NYC enacts Homeless Bill of Rights, but doubts arise over key provisions
NYC enacts Homeless Bill of Rights, but doubts arise over key provisions
Politics
May 30, 2023 8:55 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) New York Mayor Eric Adams allowed a Homeless Bill of Rights to become law over the weekend, a step supporters say will strengthen legal protections for the unhoused in a city struggling with a record number of people in its shelter system.
The measure passed the City Council with bipartisan support in April as city shelters were swelled beyond capacity by the arrival of 70,000 international migrants since last spring.
Among other things, the new law gives people the explicit right to sleep outdoors in public places though not anyplace they like. New York City has other laws in place that could limit where outside the unhoused can sleep.
Police can clear sidewalks and streets of anyone who impedes the flow of traffic. Most city parks close at 1 a.m. And people cant generally sleep on privately owned property.
The law also gives people the right to complain about shelter accommodations without repercussion and includes safeguards to prevent a person from being assigned to spaces that dont correspond to their gender identity. It also gives people the right to apply for rental assistance and requires parents staying in shelters be given diapers for their babies.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 12:55 am