The Homeless: Below the Safety Net

Every weekday nearly 25,000 hungry men and women walk into soup kitchens throughout New York City in search of a hot meal. Myths and stereotypes cling to the homeless, but few hard facts are known about who they are. This week a study by New York’s Legal Action Center for the Homeless paints a more detailed picture of some 500 people who eat at soup kitchens.

Less than 10% are women. More than 80% are black or Hispanic. The majority cannot find a job or are too disabled to work. Nearly one-third sleep on the street. Some 40% average one meal or less a day. The study, Below the Safety Net, written by Douglas H. Lasdon, director of the Legal Action Center, and David Tobis, found that only about a third receive government financial assistance of any kind, though virtually all are eligible. Says Lasdon: “The report shatters the myth of the safety net by showing that people actually go hungry and homeless because they can’t get and maintain the benefits they are entitled to.”