Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s comments last week, saying that he would stop the NYPD from cracking down on homeless encampments, sparked controversy.
On Tuesday, Mamdani met with real estate leaders and members of the Partnership for New York City on Tuesday to figure out ways to cut the red tape when it comes to housing the homeless.
He said they discussed how to remove roadblocks that make building new units difficult and secure more federal aid for development.
The issue has faced New York City for decades.
“It takes 252 days on average to fill an affordable housing unit, which in the most expensive city in the United States of America, should be the easiest thing that we do,” Mamdani said.
The meeting comes days after he said it would be inhumane to break up homeless encampments, but he didn’t get into the specifics of what to do about those encampments.
“The question, however, is whether we will be satisfied by just shuttling those New Yorkers to another, equally cold place in our city, or whether we want to connect them to housing,” Mamdani said.
David Giffen, the executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless, said other mayors have failed to connect the homeless with housing, but hopes that isn’t the case with Mamdani’s team.
“We’re hoping that this current administration will really pull those two things together and reduce all those administrative obstacles, create more permanent housing, and focus on getting homeless individuals and families moved into apartments. That’s how you solve the problem,” Giffen said.
Until then, New Yorkers have strong opinions on how to handle the situation.
“Get these people in the proper facilities, not the subways, it’s dangerous to have actions that could fall on tracks, tents on the subway with traffic, rush hour traffic, how’s that going to work?” one New Yorker said.
One woman thinks landlords should lose their properties that sit vacant.
“If it’s been like a certain amount of time and you’re not leasing, you’re not updating, you’re not doing anything with that property. Absolutely. I was like, you don’t get it anymore,” she said.
Mamdani suggested that New Yorkers need a safety net and it comes in the way of housing.
“Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are just one rent hike, one medical emergency, one layoff from joining the ranks of the homeless in our city, which has swelled to the greatest numbers since the Great Depression,” Mamdani said.
Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams said Mamdani’s approach is idealistic.
The governor supports a multipronged approach that includes enforcement, removing people living on the streets from the streets, but also providing them with the support of housing and mental health services.
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