Ready, Willing & Able | The Doe Fund

At the core of this change has been one basic philosophical principle: the social contract. For every benefit received, there is an obligation that must be fulfilled. For generations, the city forgot that truly progressive policies are the ones that help move people from dependence to independence.

With new state regulations in place, the city is now able to apply this social contract to our homeless shelter system.

For too long, too many shelters were forgetting people rather than assisting them. At a difficult time in people's lives, we ought to be treating people with dignity and respect, helping them address problems and get back on the path to self-sufficiency.

Since 1993, we've made substantial improvements to homeless shelters citywide. Now it's time to build on these improvements:

We will strengthen the prohibition on guns, weapons and drugs by not only confiscating them, but by denying shelter to those who bring them onto the premises.

Every shelter resident will be required to undergo a standard assessment to determine that he or she is receiving the correct social services.

If appropriate permanent housing becomes available, shelter residents will be required to accept that opportunity.

Under new work rules for shelter residents, adults will be required to go to a job center after settling in to begin looking for permanent employment - or, if that is unavailable, to participate in city work programs along with education and training. We will provide child care and other necessary support to enable the transition to work.

All these regulations will be implemented in a sensible and humane way.

Every responsible parent - homeless or otherwise - should understand the value of participating in the work force. That's why New York City will take every opportunity to reintegrate homeless men and women into the work force.

The rules we are implementing have already proven effective. For example, in a private shelter operated by The Doe Fund on the site of the old Polo Grounds, even though more than 80% of residents arrive with drug problems, the shelter has zero tolerance for drugs, tests randomly, requires residents to work a full work week and requires residents to have savings accounts.

These standards have paid off. All residents are employed upon release, and two-thirds remain employed at the point of extended followup.

Our reforms will let this kind of progress touch the lives of more and more shelter residents. As expected, advocates are raising their voices, claiming that chaos will follow. But our success has shown how intelligently implemented progressive change can improve people's lives, building a healthier, more independent city in the process.

This is a test: Do we forget about people or make a meaningful attempt to help them help themselves? Homeless men, women and families do not benefit from the assumption that they are helpless. A truly compassionate government response has the courage to reform the status quo to help people regain their independence.