Editorial: Mayor Bloomberg's modest proposal

After coming under fire in the past for housing homeless families in expensive hotel rooms, on floors and chairs at the Department of Homeless Services and, most recently, placing families in a lead paint-tainted former jail, the city wants to get tough.

Last month, Mayor Bloomberg announced his most controversial plan to date. Under the proposal, which still needs approval from the city council and the judicial system, the mayor wants those who refuse suitable housing or who are not actively looking for housing kicked out of the shelter system for 30 days. We all know the story — the city is faced with staggering debt after September 11 and must tighten its belt — but come on. How ironic, and heartless, that the city is willing to kick people out of the one place they have left to go.

This plan raises several questions. What constitutes suitable housing? Is it the one-bedroom apartment for a family of five in a drug-infested, high-crime neighborhood? How many refusals would they have — one, two, ten? If thrown in the streets, would they be arrested by police for vagrancy?

In a recent press conference, the mayor said, ”The homeless shelter system is not permanent housing . . .. There are more people than ever in need of shelter.“ Ultimately, self sufficiency is the goal for anyone dependent on the city’s services. But until then, does the city have the right to kick people when they are down?

No! If just throwing these people back on the streets is not bad enough, the plan also calls for the placement of children into foster care — a division of the city services that is almost stretched to its limit. Children, already faced with uncertainty, will be separated from their parent and thrown into a frightening and often unwelcoming environment.

The Horizon asks that the mayor rethink this plan. Before you start throwing people out, maybe you should look at why they became homeless in the first place. That may be a bit simplistic, but ultimately it will generate the best solution.