January 21, 2000
Mayor Giuliani's plan to evict homeless families from shelters if parents don't comply with work requirements was defended by his Human Resources Administration Commissioner, Jason Turner, the other day when Turner said that he believes that propelling people into crisis can have a beneficial effect on their lives. Turner was speaking at a City Council hearing on Friday, January 15.
The New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers believes that
this plan will have devastating immediate and long term consequences on the lives of
homeless families and children. The wisdom that crisis can provide opportunity is simply not at play here; crisis can be very dangerous and both the Mayor and his Commissioner should know better.
Almost everyone would agree that intact, well functioning families find it difficult to contemplate the notion of losing their children or homes. Homeless families don't have the luxury of rejecting such fears. Chaos and distress already define their lives. Subjecting these children and their parents to greater stress levels using methods of intimidation could shatter their fragile existence.
One flaw in the city's policy is that it seeks to apply workfare requirements across the board with little appreciation of the unique needs and characteristics of the family. The strengths and problems inherent in each homeless family may differ considerably. Their needs are not the same and, therefore, what one expects from them should vary. The principles of good social work practice informs us that an assessment of a family or individual should incorporate their specific and unique characteristics within the context of their social environment. Unfortunately, based on the experiences of social workers in their work with clients in social service agencies, we do not have confidence in the city's ability to make such assessments.
A Census Bureau survey (December 1999) shows that half of all the homeless are ill, either mentally or physically and may not be able to work. Other, perhaps more functional, homeless families are often held together by the mother's resilience and her ability to provide a stable environment for her children, under the most adverse conditions and despite tremendous stress. Requiring her to work and leave her children could be the final blow for a family already teetering on the edge of chaos. Research shows that the risk of child abuse increases when parents are under extreme stress. The threats of being thrown out on the streets and to have one's children taken away clearly constitutes, not only excessive stress, but has the potential of creating an explosive situation.
The National Association of Social Workers believes that work is one of several important goals for helping families reach independence and self-sufficiency. However, it is not the only, nor necessarily, the primary goal. Given the circumstances of homelessness, of equal or even greater importance is the provision of basic needs such as affordable housing, health care, support for children's learning and their well being.
We need to appreciate and recognize what will happen when homeless parents are forced into workfare programs. Homeless children experience life as uncertain and impermanent. Developmentally, they are often anxious about separation from parents and strongly need parental attention and presence. We need, therefore, to raise a series of basic questions: What will happen to them when their parents are sent into workfare programs? Who will care for them? Who will bring them to medical appointments? Who will help with homework, and provide the little security that they know?
If the answers to these questions are in the negative, it must prompt us to raise an even deeper question: what consequences will the Mayor's policy have on the future development of these children's characters?
The National Association of Social Workers believes that public policies that threaten vulnerable women and children, dismantle families, remove children from their parents, and force them to flee from shelters in fear, is not merely flawed planning. These plans are simply put, immoral.
The National Association of Social Workers commends those who challenge these policies in court and the shelter providers who have announced that they will not implement this new policy if allowed to stand. Furthermore, the time has come for all New Yorkers to assess the social conditions affecting the homeless and to determine what policies and services need to be in place in order to adequately address their needs.
At a minimum, we recommend, and urge, that programming for the homeless be expanded in the following areas: