The state court of appeals on Tuesday struck down a plan that would have would have required an interview before allowing single adults to enter the shelter system to ensure no other sleeping arrangements were available to them. NY1′s Grace Rauh filed the following report.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not getting his way when it comes to homeless policy.
The state’s highest court on Tuesday struck down a requirement that homeless adults prove that they have nowhere else to go before being admitted to a shelter.
Opponents of the policy, who fought it in court, are celebrating the ruling.
“The ruling says that this wrongheaded and cruel policy that would have forced men and women in need onto the street, it says it can’t happen,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “And I think the real clarity in that ruling should be heard by the Bloomberg administration.”
“It’s very clear that Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed rules would have resulted in more homeless people being out on the streets of the city, even on the coldest nights of the year, would have resulted in incalculable harm to some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Patrick Markee of the Coalition for the Homeless.
The city’s policy was never actually implemented because of the legal challenge.
A senior city attorney said in a statement, “Shelter should be a last resort, when all other resources have been exhausted. We are disappointed with the Court’s decision today.”
Fighting homelessness has proved to be a significant challenge for Bloomberg. He had said that he wanted to reduce the city’s homeless population by two-thirds, but instead, it has grown by more than that margin on his watch. There are 52,000 homeless people in city shelters each night, including 22,000 children.
A recent study on homelessness from the federal government found that it is on the decline nationally. Some states, though, did see a spike in homelessness. New York State experienced the biggest jump in the country.
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio praised the court’s decision. A spokeswoman for de Blasio says that he opposes rules like the ones struck down that make it harder for people and for families in need to access shelters.
De Blasio has said that he wants to provide new housing assistance to homeless families and New Yorkers at risk of losing their homes.
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