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LAS: City Violates Law, Fails to Provide Beds for at Least 60 Homeless New Yorkers

The Legal Aid Society and Coalition for the Homeless are condemning the City of New York after at least 60 individuals were not provided shelter placements last night at the intake facility for single adult men, a serious breach of law and a court order, as reported by NBC 4 New York.

“It is now clear that this City’s Administration simply does not have a handle on the city’s sprawling homelessness crisis and the serious capacity issues in the Department of Homeless Services’ (DHS) shelters,” reads a statement from the organizations. “We are extremely alarmed by the frequency of these violations under this Administration, and, as legally required, the City must immediately promulgate a plan to ensure that no further violations occur.”

In July, the City committed similar violations, forcing multiple families with children, including asylum seekers, to sleep overnight in a waiting room at the New York City Department of Homeless Services’ Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing (PATH) intake center in the Bronx.

“Any New Yorker, including an individual seeking asylum, is legally entitled to placement in a safe and decent shelter,” the statement from the organizations continues. “Should the City continue to deprive our clients of this codified right, we’ll seek action from the court.”