Doubly Difficult: To Be Homeless and an Immigrant in NYC

 

Millions of people have immigrated¹ to America with the dream of a new and better life.

That dream becomes reality for some. But for others, it does not. Mental health problems, language difficulties, family issues, and the high cost of living can prevent immigrants from finding their place.

In New York City, thousands of immigrants are homeless. Philip Malebranche used to be one of them. He is Haitian-American.

For 17 years, Malebranche was homeless. He moved between shelters and the streets. Today, he finally has a place to sleep each night. But finding that was not easy.

All across New York City, officials struggle to meet the demands of its shelter-seeking homeless population. More than 60,000 people in America’s largest city are homeless. That number is 82 percent higher than it was 10 years ago.

Malebranche says homeless immigrants and minorities, especially, face great difficulties.

"If an immigrant happens to be homeless, he or she has the double problem of suffering from the stereotype² involved in both groups,” he said.

They may also be more vulnerable³, says Jeff Foreman. He is with Care for the Homeless, a not-for-profit social services and health care organization in New York.

"We constantly hear of our clients who have worked hard, but not gotten paychecks," he told VOA. "When a person doesn't speak English as their first language, and is not familiar with all the cultural customs of society, it is much easier to take advantage of them."

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says the number of homeless people in America has dropped by 14 percent since 2010. But Foreman said that the rates of homelessness differ greatly across the country.

He said any long-term solution to the problem must include housing.

"There's a real need for subsidized housing, for supportive housing, and for more public housing, if we are going to solve the homeless crisis⁴ in New York City," Foreman said.

A bit of luck

Daje Singh was born in the island nation of Trinidad. Her family is from India. She once almost became homeless while living in Queens, an area of New York City.

"I was living in my apartment in Queens. I lived there for seven years, and then the landlord sold the building. They said everybody had to go," she said.

That same week, Singh also lost her job. Suddenly, she had no place to stay.

"I didn't know what to do, because my family, none of them lives here," she said.

But, Singh had some good luck. She soon found a job as a nurse’s assistant. She had a place to stay, too.

"I call it saved by the bell,'" Singh said, with tears in her eyes. "I got a job, and the person wanted me to stay with them. So I was staying with them in Manhattan and working, too."

In Singh's case, realizing her American dream remains⁵ possible. She will soon become a U.S. citizen. And one day, she hopes to visit India, her ancestral home.

She said her opinions of the homeless community around her will remain forever changed.

"Homelessness could happen to anybody at any time," Singh said. "Homeless people are nice people; they just have had bad luck sometimes."

Words in This Story

stereotype – n. an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic

vulnerable – adj. open to attack, harm, or damage

saved by the bell – exp. saved by the timely⁶ intervention⁷ of someone or something

constantly – adv. happening all the time or very often over a period of time

client – n. a person who pays a professional person or organization for services

familiar – adj. frequently seen, heard, or experienced

take advantage of – exp. to use (something) unfairly for personal gain

subsidize – v. to help someone or something pay for the costs of (something)

landlord – n. a person who owns a house, apartment, etc., and rents it to other people

1 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

2 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

3 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。

4 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 timely   

adj.及时的，适时的；adv.及时地

参考例句：

• We are particularly grateful to him for his timely help.我们特别感谢他的及时帮助。
• Your arrival was most timely yesterday.你们昨天来得非常及时。

7 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。