The Struggle

The demand for services offered by Nazareth Housing has increased dramatically since 2004. In FY 2004-05 we served 400 unduplicated individuals. In 2005-2006 we served over 600 unduplicated persons. In FY 2006-07 we served 1,025 persons in housing, youth and homelessness prevention services. To date in FY 2007-08 we anticipate serving over 1300 unduplicated persons.

According to New York City’s Unheard Third (Community Service Society, October, 2004) one of three poor New Yorkers have less than $100 in savings with which to meet an emergency. An additional 19% have less than $500. A large number of residents of Loisaida are not leaseholders, but living doubled-up with family or friends in very over-crowded conditions. This area, known in Spanglish as Loisaida, extends from 14th Street to Houston Street east of First Avenue. It has a concentration of people who are very low-income, predominantly Spanish-speaking and living in often poor quality housing. Families, precariously housed because of volatile family situations or financial pressures that have caused rent or utility arrears, are too often dependent on remaining in the good graces of someone else; in essence, they are one argument, or one missed payment, away from homelessness. These are the people that reach Nazareth Housing in danger of losing their housing or, indeed, have already lost their place to live.

The report, Community Board 3 Manhattan District Needs Statement for Fiscal Year 2008 underscores the experience of housing instability which Nazareth Housing works to address:

The crisis in affordable housing within Community Board 3 continues to worsen. Gentrification, rising rents, landlords opting out of Mitchell-Lama, limited dividend, and project-based Section 8 housing, a shortage of Section 8 vouchers, and the failure of city agencies to work together and enforce existing regulations all threaten the limited supply of affordable housing within our community. The preservation and construction of affordable housing for low-income moderate-income and middle-income families and senior citizens remains a priority for Community Board 3. Affordable housing is an essential to preserve the diverse character of our community and the well-being of our residents.
At a time when housing costs continue to rise, the conversion of subsided housing to market-rate housing decrease the availability of urgently needed affordable housing. Tenants who were previously the beneficiaries of state and city Mitchell-Lama programs and federal mortgage subsidy programs and rent subsidy programs, such as project-based Section 8, have lost such protections or are at increased risk for losing them. Although these developments contain tenants of varied incomes, residents of subsidized housing are often comprised of poor, low-income, and moderate-income families. Absent subsidies, many long-term tenants would be unable to remain in their homes or in our community.

In additional to the shortage of affordable housing, the financial capacity of Nazareth Housing program participants is extremely limited. All of the applicants for Nazareth Housing's services had annual incomes of $12,000 or less and 29% of this population had no income at all. At a time when education and training are vital for employment success 60% of those seeking service had not completed high school. The average age of those seeking service in FY 07 was 35. Of this group, 19% reported some type of disability, most often mental illness (most commonly depression). The majority reach Nazareth Housing either having been asked to leave a shared residence or seeking funds or other support to avoid eviction.

Unemployment figures from the 2000 US Census indicate that the unemployment rate for single mothers without a high school education, a highly representative portion of the population we serve, is a staggering 19.3%. The median income in CD 3 was $30,276 according to the 2000 Census, significantly less than the median income of $47,377 for Manhattan as a whole.