Effort a First Step to Reducing and Ultimately Ending Street Homelessness, DHS Says

February 24, 2003 – One thousand concerned New Yorkers tonight joined city officials in an unprecedented mobilization to estimate the size of Manhattan's street homeless population. By the end of the night, volunteers will have walked an estimated 330 miles of city streets as they searched for unsheltered individuals in neighborhoods borough-wide. Data collected in the Homeless Outreach Population Survey will help the City further improve outreach strategies, enhance services, and reduce street homelessness. While similar efforts have been conducted for many years in cities around the world, tonight marked the first official effort by the City of New York.

"In order to end street homelessness you have to understand how many people are out there, where they are, and how to better meet their needs – and ending street homelessness must be a goal,” said Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner Linda Gibbs. “No one should have to make their home on the street. We can and must do more to transition these individuals to more stable and safe living situations. Getting an accurate sense of the population will help the City plan more effectively and assess our progress."

“We’re delighted to see DHS focusing on street homelessness through tonight’s survey, an essential starting point in redefining homelessness as a solvable problem,” said Rosanne Haggerty, Executive Director of Common Ground, a leading housing provider to the homeless. “Periodic street counts have been an essential part of improving services and reducing street homelessness in London, Boston, and Philadelphia alike.”

Volunteers received a one-hour training before breaking into teams of 4-5 to canvass streets, subway stations, and other public areas looking for unsheltered individuals. Each team was led by an experienced social service worker and was on the street from midnight to roughly 4am. Security accompanied teams in certain areas.

The initiative was first announced in the DHS strategic plan, released in June 2002. While this initial effort was limited to Manhattan, future surveys will be conducted on a routine basis and will expand to the outer boroughs. The data will enable those serving street homeless individuals to better understand how the population changes over time, and shift outreach strategies accordingly. The City today has outreach teams in all five boroughs that work to build relationships with individuals on the streets to encourage them to come in for services.

Organizations that have assisted in planning or recruiting volunteers for the event include AmeriCorps, Bowery Residents’ Committee, Citizens Advice Bureau, Common Ground, the Doe Fund, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, New York Cares, Project Help, and Project Renewal. The police and parks departments, as well as the MTA, also dedicated staff to the effort.