The City’s homeless services commissioner joined First Lady Chirlane McCray and other officials today to tour a new shelter in the Bronx. Marsha’s House will serve LGBT young adults ages 21 to 30 who are homeless. It’s part of Mayor de Blasio’s plan to open 90 new shelters throughout the City. Speaking on NY1’s “Road to City Hall” today, the Mayor once again defended the plan and called it “a borough-based and community-based plan that can get people back on their feet and out of shelter.”
The efforts come as shelters deal with record levels of homelessness. Officials say 59,537 people slept at municipal shelters last night. The effects are also being felt underground as more and more people take to the trains and subway platforms to get out of the cold. Yesterday, we showed video of at least one homeless people on every subway car of an E Train at the Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer Station. What do you say?
Have you seen an increase of people living on the streets or on the subways? Will the opening of more shelters throughout the City help people “get back on their feet”? If not, what suggestions do you have? Do you agree with the Mayor that his plan will finally “turn the tide” on this decades-old problem of homelessness?
Reply with your thoughts to thecall@ny1.com.