Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears on the Cats Roundtable

December 20, 2015

John Catsimatidis: On the Sunday before Christmas, we have a very special guest – we have Mayor Bill de Blasio, and he’s going to tell us what he’s doing for Christmas for the people of our city. Mayor de Blasio, good morning – how are you?

Mayor Bill de Blasio: It’s great to talk to you, John – very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all of your listeners.

Catsimatidis: Thank you so much. Mr. Mayor, a few days ago, with the holiday time coming, I see you have come up with a new program for the homeless. Do you want to tell New Yorkers and all Americans about what you are doing?

Mayor: Yeah, John, I appreciate that a lot. Look, John, I know you feel this – you are one of the biggest-hearted people in this city, and you’ve devoted yourself to helping people in need in so many ways. As mayor of this city, you know, we have a stark reality – at the same time as the city is doing so well economically, as we’re creating hundreds of thousands more jobs and so much opportunity, we also know there are some New Yorkers who have just fallen out of the situation altogether, who are living on our streets. We count them as 3,000 to 4,000 people whose lives have gone astray, who’ve gone from a path that once upon a time was a normal life, to a life on the street. And for the vast majority of them, that means mental health challenges and substance abuse challenges overtook them at some point – maybe also economic challenges as well. We’ve got to do something very different for these folks, so we announced a new program called HOME-STAT, and it simply means that every day we will send city government personnel out all over the city, particularly in the core areas of Manhattan where homelessness is at its greatest. We’ll be going over every block, looking for folks who are homeless, trying to figure out what they need. We’ll have teams that are dispatched to them within an hour. And any New Yorker will be able to call 3-1-1 if they see a homeless person in need. If they see any group of homeless people congregating, they’ll be able to call and we will send professionals right to that site immediately. Obviously, John, sometimes there’s also illegal activity that has to be addressed, and, in that instance, NYPD will have a specially trained group of officers who can be deployed instantly to deal with any illegalities. But what we’re going to do that’s never been done before is not only the biggest outreach effort that probably any American city has ever mounted to reach the homeless and try and get them off the street, but also to create the ability to know what each individual needs to turn their life around, because these folks are suffering, let’s face it. And some people, you know, have needed drug treatment for a long time, but have never been connected to it. Some people have been trying to get back to their family and, you know, lost touch with their family. We know of cases like that where someone became disconnected, ended up on the street – the family literally couldn’t even find them. So it really depends on the person. We’re going to have an individual solution for each person, and we will relentlessly pursue it, and, John, it will take years – I’m not for a moment saying this is easy stuff – it’s an easy mission to complete. But day by day, week by week, we’re going to get people of the street, one by one, and get them to a better life. 

Catsimatidis: Wow. And when will people be able to dial? Is there a start date? When can they dial 3-1-1 and say there’s a homeless person infant of my doorstep?

Mayor: You can do that now, and you can also it by email, and that does result in action. But what this new plan will lead to is a lot more outreach workers and a lot quicker action, and that will all be implemented over the next three months. So, right now, no New Yorker should hesitate from reporting what they see. It’s important to us to hear those reports, but we’ll be able to do a lot more with those reports as we build out these outreach teams through the HOME-STAT effort. And again, the other thing that’s going to be entirely different is now these teams will have a lot more information about the people they’re trying to serve and what they need to turn their lives around. One other thing that I know you’ll appreciate – we’re working very closely with the archdiocese of New York and with Cardinal Dolan on a key part of this that’s called Safe Havens – those are small centers at houses of worship – maybe five or ten beds, for example. The archdiocese, but also many other houses of worship across the faiths are giving us space and volunteers. And these are settings that the folks who have been living on the street permanently are more willing to go to than say a traditional shelter – they’re much smaller and they feel they’re safer environments. And obviously the fact that they’re faith communities gives people more a sense that they’ll be protected. Those are being built out more and more over the next months, and, by June, we’re going to have 500 beds that we don’t have today available to folks. We think that’s going to really help us get folks off the street. And we think once they get into one of those settings where they get support – what’s a nurturing environment – it’s also going to help us convince people who previously weren’t willing to accept treatment to actually get the kind of support and treatment they need. 

Catsimatidis: Well, I have to tell you, Mr. Mayor, that when I read about that program, and I called you right away and said this brings tears to my eyes – around the holiday time, around Christmas time that we’ll be helping these people. I think it’s a terrific program and I have to commend you for doing that.

Mayor: Well, John, I appreciate that a lot. Look, you know – you know the phrase, “there but for the grace of god go I?” You know, a city of 8.5 million people – a lot of success stories in this city, a lot of people who have come here and had their dreams fulfilled, but for 3,000 or 4,000 New Yorkers, unfortunately, the streets became their home, and it’s our job to find a better way. And we have to try a lot of new things and do a lot of things different, but homelessness is a problem we’ve been grappling with in this city 30 or 40 years – we can’t let it continue this way. We’ve got to do something different, and we’ve got to help these folks find the way. I said earlier, you know, there was a pathway each one of them took that lead them ultimately to the streets. There’s a pathway back from the streets to a home, and we’ve got to find it for each person. 

Catsimatidis: Mr. Mayor, is there anything – the Sunday morning before Christmas – anything else you want to tell the American people, or New Yorkers?

Mayor: I think we have a lot to be thankful for. I think it’s a time to count our blessings – and obviously the blessing of family, and take time with our family that we often don’t do enough during the year. And it’s a time to really appreciate the fact that even with all the challenges in the world, we’re safe here in New York City, which is the ultimate blessing, and we have the men and women of the NYPD to thank for that – another year of driving down crime, making this a safer city, protecting us from those who wish to do us harm overseas, and protecting our way of life. You know, John, one other point I know you’ll appreciate – a lot of people were concerned about the Thanksgiving Parade – the Macy’s Parade. NYPD did an extraordinary job preparing for it, and we let people know there would be a lot of police presence, a lot of protection. What happened? We had the highest attendance we ever had in the almost 90 years of the Macy’s Parade – the highest attendance we ever had. People showed that they had faith. We’re going to be protecting people during the holidays. We’re going to be protecting people on New Years Eve. And the best way to show that – both as New Yorkers and Americans – that we’re standing by our way of life and our values is – come out and fully appreciate and enjoy the life of this city, and show that we are strong and resilient. 

Catsimatidis: Mr. Mayor, you’ve got an asset in Police Commissioner Bratton. And, God bless you, and your entire staff for keeping this city safe, and have a very Merry Christmas. 

Mayor: You too, John. Merry Christmas, and God bless you, and I’ll see you soon.