I'm going to Albany! Also, Glee

I'm going to Albany on Tuesday! Homeless Services United is organizing a lobby day and I'll be driving up with 3 staff members. We're going to try and convince our state senate and assembly persons not to cancel funding for housing homeless NYers. The Governor wants to not only cancel the "Advantage" voucher programs, he wants to retract funding backdating it to the beginning of the year. This would mean thousands of formerly homeless clients would wind up back in shelter as their subsidies would be canceled. Section 8 is currently closed in the state and NYCHA (NYC Housing Authority) has a waiting list of years. Senior housing (Section 202) has a waiting list of years as well. Rentals are through the roof, such that "market rate" means even I would not be able to afford to live alone. I barely make my rent as it is, and it's well below market rate as my flat is rent stabilized. (Think $2500 to $3k for a one-bedroom and you'll get the picture for non-regulated market rent). Most clients in shelter are poor. Any client who brings in more than $1k a month has been encouraged to rent a room. Most of our clients who do so (and that's maybe 9 out of 88) are either working full-time in a new job or receiving social security retirement benefits after working decent-paying jobs. The vast majority of our clients receive public assistance or a combination of social security, disability, and supplemental security income, workers compensation, or some other pension and would not be able to afford a room rental without a subsidy as they tend to go for at least $500 a month or $125 a week for some of the seedier places.

My staff have never participated in a lobby day. I think this will be a good way for them to get involved in the political process as they can speak firsthand to the impact such a funding cut will have on clients, service delivery, and life in NYC for thousands of people. I predict street homelessness will rise, frankly. The city shelters are already above capacity (the census has risen by the thousands in the past year to 8,822 single adults in the system last night 8,364 families with children and 1,31 adult families (no children) according to the DHS website). It's not pretty.

Anyway, enough of that. I want to talk about ( Glee! )

So, is anybody else on my flist still watching the show?

(no subject)

To piggyback on my prior entry about Glee, Santana's fears regarding the consequences of coming out (even if you are a popular Cheerio) don't just make a good storyline. It's the equivalent of sneaking vegetables into a kid's meal. Now millions of people across the country have another reference in their heads for the potential consequences of homophobia and another face/type of kid to attach to notions of who is and is not LGBTQ in the community.

I know I'm preaching to the converted, but you might be encouraged to know that the CDC now has a web page on the topic.

http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm

Additionally, Lady Gaga has canceled her contract with Target over their homophobic political donations.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1659492/lady-gaga-target.jhtml

I just thought y'all could use some positive news.

I think I need a Santana icon now, too.