Why I slept on the subways: They were a safer refuge than shelters for homeless the public holds in contempt

I was upset when I heard the announcement that the subways would be shut down overnight — not only because I have been sleeping on the subways for two years, but because of the dehumanizing language used to refer to myself and other homeless New Yorkers.

With too few resources and workers out there to help the homeless, Mayor de Blasio and Gov. Cuomo are taking away the only safe place some people have at night. Everybody wants to talk about the “disgusting” homeless population and how we are getting in the way of “essential” New Yorkers, as if homeless people are expendable New Yorkers.