Mentor A Promise

 Photo Credit: Lumos Maxima - stock.adobe.com  Many myths persist about homelessness and those who experience it. Some of the most pernicious are in service to the lie that only certain types of people, for one reason or another, will lose stable housing. While some groups and individuals are more prone to being homeless, the truth is that anyone, under the just the wrong set of circumstances, could find themselves without a safe, reliable place to live. This blog post will examine how people become homeless in New York City, who is most susceptible to this condition and how one might work their way back from the brink.  How Does A New Yorker Become Homeless?  Although New York City consistently ranks as one of the world’s most expensive cities to live in, unaffordability is only one of the many causes of homelessness. As discussed in a previous blog post , domestic violence is responsible for approximately 40 percent of cases within the city shelter system. In all l...

  Photo Credit: BUddhika - stock.adobe.com Though not exclusive to the United States, domestic violence pervades every stratum of American society, crossing age, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious and other boundaries. Given the exact wrong set of circumstances, anybody can become a victim. In fact, in New York City, domestic violence has been the leading cause of homelessness for families with minor children for the past eight years. This blog post will explore the effect domestic violence has on homeless NYC students as well as potential solutions.  How Many Homeless NYC Students Have Experienced Domestic Violence?  Though the exact number fluctuates with the given fiscal year, approximately 40 percent of families with children who have entered a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelter report domestic violence as the cause of their homelessness. [ 1 ] As of March 16, 2025, 18,135 families resided in one of our city’s shelters. [ 2 ] This equates to roughly 7,254 fam...