"We're seeing the highest numbers that the city has ever seen. It peaked under the Adams administration so a lot of this is inherited by the Mamdani administration. No young person in New York City should ever be faced with the question of where they're going to be sleeping at night."
"The city began hiring housing specialists and formerly homeless youth as peer navigators in 2023 to help young people find housing more quickly. But the program was gutted by former Mayor Eric Adams, until the City Council restored funding last year. Now, it's once again at risk."
"Every time we're given a resource to provide our young folks as a pathway out of homelessness, it's immediately taken away from us. Without the funding, Safe Horizon would lose five positions, including some formerly homeless youth hired to help their peers."
New York City's preliminary budget under Mayor Zohran Mamdani proposes cutting funding for housing specialists who assist homeless teenagers and young adults in accessing permanent housing and support services. This program, which employs housing specialists and peer navigators, was established in 2023 to help youth exit the shelter system more quickly. Youth homelessness has reached unprecedented levels, with over 10,000 New Yorkers aged 14-24 sleeping in shelters or on streets in 2024, driven by migrant crisis effects, rising rents, and increased attacks on LGBTQ+ youth. The proposed cut threatens to eliminate positions at organizations like Safe Horizon, including roles held by formerly homeless youth serving as peer navigators. Advocates emphasize this funding has been repeatedly cut and restored, creating instability in services for vulnerable young people.
Read at Gothamist
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