PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Barbara Manny on Homelessness and Shelter System Challenges
2:47:46
·
7 min
Barbara Manny, a 56-year-old mother of two disabled sons, testifies about her family's struggle with homelessness since 2018 due to issues with their Section 8 voucher and challenges navigating the shelter system. She details a complex journey through multiple cities and countries seeking housing assistance, facing repeated denials and bureaucratic obstacles.
- Manny's family has been homeless since June 2018, moving between shelters, cities, and even countries.
- Her sons have faced educational disruptions and health challenges during this period of instability.
- She reports experiencing issues with Social Security benefits, arrests, and difficulty accessing appropriate services for her disabled children.
Barbara Manny
2:47:46
Hi.
2:47:46
Good afternoon.
2:47:49
My name is Barbara Men, and I'm 56 years door.
2:47:53
I have 2 disabled sons.
2:47:57
I'm here because of some agencies, misconduct, and also abuse on us.
2:48:07
My 2 sons and I have become homeless since 2 1000 June 2018.
2:48:14
1st, we had a section 8 voucher.
2:48:18
I had this section 8 voucher.
2:48:20
For almost 20 years with my attitude, older sons.
2:48:26
2017, the apartment that we were living were unbelievable.
2:48:31
So the city told us to go to us, short term.
2:48:37
So we move our hands to the storage, and then the city moved us put us placed us in a shorter in Queens.
2:48:47
At that time, my oldest, my youngest son who is here with me, was twelve years old, and he hasn't been to school since 12 years.
2:48:57
That was a lot, 13 years.
2:48:59
Since 13 years when it's in 13.
2:49:02
So when you when in shelter, it on the shelter told me to look for housing because after 6 months, I was like 3 days can expire.
2:49:12
So I began looking for apartment.
2:49:15
So after 2 months, I found an apartment here on Flatbush.
2:49:21
And the lease, we had 1 year lease.
2:49:25
So may 2018, the lease expired mid 2018.
2:49:31
Their management didn't renew the voucher, so I decided to move my children out of the city.
2:49:38
In the meantime, after they renew the voucher, I decided to seek shelter from DHS.
2:49:45
DHS refused to to place us in shelter.
2:49:49
So I decided to move my children to Albany.
2:49:52
In Albany, they gave us 1 month to stay in a shelter.
2:49:58
After 1 month, they decided they they told us to move out.
2:50:03
So we came back to the city 2 1000 same year, June 2018 to seek to see if the DHS will place us in a shelter.
2:50:11
Again, DHS refuses shorter saying that we don't qualify.
2:50:16
Why?
2:50:16
Because my children's addresses were switched.
2:50:20
In other words, they were changed by HRE.
2:50:23
So every time you go to a shelter, even though my children are with me, this the DHS system says my children are not with me.
2:50:30
They are living in a different places.
2:50:33
So it became a problem.
2:50:34
So I decided to move from the states.
2:50:37
With my children.
2:50:38
First, we went to Canada.
2:50:42
We went to Washington, DC to seek shelter.
2:50:46
There, they refused the deniers.
2:50:49
So my I have a sister in Canada.
2:50:52
My sister decided to let us come and move in with her.
2:50:55
So I I used to be on disability after I had my son.
2:50:59
Right?
2:51:00
And then so that income was the one that was helping us to rent places, rent motels, So after Canada, we went to California to see if you can get shot a day.
2:51:12
The first shot was oceanside.
2:51:14
We were given 1 month.
2:51:15
Every shot 3 shot is it.
2:51:17
We were given 1 month to see.
2:51:19
So the last shot was San Diego.
2:51:22
Survision of me.
2:51:23
Then I found then I decided to look for apartment.
2:51:27
So I found apart we found apartment in Oceanside.
2:51:30
The the least in the meantime before, I moved to out of the state of New York.
2:51:35
I requested the voucher to be ported out to California, which was never did.
2:51:42
So which was never transferred.
2:51:45
So in California, I was looking forward for the voucher to come, but it never was transferred.
2:51:52
So in the shelter, they told me to look for a place.
2:51:55
Otherwise, they're going to throw us out on the street.
2:51:58
So I decided to use the a lot of time, all of us were receiving social security disability.
2:52:04
So when I found the apartment, it was very expensive.
2:52:09
So I have to use all the disability money to pay the rent, and so and then also good for food countries.
2:52:17
That was what we were dependent on in in OSHA's side.
2:52:21
So say, 4 months later, the owner said money became a problem.
2:52:27
I could we couldn't afford it.
2:52:29
So the the owner evicted us.
2:52:32
So I decided to come back with my children to Virginia to see if I can find I'm from Ghana.
2:52:38
I decided to come to Virginia to see if I can find people from my country.
2:52:44
So today, I met somebody from my country in in Reagan Airport, and this person allowed us to move in with him for from August 2019 to 2000 21.
2:52:58
Okay, ma'am.
2:52:58
When you lost you,
Jennifer DeCarli
2:52:59
you wrap
Rima Rivera
2:53:00
the house.
2:53:00
We're gonna need the
Barbara Manny
2:53:01
owner decided to sell the house.
Diana Ayala
2:53:03
Can you Sure.
Barbara Manny
2:53:04
Sure.
2:53:05
So what I'm trying to say is because of this corruption, My son have no education from thirteen years old.
2:53:13
And even when you came back to the city to seek shelter from last year, same thing with the 1st shelter in bro here in Brooklyn.
2:53:23
We stayed there for 9 months with no housing assistant.
2:53:26
With no also, my children's Social Security money have been claimed because we're homeless.
2:53:33
Social Security didn't know where it was.
2:53:36
Therefore, it was paid by third parties who said my children are being killed by.
2:53:41
Right now, currently, we've been shipped to 4 shelters from February to this to October.
2:53:49
We have no money to eat.
2:53:53
We have no and also my son who the oldest one has type 2 diabetes.
2:54:00
The shorter currently that we are in now Before this shelter, we were in bronze.
2:54:06
I was arrested for trespassing.
2:54:10
That they told us we are not eligible to stay there.
2:54:14
So they called DHS police to arrest me.
2:54:18
For more than 6 hours.
2:54:20
Well, my my disabled son who is tied to auto tied to and severely mentally disabled, hungry with no medication.
2:54:28
Finally, they they let him go and said that they are not going to press charges.
2:54:33
So we have to come back to path.
2:54:36
Path also continues saying that I have to provide for the past 2 years, which I have all the documents here.
2:54:42
For the past 2 years, where we have been.
2:54:44
Otherwise, they are not going to place us in short Yeah.
Diana Ayala
2:54:47
I think I think that I appreciate your testimony.
