Unsheltered New Yorkers find new homes, claims Mayor Adams from recent administration efforts
Mayor Eric Adams, who took office in 2022, has prioritised removing people from the streets and subways of New York City. This approach, however, has sparked debate among advocacy groups.
According to city data, approximately 4,500 people are unsheltered in New York City, with more than half residing in the subway system. Will Watts, deputy executive director for advocacy at Coalition for the Homeless, believes this increase reflects a flawed response to homelessness.
Adams' administration has been particularly focused on outreach for homeless people with serious mental illness. Mental health support has been provided in the subways and above ground, with the deployment of police and mental health workers. The Mayor credits the success in part to an increase in Safe Haven and stabilization beds.
However, it's important to note that between January and September of last year, only 114 of the 3,500 people displaced from encampments were relocated to shelters. Adolfo Abreu, housing campaigns director at the advocacy group VOCAL-NY, suggests the city should do more to move people into supportive housing apartments.
About 4,000 supportive housing units are vacant, according to the city comptroller's office. Abreu urges officials and advocates to work together to clear the hurdles to housing, as possible federal cuts loom. President Donald Trump's administration has signed an executive order that threatens to slash federal funding for programs that don't meet his administration's strict standards to address homelessness, mental illness, and addiction.
Watts also recommends increasing access to mobile mental health treatment teams, which have long waitlists. He suggests prioritising the building of more affordable housing for extremely low-income New Yorkers.
It's encouraging to note that more than 3,500 New Yorkers who were living unsheltered have moved into housing since Adams took office. Despite this, the estimated number of unsheltered New Yorkers has increased since last year and continues to rise each year that Adams has been in office.
The Department of Homeless Services currently runs over 85,000 shelters in New York City. The search results do not provide specific information on the number of people who have been permanently housed in apartments since Mayor Adams took office.
In conclusion, while Mayor Adams' approach to homelessness has resulted in some successes, it's clear that more needs to be done to address the rising number of unsheltered New Yorkers and to ensure that those displaced from encampments are effectively moved into permanent housing. The potential federal funding cuts also add a layer of complexity to the issue. Collaboration between officials and advocacy groups will be key in moving forward.
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