You’ve seen them dozing on subway platforms or navigating shopping carts of salvaged treasures and hand-me-downs through the congested streets of New York. You’ve probably even passed their makeshifts quarters laid out on sidewalks.
There are about 3,750 people living unsheltered on the streets and subways, according to the Department of Homeless Services Street Outreach: Hope 2007 Results. But there are thousands more men, women and children in NYC without homes. And the numbers are staggering.
Over 35,000 New Yorkers are homeless and almost 15,000 of them are children, according to DHS. And every day, a few more are kicked out of their homes, can no longer afford their rents or simply have nowhere to go.
I am a graduate journalism student at New York City. This semester, I’ll be covering a Hell’s Kitchen homeless shelter for down-on-their-luck gay and lesbian youth for a multimedia class. This blog will discuss the state of homelessness and the shelter system in New York City and everyday life for the gay and lesbian residents of this particular shelter. I’ll also be documenting my project process, such as how I’ve never even held a camcorder before in my life and I’m heading out to the shelter this weekend to shoot some video. I’ll keep you posted.
So check in often and leave a comment or two.
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