NYC Dept. of Homeless Services fails to connect homeless people to proper resources, officials say
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The state comptroller dealt New York City's Department of Homeless Services a scathing audit, saying the department is failing to connect homeless people with the proper resources.
In the audit, data from 2018 and 2022 revealed more than a quarter of people diagnosed with mental illness and nearly half of people diagnosed with drug or alcohol abuse were not placed in appropriate shelters.
Some of them were linked to two recent murders, an attempted murder, a robbery, a shelter suicide and two drug overdoses.
There's a lot of homeless people that they just talk to themselves because they going through something. So I don't think it's right," Toni Hayes, who is homeless, said.
This report came after the mayor announced a new directive that allows police to force homeless people suffering from mental illnesses into hospitals.
Some homeless people are speaking out against this policy.
"Personally, I believe that everybody has freedom, a will. This is America. Everybody has a choice to get treatment," Elijah Murphy, who is homeless, said.
Despite any resistance, the mayor doubled down yesterday and told reporters he would not "punt" on the issues like previous mayors.
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