New York City is beefing up security at all homeless shelters serving individuals with mental health problems in response to a killing at an East Harlem shelter.
“The murder of one of our shelter residents is shocking and disturbing, and we must address shelter security with urgency," Mayor de Blasio said Saturday in announcing the enhanced security measures.
The city's Department of Homeless Services will assign additional security officers to all mental health shelters to provide 24-hour coverage every day, according to the mayor. The agency will also invest more money in mental health services at the shelters.
Deven Black, a 62-year-old former school teacher, was killed Wednesday night at the Boulevard Homeless Shelter. Anthony White, 21, who was sharing a room with Black at the shelter, is wanted by police in connection with the killing.
The city intends to evaluate security at all 27 mental health shelters within the next 10 days.
"Our shelters shelters should be safe environments where homeless people, with and without mental illness, can be treated with respect, become self-sufficient and move to permanent housing,” the mayor said.
