“Homelessness is such a major issue in New York,” said Patrick Boyle, senior director at Enterprise Community Partners, one of the advocacy groups helping shelter residents and domestic violence survivors take part in the upcoming elections. “We want to make sure that people who have experienced homelessness are making their voices heard.”

Reilly Arena, left, and Ellen Murphy, right, of The League of Women Voters, set up a voter registration table in the lobby of a New Destiny housing building earlier this month. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

The lobby of New Destiny Housing’s shelter for domestic violence survivors was decorated with balloons during a recent Friday afternoon. A brightly-covered table dotted with pamphlets was set up to greet those entering.

This cheerful scene in the lobby had a purpose: to help tenants there to register to vote.

“We’re not telling people who to vote for,” said Gabriela Sandoval Requena, the director of policy and communications for New Destiny Housing. “We can just say, this is how you register … in a way that is safe, confidential for you.”

The effort was arranged by the Family Homelessness Coalition (FHC)* and the League of Women Voters. FHC, a network of housing and homeless services providers, has often been involved in political advocacy, including lobbying lawmakers in Albany and co-hosting a mayoral forum with City Limits back in April. But this voter registration drive was a first for the group.

“It’s always been a goal of our coalition to really empower people with lived experience with family homelessness,” said Patrick Boyle, senior director at Enterprise Community Partners, one of the co-conveners of the FHC. 

“This idea came about in the context of all the elections happening right now, the mayoral elections, other elections happening at the state and local level,” Boyle added. “Homelessness is such a major issue in New York that we want to make sure that people who have experienced homelessness are making their voices heard.”

According to the Coalition for the Homeless, 70 percent of the 114,791 people who slept in the city’s homeless shelters in February were families with children. And in 2024 alone, nearly 12,000 individuals spent time in the domestic violence shelter system specifically, including 6,832 children.

Because of a time limit on stays in the city’s DV shelters, hundreds of people exit these facilities each year to enter the wider Department of Homeless Services’ system, as City Limits previously reported.

According to New Destiny Housing, more than 20 percent of families with kids in the DHS shelter system in 2023 cited domestic violence as their reason for experiencing homelessness, more than eviction.

“When [people] think of homelessness,” said Sandoval Requena, “they think of the individual that you see on the streets. But kids make up the biggest chunk of the population in shelters.”

“Because we have a right to shelter in New York, you don’t see families sleeping on the streets; they’re usually in the shelter system,” she added. “It’s just the fact that there is a strong safety net for them to have temporary respite, then it’s just not seen. It’s just not discussed, unfortunately.”

Nor are DV survivors often able to draw attention to their experiences. Fleeing domestic violence means rebuilding a life while trying to keep their abuser away; treating mental health issues, particularly PTSD, anxiety, and depression; and arranging for their children to attend school, sometimes miles from their new location.

Trissy is one of New Destiny Housing’s tenants who updated her address during the voter registration drive. She had delayed doing so, saying there was so much else to focus on after she and her children left her abuser. And casting a ballot meant she had to travel about an hour to her old neighborhood to vote there.

“As a survivor of domestic violence, once you make the decision to change your circumstance, a lot comes along with that, and it can be difficult to address basic tasks that were normal,” Trissy said. “And there’s a lot going on. Looking for an apartment and a job, things like that. I feel like it affects your mental health. I feel like sometimes new environments could be a little overwhelming as well.”

At the registration drive, advocates advised domestic violence survivors on how they can register confidentially. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

Warshana is another DV survivor who also did not immediately update her address because of how busy she was, and feeling unaware of what the issues were. “Voting will be the last thing you’re thinking about when you’re trying to go to housing and daycare and work,” she said.

Another factor is the fear that their abuser could discover where they live if they register with their new address. New York State law allows domestic violence survivors to request that their information be kept private, and the city recently passed legislation requiring local agencies to create and distribute guidance on how to do so. 

For more information on applying for confidential voter registration, visit the state’s Board of Elections website here. 

“Domestic violence survivors or current victims can keep their voter registration confidential,” said Kai Rosenthal, co-president of the League of Women Voters of the City of New York. “And it’s been made easier that they don’t have to affirm it. A judge doesn’t have to affirm it. They can just affirm on a form.”

Unhoused New Yorkers also don’t need a permanent residence to register to vote, advocates point out. They can use a street corner or even a park as their address, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless’ “You Don’t Need a Home to Vote” campaign.

Kadisha is the host of FHC’s podcast, “Hear Our Voices,” and is formerly homeless herself. While not a DV survivor, Kadisha said being unhoused in general can make New Yorkers feel their voices don’t matter. 

“They don’t think about how our vote can really make a difference,” Kadisha said. “But if you put it in their mind that if you vote, you can make sure that your voices are heard no matter what part of your life you’re in at the time.”

Survivors who spoke with City Limits said issues important to them include affordable housing, education, and mental healthcare. Warshana believes if more DV survivors voted and created a bloc, they could make a difference when it comes to those issues.

“I feel like voting is a way of speaking for yourself, for you to not fade into the background,” said Trissy. “Even if it doesn’t go the way that you want it to go, at least you know that your opinion is important and that you contributed. You get to select the candidate based on values and concerns and things that [are] important to you.”

Kadisha agrees with that sentiment. “It might not be from that person who did the thing to you, the harm,” she said. “It’s like a way of kind of taking the power back, in a sense, to make sure that you can be heard and you can be seen.”

*Editor’s note: The Family Homelessness Coalition is among City Limits’ funders.

To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org. Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post Getting the Vote Out in NYC Homeless & Domestic Violence Shelters appeared first on City Limits.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker shut down his cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, in a play-in victory in 2023 that sent the Thunder home and clinched the Timberwolves’ second consecutive playoff berth.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Nickeil Alexander-Walker #1 of Canada line up on the court for the playing of national anthems before an exhibition game against the United States ahead of the Paris Olympic Games at T-Mobile Arena on July 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The United States defeated Canada 86-72. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

It was a breakout defensive performance for Alexander-Walker, the first step in the guard earning a spot in Minnesota’s rotation for years to come. It also was a showing that carried some added weight given the opponent.

“I know they’re like brothers or something,” Anthony Edwards said after the game.

The comment drew laughter. Everyone else knew the family lineage. But as it turns out, Edwards was closer to being correct than most knew.

After securing his first Western Conference Finals appearance against, who else, but Alexander-Walker, Gilgeous-Alexander described the opportunity to play against his cousin on such a grand stage.

“It’s tough to even explain. If you know how close we are, he’s literally like my second brother,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. “He has been through every stage of life with me, from picking up a basketball to going to prep school to making the NBA, we’ve gone through every situation together. For both us to be where we are, it’s special.”

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) shoots over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) during overtime of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)

When he says every stage, he means it quite literally. Alexander-Walker recalls going to elementary school with his cousin and the dreams they had of playing basketball at the highest level. He remembers the conversations they had centering on who was the best between the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Allen Iverson. They made plans for kids in future years to have to debate: “Nickeil or Shai?”

The pursuit of such heights brought the cousins from Toronto to Tennessee, where they attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga for their junior and senior seasons of high school. The cousins lived together with then-Hamilton Heights head coach Zach Ferrell.

“They shared beds that were feet apart, and they literally did every moment of life together for two years while they were in Tennessee,” Ferrell told The Oklahoman. “As close as any two people could be.”

Finally, basketball took them on separate journeys. Gilgeous-Alexander committed to Kentucky, while Alexander-Walker went to Virginia Tech. That’s when Alexander-Walker said the two knew they wanted to have their own individual identities. But the support remained.

Gilgeous-Alexander left Kentucky for the draft after one season. A year later, Alexander-Walker went pro. And on the night he was selected No. 17 overall, his cousin was right by his side.

“It’s a blessing, obviously. But we worked for it our whole life. And we knew, since as early as I could remember, that we’d both make it, and we’re here today,” Gilgeous-Alexander told ESPN on his cousin’s draft night. “We still have more to prove. It doesn’t stop here for us, and we’re ready for the challenge.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s path to greatness in the NBA has been more of a straight-line ascension, but Alexander-Walker has also now proven himself to be a high-end, two-way wing who’s set to cash in for a large payday this offseason. Truth be told, Gilgeous-Alexander has always likely had the upper hand over his cousin. But on Alexander-Walker’s draft night, when asked who won the majority of the one-on-one bouts, Gilgeous-Alexander smiled and said, “I’ll say him, because it’s his day.”

No such concessions will be made in this series.

After the Thunder topped Denver in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday to secure this brotherly bout, Alexander-Walker’s mom apparently texted Gilgeous-Alexander’s dad, “Oh it’s war now.”

“It’s all love at the end of the day, but it’s really cool,” Alexander-Walker told reporters. “It’s a real cool feeling, especially if I go on my phone, it’s the only thing I see — especially from friends and family back home. I think 10 years from now, 20 years from now, I’ll be able to appreciate the moment for what it was and what we were able to accomplish.”

That list of achievements is long. Draft nights, Olympics, now a Western Conference Finals trip shared, though this time through opposing lenses. That’s what makes this experience a little different.

“Off the court, it’s always going to be love and family time, hanging out. Like he mentioned earlier, we have gone through so many things in life together — even like fatherhood. So just having a chance to see his kids, him to see mine and just be able to interact like that,” Alexander-Walker said. “But (in) times like this, you want to keep it as business as possible. But at the same time, enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

With a specific mission in mind.

“In this time, the only thing I care about is making sure the Wolves get four wins,” Alexander-Walker said. “It’s kind of like playing poker. You’ve got to play the man. I can’t air out all my tricks right now. I can’t give up the strategies. But I think it’s just enjoying the opportunities, enjoying the matchup. I’m going to get the best of him sometimes, he’s going to get the best of me. But not backing down, and trying to stop him more than he can stop me in whatever ways and facets that looks like.”

The feeling is mutual on the other end.

“I am trying to take his head off,” Gilgeous-Alexander said with a laugh. “For sure.”

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration authorities appear to have begun deporting migrants from Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan despite a court order on removals to third countries, attorneys for the migrants said Tuesday.

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Up to a dozen people from several countries may have been deported to Africa, immigration rights lawyers told a judge.

An immigration official in Texas confirmed in an email that at least one man from Myanmar had been flown to South Sudan Tuesday morning, according to court documents.

A woman also reported to attorneys that her husband from Vietnam and up to 10 other people were flown to Africa on Tuesday.

Those removals would violate a court order from a judge in Massachusetts requiring that people must have a chance to challenge removals to countries other than their homelands, attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance wrote.

They asked Judge Brian E. Murphy for an emergency court order to prevent removal without an opportunity to go to court. He previously said deportations to Libya would violate his ruling.

The Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

South Sudan’s political landscape is fragile and recent violence between government troops and armed opposition groups has escalated tensions.

Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.

The Twins and Guardians tried to get an official game in on Monday night but were thwarted by the weather. On Tuesday, the weather was so bad that there was no use trying.

Rain in the forecast on Tuesday caused the postponement of the second game in the series. That game will now be made up on Sept. 20 as part of a split doubleheader. Meanwhile, the Twins and Guardians will hope for better weather on Wednesday when they’re now scheduled to resume Monday night’s suspended game before playing Wednesday’s regularly-scheduled game.

It’s possible rain could affect these plans, as well, with more in the forecast for Wednesday.

The Twins had just taken the lead on Monday night when the two teams were called off the field as the rain picked up. After a delay of 61 minutes, they played for another 14 minutes before a second rain delay and, ultimately, the suspension of the game.

When the two teams pick back up, it will be the fourth inning with the Twins leading 2-1. The second game on Wednesday is scheduled to start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first. For that game, both teams will be allowed to have a 27th man available to them. That player will not be eligible to play in the suspended game.

Chris Paddack, who has given up a combined six hits and one run in his last 14⅓ innings pitched, and Gavin Williams were slated to start Tuesday’s game. Probables for the second game on Wednesday have yet to be announced.

Fans who hold tickets to Wednesday’s originally-scheduled game will be able to use those for both games. Fans with tickets to Tuesday’s game can use them for entry into the rescheduled game on Sept. 20 at 1:10 p.m.

While the Twins have Thursday off, the Guardians do not. They will begin a series in Detroit on Thursday, which is why the rescheduled game will be played in September during the Twins’ last homestand of the regular season.

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