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The Facts About The Homeless In The Subway
By
Mirela Iverac
Published Sep 18, 2019
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Gretchen Robinette / Gothamist
By
Mirela Iverac
Published Sep 18, 2019
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All this week, as part of our We the Commuters series, we’re talking about homelessness in the subway system. According to the latest federally-mandated count in January 2019, there are an estimated 2,178 homeless people sleeping on trains every night. What do these numbers tell us, and what is their experience like?
Q: Some New Yorkers say they’re seeing more homeless people on the subway. Do the numbers back that up?
A: This year, the official count of people in the subway system increased by 23 percent compared to last year. But the count is done one night a year in the middle of winter when people tend to move off the street and into the subway system. There are fewer homeless people in the subway when it's warmer outside, and some years, the night they choose for the count is warmer than others. Last year, the number was very low so the increase this year seems very high. If we look at the past five years, we see a much more gradual increase: about 20 percent, or less than 4 percent a year compounded.
Q: Every homeless person in the city has a right to be placed in a shelter. Why do some people ride the subway instead of going to shelters?
A: Most homeless people do stay in shelters. Fewer than four percent of more than 60,000 of New York City's homeless sleep in the subway. Many of those people tried the shelter system at some point and had a bad experience — they might have been robbed, or gotten into a fight, or they don’t like the curfews that shelters have.
“For me it's very restrictive,” said one homeless man who was waiting to get a meal in front of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Manhattan and didn’t want to give his name. “They insist on certain time restrictions: on when you get in, what time of night you're supposed to check in.… It's kind of tantamount to jail.”
Some reasons why people might not want to enter a shelter
Clarisa Diaz / Gothamist
“Many of our clients have had negative experiences in the past that impact their decision-making,” said Lauren Taylor, deputy director of the Manhattan Outreach Consortium, which provides homeless outreach in the borough. “Many of our clients have been through various traumatic experiences in their lives that impact their willingness or their interest in trusting someone again, trusting that that maybe somehow this time is going to be different.”
Those who stay on the subway cannot be forcibly removed unless they're a danger to themselves or others, or two physicians have certified that they require involuntary treatment, according to the state mental hygiene law.
Q: What is the routine like for those who sleep on the subway?
Many people like the longer lines, like the A and the E, and will ride them back and forth during the night. Some homeless people said in interviews with Gothamist/WNYC that it’s very hard to get sleep with the noise, the light, and people coming in and out of cars. If they take more than one seat, they might be woken up by the police and given a warning or a summons.
The presence of the police is increasing. Earlier this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a diversion program in which city police are offering to clear summonses from a homeless person’s record if they agree to go to a homeless shelter. The MTA police have recently begun to patrol certain subway lines as well--it’s normally a job for the NYPD--and are hiring 500 more officers to address “quality of life” issues on the subway.
One of the biggest challenges that people who sleep in the subway mention is getting robbed, which they say is a common occurrence, and is especially difficult when you’re carrying most of your possessions with you. Sleeping in an upright position can also lead to a number of health issues, from back problems to lower extremities’ swelling.
One man, Vance Hinton, said he does exercises in the corner of the train early in the morning to stave off those kinds of problems. He also said he tries to leave before the morning rush and get breakfast at St. Bart’s Church in midtown, one of the religious institutions that the street homeless turn to for help.
At a subway station.
Gretchen Robinette / Gothamist
Q: Do homeless people really choose to sleep on the subway, or do they feel like they don't have better options?
There are many shelters in the city — some are good; others are not. A lot of people who sleep on trains prefer the so-called safe havens. Unlike traditional shelters, safe havens have fewer rules. They don’t have curfews. You’re far more likely to get your own room. But it's also harder to get into a safe haven. In order to qualify for one of these beds most people need to be chronically homeless, which means they’ve been unsheltered for at least 9 months out of the last two years.
Q: Why doesn't the city create more safe havens?
Mayor de Blasio has increased the number of these beds from around 600 to 1,800. There's still a need for more. But some homeless people on the subway don't even want to go to safe havens. Some feel that they’ve been failed by the system. The city contracts with non-profit providers that do homeless outreach. Those workers try to get to know people who stay on trains and earn their trust. Only once that trust is established, they start talking about moving out of the subway. Many people do eventually stop sleeping on trains. It just takes time, five months on average, according to city officials.
“We're really trying to engage people around something that might be a little bit different, something that they may be willing to accept, that fits their needs. But sometimes that can take time and sometimes it's about repeated engagement,” Taylor explained. “It's about being consistent, being persistent and continuing to offer, continuing to build that relationship to help bring people inside.
In addition, advocates for the homeless say the city and state have been unable to build supportive housing quickly enough. These buildings cater to people with mental illness by offering counseling, medical, and addiction services on-site.
We the Commuters goes live at The Greene Space with a look at homelessness in the subways on September 24th, hosted by Shumita Basu along with her fellow WNYC and Gothamist reporters. The evening will include conversations with State Senator Liz Krueger, MTA Board Member Larry Schwartz, Coalition for the Homeless Policy Director Giselle Routhier, the former homeless, and more. More details here.
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Mirela Iverac
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