Results tagged “homelessness”

The Coalition for the Homeless says "little-noticed data" shows "the number of new homeless families... has surpassed all-time record levels each of the past three months." Last month, 1,464 new families moved into the shelter system, which is the "highest one-month count since the City began keeping records 25 years ago" and it's 22% higher than September 2007. The group's head, Mary Brosnahan, told the Daily News, "While both city and state budget shortfalls require difficult choices, vulnerable New Yorkers now need more support, not less." Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Robert Hess tried to find a silver lining, "The fact that our system is withstanding the test of recent high demand is evidence that we have successfully transformed the families system and put a solid infrastructure in place." Earlier this year, NY Magazine had an article about how homelessness is the "single biggest failure of the Bloomberg administration."

The Independent Budget Office issued a report noting that the number of homeless families has stayed about the same, comparing this past March with 2004 when Mayor Bloomberg promised to reduce homelessness by two-thirds in 2009, even as investment in homeless services has increased by 20%. This suggests Bloomberg is "falling way behind his goals." City Councilman Bill DeBlasio, who commissioned the report, says it's a "wakeup call." The Coalition for the Homeless has questioned whether the Bloomberg administration has addressed homelessness adequately (there was that recent NY magazine article that said it's the Bloomberg administration's "single biggest failure"), but Bloomberg said his administration is trying every day.