My Letter to the Mayor....

Fix Advantage!

Dear Mayor Bloomberg,

Already Thousands of families are returning to the shelter system due to the lack of knowledge and training of protocol in the switch from old Advantage program and the New Work advantage program. I am in danger of being a part of one of those families. Last year I lost my job as a contracted computer repair technician. To make matters more stressful, my wife was pregnant with twin boys and considered extremely high risk. She was taken out of work as well. We went from 'well off' to 'oh well' very quickly, when rent got too far behind and was evicted with newborns and a two year old. With a slither of hope in the shelter system, we entered a family shelter, with a rodent problem, in an industrial area full of crime and loiterers. After much consideration and begging my wife to stay and see what help we could receive, I'm still left with that slither, if not less.

With the new 30% voucher which we have now that expires October 30, 2010, we haven't even been filled in properly on what we need, how much we need, and how not to be taken advantage of. With my family size, we require at least a three bedroom, and there are little to no three bedroom in the city for $1,316. So what happens? Side deals where Landlords ask for more than the voucher, and three to six months rent up front, which is supposed to be prohibited. If i had 2 or 3k to blow on rent, would we be in this situation?

In today's harsh economic climate and difficult job market, putting thousands of families at risk of re-entering shelter is a devastating blow to both these families and New York City taxpayers.

I urge you to immediately reform the Advantage program by providing longer, more flexible assistance that effectively bridges the gap between incomes and rents. Doing so would provide these families with the stability they need to grow into financial independence.

Additionally, homeless families should be prioritized for federal housing assistance, including Section 8 and public housing, as they have been in the past. This tool has been shown to permanently keep families out of homelessness.

We cannot tolerate a family experiencing homelessness even once. Twice is unimaginable. I urge you to do the right thing by these families.