Welcome to the CRIB: NYC starts housing voucher program for pregnant shelter residents
Mayor Eric Adams introduced the city’s new Creating Real Impact at Birth (CRIB) pilot to permanently house pregnant New Yorkers in the shelter system. The post Welcome to the CRIB: NYC starts housing voucher program for pregnant shelter residents appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
Black News 
Mayor Eric Adams introduced the city’s new Creating Real Impact at Birth (CRIB) pilot to permanently house pregnant New Yorkers in the shelter system on Oct. 14. The program aims to place more than 300 parents with newborns into long-term apartments through already available voucher programs.
“Put simply, no child should ever be born in a shelter,” said Adams. “We must do everything we can to stop the cycle of poverty and housing instability before it ever begins by ensuring mothers and babies do not go to a shelter after leaving the hospital and that they have the resources they need to thrive.
“The ‘CRIB’ program is yet another example of how our administration is cutting the bureaucracy that often prevents people from getting the government services they need while also making New York City more affordable for needy families.”
In the fiscal year 2024, more than 2,000 infants were born into the shelter system. The city points to medical research from Massachusetts, which determined babies living in unstable housing had higher rates of asthma and fever while generally visiting the emergency room more frequently.
CRIB will go through PATH, a Bronx-based intake center operated by the NYC Department of Social Services (DSS), where all families with children apply for temporary housing. Pregnant shelter clients receiving cash assistance or living at or under 200% below the federal poverty level can qualify. For the next three months, the program will enroll participants through the typical screening process during intake which asks if the individual seeking temporary housing is expecting. Those unsure will receive a pregnancy test.
From there, CRIB will assign participants to programs like City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) or Pathway Home. CityFHEPS partially covers an eligible New Yorker’s rent through a housing voucher while Pathway Home subsidizes family members or friends of shelter residents to provide housing.
Joslyn Carter, Department of Homeless Services administrator, told the Amsterdam News that the pilot will show how much CRIB can reduce the time newborn parents spend in shelter. But she also thinks the process will help many families and potentially develop an approach to divert some people from the shelter system entirely after intake.
“Children should not be in shelter, they should really be in permanent housing,” said Carter. “If we can move them quickly [after] coming [through the] front door and back to permanent housing, that, for me, is a win. And to decrease that number of nights that they stay in shelter. Being connected and supported in [the] community is another win that we’re looking for.
Additionally, the city also announced a “baby box” program. Newborn supplies including pajamas, carriers and a NYC-themed diaper bag will be distributed at four Health + Hospital locations where more than 7,000 babies are delivered each year.
The post Welcome to the CRIB: NYC starts housing voucher program for pregnant shelter residents appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
