Homelessness In New York City Essay

Words: 1810
Pages: 8

Homelessness in New York City

New York City is the most populated city in the United States with a population of 8,550,405, with more than 27,000 people per square mile (www1.nyc.gov). As of March 2016, the number of people in homeless shelters each night was said to be 60,144. The number of people living in shelters each night is ninety one percent higher than it was ten years ago (Coalition for the Homeless). On top of that, “at least 3,100 more sleep on the streets and subways in the dead of winter,” meaning one in 147 New York citizens are homeless (bowery.com). The number of homeless people in New York City is overwhelming. But, shelters are not the solution for everyone. On February 9, 2016, Mayor de Blasio and countless volunteers traveled across the city in an attempt to count the number of homeless people on the streets. They claimed that the number had dropped 12% compared to 2015. Some men and women are
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C.J. Dillinger, 38, and Tiffany Dillinger, 35, a husband and wife from Old Bridge, New Jersey have been struggling with the problem of homelessness since 2014. The two of them decided to come to the city after hearing about a couples’ shelter, but they were denied access to it. Surprisingly, they prefer the streets to the shelter (Schweber). Another, Fernando Lopez, 43, has been homeless for over ten years. During this time, Lopez states that he has been hit by a car eight times, has been stabbed once, and endured a brain injury, affecting his life forever. He has faced countless obstacles and often feels suicidal because of his situation (Martino). A homeless hoarder, Sonia Gonzalez, 60, was seen hauling twenty grocery carts, fourteen laundry carts, eight suitcases, two large crates, and one dolly on March 7. Her presence on the street made people angry because her things were blocking the paths of a few trucks, as well as a fire hydrant (Fasick and