300 Affected
Homeless City Staff Could Get Housing

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

Approximately 300 city workers currently living in homeless shelters may be placed in permanent housing once an agreement between District Council 37 and the city is finalized.

ROBERT V. HESS: Scraps punitive system.

DC 37 and Department of Homeless Services officials began working on a plan to house the city employees and their families at a meeting last week.

Feared Shelter Evictions

DC 37's housing department began receiving calls last month from members who feared they would be put on the street by April 30, but DHS officials said that no city workers were being asked to leave shelters.

While a plan is crafted, the city workers are eligible, like anyone living in a shelter who works more than 20 hours a week, for the new Work Advantage program that will pay almost 100 percent of their rent and match a portion of funds they place in a savings account.

"It says a lot about what is happening with housing in this city, not just with salaries," said Henry Garrido, DC 37's assistant associate director, who oversees the union's housing program.

LILLIAN ROBERTS: Program builds responsibility.

DC 37 staff received about 20 letters and phone calls last month from members living in shelters who said they were in danger of having nowhere to stay. Union officials met with DHS Commissioner Robert Hess on May 1 to begin discussions about how to find housing for the workers and their families.

"He assured us that they are starting to place them in housing," said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. "This is one of the reasons we have been pushing for lifting residency."

DC 37 has been advocating for a bill, now stalled in the City Council, that would allow members to live in one of six New York counties surrounding the city, similar to police officers and firefighters.

Eye on Prevention

"We are working with DC 37," said DHS press secretary Tanya Valle-Batista, "to find permanent housing options for municipal employees and to find ways to prevent municipal workers from ending up in shelter."

The new Work Advantage program will replace Housing Stability Plus, which has been criticized by housing advocates for decreasing rent subsidies too steeply as people moved off public assistance and into employment.

'Rewards Work'

"It rewards clients for working and saving money," Mr. Hess said in a statement about the new initiative, "rather than penalizing them by taking away rental assistance for working."

The new program would pay a rent subsidy to shelter residents working 20 hours or more who are also eligible for public assistance under Federal poverty guidelines. The program covers one year of rent costs, depending upon the size of the family. The sliding scale ranges from $889 for one person to a maximum of $1,354 for a family of seven.

The individual or family can contribute up to 20 percent of the rent amount to a savings account, and the city will match that amount by the end of the program. Residents enrolled in the program must pay $50 per month directly to their landlord, which will also be matched and added to the savings account. DHS can decide to extend the program to two years.

"The program also makes them accustomed to being responsible," said Ms. Roberts.

Additional Aid Planned

Several city agencies will collaborate to provide financial advice and assistance accessing social services, such as child care and food stamps to families in the program.

There is a meeting between DC 37 and DHS officials scheduled for May 17 to develop additional housing aid for city union members.