Mamdani vows to end homeless encampment sweeps, Adams admin responds to criticism
Mamdani vowed to stop the practice of encampment sweeps when he takes office, saying the sweeps have failed to connect people living on the streets with permeant housing.
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Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met with homelessness advocates and those impacted.
Mamdani vowed to stop the practice of encampment sweeps when he takes office, saying the sweeps have failed to connect people living on the streets with permeant housing.
The decision has fueled criticism from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
At a media availability on Tuesday, the incoming mayor addressed several questions pertaining to the controversial topic.
"I do not think that leaving New Yorkers to sleep in the cold is the answer, I also do not think pushing New Yorkers to sleep in an equally cold setting is the answer either, I think the answer is connecting those New Yorkers to housing, we have to look at the efficacy of the Adams administration's policy on this, it is a policy that did not connect a single New Yorker to permanent housing in a single year," Mamdani said.
Asked where he would draw the line on enforcing a sweep, like if the issue spilled onto subway cars or blocked a sidewalk, Mamdani did not provide a direct yes or no.
"What I am opposed to is what Is the failure that we've seen to characterize the Adams administration approach to this, what I am opposed to is looking at an entire Calander year and seeing the Adams administration be unable to connect a single homeless new yorker that was affected by those sweeps to permanent housing," said Mamdani.
Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams did not stay quiet on the stance.
"Let’s be clear — this false claim couldn’t be further from the truth. The encampments effort is a very small part of our administration’s overall strategy to support our most vulnerable New Yorkers, which has placed 9,000 people in shelter from our subways alone. Importantly, we have connected more than 4,000 more New Yorkers from the streets and the subways to the safe, permanent housing that they deserve," said Fabien Levy, deputy mayor for communications.
The administration says they have directly connected more than 120 New Yorkers specifically from encampments to shelters this year and put them on a path to stability while also cleaning up sites across the city.
Since March 2022, a total of 18,320 encampments has been cleaned up, with 332 cases where additional visits were needed to resolve the cleanings. The city says there are still 180 active locations that are pending an operation.
The Department of Social Services has connected over 53,200 households to subsidized permanent housing from shelter, according to city data, a 26% increase compared to the second term of the previous administration.
"We all agree that there’s nothing dignified about living on the streets — particularly in this frigid cold — and we’ll continue to use proven methods to connect every New Yorker we can to a safe and stable home," said Levy.
