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Advocates blast city's new homeless shelter policy

Advocates say the city's new homeless shelter policy is going to leave homeless people in the Bronx and the rest of the city out in the cold.Beginning Friday, anyone who arrives to the city's emergency

News 12 Staff

Oct 11, 2007, 12:52 PM

Updated 6,206 days ago

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Advocates say the city's new homeless shelter policy is going to leave homeless people in the Bronx and the rest of the city out in the cold.Beginning Friday, anyone who arrives to the city's emergency shelter in the Bronx after 5 p.m. will be turned away if they have other housing options. Currently, no questions are asked if a homeless person or family arrives after 5 p.m. and asks to spend the night.Advocates say the change will have a major impact on the city's 36,000 homeless people. They say it will force some to return to the streets or other unsafe living conditions.According to the New York Times, officials say the move is necessary because some homeless families are re-applying for shelter when they are ineligible. The report also attributes the change to part of Mayor Bloomberg's efforts to reduce homelessness across the city.