oversight authority to require the city, and its Department of Homeless Services, to:
Provide capital funding to the Partnership to open a Safe Haven for seniors at our new proposed site, and
Provide a minimum of 24 months of operating expenses for the new Safe Haven.
With a new site, the Partnership will work tirelessly to transition our seniors from Peter’s Place in Chelsea to our new location, and reach out to vulnerable older adults in our new neighborhood. As always, we will work diligently to find permanent housing for seniors, as well as provide them with the support services they need to thrive in their new homes.
We hope you will join with us in our efforts to effectively serve homeless seniors during these very difficult times, and are available to meet with you to discuss restoration of this critical city service. Please feel free to contact me at 212.645.3444.
Sincerely,
Arnold S. Cohen
President & CEO
Hon. Bill de Blasio
Member of the NYC Council
250 Broadway, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10007
Re: Closing of Peter’s Place
I’m writing to let you know that, with great sadness, the Partnership for the Homeless will be closing Peter’s Place – our city’s only drop-in center specializing in the needs of older homeless adults – on June 30, 2009. While it has been a critical safe harbor for homeless seniors since 1993, the Department of Homeless Services, through its new RFP, has decided to reduce the total number of Drop-in Centers city-wide from nine to five, and completely eliminate funding for specialized centers like Peter’s Place.
As a result, New York City seniors, who’ve fallen prey to homelessness, will now be relegated to one of five overburdened centers, forcing them to navigate a confusing and often unsafe network of homeless services designed for a more physically able population. Without Peter’s Place, seniors will clearly face special challenges within the city’s shelter or drop-in center environments, putting them at-risk for victimization, with a staff not always well-prepared to effectively meet their geriatric needs.
And though the needs of seniors are obviously significantly different from their younger counterparts, the Department of Homeless Services is making no distinction between the two. Rather, the Department of Homeless Services, in a stunningly simplistic approach, is only concerned with broad social categories in which older homeless adults are subsumed without special notice (e.g., “chronically homeless”, disabled persons, veterans).
Having developed real expertise in helping homeless seniors over the past 15 years, we’re especially concerned about how this very vulnerable and unique group of New Yorkers will be served moving forward. Requiring these individuals to enter the drop-in system with a general population may likely result in these individuals opting out of the system and remaining exposed to the risks of life on the street. By ignoring their distinct concerns, we are putting hundreds of homeless older New Yorkers at risk.
Please know though that the Partnership is absolutely committed to continuing to serve homeless and at-risk seniors throughout our city. In fact, we’re currently working with experts and academics in the field to develop a homeless prevention program for seniors, modeled after a NORC, without Department of Homeless Services’ funding. Nonetheless, we believe that the loss of Peter’s Place will leave a substantial gap in services for homeless seniors, many of whom
have become homeless, for the first time, in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.
The Partnership certainly had hoped that, alongside a newly developed prevention program, we could continue to serve homeless seniors through either the Department of Homeless Services’ Safe Haven or Drop-in Center programs. While we have a new site and community board approval for a safe haven, the Department of Homeless Services informed us that there were no longer any funds available.
We, of course, know that these are terrible economic times, but believe, precisely because of these times, there’s a special need to continue our work with homeless seniors. Today, more and more New York City seniors are finding it difficult to hold on to their homes and, consequently, are increasingly at-risk for homelessness, with many falling over the precipice. In fact, nearly one-quarter of all senior-headed households in New York City now earn an annual income below $10,000.
We thus hope that the Council will intervene to restore these critical services. Specifically, we request that you use your budget oversight authority to require the city, and its Department of Homeless Services, to:
Provide capital funding to the Partnership to open a Safe Haven for seniors at our new proposed site, and
Provide a minimum of 24 months of operating expenses for the new Safe Haven.
With a new site, the Partnership will work tirelessly to transition our seniors from Peter’s Place in Chelsea to our new location, and reach out to vulnerable older adults in our new neighborhood. As always, we will work diligently to find permanent housing for seniors, as well as provide them with the support services they need to thrive in their new homes.
We hope you will join with us in our efforts to effectively serve homeless seniors during these very difficult times, and are available to meet with you to discuss restoration of this critical city service. Please feel free to contact me at 212.645.3444.
Sincerely,
Arnold S. Cohen
President & CEO
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