Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani vows to end homeless 'sweeps'
NEW YORK (WABC) -- In a big shift from the previous administration, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Friday that he will not focus on breaking up homeless encampments and will instead center his policy on providing housing.
On the coldest day of the season, Eyewitness News found homeless New Yorkers taking refuge underground.
That included a woman named Harriet, who said she needs help.
"Nothing is being done... shelter is supposed to be temporary place," she said.
Harriet says she doesn't know where to turn, which may be true for many who need to stabilize their lives.
Mamdani told reporters that the answer to homelessness is to provide homes.
"Connecting those New Yorkers to housing, whether it's supportive housing, whether it's rental housing, whatever kind of housing it is," he said.
When he took office, Mayor Eric Adams reacted to a series of high-profile crimes committed by homeless, unstable people by mobilizing law enforcement and outreach workers.
"No more smoking, no more doing drugs. No more sleeping. No more doing barbecues on the subway system. No more just doing whatever you want," Adams said back in February of 2022.
Police officers enforced so-called "quality of life" violations and ended homeless encampments. They were paired with outreach workers to coax the homeless off the streets and into treatment. The severely mentally ill were involuntarily committed.
"We said it's inhumane to walk by someone that clearly can't take care of their basic needs," Adams said.
Mamdani believes it's inhumane to end encampments and would use involuntary commitment in the rarest of cases.
"If you are not connecting homeless New Yorkers to the housing that they so desperately need, then you cannot deem anything you're doing to be a success," Mamdani said.
Dave Giffen runs the Coalition for the Homeless.
"The only way we're going to solve this problem is by creating enough permanent housing so that people don't have to live on subway platforms to live on the streets," Giffen said. "And I'm sorry to say that no mayor so far has done a good job."
However, Mayor Adams is defending his approach.
"If he's stating he's no longer going to implement the smart policy on our part, New Yorkers are going to see the repercussions of that," Adams said.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
