1,500 Volunteers Canvass Above and Below Ground to Identify Unsheltered Homeless Individuals

February 23, 2004 – Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner Linda Gibbs, joined by Borough President Marty Markowitz, today kicked-off the second annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE 2004) by acknowledging homeless advocacy organizations and the roughly 1,500 volunteers that will help to estimate the number of unsheltered homeless individuals in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. The information gathered through HOPE is used to 1) track changes in the size of the population over time, 2) improve outreach and engagement strategies, and 3) build broad-based public support for efforts to overcome street homelessness. Overcoming street homelessness is one of four main goals of Mayor Bloomberg’s soon-to-be-released ten-year strategy to end chronic homelessness in New York City.

“With the support of concerned New Yorkers, we are bringing new solutions to the age-old problem of street homelessness,” stated Commissioner Gibbs. “It is unacceptable that no one knows how many individuals continue to choose the streets over shelter and other services. Our belief is THAT if you want to create strategies to end street homelessness, you have to know how many people are out there – and that’s exactly what New Yorkers are coming together to figure out tonight.”

Tonight’s mobilization will be one of the largest single-day volunteer efforts to take place in the city this year. Roughly 1,500 volunteers will gather at 10:30 p.m. for training sessions in public schools, churches, and synagogues located around Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Small teams will then fan out across the boroughs – searching streets, parks, subway stations and subway cars, and other public spaces – to identify unsheltered homeless individuals. These volunteers will walk an estimated 690 miles, canvass more than 100 subway stations, including all terminal stations, and DRIVE cars to reach otherwise inaccessible areas in Brooklyn and Staten Island.

“HOPE 2004 marks the first time the survey will include Brooklyn and Staten Island, which will offer community members and local service providers additional data to improve community-based efforts to tackle street homelessness,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “Homelessness is not just a Manhattan issue, it is a New York City issue and we're delighted that HOPE has come to Brooklyn. Hundreds of community members are turning out tonight to show concern for their homeless neighbors and to send a message that they want to be a part of the solution to homelessness.”

In a development from last year’s effort, Commissioner Gibbs announced that HOPE 2004 includes an expanded effort to estimate the number of homeless individuals on subway cars, which were not included in last year’s pilot effort. Teams of volunteers will be stationed at Brooklyn and Manhattan terminal stations for the A, B, D, E, F, L, M, N, Q, R, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9 lines, where trains stop and car doors open for 20 minute intervals. Teams will make passes through the stopped trains to identify individuals without homes. Each train will be canvassed one time during the four-hour survey. DHS will assess, based on this year’s pilot, if additional efforts are needed to better gauge the number of homeless riders during these nighttime hours.

This is the second consecutive year in which the City has estimated the size of the unsheltered population in Manhattan; 1,780 individuals were estimated on streets and in parks and subway stations last year. Some of the key findings from HOPE 2003 included 13% of the unsheltered homeless population were women; a majority of unsheltered individuals were in areas not typically considered to be places of congregation; and no homeless families with children were found on the streets. The information was used to inform and improve outreach strategies in Manhattan.