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De Blasio Allocates $100 Million To Fight Record Homelessness
By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 7, 2015
Modified May 7, 2015
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 7, 2015
Modified May 7, 2015
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To combat a homelessness epidemic unseen since the Great Depression, Mayor de Blasio has allocated an increase of $100 million to spend on "homeless prevention and assistance" in next year's budget.
According to the Times, that money will help fund rental assistance to more than 7,000 households; an additional $4.7 million will add 100 beds to runaway youth shelters.
The Department of Homeless Services' budget was $953.5 million in FY 2015 [PDF]. Hundreds of millions of dollars in City funding goes into the corrupt and inefficient shelter system.
Last week, advocates and elected officials pressed de Blasio to set aside 2,500 NYCHA units to house homeless New Yorkers, a measure that the administration declined to adopt (instead they will allot a minimum 750).
More than 60,000 New Yorkers stayed in city shelters in 2014—25,000 of them children—a 70% increase over the past decade.
The City claims that since October, 6,300 people have exited the shelter system for permanent housing, and that the number of homeless New Yorkers in public spaces has decreased by 5%, a figure disputed by Mary Brosnahan, the president of Coalition for the Homeless, who otherwise supports the mayor's funding initiatives.
“It just flies in the face of common sense,” Brosnahan told the Times. “Across the board, New Yorkers are seeing more homeless people.”
Tagged
dhs
homelessness
homelessness epidemic
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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