(New York, NY)– The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless issued the following joint statement in response to reporting and data showing the City failed to include violations of law in its shelter census report. These violations transpired at a City shelter intake facility in the Bronx on July 17, 2022, when four families with children were forced to sleep overnight on the floor at a City office: “This is just another example that underscores the City’s refusal to be upfront and honest about these violations of law. Any report that the City issues must be accurate, especially when it relates to a right as fundamental as the right to shelter for families with children. The Administration’s continued failure to provide timely and accurate information on these families in need, including data requested by us weeks ago, suggests that this crisis could be far more widespread than what the City was initially forced to acknowledge. Our clients, homeless New Yorkers, including newly arrived families and individuals from the southern border, deserve immediate answers, and we’re considering every option, including litigation, should the City continue to withhold this critical information.”
