Preventing Homelessness: What Can Be Done? What Is Being Done?

Advocates, city officials and those with first-hand experience to join panel on homelessness
at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, on Thursday, April 10

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Every night, more than 38,000 people – nearly half of them children – sleep in New York City’s shelter system, and as many as 100,000 New Yorkers experience homelessness each year. Does such a huge and pervasive problem have to be permanent?

At Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus, this issue will be explored by a panel that includes officials from the city Department of Homeless Services, researchers, an individual who was homeless and another who avoided homelessness thanks to social work interventions.

Entitled, "Preventing Homelessness: What is Being Done? What Can Be Done?" the panel takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, in Room 119 of the Zeckendorf Health Sciences Center on the Brooklyn Campus, located at Flatbush and DeKalb avenues in Downtown Brooklyn. The event is free and open to the public.

The discussion is sponsored by the Department of Social Work and the Common Ground Service Learning Program of the Brooklyn Campus.

"With the high price of housing in New York City, many people in the general population are a paycheck away from being in jeopardy of losing their homes. Others face bio-psycho-social challenges that make them vulnerable to homelessness," said the event organizer, Assistant Professor Amy Krentzman. She noted, "This panel explores the current policy and practice interventions currently underway in New York to prevent homelessness before it occurs."

For information about the Common Ground Service Learning Program, please call (718) 488-3372.

Posted: March 26, 2008

Media contact: (718) 488-1015