City Room

Name: Larry

Family Composition: Currently single male, separated from his wife, with three children and living in an SRO (Single Room Occupancy)

Presenting Issue: Housing

Larry is the quintessential example of a single male in New York, whose doing all he can to get his life back on track, but desperately needs a new apartment and earns too little to afford anything on the market. When I met him, he was enrolled in a job-training program at the Bronx VA hospital and living in an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) that was in such debilitated condition, he wouldn’t let me meet him there to help him fill out an application. But that’s not why he was looking for a new home. Larry recently separated from his wife, and agreements between the two resulted in Larry getting to spend time with his three children on the weekends. His SRO had barely enough space for him to sleep, let alone his kids and the SRO rules prohibited Larry from letting his children sleep over on weekends. He needed to move elsewhere if he wanted to spend time with his kids. The only problem was that Larry was living on SSI disability, which meant his monthly income was only $690.

Larry’s income was insufficient to qualify him for affordable housing lotteries, let alone market value apartments. The first thing I checked out was Public Housing and Section 8 vouchers. Fortunately, the Section 8 voucher program had reopened for a brief period of time and the government was accepting new applications. Larry told me he had applied for Section 8 a long time ago and hadn’t heard anything from them. I went up to the Manhattan Application Office on 125^th street and picked up a Public Housing Application and another Section 8 application for him and offered to meet up with him to fill them out. In the mean time, Larry wanted to look into immediate housing options, since he knew from personal experience that the Public Housing and Section 8 waiting lists were many years long. I turned to supportive housing – organizations that might offer housing to single males on SSI. I obtained a spreadsheet of supportive housing sites in New York and went down the list, making phone calls and leaving messages. I called the Urban League, the Independent Living Center, The Center for Urban Community Services, even the Mayor’s Disability Hotline. Almost everyone was helpful and encouraging but none had open spaces. In the end, Larry lucked out as the Section 8 voucher application he had filled out years ago came through and he was contacted for an interview. Larry’s story shows how hard it can be for low-income persons to find housing, and how daunting the process is. You need a whole lot of patience, a great deal of persistence and good dose of luck to get what you need.

--Iman Hassan, CC '10

The French Connection

i. [Fake] Names, Family Composition, Language

Ava K. Family of 3. From Mali. Language of communication with volunteer: French

ii. Case Concerns/Presenting Issues

* Needed someone to accompany her to NYCHA (New York City Housing Agency) to help her speak with the case worker in charge of her public housing application, whom she had had trouble communicating with in the past.
* Job training/ Placement

iii. Medical Info

1. What brings them to the clinic?

medical checkup for her newborn child

2. How does their present living/family situation affecting their health?

family lives in a basement 1 bedroom apartment, had to move temporarily to her brother in law's after the child's birth because of sanitation issues, but have now moved back in because they do not want to burden her brother any longer.

iv. Social/Work history

Does not have a valid visa (overstayed her tourist visa). Has applied for a working permit, will have a hearing in mid-December. Until then, is barred from many job-training programs and job offers.

vi. Story

I accompanied my client to NYCHA, where we lined up for two and a half hours before being called. Despite the fact that my client had brought all the various documents she was asked to bring, the case worker was still unwilling to approve her application, allegating that a document was still missing. After a frustrating discussion with the case worker, I asked to speak with the supervisor, who declared that all was in order, and told the case worker the application. My client is currently waiting for an answer on whether or not her request for public housing has been granted.

My client has also enrolled in a free home attendant training program, which will be starting in January. This program takes place in the afternoon, which allows her to continue attending her morning ESL classes.

v. Action Plan

Continue calling the client regularly to see progress on her housing application. Call her in January to remind her of the start of the home attendant training program. In the meanwhile, look for temporary, part-time jobs for my client (client is undocumented)

--Anna Law, BC '10

Untitled

Case Summary:

1. Basic Information
1. Client Pseudonym: Kimberly Johnson, 55 year-old single mother
2. Family Composition: Kimberly, and her 18 year old daughter Tania
3. Primary Language: English
2. Case Concerns/Presenting Issues
1. Housing Status
2. Food Status
3. Immigration Status
3. Medical Issues
1. The daughter’s visit to the clinic was for a routine check-up, so there are no pressing medical issues that directly connect to this case.
4. Social/Work History
1. Kimberly immigrated to New York about 20 years ago from Africa, and is currently a green-card holder.
2. She has a job as a cook, but it doesn’t pay very much.
3. She currently lives in her sister’s apartment, and her daughter has just started college.
5. Action Plan
1. Housing: See if her position on the waitlist is high enough so that she can receive Section 8 Housing, enter her in housing lotteries, and search independently for affordable housing.
2. Food: Try to get her back on to food stamps, and give information regarding nearby food pantries and soup kitchens in the meantime.
3. Immigration: Wait until more progress has been made in regards to housing and food, but will search for the protocol and procedures for becoming a US citizen in the meantime.

Narrative:

Kimberly is a 55-year old single mother with an 18-year old daughter who is about to start college. As her daughter was having a routine check up, she approached me at the Help Desk, and said that she wanted help with issues concerning her housing, food, and immigration. She lives in Section 8 Housing that is under her sister’s name, and she has been notified that she will have to leave this housing soon because they cannot put the apartment in her name. For this issue, she will continue to live in her sister’s apartment as long as she can. Additionally, she is on the Wait List for Section 8 Housing, so we are in the process of investigating as to whether she can get a different apartment. We are also working to get her enrolled in the housing lottery, and searching for low-cost quality apartments independently. In terms of food, she says that she cannot afford to keep a decent amount of food in her house, but she was rejected when she applied for food stamps. In response to this problem, we are working to see if she can actually be placed on food stamps, and I have given her information regarding soup kitchens and food pantries in her area for the meantime. Currently, Kimberly is a green card holder, and she wants to become a United States citizen, yet doesn’t know the process. We have agreed that this issue will wait until after substantive progress has been made in relation to her housing and food, but I am currently researching the protocol for becoming a full-fledged citizen. This case is still active, but I am optimistic that we will make progress in the coming weeks.

--Elizabeth Lamoste, CC '10