Homelessness Up 50% In New York City

This is from Fox News in New York, today 8/30/10.  I have been writing on the increase of homeless folks I see on the streets of Los Angeles.  It looks as if New York is finding things just as difficult.

BY LUKE FUNK

MYFOXNY.COM - If you think you’ve been seeing more people sleep on city streets, statistics back up the perception. The homeless population living on New York City streets has gone up 50-percent in the past year, according to city statistics.....
The New York City Department of Homeless Services conducts a yearly survey of the streets of the city to count the number of homeless who are not in shelters.

The number of homeless in the borough of Manhattan is up 47-percent in the past year, according to the count. The 2010 count had 1,145 people living in the streets. That is up 368 from 2009.

The bourough of Brooklyn had the biggest increase of any borough. It saw a homeless increase of more than 100-percent in 2010.

And, as subway workers are laid off from the system, homeless people are taking their place underground. More than 1,000 people now live in New York City’s subway system. That’s up 11 percent in the past year.

Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen Life blog says 9th Avenue on the West Side is filled with the homeless congregating, sitting, and sleeping on the sidewalk.

While the numbers are alarming, they are still at historically low levels and the ratio of homeless to the general population remains low compared to other major cities, according to the city.

The DHS says it provided temporary, emergency shelter to 8,230 families with children- equating to 25,204 adults and children in July.

As a side note, Los Angeles continues to lead the nation with over 90,000-100,000+ homeless.  On any given night, the number of homeless on the streets of Los Angeles exceeds the population of Santa Barbara.

This post seems to have a long term following.  I am updating the post with the September figures from Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles so folks can see what the numbers look like in a given month.

Each day, we served an average of 3,185 meals.
Total September Meals: 95,545
avg/day: 3,185 (4% increase)  (The increases noted are over the same month last year)

Nights of Shelter:
Total: 25,227 avg: 841 /night

Kids:
Total 3811 avg 127/night

Families:
Total 2090 avg 70/night (40% increase)

URM: We served an average of 841 people per night between URM downtown and Hope Gardens , with 128 of those being children. Included is an average of 70 families per night.

URM: Out of the families, an average of 13 are either 2-parent or single father families.

Los Angeles has the highest homeless population in the nation. The rise in New York numbers would have to continue at an increased rate to come close to Los Angeles.  Homelessness is tragic regardless of the geography. If you would like to help you can find many options at www.urm.org 

Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services.   I offer consulting services to various amplifier designers and manufacturers.  The link www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com has links to music industry forums which I moderate and direct email contact information.  My shop is located in the complex at www.65amps.com.  If you wish a tour of 65 Amps please feel free to contact me directly.  When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission - www.urm.org