PRESS RELEASE
January 15, 2017
Contact: Arianna Fishman (fishmana@hra.nyc.gov, o: 929-221-5249, m: 646-629-4723)
NYC DEPARTMENT OF HOMELESS SERVICES CALLS ON NEW YORKERS TO TAKE PART IN CITYWIDE EFFORT TO SURVEY CITY’S UNSHELTERED POPULATION ON MONDAY, JANUARY 22
Agency recruiting thousands of volunteers to assist with annual HOPE survey of street homeless individuals in all five boroughs
NEW YORK—The Department of Homeless Services is asking New Yorkers to volunteer for its annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) to assist the Agency and community partners in estimating the number of unsheltered individuals on the streets, in parks, subways, and other public spaces across the city. This year’s annual point-in-time HOPE survey, mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will take place one week from today on Monday evening, January 22, 2018 from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m.
Having an accurate estimate of unsheltered New Yorkers is crucial to combatting homelessness. On the night of HOPE, thousands of New Yorkers volunteer to canvass the five boroughs and collect vital data which will assist the City’s HOME-STAT outreach teams in their 24/7/365 efforts to reach, engage, and encourage more individuals to transition off the streets to a more safe, stable environment. Those interested in volunteering and participating in this extraordinary citywide effort should visit nyc.gov/hope to register and can watch a video to learn more about joining HOPE 2018 here.
"With the annual HOPE survey, New Yorkers in every neighborhood across the five boroughs can be a part of the citywide effort to address homelessness," said Department of Social Services Commissioner Steven Banks. "As we redouble our efforts to support New Yorkers experiencing street homelessness, through increased funding, more dedicated resources, and strengthened collaboration with not-for-profit and Agency partners, the HOPE survey provides the City with vital information that will help our outreach teams continually improve year-round efforts to meet and engage our neighbors in need where they are. I encourage all New Yorkers with the time and ability to volunteer for HOPE 2018 and join the citywide mission to support homeless New Yorkers as they get back on their feet."
"It can take months of persistent, compassionate outreach and hundreds of contacts to build the trust that will encourage a New Yorker experiencing street homelessness to accept services and comes indoors. On HOPE 2018, every New Yorker can join the effort to gather information that will help us more effectively make those connections in our daily work," said Department of Homeless Services Administrator Joslyn Carter. "This citywide community volunteer survey provides important insights and informs our efforts to continually develop HOME-STAT programming that most effectively serves and supports homeless New Yorkers as they restabilize their lives."
New York City continues to be a national leader in investing in and developing programs to serve people living on the street, with outreach teams mobilized in all five boroughs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; specialized housing set aside for street homeless New Yorkers; and targeted funding to ensure the most effective delivery of resources to the individuals most in need. The City's HOPE survey is the largest effort of its kind nationwide, identified by HUD as a best practice survey method, and the City's HOME-STAT effort is the most comprehensive street homeless outreach program in the country. As part of the City's commitment to continually redoubling outreach efforts, the de Blasio Administration has committed unprecedented new resources to street outreach programs and providers:
###
About the Department of Homeless Services (DHS):
The Department of Homeless Services works to prevent homelessness before it occurs, address street homelessness, and assist New Yorkers in transitioning from shelter and street homelessness to permanent housing. DHS collaborates with non-profit partners to provide temporary shelter and services that homeless New Yorkers need to achieve and maintain housing permanency. In April 2016, Mayor de Blasio announced a major restructuring of homeless services in New York City by creating an integrated and streamlined management structure for DHS and the Human Resources Administration (HRA) under the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services. In February 2017, the Mayor announced his comprehensive plan to turn the tide on homelessness, neighborhood by neighborhood. The plan’s guiding principle is community and people first, and giving homeless New Yorkers, who come from every community across the five boroughs, the opportunity to be sheltered closer to their support networks and anchors of life, including schools, jobs, family, houses of worship, and communities they called home in order to more quickly stabilize their lives. Learn more about how DHS is turning the tide on homelessness, neighborhood by neighborhood, at nyc.gov/tide.