Posted on January 6, 2016 by Jacquelyn Simone Over the past week, there has been a flurry of contradictory opinions, statements, reports and proclamations about NYC’s homeless crisis from the Mayor, Governor, City Comptroller, Police Commissioner and other City and State officials. It’s no surprise that so many New Yorkers are confused about the reasons for – and solutions to – the problem, and hungry for some clarity on the issue. An editorial in today’s New York Times clearly reiterates that the only way to truly move people off the streets is for the City and State to work together, cooperatively, to offer our homeless neighbors stability and services through decent emergency shelter and, most importantly, permanent supportive housing. Advocates said they appreciated Mr. Cuomo’s sudden interest but pointed out that his order didn’t bolster mental health services or affordable housing. And they wondered how his aggressive tack could be legal or workable. If, as Mr. Cuomo has suggested, people have good reasons to avoid crowded, filthy shelters, why would you force them to go there and keep them there? And when the weather warms up, what have you solved? Mr. Cuomo’s order seems intended to spotlight, not end, a festering problem in Mr. de Blasio’s city. And to suggest that the mayor is incompetent to fix it, by reminding people that the homeless seem more abundant than ever. And yet, by bulldozing into the crisis, Mr. Cuomo has put himself on the same page as the mayor. Mr. de Blasio has ramped up his own response in recent weeks, shaking up his staff and offering new spending and outreach programs. On Tuesday he named a new deputy mayor for health and human services, Herminia Palacio, with homelessness at the heart of her portfolio. Mr. de Blasio and Dr. Palacio need to act. They also need a partner in Albany. Mr. Cuomo should take his urgent concern and make himself useful — by renewing a defunct state-city partnership to build thousands of units of supportive housing for vulnerable New Yorkers. He should restore state money for homeless services, to make shelters better — and to get more people out of them. Mr. Cuomo, who toiled in the housing field for decades, is promising to unveil his own ambitious homelessness plan in his State of the State address this month. It will be interesting to see whether it is his expert take on solving the problem, or exploiting it. You can help us send a united message to Gov. Cuomo that it’s time for a new City-State supportive housing agreement by signing up for the Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing’s online Thunderclap rally.
