Group Members: Nabila C., Allison E., Jacqueline K., Sarah S.

Our Initial Proposal

Research Question: How is homelessness viewed in NYC, specifically by the MTA system, and how does it affect the people of the city? And what is the government doing about it, if anything?

Methods: Online research, personal observation

Data we hope to find: MTA’s policies for homeless people (if they have any), stats on how many (if any) of the homeless are sent to shelters or dealt with in other manners by the MTA, including hostile architecture. If possible, we’d also like to look into why the MTA is such a magnet for the homeless (“uncle ACE”). We hope to find information about the cause of the rise in homelessness as well as possible alternatives such as affordable housing.

How and why is it important to contemporary NYC? – New York is one of the most expensive American cities to live in but also has a wide range of class diversity within it. The wage gap and income inequality is a palpable problem that is illustrated quite clearly in this dense metropolis – those in extreme poverty live side by side with those who have lived in wealth all their days. In addition to that, this city prides itself on its core values of acceptance and diversity – a welcoming environment for anyone from anywhere, but if we cannot care about and take responsibility for homelessness, are we truly living up that image? This issue of homelessness and the way in which our government deals with it touches upon the values that our society acts upon: the comfort of the upper class taking precedence over the basic necessities of the poor. We’ve chosen to concentrate on the MTA which is a public space and system that most New Yorkers interact with on a daily basis.

Research Areas:

-policies on the homeless (NYC in general, MTA)

-hostile architecture and the funding that goes into it

-the rise of homelessness/causes of homelessness in NYC

-how we can combat homelessness (affordable housing)