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Urban Investigations

Is There A Pattern?

New York City must, by court order, provide temporary shelter to every person who asks. Currently, NYC spends about $1.8 billion a year on shelters, apartments, hotel rooms, and programs.

What is homelessness? How does the shelter system work? How does homelessness impact the City? What is the City’s responsibility?

In the spring of 2019, CUP collaborated with Teaching Artist Gabriella Coll and public high school students at Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy (KAPPA) International High School in the Bronx to dig deep into the issue of homelessness. To investigate, students wove textiles to depict the cycle of homelessness, surveyed community members, visited a shelter, and interviewed key stakeholders working on the issue. This booklet is a guide to what students learned about homelessness in NYC and their ideas for shaping a different future.