New York City’s incoming mayor will soon inherit a decades-long homelessness crisis insufficiently addressed, and at times worsened, by his past three predecessors. So what will Eric Adams do differently?
The tragedy galvanized residents of 710-720 Hunts Point Ave., where the incident took place, to demand safer conditions. A half decade later, they’re still fighting for fixes. “We’ll never forget that day those little girls died,” tenant association leader Annie Martinez told City Limits. “And they haven’t changed anything since.”
RxHome, the organization behind the project, said the spiral maze is intended to show those who have not experienced homelessness or housing instability the various hurdles to finding a home, while illustrating the real-life experiences of thousands of local families.
The soon-to-be governor recently pledged to re-strengthen the state’s eviction moratorium after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key portion of the law, which expires at the end of this month.
With the city’s hotel shelter transfers once again imminent, City Limits reached out to nonprofit providers to talk with shelter staff and visit the buildings where the city puts up New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
The city must provide written notice to shelter residents at least a week before scheduled moves out of hotels, and ensure those with disabilities are informed of the right to request “reasonable accommodations” at least five days before a transfer, the judge ruled.
Homeless New Yorkers have been bracing for a return to the barracks-style shelters for months. Nonprofit providers and DHS began sending letters as early as March urging homeless hotel residents to discard excess belongings to comply with a “two-bag policy” at shelters.
The bill would raise the value of city-backed housing subsidies for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. The voucher values currently trail actual market rents, making it hard for families to find a landlord willing to accept them.
‘We need to abandon once and for all the idea that homelessness is a choice, and that people are not in shelters because they don’t know better. The problem is they do and that’s why they are choosing to sleep on subways and sidewalks.’
‘Stigmatizing and criminalizing homeless people is just another tool the real estate industry uses to maintain status quo and maximize their bottom lines. The stigmatization must stop — we need to end this prejudice and get honest about who is homeless and why.’
City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.
Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.
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