June 17, 2003 – “This Administration has worked tirelessly to find new and innovative solutions to end homelessness. We looked at retired cruise ships as part of efforts to enhance the shelter system and provide temporary safe and appropriate shelter to those in need. The ship option offered the possibility to increase capacity without tapping unused residential buildings that can be maintained for the low and middle income rental market. After several months of review, we identified various financial and logistical hurdles that make it impractical to proceed.

“Ensuring the cost efficiency of any new facility is a top priority and retired cruise ships, after necessary retrofitting, would end up costing too much. Retired cruise ships also have a deep draft, which would limit available berthing locations, as New York's harbor is for the most part shallow. In addition, we looked at flotels, hotel facilities that sit on barges. While more cost-efficient for our purposes, these would also be more expensive than traditional shelters after making necessary adjustments and improvements to the berthing docks.

“This decision will have no impact on our ability to meet demand in the near future. We will continue bringing new and innovative ideas forward as we work to address homelessness in the City.”