We Deserve a Bed, Not Bars: America’s Housing Crisis and the Fight for Dignity

By Lyon Amor Brave

America has a housing crisis — and New York City is on the frontline. Every night, over 86,000 people sleep in the city’s shelter system, struggling to survive in overcrowded, unsafe conditions (NYC.gov DHS 2025). Yet for many, a “right to shelter” doesn’t guarantee safety or dignity — it’s a fragile promise in a system that often fails. My name is Lyon Brave, and I’ve lived this reality. I was a home health aide, working tirelessly, underpaid, and undervalued. Then I was forced out of my apartment, exploited, and left to navigate a shelter system that betrayed me at every turn. Today, I’ve started a GoFundMe (Support Lyon Brave) to survive this winter, but I’m also raising my voice to demand something bigger: systemic housing reform, proper protections for vulnerable communities, and a movement that recognizes homelessness as a human rights issue.

Homelessness in New York City: Numbers That Tell the Story

New York City is often portrayed as a city of opportunity, but beneath the skyline lies a massive crisis. According to NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS), 86,400 individuals sleep in city shelters nightly, and the number rises during harsh winters (NYC.gov DHS 2025). The Coalition for the Homeless reported over 91,600 in municipal shelters as of December 2024 (Coalition for the Homeless). Meanwhile, thousands more sleep unsheltered on streets, subway platforms, and parks — over 4,140 counted in recent city surveys (Sleeping Bag Project NYC).

The “right to shelter” in NYC is unique among U.S. cities, offering a legal mandate for anyone experiencing homelessness to receive a bed (NYC.gov Right to Shelter). But a legal right without safety, oversight, or dignity is only a partial solution. Shelters can be unsafe, overcrowded, and staffed by untrained or even intoxicated employees. That’s where the system fails, and that’s where stories like mine begin.

Support my GoFundMe here: Donate to Lyon Brave

Housing Costs in NYC: Why the Shelter System Is Overwhelmed

The affordability crisis in NYC is staggering. Median rents by borough are as follows (Finansavisen 2025):

• Bronx: $3,132

• Brooklyn: $3,835

• Manhattan: $4,550

• Queens: $3,450

• Staten Island: $2,980

With wages stagnant and many workers living paycheck to paycheck, the average person cannot afford rent, let alone a deposit, utilities, and living expenses. This is why so many underpaid workers, including home health aides, are pushed into homelessness despite being employed full-time.

You can help me survive this winter here: Support Lyon Brave

Underpaid Home Health Aides: Essential Yet Vulnerable

I worked as a home health aide, providing care for those in need, but the pay barely covered rent and necessities. Home health aides in NYC often:

• Earn wages near or below the poverty line

• Lack robust labor protections

• Face emotional and physical labor without support

This exploitation is directly linked to housing insecurity. When essential workers cannot afford homes in the city where they serve, the system punishes them with homelessness rather than supporting them with fair wages and protections.

Help me reclaim stability: Donate to my GoFundMe

Policing and Homelessness: A System That Punishes the Vulnerable

The NYC Police Department has a documented history of failing to protect women of color and marginalized residents. When I reported abuse and theft to Precinct 49 in the Bronx, I was dismissed. The police ignored proper procedure, did not refer the case to housing court, and instead, I became homeless overnight. This negligence set off a cascade:

1. Theft of personal belongings

2. Physical assaults

3. Sexual assault

These failures aren’t isolated; they reflect systemic biases that punish vulnerable residents while sheltering perpetrators and ignoring due process.

Support my fight for justice: GoFundMe

Unsafe Shelters: What “Right to Shelter” Really Means

Even with the right to a bed, shelters can be dangerous:

• Staff often untrained or intoxicated

• Overcrowding forces unsafe conditions

• Residents’ personal property is stolen or destroyed

I experienced first-hand how shelters, meant to protect, became sites of trauma. Legal rights without enforcement are insufficient; shelters must be accountable, safe, and dignified.

Your support can help me survive: Donate

Public Transportation, Work, and the Broader American Crisis

New York City’s infrastructure allows many Americans to survive because public transportation connects workers to jobs. Elsewhere in the U.S., millions of Americans cannot rely on buses or trains, making homelessness worse:

• Delays or lack of transit force workers to abandon jobs

• Without proximity to work or shelters, survival is harder

• The combination of high rent and insufficient transport exacerbates homelessness

We need systemic housing reform and infrastructure support — it’s all interconnected.

Support stability and mobility: Donate here

Housing Reform Over Police Reform: A New Vision

While police reform is necessary, it alone cannot solve the crisis. True reform must include:

• Building affordable housing

• Ensuring safe, accountable shelters

• Strengthening tenant rights and legal protections

• Recognizing homeless people are not criminals

Without these steps, more Americans will fall through the cracks.

Join the movement: Support Lyon Brave

Why Every American Deserves a Bed

• NYC is unique in offering a legal right to shelter; most cities put people on waitlists, leaving them vulnerable to death, incarceration, or disappearance.

• Homelessness is not a crime; it is a failure of social policy.

• Every person deserves dignity, safety, and access to housing.

You can make a difference: GoFundMe

My Personal Story: From Survival to Advocacy

I survived exploitation, homelessness, and systemic neglect. But I am not only asking for charity — I am raising my voice for systemic reform. My GoFundMe helps me survive this winter, but the larger fight is for housing justice for all.

Support survival and reform: Donate

How You Can Take Action

1. Donate: Support my GoFundMe

2. Share: Spread awareness on social media

3. Advocate: Contact local and federal policymakers for housing reform

4. Volunteer: Support shelters and housing nonprofits

Act now: GoFundMe

Closing: Dignity, Not Punishment

Homeless people are human beings, not criminals. They deserve beds, safety, and dignity. New York City’s right-to-shelter law is a model, but it must be expanded and enforced. We need housing reform, infrastructure support, and systemic accountability. My story is just one of tens of thousands, but together, we can create a city — and a country — where every person has a bed, a home, and a future.

Support survival and reform today: Donate to Lyon Brave
Help build the movement: GoFundMe
Your action matters: Donate

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