Mayor Adams Announces Unprecedented Investments in Safe Haven Beds and Resources for New Yorkers Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness

April 24, 2022

Video available at: https://youtu.be/SICE5o7bev8

Adams Administration Will Add  More Than $170 Million In the FY23 Executive Budget to Provide High-Quality Services and Resources for Unsheltered New Yorkers

Funding Is Largest Investment Made by Any City Administration in Street Outreach and Low-Barrier Programs

Investment Will Fund 1,400 Low Barrier Safe Haven and Stabilization Beds, Bringing Total to Over 4,000 Beds to Serve New Yorkers

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced unprecedented investments in high-quality services and resources dedicated to helping unsheltered New Yorkers transition off the streets and out of the subway system and move into more stable housing. As part of his focus to help those experiencing homelessness, Mayor Adams will be allocating an additional $171 million a year, beginning in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), to aggressively expand and enhance outreach efforts and specialized resources, including Safe Havens, stabilization beds, and Drop-in Centers (DICs). This is the largest investment made by any city administration in street outreach and targeted low-barrier programs to support some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness on the streets and in the subways.

“Too many of our fellow New Yorkers are experiencing unsheltered homelessness — but we cannot and will not abandon them,” said Mayor Adams. “We are making the largest investment in street outreach and low-barrier beds that a city administration ever has, in an effort to almost double the number of Safe Haven and stabilization beds available to New Yorkers. These resources will encourage people to come inside and will pave a way toward permanent housing and the stability that every New Yorker deserves.”

“The investments announced today will support thousands of beds for adults experiencing homelessness,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “I want to thank the mayor for prioritizing these dollars now and into the future, and I look forward to working with interagency and community partners to support every New Yorker on their journey to securing a permanent home.”

“This administration is doubling-down on its commitment to making a real and lasting difference in the lives of New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness,” said New York City Department of Social Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins. “We applaud the mayor’s unprecedented investments in aggressively expanding high-quality supports to address the unique needs of some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. These enhancements and specialized resources will encourage even more New Yorkers to come in from the streets and the subways and receive dedicated services that will help them to get back on their feet and ultimately transition to permanent housing. I also want to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated and compassionate outreach staff and provider-partners for their extraordinary efforts around the clock in service of this vital mission.”

“All too often we talk about homelessness and housing as though they are separate, but we cannot solve the homelessness crisis without ensuring we have safe and stable housing for everyone,” said New York City Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Today's investment in Safe Haven and stabilization beds is a critical step towards our ultimate goal. These programs are important because they remove the barriers to access that have often kept people in need of help from getting the support they deserve.”

Mayor Adams has already made significant progress on his commitment to increase the capacity of low-barrier beds dedicated to serving New Yorkers experiencing homelessness as part of his Subway Safety Plan introduced in February. As of today, the city has opened new high-quality sites, which will offer dedicated supports to more than 400 New Yorkers, as part of nearly 500 specialized beds announced in the plan earlier this year. More than 100 additional beds are expected to come online in the coming months, exceeding the goal originally announced in the plan.

With today’s announcement, the city will also open nearly 900 more beds, bringing the total new capacity funded by this investment to more than 1,400 beds. Further, 570 specialized beds are expected to come online by the end of this year, with another 325 by mid-2023. Once online, the city will have over 4,000 specialized beds to serve and support some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers.

In addition to funding for beds, today’s announcement includes $19 million that will be allocated to creating three additional DICs, as well as providing enhanced medical and behavioral health services at city DICs, including funding for specialized staff such as nurses, psychiatrists, and social workers. Finally, $12 million of the funds will be allocated towards DSS’s enhanced and expanded comprehensive outreach program that:

• Increases dedicated outreach staff to further intensify DSS’s subway outreach and placement efforts.
• Adds transportation services and other resources, which will help further streamline the process of connecting clients to suitable placement opportunities.

The city’s low-barrier programs — including Safe Havens, stabilization beds, and DICs — are often the first step towards helping New Yorkers experiencing homelessness accept services and transition off the streets and out of the subways. Safe Havens and stabilization beds are small-scale, low-barrier programs specifically tailored for unsheltered individuals who may be resistant to accepting, or who may not be best served by, other services, including traditional transitional housing settings. These sites are equipped with on-site services and compassionate staff who work closely with these New Yorkers to build trust, stabilize lives, and encourage further transition off the streets and out of the subways, and help them ultimately transition into permanent housing. DICs provide baseline services with the goal of meeting the immediate needs of unsheltered New Yorkers, such as showers, meals, and connections to health care, while also offering on-site case management services and staff — providing an immediate option for individuals who want to transition off the streets and out of the subways.

“New Yorkers are experiencing homelessness at a Great Depression-era level and communities of color remain disproportionately affected by it. We have witnessed too many needless tragedies occur due to the lack of affordable housing that have no doubt contributed to our city’s homelessness crisis. This timely support and crucial investment from the Adams administration to increase services and resources to help those experiencing homelessness transition off the streets and out of the subways into housing is a development all New Yorkers will benefit from,” said U.S. Representative Yvette Clarke. “I have fought long and hard, and will continue my fight in Congress to make affordable housing a reality for my 9th District constituents — from extending the COVID-19 pandemic eviction moratorium to calling for lower Area Median Income statistics set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and used as the basis for affordable housing eligibility and rent levels across the country. This historic investment from Mayor Adams to support some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers is not just welcome news, it can also serve as a catalyst to boldly address the core challenges that have led to a severe lack of affordable housing in other urban areas across the nation.”

“This $171 million investment in solutions that can better help support unhoused New Yorkers transition from homelessness is the right approach and a major step forward for our city,” said New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Safe Havens, stabilization beds, and drop-in centers with health care services, along with care-centered street outreach, should be the consistent focus of the city’s efforts directed to our unsheltered neighbors. The council is proud to have prioritized elevating the need for investments in these sound policies and practices, and applaud Mayor Adams for committing this level of resources to them in his Executive Budget. We look forward to continuing to partner with the administration to address the city’s challenge of homelessness by increasing affordable and supportive housing for New Yorkers.”

“I am encouraged that the mayor is seeking to work with the New York City Council to prioritize housing for unhoused New Yorkers — investing in safe haven and stabilization shelters will go a long way toward helping our city’s most vulnerable,” said Deputy New York City Council Speaker Diana Ayala, chair, Committee on General Welfare.

“We are facing a housing crisis in New York City, and Safe Haven and stabilization beds must be a central part of addressing it,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “Our recovery from COVID-19 will not be complete unless we better support unsheltered New Yorkers. I applaud the mayor for committing funds to bolster and expand low-barrier to entry services and outreach, and I look forward to working with him to ensure that we continue to expand Safe Haven beds that have been shown to be a highly effective way to get New Yorkers into permanent housing.”

“Increasing the availability of Safe Haven beds and low-barrier programs is a critical step towards meaningfully addressing the needs of New Yorkers experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity,” said New York State Senator Jamaal Bailey. “These programs will connect thousands of individuals to vital services and support their transition to safe, permanent, and affordable housing in the long term. I want to thank Mayor Adams and the administration for this historic investment to ensure our systems meet the urgent needs of our most vulnerable New Yorkers.”

“As a social worker, I know the importance of meeting people where they are at, and providing the necessary support services to help provide a path towards stability,” said New York State Assemblymember Manny De Los Santos. “Thank you, Mayor Adams, for putting forth additional funding as we work to meet the housing needs of all New Yorkers.”

“We have an obligation to care for, serve, and protect every New Yorker, and those experiencing unhoused homelessness are no exception,” said New York State Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs. “I applaud this historic investment in resources and services to help this vulnerable population. This is a critical step in our ongoing mission to turn New York around and make it the more equitable city that we all deserve.”

“Outcome data shows that when someone experiencing homelessness is offered a Safe Haven bed, they are much more likely to accept shelter and remain sheltered. Safe Havens are critical in the fight against homelessness, and I commend Mayor Adams and his administration for the commitment to make unprecedented investments in this low-barrier, highly effective solution,” said New York City Councilmember Gale A. Brewer. “Having visited Safe Havens, and supported their construction, even when some people in the surrounding community were opposed, I know the value of this alternative to congregate shelter. In order for outreach efforts to be successful, people must be offered housing where they are welcomed and safe; well-run Safe Havens support those who are coming off the street with social services and a pipeline to permanent housing.”

“I applaud Mayor Adams' decision to make meaningful investments to help New York City's most vulnerable,” said New York City Councilmember Oswald Feliz. “To address homelessness in our city will take significant financial commitments such as the one being announced today. Only with these levels of resources can we ensure the delivery of full wrap-around services that will help vulnerable families get back on their feet and achieve stability.”

“Addressing the needs of New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness must be top of mind for us all,” said New York City Councilmember Kamillah Hanks. “I am encouraged that this administration is making valuable and meaningful investments in effective solutions focused on providing transitional options, appropriate services, and improved outreach necessary for our most vulnerable New Yorkers. Meeting these needs is a matter of public health and public safety.”

“People deserve to live in dignity,” said New York City Councilmember Robert Holden. “Every individual living on our streets or in the subway system is a failure of public policy. Investing in high-quality services for those experiencing homelessness is a great first step in dealing with this problem.”

“I applaud the leadership and efforts of Mayor Adams to invest high-quality resources and services to help our most vulnerable New Yorkers get off the streets and move into safe and stable housing,” said New York City Councilmember Linda Lee, chair, Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions. “The investments to create specialized Safe Havens and over 1,400 beds for unhoused New Yorkers will be the ever-important entry step for life-changing care for many individuals who have suffered in the streets without access to dedicated, professional mental health treatment. In addition to addressing our homelessness crisis, the increased funding to create additional Drop-in Centers across the city will expand opportunities in the field for more mental healthcare professionals to come down the pipeline and provide the essential services so many New Yorkers desperately need. These initiatives created by Mayor Adams will help the unhoused safely transition off the streets and into safe housing options, with the resources and compassionate staff of healthcare professionals to assist them in starting a new life.”

“Increasing Safe Haven beds is absolutely critical to address the homelessness crisis in our city,” said New York City Councilmember Julie Menin. “I thank Mayor Eric Adams for his commitment to investing over $170 million in much-needed outreach, programming, and critical services to our most vulnerable New Yorkers.”

“Safe Havens are an evidence-based model to bring street homeless New Yorkers inside,” said New York City Councilmember Lincoln Restler. “This service-rich model that provides privacy and safe conditions to formerly street homeless New Yorkers is a more compassionate and effective approach to addressing this crisis.” 

“New York City is facing a housing crisis that demands urgent attention. Any solution must prioritize humane consideration of our unhoused neighbors,” said New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera. “Safe Havens and stabilization beds are vital tools in connecting New Yorkers with the services they need. I look forward to working with the mayor and my colleagues in council on bringing the necessary resources to seriously and compassionately address the need for more housing and supportive services.”

“I am elated by the announcement of increased funding for Safe Haven beds and resources,” said New York City Councilmember Althea Stevens. “With increased risk and difficulty accessing resources during the pandemic, it is more important now than ever to provide shelter and resources for the unsheltered population around the city. With this increased funding, I hope we also see an increase in beds for the older youth population and a focus on equity in the placement of these beds citywide.”

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