As Shelter Population Skyrockets, Cuomo Holds Back Promised Housing

As Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio competitively pledged new units of supportive housing to help the city confront its historically high homeless shelter population, it looked like their stupid feud might actually help NYC for once.

De Blasio promised funding for 15,000 units of supportive housing in 2015, while Cuomo immediately responded by pledging to build 20,000 entirely new units during his state of the state address. All told, it met community demands for at least 35,000 supportive housing units, and advocates walked away satisfied that the two feuding politicians were at least competing over who could create more supportive housing. But as the city’s shelter population surges to record highs once again, it appears that only one politician has kept up their end of the bargain.