Mayor Adams to decide on 'Homeless Bill of Rights' that allows homeless encampments outside
ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream
NEW YORK CITY -- New York Mayor Eric Adams has hailed his city's right to shelter as a hallmark of compassion for its most destitute. Now he must decide if he will extend that compassion by bestowing homeless people with the right to sleep outside.
The City Council unanimously approved a "Homeless Bill of Rights" last month that would make New York the first big U.S. city to establish an explicit right to sleep in at least some public places.
If Adams, a Democrat, allows the measure to become law, it could be a notable departure for the city, which has for years sent police and sanitation crews to clear homeless encampments as they arise.
It also would run against the prevailing political headwinds in other places that have struggled with large numbers of people living in tents and other makeshift shelters.
The increasing visibility of homeless camps has fueled public frustration and prompted politicians, including some moderate Democrats, to push to reduce their prevalence - to the chagrin of some advocates for homeless people.
"More and more, it's simply illegal to be homeless all across the country - in Republican and Democratic cities," said Mark Horvath, CEO of Los Angeles-based nonprofit Invisible People. "But it's not like we can arrest our way out of this crisis."
Among the nine rights in the measure are safeguards against being forced into facilities that don't correspond to a person's gender identity. It also gives people the right to apply for rental assistance and requires parents staying in shelters be given diapers for their babies.
It is uncertain how the proposed right to sleep outdoors might work in practice.
New York City has rules limiting the ability to set up a campsite. Most city parks close at 1 a.m. Privately owned spaces are off limits. Sidewalks and roads are required to be free of obstructions.
People are forbidden from lying down on benches or seats on the city's subway trains, though enforcement is lax.
New York City is required by law to guarantee space in its huge shelter system to anyone who needs it, but the system has been bursting partly due to an influx of migrants, many of whom crossed into the U.S. along the southern border.
Mayor Adams to decide on 'Homeless Bill of Rights' that allows homeless encampments outside
ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream
NEW YORK CITY -- New York Mayor Eric Adams has hailed his city's right to shelter as a hallmark of compassion for its most destitute. Now he must decide if he will extend that compassion by bestowing homeless people with the right to sleep outside.
The City Council unanimously approved a "Homeless Bill of Rights" last month that would make New York the first big U.S. city to establish an explicit right to sleep in at least some public places.
If Adams, a Democrat, allows the measure to become law, it could be a notable departure for the city, which has for years sent police and sanitation crews to clear homeless encampments as they arise.
It also would run against the prevailing political headwinds in other places that have struggled with large numbers of people living in tents and other makeshift shelters.
The increasing visibility of homeless camps has fueled public frustration and prompted politicians, including some moderate Democrats, to push to reduce their prevalence - to the chagrin of some advocates for homeless people.
"More and more, it's simply illegal to be homeless all across the country - in Republican and Democratic cities," said Mark Horvath, CEO of Los Angeles-based nonprofit Invisible People. "But it's not like we can arrest our way out of this crisis."
Among the nine rights in the measure are safeguards against being forced into facilities that don't correspond to a person's gender identity. It also gives people the right to apply for rental assistance and requires parents staying in shelters be given diapers for their babies.
It is uncertain how the proposed right to sleep outdoors might work in practice.
New York City has rules limiting the ability to set up a campsite. Most city parks close at 1 a.m. Privately owned spaces are off limits. Sidewalks and roads are required to be free of obstructions.
People are forbidden from lying down on benches or seats on the city's subway trains, though enforcement is lax.
New York City is required by law to guarantee space in its huge shelter system to anyone who needs it, but the system has been bursting partly due to an influx of migrants, many of whom crossed into the U.S. along the southern border.
