Pro Bono News

Under New Policy for Homeless Families, Children Can Miss Less School (NY)

Thursday, September 01, 2016

"Homeless families in New York City have long been forced into a difficult choice: In order to apply for housing, they must have their children skip school.

Now, the city’s Department of Homeless Services is changing its policies to try to reduce the extraordinary disruption that homelessness causes in all aspects of a child’s life.

To get a spot in a shelter, families must travel to the city’s intake center, known as the PATH, short for Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing, in the South Bronx. For the initial interview, the whole family must go. It is a trip many make repeatedly, as applicants are frequently rejected because they do not have sufficient documentation; families must document every place they have lived, stayed or slept during the past two years.."

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