Rethinking Homeless Shelters From the Ground Up

Muzzy Rosenblatt takes issue with the conventional way of sheltering the homeless. As the executive director of the Bowery Residents Committee (BRC), a provider of shelter and services to New York City’s homeless population, he wants to go beyond just putting up beds. Instead, he proposes a whole new consideration of how shelters are both run and funded.

In a new volume entitled What Matters: Investing in Results to Build Strong, Vibrant Communities, from the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (FRBSF), Rosenblatt authors a chapter that charts out a blueprint for change. His suggestion: a shift toward a results-based funding model. Rosenblatt plans to apply this vision for the social sector to the BRC’s latest project—an amalgamation of a housing development and a shelter. CityLab spoke with Rosenblatt about the in-progress venture, slated to open in the Bronx in 2018, and about how shelters can maximize their funds and their reach.