The Nation - News from Aug. 20, 1987

Homeless advocate Mitch Snyder warned health officials in Washington, D.C., against reducing government payments for keeping homeless families in hotels, saying that even deteriorating shelters are better than the street. Snyder and officials of the National Coalition for the Homeless staged a small demonstration in front of the Department of Health and Human Services, seeking unsuccessfully to meet with department official Wayne Stanton. Stanton last week said the government was planning new regulations requiring it to reimburse cities only for families’ first 30 days in welfare hotels. The government now pays 50% of the hotel costs for an indefinite period. The proposed regulations would first be published in the Federal Register for a 90-day public comment period.