Mentor A Promise

  Photo credit: Arpatsara - stock.adobe.com Many times throughout the course of these blog posts, we have documented the various medical issues that homeless New York City students and their families are vulnerable to and why. From this information, you could correctly infer that individuals experiencing homelessness are more reliant on the city’s hospital emergency departments than their stably housed peers. What you may not realize is that some hospitals neglect to screen for housing status, which could affect patients’ long-term health and overall well being. This blog post will discuss why NYC hospitals should screen patients for their housing status and the consequences of not doing so.  Do NYC Hospitals Screen Patients for Housing Status?  Generally speaking, hospitals in New York City screen patients for housing status. This is particularly true of hospitals that work with initiatives like Housing for Health and NYC Health + Hospitals. The latter alone operates the...

  Photo Credit: Cincinart - stock.adobe.com As you may have gleaned from previous blog posts, once a family enters the New York City homeless shelter system, it is extremely difficult for them to get out. However, we have not yet discussed the impact for those who have been born into this system. This blog post will discuss what happens to children born in NYC homeless shelters, including the impact on their future health, educational and other opportunities.  How Many Children Are Born In NYC Homeless Shelters?  As of April 16, 2025, 18,206 families resided in New York City’s homeless shelter system, including 31,583 children. [ 1 ] Extrapolating data provided by the Comptroller’s Office , there could be as many as or more than 51,000 individuals of child-bearing age in city shelters. In Fiscal Year 2021, 1,121 babies were born to parents living in DHS shelters. [ 2 ] The final tally has not been verified yet, but given all those statistics and the knowledge that New Yor...

Photo credit: ex_flow - stock.adobe.com Homelessness is a profoundly stressful and traumatic experience and, therefore, it should be no surprise that New York City students experiencing homelessness may act out in school, at home or elsewhere. This blog post will examine why many homeless NYC students have behavioral problems, how they may manifest and some resources for those seeking help.  What Are Behavioral Problems? Childhood and adolescence can be tumultuous periods of change in a person’s life. As such, he or she may sometimes argue, be aggressive or act angry or defiant around adults and peers. However, when these and other disruptive behaviors are uncommon for the child’s age, persist over time or are severe, they may have a behavioral problem that will require treatment. [ 1 ] Behavioral disorders may be hereditary, acquired or a combination of both. They may be expressed in the following ways: Impulsivity  Inability to focus Poor time management Mood swings and irri...

  Photo credit: PIC4U - stock.adobe.com Most Americans are at low risk of tuberculosis infection. To the fortunate members of our society, tuberculosis can seem like the sort of thing that plagued our ancestors, but is now all but nonexistent. However, among homeless populations across our country, it is a real and persistent threat. This blog post will explore how prevalent TB is among homeless NYC students as well as the risks it poses to their health and education.  How Common Is TB Among Homeless NYC Students?  Last year, there were 10,347 tuberculosis cases in the United States. [ 1 ] New York City accounted for 839 of the state’s 1,083 TB cases, a 24 percent increase from 2023. [ 2 ] Four percent of those infected - or approximately 34 individuals - were seventeen or younger. [Ibid] While many factors contributed to these alarming stats, a substantial number of those infected were homeless. Indeed, those without safe, reliable housing are ten times more likely to co...