City Announces Plans for Smaller, User-friendly Intake Sites to Ease Entry Into Shelter for Chronically Homeless Men

April 15, 2004 – Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner Linda Gibbs today announced the results of the second annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate, or HOPE 2004, which found 2,694 street homeless individuals on the streets and in the subways of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. The HOPE survey, an annual volunteer mobilization that provides a point-in-time estimate of street homelessness in the City, found 1,482 chronically homeless individuals in Manhattan, 414 in Brooklyn, and 216 in Staten Island. An additional 582 individuals were estimated to be in subway stations and subway cars in the three boroughs. The results, which will offer nonprofit service providers community-level information about street homelessness patterns, will be used to strengthen outreach and engagement efforts. In addition, Commissioner Gibbs was joined by outreach teams and homeless advocates to announce new plans to replace the single point of entry to the men’s shelter system, now located at the Bellevue Men’s Shelter, with three smaller “user-friendly” intake offices, designed to encourage chronically street homeless men to leave the streets.

“HOPE 2004 has produced critical new information about patterns of street homelessness in the City – not only in Manhattan but in the outer boroughs where far too many individuals call the streets their home,” stated Commissioner Gibbs. “In order to reduce street homelessness, you need to know how many people are out there and where they are, and then invest in strategies to encourage them to come inside. I am pleased to announce much-needed changes to the ‘front door’ of the shelter system that will encourage many more of these vulnerable individuals to leave the streets.”

Key Findings from HOPE 2004
HOPE 2004 was administered on Monday, February 23, when more than 1,200 concerned volunteers fanned out across the three boroughs to identify unsheltered individuals. Designed to estimate the size of the chronically street homeless population and establish an annual benchmark to measure success and challenges in reducing street homelessness, HOPE 2004 found:

• 2,694 street homeless individuals in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island.

• One of two individuals were on Manhattan streets, one of five were in subway cars or in subway stations, and one of seven were women.

• This year’s survey produced the second annual estimate for Manhattan. Results of this year’s survey found no significant difference in the number of unsheltered street homeless individuals in Manhattan streets (1,560 individuals in ’03 vs. 1,482 individuals in ’04). However, the total number of single adults in municipal shelters rose significantly (8,323 in ’03 vs. 8,963 in ’04).

• For the second year in a row, no homeless children were on the streets or in other public places on the night of the survey.

DHS will share the results of the survey with outreach teams and their community partners. This community-level demographic and location information will help to inform and improve ongoing outreach activity.

New Plan for Men’s Shelter Intake
Commissioner Gibbs also offered details on plans to change the “front door” of the single adult men’s shelter system – changes designed to improve services to chronically street homeless and historically service-resistant individuals. In addition to “decentralizing” intake to three different sites, which will make accessing shelter more convenient, the new facilities will feature a user-friendly design, enhanced staffing models, and new computer technologies to track vacancies, which will promote swift placement from intake to shelter.

“The bottom line is that we want to encourage more people to come inside – and we want that message reinforced by the intake process,” stated Commissioner Gibbs. “The development of the new intake model is intended to ease entry into shelter for street homeless men who are often overwhelmed by the notion of entering a system or who have a fear of change. The more we can do to overcome these barriers to shelter, the closer we get to ending chronic street homelessness in New York City.”

Outreach and Related Services in New York City
The City of New York contracts with nonprofit agencies that provide outreach services in the five boroughs, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Bowery Residents’ Committee, Volunteers of America, and Project Hospitality provide these services in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, respectively. Outreach staff work to engage and encourage street homeless individuals to leave the streets for shelter, detox programs, or other supportive environments. MTA Connections conducts similar services in the subway system. In addition, the City funds 10 drop-in centers and guarantees shelter to any individual requesting services. New Yorkers that are concerned about the health or well being of a street homeless individual should contact 311. A mobile outreach team will be sent to assess the situation and provide services as appropriate.

Click here to view the HOPE 2004 Results.