New York Hotel Shelters Callout

New York Focus and ProPublica are collaborating on an investigation into hotels and motels being used by New York to house homeless people outside NYC. We want to make sure we hear from everyone with a stake in this issue. If there’s something you’ve noticed about how the unhoused population is being treated, especially in the hotels and motels, we want to know.

We have the time and resources to report this deeply. We’ve been working on this for around nine months now, and from what we’ve gathered, people are being placed in the hotels by social services without a clear path to permanent housing and without the assistance they need to get there.

If you have experience, direct or indirect, with the hotel/motel system, we’d love to hear about it, especially if you know people placed in one of the rooms. We’re also interested in hearing from case workers, nonprofit operators, hotel employees and others. These perspectives will help us understand the situation and report on it accurately.

Fill out as much as you can here. But if it’s easier, feel free to leave a voicemail at 862-800-7477.

We appreciate you sharing your story, and we take your privacy seriously. We are the only ones reading what you submit. We are gathering these stories for the purposes of our reporting and will contact you if we wish to publish any part of your story.

primary_field

Name*

unique_id

Email*

example@example.com

Phone Number

It’s best for our reporting if you use your real name and contact information. If you would prefer to stay anonymous, however, just indicate that in the name field.

Where are you located?

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

I’m filling out this form because:

I have personal experience with a hotel or motelI provide services for people housed in hotels or motels, or work with them in another way.I work in a hotel or motel.I am familiar with policy or regulations related to homeless services in New York.Other

What’s the name of the hotel or motel you lived in or have experience with?

When did you first move in? An approximate date is fine.

Date

Did you move out of the hotel or motel? If so, when? Leave blank if you are still living there.

Date

Tell us about your experience living there.

Did you get the help that you needed to get back into permanent housing? If it’s easier to talk about this instead of writing, leave me a voicemail at 862-800-7477.

YesNo

What help did you get?

What help did you need that you didn’t get?

Were you ever removed from a hotel or motel on short notice? What happened?

What is your job title?

What is the name of your organization?

How do you work with people housed in hotels or motels?

Which hotels or motels do you have experience with?

What have you observed that we should know about?

What is your job title at the hotel or motel?

What hotel or motel do/did you work at?

Do you still work there?

YesNo

Does your hotel or motel house people placed by social services?

YesNo

What have you observed while working with the unhoused population at your hotel or motel?

What kind of work do you do?

How are you connected to this issue?

What have you observed about placing the unhoused in hotels and motels? Is there a policy that we need to be aware of as we report on this? If you want to tell us something particularly sensitive, you can send us a message on the encrypted messaging app Signal at 570-690-3469.

Briefly explain your connection to the issue and anything we need to know about the hotels and motels.

What’s the best way to reach you with follow-up questions?

Do you prefer texts or phone calls?

I prefer phone calls.I prefer texts.

What's your number on WhatsApp?

What's your Signal number?

Do you have any paperwork and documents you can share to help us understand this issue or your situation? Examples could include case files, letters you’ve received, photo and video of the motels or emails and texts with government employees and motel staff.

YesNoMaybe; ask me later

Please upload them here.

Do you have ideas for getting the word out? Who else should we talk to?

Is there something we really need to see in your town, or is there someone we should speak with?

Would you like to help us spread the word about our project(s)/work/journalism? Let us know if you are interested in any of the following:

Sharing forms (like this one) in community spaces, either online or in person.Sharing a reporter’s work or contact information with members of the community.Testing or providing feedback on our journalism early in the process.Other

Thank you! Please tell us a bit about what it takes to get word out in your community. We would appreciate any suggestions and advice.

The following questions are completely optional. ProPublica is committed to maintaining a diverse and representative body of sources. We ask these next questions to understand who we’re reaching and who is affected by the issues we cover.

Which race or ethnicity do you identify as? Select all that apply.

How do you identify? Please select all that apply:

WomanManNonbinaryAnother option not listed:

Do you identify as LGBTQ+?

YesNo

Do you identify as transgender?

YesNo

Do you have a disability you think is relevant or that you’d like to tell us about?

YesNo

Please share as much detail as you’re comfortable with.

Help ProPublica and New York Focus investigate DSS hotels and motels