Author: Jacquelyn Simone

Yes, there is a homeless problem in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged on Tuesday — even as he emphasized that his administration’s policies should not be blamed. Mr. de Blasio, facing a public outcry over street homelessness, has taken pains ..Read More

One of the most ambitious plans from Mayor de Blasio’s State of the City speech — ending veteran homelessness by the end of the year — appears increasingly unlikely. The number of homeless veterans remains at around 1,000 — the same number as in Februa ..Read More

Last night, despite a sustained economic recovery, more than 56,000 New Yorkers slept in a shelter. Among them were 23,000 children who will soon head to their first day of school with one hand tied behind their back. No one is blameless for this human catastr ..Read More

A reporter and a photographer visited homeless encampments across New York City, interviewing dozens of people, from teenagers to those in their 70s. Some had serious medical conditions; one woman was pregnant. They spoke of job losses, mental health issues, s ..Read More

Richard Gere was giving a performance from the heart, but New Yorkers didn’t give a second glance. Because they thought he was a homeless person. Gere, 66 and a star for almost four decades, was standing on Astor Place downtown early last year in a knit cap ..Read More

Six years ago I went into the New York City shelter system. For 11 months, I searched for apartments like crazy. I had few options. I had just come out of a psychiatric hospital. I had a 4-year-old son and was pregnant with my daughter. I had a housing voucher ..Read More

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The opening words of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. The book’s title was used by Democrat Bill de Blasio in his successful campaign to become mayor of New York in 2013. He ..Read More

We are not sure what changed Mayor Bill de Blasio’s mind about the homeless crisis, but he’s no longer denying it is dramatically increasing. Maybe he ventured over to 125th Street and Lexington, or strolled along Eighth Avenue in lower Manhattan, or took ..Read More

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is struggling with the issue of homelessness. There are tons of people sleeping on the street, and New Yorkers are upset about it. One police union briefly trolled the mayor by urging officers to post pictures of homeless ..Read More