With a record 54,667 homeless people in New York City today, there is a serious need for shelters in the city. The Department of Homeless Services has to open up shelters on a regular basis to keep up with the demand for a safe place to sleep. But who decides where homeless shelters go? And why are some boroughs taking on more shelters than others?
CUP worked with teaching artist Patrick Rowe and students from College Now at Hostos to dig into this question. Using their investigative journalism skills, they interviewed the Department of Homeless Services, an advocacy group, a Community Board, a shelter provider, and a City Council member. They’ve created this poster to share what they learned about shelter siting, and the different opinions they heard along the way.
Students presented their work at the Bronx Museum to a packed crowd. They fielded questions from an enthusiastic audience and even a journalist. At the end, everyone went home with a free poster.
You can get your own poster here.