January 4, 2016 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced an executive order allowing authorities to force homeless individuals off street when temperatures reach below freezing. In response, the Coalition for the Homeless issued this statement from President & CEO Mary Brosnahan: “Despite the fact that his administration has started to backtrack on this claim, we have major concerns that the Governor’s order would forcibly move individuals against their will. Put simply, being homeless is not a crime. As we saw during the Giuliani years, aggressive measures only pushed the most marginalized homeless men and women further away from the very networks needed to engage them and help connect them with housing-based solutions. “While we are heartened that the Governor has acknowledged the State’s role in providing life-saving shelter for vulnerable New Yorkers, his order does nothing to provide for the long-term mental and physical health needs of our neighbors without homes. The single most important step the Governor can take to stem the suffering on our streets is to join with the Mayor to forge a fourth NY/NY Housing Agreement, creating 30,000 units of supportive housing in New York City and an additional 5,000 statewide.”
