What to Know
- New York City's latest effort to support people experiencing homelessness is facing criticism from local leaders and advocacy groups
- On Thursday, Giselle Routhiere, Policy Director at Coalition for the Homeless, called the plan "mass surveillance"
- The announcement comes weeks after an attack in New York City that left three homeless men dead
New York City's latest effort to support people experiencing homelessness is facing a wave of criticism from local leaders and advocacy groups.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Outreach NYC Program this week as part of a new initiative to help homeless New Yorkers get access to temporary or permanent housing options.
More than 18,000 municipal employees will be trained to contact social service workers when they see a homeless person.
Councilmember Stephen Levin released a statement Saturday criticizing the plan saying in part, "In 2016, when home-stat was first implemented, proactive canvassers were hired to drive calls into 311. The call surge did not lead to a reduction in homelessness."
News 4 has reached out to Mayor de Blasio's office for a comment.
Local
On Thursday, Giselle Routhiere, Policy Director at Coalition for the Homeless, called the plan "mass surveillance."
“The Mayor's grand outreach plan is to implement mass surveillance of homeless New Yorkers, without necessary additional investments in real solutions like housing or low-threshold shelters. This is not a plan to 'help' anyone -- it is a chilling and counterproductive plan to try to drive the problem out of sight," said Routhier.
The announcement comes weeks after an attack in New York City that left three homeless men dead.
