Open Hearts Initiative Responds to Adams Volunteer-Run Homeless Outreach Program

In response to Mayor Adams’ proposed volunteer-run homeless outreach program, Sara Newman, Director of Organizing at the Open Hearts Initiative put out the following statement:

“Just hours before Mayor Adams delivered his speech about outreach to homeless folks, his police officers were conducting sweeps and stripping New Yorkers of their belongings without offering them a safe place to go. Engaging peers with lived experience in outreach can be positive, but nothing will change if volunteers and outreach teams don’t have the tools to offer anything new to folks on the streets. There’s a reason that thousands of New Yorkers are living on the streets, and it’s because many have not found the privacy and dignity they need in traditional congregate shelters. Punitive approaches like sweeps criminalize homeless New Yorkers and break down the trust that is required to get someone inside. This Homeless Rights Month, Mayor Adams and the City Council must fast-track housing, provide privacy and dignity in shelters, and once and for all, stop the horrific sweeps. Maybe if the Mayor stopped canceling planned single-room sites, he’d have more beds for those in need.”