It has been a struggle for me to fully understand and make sense of homelessness and what we do to combat it in New York City. Solutions always appeared simple – take those on the street and give them cheap affordable housing, provide them with health and mind care, and help to integrate them back into the working class society. Up until recently, I could not comprehend why this was not being done. We have enough space – I see abandoned buildings every couple blocks. We have enough compassion – although we are busy and often ignore the homeless, we care for them. So why are there still 60,000 humans of New York City that are still without a home?
Visiting Capitol Hall helped me to understand that while the homelessness problem is plenty worthy of attention and action, several barriers exist within our city government and real estate factions to prevent proper action. And more than anything, this is disheartening. Although single resident housing buildings like Capitol Hall are cost-efficient in the end, many cannot see past the initial price tag of building such housing. And without more buildings being dedicated to low-income housing, we will continue to have thousands of individuals out on the streets resenting new luxury housing going up under a roof that could have saved his/her life.
My favorite policy that Goddard tries to abide by is the “housing first” policy. Those in need of homes and shelter – one of the basic human needs, should not have to fit certain pre-requisites to provided with such. How can one be expected to be properly treated for mental ailments on the street? It is important to bring these people in first and then help them receive treatment – whether it be for mental illnesses or addiction. Moreover, I think it is important for Goddard to consider allowing in residents that do not have any income and then helping them to acquire an income after housing them.
While there is still much for me to comprehend when it comes to the homelessness crisis, I feel confident that visiting Capitol Hall has brought me closer to understanding and deeper into caring.
Laura James
