Grand Central Food Program In response to a homeless woman starving to death in Grand Central Terminal, the Coalition opens the Grand Central Food Program, bringing meals to homeless people where they are, every night of the year. The program soon becomes the largest mobile soup kitchen in New York. Wilkins v. Perales The Coalition files a lawsuit, Wilkins v. Perales — the first of several legal challenges against the City for unlawfully operating large mega-shelters with more than 200 beds. The case, brought on behalf of a group of homeless people sleeping in municipal shelters, seeks to compel the State to enforce several of its own regulations regarding shelter operations. Specifically, plaintiffs seek an injunction ordering the State to prohibit a shelter from maintaining a capacity of over 200 people. At the time, more than 1,400 men are bedding down on a single drill floor in one City-operated shelter. In early 1985, the State Supreme Court holds that the State failed to enforce regulations limiting the size of City shelters, and that the regulations apply to all buildings used as shelters, including armories that can readily accommodate more than 200 people. The court acknowledged that the City can request a waiver to exceed the 200-person capacity limit by demonstrating a compelling need and that the health and safety of residents will not be compromised. Subsequent lawsuits in the early 1990s lead to the downsizing of several large armory shelters. Palmer v. Cuomo After a City report finds that more than a quarter of young people staying in shelters had been discharged from foster care, the Coalition and allies file Palmer v. Cuomo and State Supreme Court Judge Elliott J. Wilke orders officials to continue supervising and providing independent living preparation for those between the ages of 18 and 21. The order is upheld on appeal.
