NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new strategy to track the homeless through Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement Street Action Teams (HOME-STAT) will likely solve a critical problem that has prevented his administration from reducing homelessness in the city: communication between city agencies, private organizations, and those who are sleeping on the streets.
From Canal Street to 145th Street, a team from the Department of Homeless Services will do daily, block-by-block assessments of the homeless. Do they need treatment for mental health? Addiction? Or affordable housing? Caseworkers will develop relationships with the homeless, connect them to existing resources, and monitor their progress.
Connecting New Yorkers who live on our streets to available help requires a block-by-block, proactive approach.
