New Family Intake Center Policy Results in 46% Decline in
Families Seeking Late-Night Shelter Placements or 100 Fewer
Children Each Night Awaiting Late Night Buses

Closed The Loophole That Disrupted Families And The Education
of School-Aged Children

NYC Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Robert V. Hess today released preliminary results of the Department's new policy for families who re-apply for shelter after business hours and late into the night despite having available housing options. Since implementing the new policy on October 12,2007, DHS has seen a 46% decline in the number of families seeking late-night placements, 73% of families with available housing options have not returned to PATH for late-night placements, and an estimated 100 fewer children are awaiting late night buses to transport them from the intake center to their late arrival shelter placements each night.

"The new policy has made a dramatic difference in our ability to help families who have no other housing options," said Commissioner Hess. "We have the support and services in place to help those families who are most vulnerable through the shelter system and to assist those who are not homeless but may be at-risk through our community-based prevention services, HomeBase."

Prior to implementing the new policy, families who had been found ineligible for shelter because they had an available housing option automatically received late night shelter placements if they returned to the intake ofice after 5 p.m. This practice emerged and became routine for some ineligible families in the past four months. From August 2006 to August 2007, DHS saw a 102% increase in families coming in after 5 p.m. for late arrival placements. This resulted in a distressing return of late night chaos at the intake sheher, evoking images of the old Emergency Assistance Unit.

Under the new policy, families with housing options will no longer receive these accommodations unless they show their circumstances have changed. This policy restores accountability to the reformed intake process that was put in place upon the recommendations of the Special. Master Panel in the McCain lawsuit, and which had been working effectively for over one year. It ends the cycle of children and their families waiting late into the night for these placements.

According to Carol David, Assistant Commissioner for Family Intake Services, "A few weeks ago our family intake center, PATH, was beginning to feel a lot like the old Emergency Assistance Unit with longer lines, families congregating outside the building, and children running around late at night. We've made too much progress to take two giant steps backward to those days."

Preliminary results indude:

• Seventy three percent (73%) of families with housing options (44 out of 60 families) have not returned to PATH for late night placements.
• Since the policy was implemented, the number of families overall seeking late night placements has gone down 46% as compared to the ten days before the policy began.

On any given day, DHS provides emergency shelter to 36,000 men, women and children. The City ensures the necessary temporary housing and services are available for those truly in need.