Posted on July 28, 2016 by Stephen Levin and Andrew Hevesi in New York Slant New York Slant, By Stephen Levin and Andrew Hevesi New York City and communities across New York state are struggling with a devastating crisis. Roughly 60,000 New Yorkers confront homelessness every night in our city – and that number increases to more than 80,000 statewide. In January, faced with images of homeless New Yorkers sleeping on cold and snowy streets, Gov. Andrew Cuomo promised to build 20,000 new units of supportive housing over 15 years. But, inexplicably, he has not kept his promise, threatening long-term shelter for tens of thousands of individuals and families. When the state Budget passed in April, it included capital funds to build the first 6,000 units over five years, but required the completion of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Cuomo and the leaders of the Senate and the Assembly before the funds could be spent.
