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CNN Live Saturday

Number of Homeless on the Rise in New York City

Aired December 08, 2001 - 18:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In New York, job losses just one factor contributing to major economic problems for a growing number of people there. Here is CNN's Brian Palmer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an unfashionable section of the Bronx, on a cold gray day, families gather at the emergency assistance unit, or EAU, to ask for a place to sleep for the night and to apply for permanent low-cost housing.

Nearly 30,000 New Yorkers are homeless every night -- a 60 percent increase from 1998. Twelve thousand of those are children. Experts cite the economic downturn, lack of affordable housing, welfare benefits that have run out for many New Yorkers, and the effect of September 11, which cost the city an estimated 80,000 jobs. Lillian Melendez (ph) says she was evicted from her apartment two weeks ago.

LILLIAN MELENDEZ: I work -- right now I'm not working because I've got to go through this.

PALMER: Rose and Henry Valez (ph) say she was declared ineligible for housing because Rose (ph) missed her appointment when she had a seizure.

(on camera): What has to happen next for you to go on building your lives -- like what -- I mean in the best of all possible worlds, if?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The rent is sky high. You know, the rent is sky high nowadays.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's filled out a dozen applications.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as the homeless situation -- no, it hasn't changed. It hasn't changed at all. I mean, we're suffering and we're suffering more and more every day.

PALMER (voice-over): Mary Brosner Hahn-Sullivan (ph) is executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless. MARY BROSNER HAHN-SULLIVAN, COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS: If he would just put the resources forth to actually not only provide housing for the destitute people in our society, but actually get government to address the housing issues of middle and moderate income people, we actually would see such a difference in the quality of life across the nation. So the homeless people are just the most visible symptoms of a much deeper problem of housing that I think everyone can relate to in our society.

PALMER: The city's department of homeless services issued this statement. "The increase in the shelter population that has been seen in the past year is consistent with national trends. However, unlike most cities in American that turn individuals and families away once their shelters are full, New York City continues to spend whatever is necessary to expand its shelter system to meet the needs of its homeless population".

Advocates for the homeless accuse the Giuliani administration of ignoring the homeless problem -- the one which the next mayor, Michael Bloomberg, will inherit along with the keys to the city.

Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

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