More than 300 men sleep each night in cavernous dormitories lined with rows of metal beds at Schwartz Men’s Shelter on Wards Island. Water drips through a leaky roof. Noise echoes across rooms that offer little privacy.

Living conditions like these are why many homeless New Yorkers avoid the shelter system. For someone experiencing homelessness, these conditions can make an already difficult moment much harder. They can reinforce feelings of danger, stress, and instability, rather than create an environment where people can focus on themselves and their goals.

As an organization that operates shelters, we know that it doesn’t have to be this way. At one of our domestic violence shelters, broken metal blinds and bright overhead lighting created a harsh environment for families. We replaced them with safer blinds and dimmable lamps, and families told us the space felt more peaceful and private. At our family shelter in Bushwick, privately funded........

© NY Daily News