Homelessness Goes Up A Gigantic 18% In NYC
Despite Mayor Adams’ efforts to address the issue of homelessness and clean up the vagrant population, the number of homeless individuals in New York City has surged by nearly 18% in just one year. The annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) survey conducted on January 24 recorded 4,042 people sleeping on the streets or in the subways, compared to 3,439 in the previous year.
It’s not known why these numbers have surged so much, but it’s likely that the influx of undocumented migrants to the city has certainly not helped.
The increase in homelessness comes as a disappointment after the Adams administration implemented various measures, including enforcement actions, sweeps, and outreach initiatives, to tackle the humanitarian crisis. Unfortunately, the city has seen a return to pre-pandemic levels when then-Mayor Bill de Blasio faced criticism for not doing enough to resolve the issue.
In fairness to the current and previous administrations, it really does seem like they are facing an uphill battle.
Social Services Commissioner Molly Wasow Park, who oversees the Department of Homeless Services, acknowledged the challenging situation, referring to it as a massive humanitarian crisis. She emphasized the agency’s commitment to addressing homelessness while responding to the crisis effectively.
City officials attributed the rise in street homelessness to a milder-than-usual winter, despite implementing controversial street sweeps of encampments and allocating significant funding of $171 million for outreach efforts. They also noted that while street homelessness increased by 18%, the overall shelter population nearly doubled, mainly due to an influx of migrants from the southern border.
Where the city will go from here is really unknown. But it does seem like homelessness in NYC is not a problem that is going away any time soon, no matter how much money is thrown at the problem.
Post Comment