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Early 1980s - A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

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Early 1980s - A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

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Source: A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

Homelessness first soared in New York in the early 1980's.

One theory for this sudden surge of homelessness is the release of many mentally ill patients during this time due to deinstitutionalization, which was a movement that believed mental health hospitals were inhumane.

Another theory for this occurrence was the emergence of crack which flooded the streets of New York City during this time period. This resulted in many single adults needing living, causing them to take up all the homeless shelters.

The final theory is that the increase in inequality and smaller middle class made it harder for poorer people to acquire housing. This means that the increasing in inequal income resulted in a lot of buying power in the upper class.

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A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

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The homeless have always been with us. But somewhere along the way they changed from an isolated population of alcoholic men to a visible problem affecting families with children.

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Source: NYC Shelter System - Overview - Benefits Plus

New York City created the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) in 1993. The DHS was created to predominantly provide shelter to homeless families, but also single homeless adults. By providing shelter instead of giving money, New York City takes these people off the streets and into homes while being cost efficient.

The DHS along with the Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), are supervised by the State’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA). The OTDA governs, inspects and enforces regulations on the shelters provided by these programs.

Although flawed due capacity and placement referrals, the DHS has proved to be effective even today.

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A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

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The homeless have always been with us. But somewhere along the way they changed from an isolated population of alcoholic men to a visible problem affecting families with children.

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January 24, 2010 - Why the City’s Annual Street Homeless “Estimate”  
Fails to Measure Homelessness Accurately and Misleads the Public 

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January 24, 2010 - Why the City’s Annual Street Homeless “Estimate”  
Fails to Measure Homelessness Accurately and Misleads the Public 

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Source: Microsoft Word - Briefing Paper -- Undercounting the Homeless 2010 1-25-2010.doc

During the years surrounding 2010, New York City was trying to give hope to their citizens by lying about multiple homeless statistics.

One example of this was the HOPE Survey conducted by the Department of Homeless Services. First off, the HOPE surveys "estimate" was off by 2000-3000 people in both intervals of the City's Street Homeless Population. Additionally, this survey stated that the homeless population decreased by around 500 people when in reality it increased by over 100 people.

Another example of this was demonstrated by fake claims the city made after the Great Recession (the worst economic downfall since the Great Depression). After the Great Recession the city stated how the homeless population decreased for the fifth consecutive year when really the homeless rates saw very dramatic increases due to the falling markets.

Though these attempts to giving hope to citizens may be effective, they prevent people from facing and taking action against a very present and prevailing issue.

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A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

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The homeless have always been with us. But somewhere along the way they changed from an isolated population of alcoholic men to a visible problem affecting families with children.

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February 2021 - Age-Adjusted Mortality Rate for Sheltered Homeless New Yorkers

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February 2021 - Age-Adjusted Mortality Rate for Sheltered Homeless New Yorkers

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Source: Age-Adjusted Mortality Rate for Sheltered Homeless New Yorkers - Coalition For The Homeless

Due to lack of protection from the virus, it should be obvious that many homeless people died from the coronavirus in such a dense and compact city.

In February 2021 the DHS recorded that, "113 homeless people had died from COVID-19, including 101 sheltered individuals and 12 unsheltered individuals".

This statistic is vital to giving insight into homeless shelters because although sheltered, 101 people died from the coronavirus. This could indicate both a lack of cleanliness and healthcare in shelters. This is surprising particularly because the DHS is managed by the State’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance which is supposed to govern, inspect and clean these shelters.

The OTDA not properly doing their job could mean that they are poorly governing these shelters in general.

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A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

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The homeless have always been with us. But somewhere along the way they changed from an isolated population of alcoholic men to a visible problem affecting families with children.

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May 29, 2023 - New York City's Homeless Bill of Rights becomes law

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May 29, 2023 - New York City's Homeless Bill of Rights becomes law

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Source: New York City's Homeless Bill of Rights becomes law : NPR

In very recent years homeless levels have hit levels that haven't been reached since the Great Depression with over 75,000 people in New York City living in shelters.

In response to these crazy statistics, New York City released a Homeless Bill of Rights on May 29, 2023. This acknowledges the right to sleep outdoors (with some limitations), the right to apply for rental aid and it gives people the right to complain about shelter conditions.

The right to sleep outdoors can be seen as vital to the homeless community since it allows them to be able to live without any shelter and without being forced to leave by a policeman. The predominant repercussion to this right, is that homeless people on the streets could interrupt people's day to day lives or even hurt the scenery of the city.

The right to apply for rental aid allows people to get government assistance to pay rent if they are behind on it or can't pay it at the moment.

The right to complain about shelter allows people to freely speak up about poor conditions and health risks they may be facing in a particular shelter.

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A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

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The homeless have always been with us. But somewhere along the way they changed from an isolated population of alcoholic men to a visible problem affecting families with children.

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October 10, 2024 - Mayor Adams Announces New "Co-Response" Operation Focused on Serving More New Yorkers in Need on New York City Subways

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October 10, 2024 - Mayor Adams Announces New "Co-Response" Operation Focused on Serving More New Yorkers in Need on New York City Subways

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Source: Mayor Adams Announces New "Co-Response" Operation Focused on Serving More New Yorkers in Need | City of New York

This new Co-Response Operation pairs police with clinical professionals to help members of the public in need of medical or social services (mostly homeless people).

This operation has helped to deescalate certain situations, help keep the streets safe and keep a healthier lower class as well as people who may need help in public. Additionally, it allows these clinicians to quickly identify a problem first-hand and take certain people to get professional help if needed.

This Co-Response Operation has been introduced by Mayor Adams to help people in transportation, mainly the subway. This is because a lot of violent incidents occur in the subway. This action to safety is predicted to reduce harmful situations that may occur.

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A Brief History of Homelessness in New York

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The homeless have always been with us. But somewhere along the way they changed from an isolated population of alcoholic men to a visible problem affecting families with children.