Bravely standing by their principals, The Doe Fund has been saying, “No!” to the Department of Homeless Services when told to accept 50 sex offenders into their 89 Porter Avenue Ready, Willing & Able facility in East Williamsburg. To accommodate the DHS request, The Doe Fund would have to remove 50 individuals who are already active
in and benefiting from the Ready, Willing & Able program. The Doe Fund was established 30 years ago to: provide the homeless with a hand up not a handout (their motto). To switch out 50 who are already finding success in the program with 50 sex offenders who wouldn’t be allowed to work in the area due to proximity to schools would, “throw off the balance that we have achieved and puts the whole program at risk!” stated Alexander Horwitz, Director of External Affairs of the Doe Fund.
The Doe Fund has refused to accept the sex offenders on two occasions and paid the expense to transport them back to DHS. They say this strategy will continue. They had petitioned the court for a restraining order and on losing their court case took to the streets in protest. When asked what they will do going forward after the loss in the courts, Mr. Horwitz said, “We will continue to fight! We will continue to protest, and in the interim we will remain steadfast about refusing to meet DHS demands. We simply won’t do it! We Will Not Ever put a sex offender to work on the streets of New York City!”
