More than 1,000 volunteers fanned out across the city early today to count the homeless as part of a controversial city plan to gather information about those who live on the streets.
The volunteers set out after midnight to ask thousands of people – homeless or not – such questions as: “Do you have a place that you consider to be your home?” and “Where do you usually sleep?”
Advocates for the homeless called the count a waste of time.
“We do not believe . . . a one-night count of the homeless in selected parts of Manhattan will yield accurate or valuable information,” said Arnold Cohen of the Partnership for the Homeless.
Cohen also questioned the timing of the count, which comes a few days before the city seeks court approval for a plan that will allow ejection of homeless people from shelters if they violate shelter conduct rules.
Despite the criticism, Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Linda Gibbs defended the count.”We need to find out how many people are living in the street, why they’re there, and what the city can do to overcome this problem,” she said.