Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio, HRA Commissioner Steve Banks, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Kick Off 2016 Hope Count

February 5, 2016

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Deputy Mayor Herminia Palacio, HRA Commissioner Steve Banks, and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito will kick-off a HOPE count volunteer training session at PS 116 in Manhattan. This event will be open press.

Following the volunteer training, the Mayor, HUD Secretary, Deputy Mayor, Commissioner and Speaker will participate in the HOPE count. This portion of the event will be pooled. Pool details will be finalized and sent on Monday.

In order to protect the privacy of homeless individuals on our streets and ensure a more accurate count, there will be no media tours during the actual count between 12 AM and 4 AM. Members of the media interested in participating in the count are encouraged to volunteer for the entire four-hour count. Cameras are not allowed to accompany volunteers.

Sign up to volunteer for the HOPE count by emailing: NCueto@dhs.nyc.gov

WHAT:          HOPE Count Volunteer Training Kick-Off

WHEN:          Monday, February 8, 2016 – approximately 11:30 PM

WHERE:       PS 116
                        210 E 33rd St.
                        New York, NY 10016 

ABOUT THE HOPE COUNT:

The Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) is an annual, HUD-mandated, point-in-time estimate to assess the number of individuals chronically living in New York City's public spaces. On the night of the HOPE Count, thousands of volunteers are assembled and sent out in teams to survey New York's streets, subways and parks. Conducted by the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS), the HOPE Count is a point-in-time estimate of chronically unsheltered individuals used to project service needs, allocate resources for the street homeless population, and educate and engage fellow New Yorkers about this serious issue affecting us all.

The HOPE Count serves to increase public accountability and continually evaluate and improve the programming designed to help street homeless New Yorkers. The event began in Manhattan in 2003 and has expanded citywide every year since 2005. When HOME-STAT, the nation’s most comprehensive street homeless outreach program, is fully ramped up in March, the City will have even more data on chronically homeless individuals living in the city’s public spaces.