Volunteer Shares Her Heart for NYC Homeless
New York’s housing crisis is reaching an all-time high, and for Ashleigh Uzoaru, it’s more than just a policy issue—it’s personal.
“I grew up in an environment that was not physically safe, which is one of the reasons that I care about this cause so much,” Uzoaru said.
She sees homelessness every day in the streets with unhoused New Yorkers in need of help.
Uzoaru believes “homeless people are unseen people because I think that policy and the everyday person kind of make it so.”
For Tamara Watson, who’s been homeless since she was 18, there’s only one real solution.
“In order to help more people that are homeless or become homeless for whatever their reasons are, they need affordable housing,” Watson said.
Affordable housing is a basic necessity that Uzoaru knows is slipping further out of reach.
She volunteers with Covenant House, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless youth ages 16 to 21.
“Our goal is to end youth homelessness and get young people out of that cycle of poverty and homelessness,” Bennie Fontana said.
Covenant’s biggest fundraising initiative, Sleep Out, raises funds and brings awareness to the homeless crisis.
For one night volunteers and staff huddle in their sleeping bags at the Javits Center to stand in solidarity with homeless youths.
Uzoaru remembers her first sleepout experience.
“It definitely opened my eyes more to the way that people that are experiencing homelessness may feel unsafe,” she said.
For Uzoaru, this fight goes beyond fundraising. It’s about giving homeless New Yorkers a chance to be seen, heard, and helped.
She said the solution starts with people caring enough to take action.
“Living in New York, it’s a crisis that you face every day,” Uzoaru said.
Racquel Miller is a journalist covering housing for City Newsroom. She’s passionate about broadcast journalism and hopes to become a news producer.