1.3K Homeless Move From Subway To Shelter Amid Safety Plan, Mayor Says

NEW YORK, NY — More than 1,300 homeless New Yorkers have accepted a spot in a shelter in the first three months of Mayor Eric Adams' controversial subway safety plan, his office revealed this week.

The mayor revealed Wednesday that 1,379 people accepted a spot in a shelter since he first sent teams of cops and social workers to clear unhoused people from the transit system in February.

The number — which averages at 115 shelter placements a week — was touted as an increase from the first week of the mayor's plan, when only 22 people accepted shelter, according to his administration.

“It is evident that our efforts are working,” Adams said. “This announcement shows what is possible when we can break down silos between agencies and work in partnership with the state and the MTA toward a collective goal."

Advocates who have criticized the mayor's plan contended they still don't know what kind of care those 1,379 people received.

"It’s telling that @NYCMayor’s announcement does not include any information on how many people remained in shelters," the Coalition for the Homeless said. "And whether they were offered placements in Safe Havens, stabilization beds, or congregate shelter."

The number of those who moved to a shelter is also a small portion of the people reached by the mayor's teams, who engage with around 744 people each day, according to his office.

Only about 2 percent of the nearly 67,000 engagements resulted in a shelter placement in the three months, the numbers show.

The percentage is even less than the 15 percent or so of homeless New Yorkers who were convinced to move to a shelter by another of the mayor's controversial initiatives — sweeping encampments on city streets.

Of 264 homeless New Yorkers, 39 offered help during those sweeps had accepted a spot in a shelter as of earlier this month.

The mayor's Subway Safety Plan was announced in February amid a spike in transit crime that has not seemed to taper off since the program's implementation.

Just this week, an unprovoked killing on a Q train led cops on a manhunt for a suspect that was able to slip past officers in Manhattan. The killing was the fourth homicide on the subway system so far this year despite Adams' plan for increased police presence, reports note.