Hevesi, Disability Rights Project Visit School to Raise Awareness of Homeless Children with Disabilities
State Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, Chair of Committee on Social Services, and Disability Rights Project founder Brad Gerstman to join parents, students and administrators at Association for Metroarea Autistic Children to raise awareness, urge inclusion of Home Stability Support in state budget ahead of April 1st deadline
Manhattan school serves children living in city shelters; Home Stability Support would increase outdated rental supplements from families on verge of homelessness
NEW YORK, N.Y. – In an effort to draw attention to the plight of homeless families with children with disabilities, New York State Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi (D – Forest Hills), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Social Services, and Disability Rights Project founder Brad Gerstman met with students, parents and administrators of the Association for Metroarea Autistic Children (AMAC) on Friday. The visit served to also urge the inclusion in the state budget of Home Stability Support, a program introduced by Hevesi and Senator Jeffrey Klein (D – Bronx), Chair of the Independent Democratic Conference, to increase outdated rental supplements and address the city’s growing homeless crisis.
“The stories of these students and their parents are a testament to why Home Stability Support is necessary now, more than ever, to keep families in their homes,” said Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi. “I commend the Association for Metroarea Autistic Children, Executive Director Allen, and the entire school community for their incredible work in educating our children. Organizations like AMAC and the Disability Rights Project deserve tremendous credit for their work advocating on behalf of such inspiring young men and women.”
“Not every developmentally-disabled person can find housing geared to their unique challenges and needs. Far too often, these folks and their families are relegated to the streets or to homeless shelters without the appropriate level of services needed to support their transition to permanent housing,” said Brad Gerstman, founder of the Disability Rights Project. “The Home Stability Support program is a major advancement for the homeless population of people with developmental disabilities. As advocates for the community, we look forward to joining forces with legislators as this bill moves forward.”
“A student’s opportunity for success relies heavily on stability, safety, education, and growth,” said Keishea Allen, Executive Director of the Association for Metroarea Autistic Children. “One basic fundamental need of each person is the ability to have a place to call home. The Home Stability Support program will bring about needed sustenance for those facing homelessness and uncertainty. For those experiencing homelessness, being able to break the cycle of homelessness will be an accomplishment that is long overdue.”
During their visit, Gerstman and Hevesi joined Executive Director Allen for a tour of the school that included a stop at a sixth grade classroom. The students came prepared for the occasion, having dedicated the week to learning about the city’s homelessness crisis in their social studies class, and volunteering their time to prepare sandwiches for a local shelter. The students also read aloud short essays about the importance of having a home.
The students are among 186 school-aged autistic children from all across the city that attend AMAC. The school serves a diverse student population, with many coming from the lower end of the socioeconomic scale. As a result, 7% of the student population lives in homeless shelters. As parents are quick to point out, this places additional burdens on their special needs children.
“We’re staying with family and trying to find an apartment, but, with everything changing in the housing landscape, there are so many barriers to getting housing,” said Gaile Johnson, a parent at AMAC. “Transition is hard for anyone, but for a special needs kid it’s even harder. This bill would be an excellent thing for them to pass. It would definitely create less barriers for families like ours.”
For Hevesi, the visit was an opportunity to shed light on the difficulties faced by this particular subset of the city’s homeless population, which in recent years has reached unprecedented levels. Hevesi’s Home Stability Support program, which is gaining steam among legislators, city officials and advocates, would address the crisis by providing a new rental subsidy to families facing eviction, homelessness or domestic violence.
The plan has been included in the one-house budget proposals of the State Assembly and Sen. Klein’s Independent Democratic Conference, as well as the support of the mainline Senate Democrats. With budget negotiations ongoing ahead of Saturday’s April 1st deadline, Hevesi, Klein and advocates are working to secure the plan in the state’s final approved budget.
Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi (right) takes questions on the homeless crisis from students at the Association for Metroarea Autistic Children during a visit to the school with Brad Gerstman (left), founder of the Disability Rights Project
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