On June 27, 2017, CCC testified before the City Council General Welfare Committee oversight hearing on PATH to Permanency:  Navigating the Shelter System as a Family with Children.  CCC testified about the need to better address the well-being of children and their families in the shelter system.  CCC also testified in support of two pieces of legislation:  Intro. 1597 to make former foster children up to age 24 eligible for the LINC rental assistance subsidy and Intro. 1642 to eliminate the time-limits on city rental assistance programs (for those otherwise eligible) and index maximum rental allowances to the fair market rent.

CCC’s testimony included the recommendations from Prioritizing Homeless Children and Their Families:  A Report and Recommendations Based on the Work of the Family Homelessness Task Force, which we released on June 19, 2017.  CCC convened a Family Homeless Task Force with New Destiny and Enterprise to develop recommendations aimed at preventing homelessness, better addressing the well-being of homeless children and their families, and preventing families from re-entering the shelter system.  As it relates to intake through permanency, the report included recommendations such as improving the intake process, eliminating the use of cluster sites and hotels while better meeting the needs of families in hotels, and improving processes aimed at ensuring children in shelter have educational stability and access to early education programs.

In addition, CCC also suggested the City consider eliminating or modifying the “no visitor” policy, expand home visiting programs for families in shelter, and reconsider proposals to amend the Health Code to limit child care programs at shelters to drop-in programs of no more than 10 hours per week.