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Homelessness emerges as campaign issue for Clinton and Giuliani
December 5, 1999 NEW YORK (CNN) -- First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has thrown down a new gauntlet in her bid for New York's U.S. Senate seat. At issue: new rules governing New York homeless shelters.
The new regulations are supported by Clinton's possible Republican opponent, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Later this month Giuliani is expected to begin enforcing the regulations, which would make it mandatory for able-bodied, mentally stable residents of New York's homeless shelters to work in order to maintain their spots in the facilities. 
Opponents at a rally Sunday in New York said they were particularly concerned that part of the policy allows city officials to separate children from their parents, placing them with relatives or in foster care, if the parent loses their spot in the shelter.
First lady looking to reboundThe first lady, looking to rebound from criticism stemming from a recent Middle East appearance with the wife of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, took up the cause Tuesday. "Breaking up families that are homeless is wrong," she told a New York meeting of black ministers. Clinton reminded supporters of the policy that Christmas is a season that celebrates "the birth of a homeless child." Opponents have said the policy would put undue pressure on homeless parents to find a job, while being threatened with losing their children. "Some among the homeless say job training or education would be more helpful than a forced job," Clinton said. One protester at Sunday's rally agreed. "If you're going to teach me something, teach me something that will make me better, a better skilled, better informed, better educated adult so I can do better by my children, by my family." City officials have said homeless parents affected by the new rules would only lose their children after turning down several work opportunities, and only after a family court judge has determined that the children were in danger.
Giuliani: Clinton fails to understandGiuliani said Clinton, who grew up in Illinois, has failed to understand the complexity of the issue because she is not from New York. He accused advocates for the homeless of ignoring a potentially helpful policy. "Since they are advocating for a problem, if there are things that would make the problem disappear, sometimes unknowingly they continue to advocate and they don't embrace the things that would actually solve the problem," Giuliani said. Correspondent Frank Buckley contributed to this story. |
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