New York, NY –
The city's Department of Homeless Services says there are now 3,111 homeless people living on city streets, nearly 800 more than last year's count. That's a 33.6 percent increase.
Commissioner Robert Hess says the increase is the result of the economic downturn, not because of a shortage in the city's shelter space.
"We will provide adequate capacity for anyone who chooses to come into our shelter system tonight," Hess says. "And people that are experiencing homelessness have an option. We will add capacity as necessary and meet that demand tonight, tomorrow night, and every night to come."
But homeless advocates say the city has a severe shortage of beds. "We saw dozens of men sleeping on filthy floors, on chairs, and many of those men would say, 'I've been here for two or three nights. I leave, I go back, I sleep on the subway.' They were unable to get the shelter beds they needed," says Mary Brosnahan with the Coalition for the Homeless.
This is the first year the city has seen an increase in its street population since an official citywide count started five years ago.
Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who covers criminal justice, terrorism and the courts for WNYC. She found her way into public radio after practicing law for five years, and can definitely say that walking the streets of New York City with a microphone is a lot more fun than being holed up in the office writing letters to opposing counsel.
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