New York City Plans to Stop Homeless People From Sheltering in Subway
Source: New York Times
New York City Plans to Stop Homeless People From Sheltering in Subway
The plan calls for stricter enforcement of transit system rules and more mental-health services and housing options for those being cleared from stations and trains.
By Andy Newman, Dana Rubinstein and Michael Gold
Feb. 18, 2022
Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday an aggressive plan to deploy police officers and mental-health workers into New York City’s subway, pledging to remove more than 1,000 homeless people who shelter there regularly, some of whom have contributed to escalating violence and harassment in the system.
Starting Monday, the officials said, there will be a zero-tolerance policy — enforced by the hundreds of officers who already patrol the system — for people sleeping sprawled across train seats or in stations, or for other violations of the subway’s often flouted rules of conduct, including littering, unruly behavior and lingering in a station for over an hour.
Dozens of mental-health professionals with the power to order the involuntary hospitalization of people who they deem a danger to themselves or others will be added to outreach teams systemwide.
“No more just doing whatever you want,” Mr. Adams said at a news conference at a Lower Manhattan subway station. “Those days are over. Swipe your MetroCard, ride the system, get off at your destination. That’s what this administration is saying.”
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/nyregion/homeless-people-subway-trains-mta.html
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