Posted on December 16, 2015 by Jacquelyn Simone On December 15, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the City would be reevaluating the agencies that deliver services to homeless New Yorkers in an effort to better serve men, women and children in need. He stated that Department of Homeless Services Commissioner Gilbert Taylor would be stepping down, and that Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steve Banks and First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris would be conducting a 90-day review of the agencies and systems. Josh Dawsey and Mara Gay covered the announcement in The Wall Street Journal. Mr. de Blasio sought Tuesday to highlight work City Hall had done on the issue on his watch, including a plan to build apartments for homeless people and provide them with counseling for issues such as substance abuse. He also cited new shelter beds and millions in public money paid to attorneys to advocate for people being evicted. The city spends billions of dollars a year on homelessness programs and has said it would spend an additional $1 billion over the next four years. As part of the review, Mr. de Blasio said the city would consider changes to the coordination of the agencies that work with the city’s homeless population. Leading the review will be First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris and Steve Banks, the commissioner of the Human Resources Administration. Mary Brosnahan, president and chief executive of the Coalition for the Homeless, said she thought Mr. Taylor’s heart was in the right place, but that the commissioner struggled to communicate the administration’s positions and change entrenched policies. “They need someone who is transforming an agency that is used to doing certain things a certain way, that can get out there and sell people on what the big plan is and where we are going,” she said. Coalition President & CEO Mary Brosnahan issued a statement in response to the Mayor’s announcement: “Gilbert Taylor began the important work of transitioning DHS away from the failed Bloomberg era policies – focusing instead on moving homeless New Yorkers into permanent housing. “We are extremely heartened that Steve Banks, who brings decades of experience working with indigent New Yorkers, and Tony Shorris will lead this important and timely review and reorganization. “As New York continues to grapple with near record homelessness, we hope this review and reorganization will address the front end of the single adult shelter system and allow the most marginalized and vulnerable of our neighbors to come in off the streets and get the help they need.”
