>>> WHEN IT COMES TO THE

HOMELESS PROBLEM HERE IN THE

METROPOLITAN AREA, THE NUMBERS

CAN SEEM STAGGERING.

AND THAT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN

YOU CONSIDER ONE OF THE NEW

FACES OF THE ISSUE.

STUDENTS.

>> IN NEW YORK CITY ALONE, THE

NUMBER OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS

LIVING IN HOMELESS SHELTERS HAS

GONE UP IN EACH OF THE LAST FIVE

YEARS, REACHING ALMOST 33,000 IN

2016.

AND ON LONG ISLAND, SUFFOLK AND

NASSAU COUNTIES HAD NEARLY 3,000

PEOPLE IN HOMELESS FAMILIES, THE

MOST AMONG SMALL CITIES,

COUNTIES AND REGIONS IN THE

COUNTRY.

>> TONIGHT WE'RE BRINGING YOU A

SPECIAL REPORT ON THIS CRISIS AS

PART OF OUR ONGOING REPORTING

INITIATIVE, CHASING THE DREAM.

POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN

AMERICA.

HOW DID THE PROBLEM GET THIS

BAD?

AND WHAT'S BEING DONE TO KEEP

STUDENTS OFF THE STREET AND IN

THEIR HOMES.

JOINING ME NOW WITH ANSWERS IS

ALEC ROBERTS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

OF COMMUNITY HOUSING INNOVATION,

WHICH HAS BEEN AT THE FRONT LINE

OF THESE HOMELESS PROBLEMS HERE

IN THE REGION FOR OVER TWO

DECADES.

>> TELL ME ABOUT WHY THIS

PROBLEM IS BECOMING SO PERVASIVE

IN SUFFOLK AND NASSAU COUNTIES?

>> THE PROBLEM STEMS FROM A

SIMPLE SUPPLY AND DEMAND ISSUE.

BASICALLY, THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH

AFFORDABLE HOUSES OR APARTMENTS

FOR THE PEOPLE TO LIVE IN.

AND THAT STEMS FROM THE FACT

THAT THE PROCESS OF GETTING

ZONED FOR A MULTIFAMILY OR

AFFORDABLE HOUSING JUST DOESN'T

EXIST IN THE NEW YORK

METROPOLITAN AREA.

COMMUNITIES IN NEW YORK STATE

HAVE SOMETHING CALLED HOME RULE,

WHICH MEANS THAT BASICALLY THEY

DECIDE WHAT KINDS OF HOUSING,

WHEN THE HOUSING CHOICE FOR THE

MARKET, THE PREMARKET DOESN'T

OPERATE ON LONG ISLAND.

IT DOESN'T OPERATE OUTSIDE OF

THE CITY OR EVEN IN THE CITY TO

SOME EXTENT, THE CITY AT LEAST

ACKNOWLEDGES THE NEED FOR

AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

ON LONG ISLAND AND WEST CHESTER

WHICH WERE BUILT DURING THE

EXCLUSIONARY PERIODS OF

DISCRIMINATION, BASICALLY HAVE

THE SAME ATTITUDES, AND

THEREFORE THE HOUSING WAS NOT

BEING BUILT.

WHEN YOU HAVE AN IMBALANCE

BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND YOU

HAVE PRICES THAT GO UP, AND THEY

CONTINUE TO GO UP TREMENDOUSLY.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SEEMS TO

COME UP, IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO

LIVE SOMEWHERE, JUST MOVE SOME

PLACE ELSE.

IS THAT POSSIBLE FOR THESE

FAMILIES?

>> IT'S VERY DIFFICULT.

BECAUSE WAGES HAVE NOT KEPT UP

WITH INFLATION ANYWHERE.

BUT IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THE

FAMILIES TO MOVE.

AND THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF

STUDY THAT IN GENERAL, THEY

COULD.

AND THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE

PAST.

BUT IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THEM.

AND FRANKLY, LONG ISLAND, THEY

WANT TO BE GROWING.

THEY WANT THE ECONOMY TO GROW.

IT'S STAGNANT PRETTY MUCH RIGHT

NOW.

THE SOLUTION I DON'T THINK IS

MOVING WHOLE POPULATIONS OUT OF

LONG ISLAND OR WESTCHESTER, ET

CETERA, BUT TO ALLOW THE FREE

MARKET TO BUILD HOUSING THAT THE

COMMUNITY NEEDS.

>> WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE

DIFFICULTIES OF BEING A HOMELESS

STUDENT ON LONG ISLAND OR IN ONE

OF THE SUBURBS, LET'S SAY, AS

OPPOSED TO BEING A HOMELESS

STUDENT IN NEW YORK CITY?

>> THE CHALLENGES ARE SIMILAR.

ON LONG ISLAND YOU HAVE THE

ADDED DIFFICULTY OF

TRANSPORTATION.

YOU DON'T HAVE A GOOD SUBWAY

NETWORK FOR EXAMPLE, SO IT'S

VERY EXPENSIVE TO OWN A CAR,

WHICH ADDS AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN.

A LOT OF THE SAME SOCIAL AND

PSYCHOLOGICAL PATHOLOGIES ARE

COMMON TO BOTH.

THE GREAT DEPRESSION, THE RATE

OF ACTING OUT.

ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS.

POOR PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL.

ALL OF THESE ISSUES ARE GREATLY

EXACERBATED.

>> IS THERE SOMETHING -- IS

THERE A PUBLIC MISCONCEPTION

THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T

REALIZE ABOUT THESE FAMILIES

THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE INTO

CONSIDERATION?

>> I THINK THAT PEOPLE FEEL THAT

THIS CRISIS JUST HAPPENED, AND

WE KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE

HOMELESS FAMILIES, I'M TALKING

ABOUT ARE NOT DIFFERENT FROM

OTHER POOR PEOPLE REALLY.

AND BASICALLY, IF THEY'RE GIVEN

AFFORDABLE APARTMENT, THEY CAN

FUNCTION AND THEY DO FINE.

ALL OF THE MAJOR NATIONAL

STUDIES SHOW THAT REALLY WHETHER

THEY HAVE ENHANCED SERVICES OR

NOT ENHANCED SERVICES, THE THING

THAT WORKS IS A SUBSIDY TO ALLOW

THEM TO BE COMFORTABLY AND

STABLY HOUSED, WHICH IS THE

CRITICAL ISSUE.

>> WELL, YOU MENTIONED THE MAJOR

NATIONAL STUDIES AND THAT IS

ALSO PART OF THIS ISSUE,

NATIONALLY, THE NUMBER OF

HOMELESS FAMILIES HAS GONE DOWN.

EXCEPT THIS ISSUE WE CONTINUE TO

STRUGGLE WITH IT IN THE

METROPOLITAN AREA.

>> THERE ISN'T ENOUGH FOCUS ON

EXCLUSIONARY ZONING, WHICH IS

THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THIS.

AND THE SECOND THING IS THE

STATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

REVIEW ACT, WHICH IS USED AS A

WEAPON ON MANY COMMUNITIES, JUST

TO KEEP HOUSING OUT.

IT'S SO DIFFICULT TO BUILD

HOUSING IN THE METROPOLITAN

AREA, BECAUSE OF THE ONEROUS

REGULATIONS THAT THE STATE HAS.

THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS AT

REFORM, BUT COMMUNITIES JUST

DON'T WANT TO GIVE UP THEIR

EXCLUSIONARY ZONING.

THEIR ABILITY TO DECIDE WHAT

THEY WANT.

AND THEY DON'T WANT AFFORDABLE

HOUSING IN GENERAL.

>>> LISTEN, I WANT TO THANK YOU

SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO

ENLIGHTEN US ON THIS SUBJECT.

AND DEFINITELY TO GIVE US IDEAS

ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO START

HAPPENING.

ESPECIALLY AT THE COMMUNITY

LEVEL.

>> THANK YOU, JENNA.

>> THANK YOU.