New York social responsibility alert - NYC sued for failing to provide adequate homeless shelters

2009-12-15 02:30:02 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Justice News Flash, Social responsibility)

Legal news for New York social responsibility attorneys. A lawsuit alleges NYC is not providing adequate shelter for homeless citizens.

A lawsuit filed against New York City claims the city is not providing enough homeless shelters for NYC’s homeless citizens.

New York, NY– The Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit on behalf of the homeless population against New York City, claiming that the city is not providing adequate shelter to single homeless citizens as required by law. The lawsuit alleges the city isn’t doing enough to address the quickly rising number of homeless single adults entering into the shelter program, as reported by WNYC.

The overcrowded shelters are ridden with men and women who are sleeping on benches, tables, chairs, and floors in the intake center of the city’s homeless shelters. For example, Patrick Markee, of the Coalition for the Homeless, stated “around 2:00 a.m., on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, nearly 50 men were stuck at the Bellevue Intake Center on Manhattan’s East Side… A lot of these men were older men, men with physical and mental health problems, men who were seeking shelter.” The Department of Homeless Services, is refuting the claims by stating the homeless citizens that are sleeping at the intake centers probably missed a 10:00 p.m. curfew, and then denied a bed at another shelter. There were nearly 7,000 homeless adults seeking shelter at New York City’s shelters, as of Tuesday. The overcrowding problem is likely only to grow worse as the frigid temperatures continue drop as the winter season continues.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley- Legal news for New York social responsibility lawyers.