(Page 2 of 2)

Coalition for the Homeless and other critics of the methodology have said that the survey is a severe under-count, and that it is useless as a tool for accurately measuring the homeless population and its true needs.      
      
One reason for the increased numbers this year could be that the shelter system is over capacity, said Giselle Routhier, policy analyst for the Coalition.

Related Coverage

Homeless, Nameless – and Honored 03.25.10

A Winter's Tale: What
The Homeless Tally Means 03.09.09

News Topics
Housing and Development
Government
Author
Eileen Markey
Eileen Markey
About | RSS
"We would hope that with the rise in this population the city will reopen its largest drop-in centers," she said, referring to the Open Door, a 24-hour homeless drop in center at the Port Authority Bus Terminal scheduled to formally close at the end of March.

"They were not concerned when overall homeless numbers went up last year. They cut services," Routhier said. "This survey is only useful if they do something about it."

Correction: due to an error in calculation, this story originally understated the year-over-year increase in adult street homelessness. In this version, that error has been corrected.