The New York municipality has launched a program to help reduce homelessness by paying to relocate families with housing elsewhere. Over 550 families have been sent to locations around the US and world since 2007. However, critics argue the program does not truly address the root causes of homelessness and relocated families may become homeless again once temporary housing ends. The writer believes New York must provide more affordable housing rather than just sending homeless families away.

1. Name Mark7 Unit Test
Optional Reading Read the text and answer the questions that follow.
Moving On
I In an attempt to deal with the growing problem of homelessness in New York City, the municipality has come up
with a novel idea. They are trying to help people leave the city, by paying for one-way tickets out. Now, when
families arrive at the homeless shelter in the Bronx looking for beds, they are asked if they have any friends or
relatives who might be willing to help. If they can find a person anywhere in the country or even the world who
will agree to take them in, the city will pay for them to get there.
II Since 2007, when the programme was launched, almost 550 families have been put on planes, trains and buses to
destinations all over the United States and the world. While the cost of a family’s tickets can amount to thousands
of dollars, city officials claim that it is still cheaper to move these people than it is to support them in city shelters.
III The programme has met with a lot of criticism. Detractors claim that the city is simply creating the illusion that it
is dealing with the problem. They say that in reality, all it is doing is passing the problem on to another city.
Although social workers do check that the offers of assistance from relatives are genuine before they approve the
relocation, they have no way of knowing whether a family has a real chance of succeeding in the long term. In
many cases, the offer of a place to stay is a temporary one and the relocated family may soon find itself homeless
again.
IV Although the programme may be helpful for some individuals, there can be no doubt that it fails to address the
underlying problems that brought the families to the shelter in the first place. If the New York municipality is
really committed to dealing with the problem of homelessness, it must work to provide more affordable housing
options in the city. Sending the homeless away is simply not a real solution!
1 Choose the correct answer. (2 x 3 = 6 points)
1. The New York Municipality … .
a. has done nothing to deal with the problem of homelessness in the city
b. does not provide shelter for its homeless people
c. is trying to reduce the cost of caring for its homeless people
d. is not willing to help homeless people
2. According to the writer of the article, the new programme … .
a. does not really solve the problem of homelessness
b. has provided affordable housing options in New York
c. does not help homeless people at all
d. deals with the causes of homelessness
2 Complete the sentences. (2 x 3 = 6 points)
1. According to the writer, the relocated families may soon be homeless again because .....................
........................................................................................................................................................ .
2. The writer believes that one of the reasons many people in New York are homeless is because
........................................................................................................................................................ .
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2. 7 Unit Test
3 Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to justify your answers.
(3 x 3 = 9 points)
…… 1. All the people that arrive at homeless shelters in New York are sent to live with friends or
relatives.
...............................................................................................................................................
…… 2. It costs the New York municipality a lot of money to relocate homeless families.
...............................................................................................................................................
…… 3. The New York municipality has no idea if the families they relocate really have somewhere
to go.
...............................................................................................................................................
4 Find words or expressions in the text that mean: (4 x 1 = 4 points)
1. unusual (paragraph I) ……………………
2. begun (paragraph II) ……………………
3. a false picture or impression (paragraph III) ……………………
4. does not succeed (paragraph IV) ……………………
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