NEW YORK (VINnews) — Nearly a year after Eric Adams took over as mayor, New York City’s massive homeless problem does not appear to be getting better. In fact, it’s even worse than it was under Bill deBlasio.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
According to the Coalition for the Homeless, the crisis has hit an all-time high, with the average number of people sleeping in a shelter every night at over 65,600 in October.
The coalition claims that the main factor fueling homelessness is the city’s failure to provide adequate affordable housing.
Despite efforts by Adams to combat the crisis and remove homeless from the street, new data shows that around 70% of homeless people moved into shelters have left within a week of being admitted.
According to the data which covers two homeless outreach efforts, which City Hall calls the “Subway Safety Plan” and the “End of the Line” initiative, from February to August, nearly 2,300 homeless individuals were moved off subways and into shelters, but out of those, only 30% stayed longer than a week.
Many homeless have said they do not feel safe in shelters, and many facilities also have strict rules, like curfews.
Recently the mayor launched a new policy (which some consider controversial) to force homeless people who are suffering a “mental health crisis” into a hospital for evaluation even if they refuse to go.
Some mental health professionals are condemning the plan, arguing it takes away a person’s basic human rights.
Adams defended the policy, saying officers will get additional training and real-time support from mental health professionals.
So they’ll take up beds in the emergency rooms, cost hospitals big money so these people can be discharged in the morning. After all, homelessness and poverty is not generally a condition requiring medical treatment. Emergency rooms are not equipped to do psych evaluations and in any case where will they send the patients after examining them? Even if they are needing of mental health treatment there are few options for people without funds. Most don’t need mental health hospitals but rather jobs, or sometimes rehab for drug abuse. Many are just too old or too mentally impaired to work but don’t need treatment. Whole idea to bring them to hospitals is ridiculous.
The problem is the total lack of affordable housing. This applies to most people earning a normal salary in NY. The rents are only affordable for the very wealthy.
As much as I want to blame Adams it’s more the fault of democratic financial policies lead by dementia president and a corrupt incompetent governor.
Adams actually inherited this problem but has done nothing to stop it either
Glad I left nyc two years ago
Homeless shelters are awful places. Make them more humane, and people won’t fear them.
Firstly, lets thank Charlene McCray for her years of mental health programs that cost nearly $1 billion. Her efforts combined with the always pleading poor HRA and Health Departments, have exacerbated the homeless problem, and it is a problem. Housing won’t make a mentally ill person a pekeach. Hospitals are barely keeping up with “sick” people. Our representatives are far more interested in likes and followers than they are in governing. We are Rome.
Adams is a real estate bought guy. Schrons have dozens of pics with him
Would rents become affordable if property taxes were made affordable?
This is a perfect example of allowing fools to elect foolish leaders.
Those that are not positive contributors to society (ie taxpayers) should not have the right to vote in leaders. Period.
If these foolish dependants would become subject to the type of leaders that they are taught (by self-serving politicians, wealthy elite and media) to abhor, their lives would actually become increasingly better.
Instead, the ‘solutions’ created by the morons at the helm, only worsen the problem for them, and for all of us.
Ilpit this aside, Mayor Adams is doing a great Job. He has a lot of pushback and he still pushes for the right thing.
Kudos to Mayor Adams