A majority of the City Council’s members called on Mayor Adams Tuesday to immediately halt his administration’s “cruel” homeless encampment crackdown and instead focus on expanding social services.
The Council’s Progressive Caucus, which comprises 34 of the chamber’s 51 members and includes Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), issued the demand in a lengthy statement that comes as budget negotiations are underway between the mayor’s team and the Council.
The missive contended it doesn’t make sense for the mayor to order the dismantling of homeless street encampments while at the same time calling for a 20% spending cut at the Department of Social Services as part of his preliminary budget proposal.
“By demolishing these street encampments, the mayor is telling people, many of whom have nowhere else to go, that they don’t belong,” the statement read.
Referencing videos posted to social media of city workers breaking up a homeless encampment under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway last week, the Council members continued: “During one of the coldest days ever recorded in March, this administration displayed cruelty ... These actions demonstrate callousness toward the most vulnerable people in our city and must stop.”
A spokesman for Adams did not immediately return a request for a response to the progressive caucus’ critique.
But the mayor touched on his homeless outreach efforts during an appearance on CNN+ Tuesday afternoon.
In the interview, Adams said his administration has in past weeks doubled down on expanding so-called safe haven and stabilization shelters, which have proven more popular among homeless people concerned about safety at congregate-style shelters.
He said the city is in the process of building out capacity for 500 beds at such shelters, where drug addiction and mental health services are often available.
“Once we fill those, we want to evaluate so we can pivot to the larger amount that we need,” he said.
In the meantime, Adams affirmed he sees it as a moral obligation to dismantle homeless encampments on city streets and said his administration has cleared more than 230 so far.
“There’s nothing dignified about living on the streets. Some of the encampments we’ve witnessed had human waste, had needles inside, had trash inside. We owe New Yorkers more than that,” he said.
But the Council members argued Adams should’ve completed building out safe haven and stabilization shelters before dismantling any encampments, since individuals living in them will likely just set up camp elsewhere on the streets if there aren’t enough beds available.
“These sweeps will not end homeless; they will only put people in further harm,” their letter said.
The members also included a plug for their budget response, which is $1.3 billion larger than Adams’ initial $98.5 billion proposal.
“If this administration is serious about ending homelessness, they need to immediately discontinue this harm and embrace the Council’s budget,” they said. “This includes $113 million for safe haven shelters, stabilization beds, drop-in centers as well as additional investment in mental health services and permanent affordable and supportive housing.”
The Council and Adams will continue city spending negotiations through the spring before a budget must be passed before the July 1 start of the next fiscal year.
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