FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              

Monday, March 14, 2022 

CONTACT

Sara Newman, 646-907-9052, info@openheartsinitiative.org

Advocates and Directly Impacted New Yorkers to Mayor Adams: Open Hotel Rooms Tonight to Keep Homeless New Yorkers Safe Amid Tragic Shootings

NEW YORK - Today, homeless New Yorkers and a broad coalition of advocacy groups sent a letter to Mayor Eric Adams calling on him to offer hotel rooms to unsheltered individuals tonight to prevent further loss of life following two recent shootings that targeted homeless New Yorkers. The group is urging the Mayor to start making beds immediately available by repurposing open hotel rooms that the city has been using for COVID isolation and quarantine. 

The letter follows a vigil and rally organized last night at the site of the fatal shooting in Lower Manhattan, where homeless New Yorkers and advocates spoke out about the urgent need to ensure no more lives are lost. This weekend’s attacks on individuals sleeping on the streets come less than one month after the city implemented the Mayor’s Subway Safety Plan to remove homeless New Yorkers from the subways, where many seek refuge due to fears of entering congregate shelters. As of March 2, just 22 individuals out of hundreds contacted by NYPD-involved outreach teams accepted placement at a shelter. Homeless New Yorkers and advocates have emphasized the need to stop forcing unsheltered individuals off of the subways and to put an end to street sweeps–approaches that lead individuals to seek shelter in more dangerous locations, leave them more vulnerable to attacks, and fail to get them into housing.

The full text of the letter is attached.

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