Mayor Adams Announces 1st Portion of Program to Connect Homeless New Yorkers with Social Services

MAYOR ADAMS COMPLETES INITIAL PORTION OF ENHANCED EFFORT TO CONNECT NEW YORKERS LIVING ON THE STREETS WITH SOCIAL SERVICES, CLEAN PUBLIC SPACES

Multi-Agency Task Force Cleaned Over 200 Locations Across NYC, Effort Planned for Two Weeks Completed Ahead of Schedule

Yesterday Mayor Adams Attended Opening of Morris Avenue New Safe Haven Location In Bronx – Bringing Total Number of New Low Barrier Beds Up To 350

Next Portion of Task Force Work to Include Identification of New Encampments and Maintenance of Public Spaces

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the completion of the first portion of an enhanced effort to connect New Yorkers living on the streets and experiencing homelessness with social services, as well as the city’s efforts to clean up public spaces across the five boroughs. Originally planned as a two-week intensive effort that began with initial cleanups on Friday, March 18, this first portion ends today, March 30 — two days ahead of schedule. The teams, comprised of members from a multi-agency task force, visited 244 locations and completed cleanup of 239 encampments across New York City — offering assistance to New Yorkers living on the street, while upholding the city’s Sanitation Code and maintaining cleanliness in public spaces. On Meeker Avenue in Brooklyn alone, task force members cleaned 10 separate locations — recovering 537 used needles, potentially for illegal drug use, across four of those locations.

Yesterday, Mayor Adams opened the Morris Avenue Safe Haven site in the Bronx, with 80 beds available to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness — part of the 500 additional low-barrier beds announced in his Subway Safety Plan, 350 of which will be open to serve New Yorkers this week.

An image from an encampment on Meeker Avenue in Brooklyn before the task force took action — cleaning spaces and recovering over 500 needles over four locations.

The first phase of the task force’s effort — which concludes today, ahead of schedule —included initial visits to encampments across the city, as well as re-inspections of locations after the initial visits and a recanvass across the five boroughs to identify any new or remaining encampments. The task force conducted a total of 244 visits — and 239 of those sites have been cleaned.

The second phase of the task force’s effort — which begins tomorrow, Thursday March 31 — will include an evaluation of recanvassing and scheduling of the next round of site visits. The task force will also return to the sites that remain active and have not yet been fully cleaned to complete that work. At some sites, teams visited and decided to delay cleaning to allow additional time needed by those living at those sites.

This multi-agency effort has been led by a task force that includes the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS), the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the New York City Parks Department, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD). For a typical visit, a team has gone to an encampment, offering to connect any person who appears to be living on the street with social services — including shelter, other housing options, and medical, mental, and substance abuse health care — simultaneously cleaning up the public space. Each visit is prefaced with a written notice 24 hours in advance, and NYPD officers have had their body-worn cameras on throughout each engagement.

One room from the Morris Avenue Safe Haven site in the Bronx, opened yesterday with 80 beds available to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness — part of the 500 additional low-barrier beds announced in the mayor’s Subway Safety Plan, 350 of which will be open to serve New Yorkers this week.

City Hall – Rotunda

New York, NY 10007

March 30, 2022