Danielle was 13-years-old when she left her home and her mother in the Congo.  She came to New York hoping to pursue the American dream, but she wound up living in a shelter. Hear why Danielle keeps the truth about her life in America to herself - even though it means lying to her mother.

A new report finds without housing assistance more domestic violence victims are leaving city shelters without having a safe place to go.

Homelessness is up among families, single adults and those living on the streets. That's according to the Mayor's Management Report for fiscal year 2012.

Last Monday, as most elected officials returned home, one state senator spent the night out… at a homeless shelter. Former New Jersey Governor Richard Codey is now a state senator from Essex and Morris Counties. On Monday night, disguised with a pasted-on gray beard and some effective make-up, the man who once ran New Jersey slept at the Goodwill Mission in Newark. His night out marked the end of a four-month investigation into the state’s services for the mentally ill. New Jersey, like a number of states across the country, has been hit with severe budget cuts in the wake of the financial crisis. Codey was determined to find out just how these service cuts have affected citizens in his district. 

The Department of Homeless Services announced on its web site Friday that it will not pay February rents for at least 9,000 formerly homeless families and individuals currently receiving rental assistance through the Advantage housing program.

A court has ruled that New York City is no longer required to pay rent for 11,000 formerly homeless individuals and families that are receiving a housing subsidy funded by the city and the state.  

Before a controversial homeless policy goes into effect on Monday, City Council members questioned whether the city has the proper state approval to implement it. The policy would require single adults to demonstrate they have no other place to go before being considered eligible for staying in a shelter. 

For decades, homeless families with children entering a city shelter could count on receiving housing subsidies to help them transition out of homelessness and into their own apartments.

New York City can stop paying rent for more than 16,000 families that were previously homeless, a judge ruled Tuesday.

One month ago today, President Obama visited the town of Joplin, Missouri, where a tornado killed 156 people and caused millions of dollars in damage. Today we’re going back to the scene of the devastation to see how Joplin residents are recovering one month after President Obama told Joplin, "There’s no doubt in my mind that Joplin will rebuild. And as President, I can promise you your country will be there with you every single step of the way...The cameras may leave. The spotlight may shift. But we will be with you every step of the way until Joplin is restored and this community is back on its feet. We’re not going anywhere."

WNYC reporter Cindy Rodriguez joins staff attorney for MFY Legal Services, Tanya Kessler, to discuss Cindy's story on the so-called "three-quarters houses" -- boarding homes that pack in poor people, and collect welfare funds or disability checks as rent.