The Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless are condemning Mayor Adams’ continued policy of tearing down homeless encampments across the City.

“Over the past weeks, the Adams Administration has upended the lives of hundreds of homeless New Yorkers throughout the city, destroying their belongings, inflicting trauma, disrupting their access to services, and failing to help people move into permanent housing or private, single-occupancy shelter beds where they feel safe,” reads a statement from the organizations.

“This approach is counterproductive, and makes it much harder to connect people with housing, shelters, and services,” the statement continues. “These Giuliani-era tactics were tried decades ago and failed, only worsening our city’s homelessness crisis and harming the people involved.”

Advocates note that while previous mayors have conducted thousands of these sweeps, many New Yorkers continue to reside on the streets because the City has failed to offer them a safer alternative.

“The solution to homelessness is housing,” the statement concludes. “The City should invest in affordable permanent housing where our homeless neighbors can reside in peace, away from the elements and other dangers on the street.”