Getting the Vote Out in NYC Homeless & Domestic Violence Shelters

Homelessness is such a major issue in New York revealed Patrick Boyle senior director at Enterprise Population Partners one of the advocacy groups helping shelter residents and domestic violence survivors take part in the upcoming elections We want to make sure that people who have experienced homelessness are making their voices heard Reilly Arena left and Ellen Murphy right of The League of Women Voters set up a voter registration table in the lobby of a New Destiny housing building earlier this month Photo by Adi Talwar The lobby of New Destiny Housing s shelter for domestic violence survivors was decorated with balloons during a new Friday afternoon A brightly-covered table dotted with pamphlets was set up to greet those entering This cheerful scene in the lobby had a purpose to help tenants there to register to vote We re not telling people who to vote for announced Gabriela Sandoval Requena the director of protocol and communications for New Destiny Housing We can just say this is how you register in a way that is safe confidential for you The effort was arranged by the Family Homelessness Coalition FHC and the League of Women Voters FHC a framework of housing and homeless services providers has often been involved in political advocacy including lobbying lawmakers in Albany and co-hosting a mayoral forum with City Limits back in April But this voter registration drive was a first for the group It s invariably been a goal of our coalition to really empower people with lived experience with family homelessness disclosed Patrick Boyle senior director at Enterprise Group Partners one of the co-conveners of the FHC This idea came about in the context of all the elections happening right now the mayoral elections other elections happening at the state and local level Boyle added Homelessness is such a major issue in New York that we want to make sure that people who have experienced homelessness are making their voices heard According to the Coalition for the Homeless percent of the people who slept in the city s homeless shelters in February were families with children And in alone nearly individuals spent time in the domestic violence shelter system specifically including children Because of a time limit on stays in the city s DV shelters hundreds of people exit these facilities each year to enter the wider Department of Homeless Services system as City Limits previously revealed According to New Destiny Housing more than percent of families with kids in the DHS shelter system in cited domestic violence as their reason for experiencing homelessness more than eviction When people think of homelessness announced Sandoval Requena they think of the individual that you see on the streets But kids make up the biggest chunk of the population in shelters Because we have a right to shelter in New York you don t see families sleeping on the streets they re usually in the shelter system she added It s just the fact that there is a strong safety net for them to have temporary respite then it s just not seen It s just not discussed unfortunately Nor are DV survivors often able to draw attention to their experiences Fleeing domestic violence means rebuilding a life while trying to keep their abuser away treating mental wellbeing issues particularly PTSD anxiety and depression and arranging for their children to attend school sometimes miles from their new location Trissy is one of New Destiny Housing s tenants who updated her address during the voter registration drive She had delayed doing so saying there was so much else to focus on after she and her children left her abuser And casting a ballot meant she had to advance about an hour to her old neighborhood to vote there As a survivor of domestic violence once you make the decision to change your circumstance a lot comes along with that and it can be formidable to address basic tasks that were normal Trissy explained And there s a lot going on Looking for an apartment and a job things like that I feel like it affects your mental vitality I feel like sometimes new environments could be a little overwhelming as well At the registration drive advocates advised domestic violence survivors on how they can register confidentially Photo by Adi Talwar Warshana is another DV survivor who also did not directly update her address because of how busy she was and feeling unaware of what the issues were Voting will be the last thing you re thinking about when you re trying to go to housing and daycare and work she disclosed Another factor is the fear that their abuser could discover where they live if they register with their new address New York State law allows domestic violence survivors to request that their information be kept private and the city in recent months passed decree requiring local agencies to create and distribute guidance on how to do so For more information on applying for confidential voter registration visit the state s Board of Elections website here Domestic violence survivors or current casualties can keep their voter registration confidential reported Kai Rosenthal co-president of the League of Women Voters of the City of New York And it s been made easier that they don t have to affirm it A judge doesn t have to affirm it They can just affirm on a form Unhoused New Yorkers also don t need a permanent residence to register to vote advocates point out They can use a street corner or even a park as their address according to the National Coalition for the Homeless You Don t Need a Home to Vote campaign Kadisha is the host of FHC s podcast Hear Our Voices and is formerly homeless herself While not a DV survivor Kadisha revealed being unhoused in general can make New Yorkers feel their voices don t matter They don t think about how our vote can really make a difference Kadisha noted But if you put it in their mind that if you vote you can make sure that your voices are heard no matter what part of your life you re in at the time Survivors who spoke with City Limits declared issues critical to them include affordable housing development and mental healthcare Warshana believes if more DV survivors voted and created a bloc they could make a difference when it comes to those issues I feel like voting is a way of speaking for yourself for you to not fade into the background revealed Trissy Even if it doesn t go the way that you want it to go at least you know that your opinion is crucial and that you contributed You get to select the candidate based on values and concerns and things that are vital to you Kadisha agrees with that sentiment It might not be from that person who did the thing to you the harm she stated It s like a way of kind of taking the power back in a sense to make sure that you can be heard and you can be seen Editor s note The Family Homelessness Coalition is among City Limits funders To reach the editor contact Jeanmarie citylimits org Want to republish this story Find City Limits reprint strategy here The post Getting the Vote Out in NYC Homeless Domestic Violence Shelters appeared first on City Limits