Posted on January 26, 2010 by GISELLE ROUTHIER Last night, the City of New York conducted its annual street homelessness count. The Coalition has repeatedly expressed concerns over the accuracy of the count, as seen here. Yet, regardless of our criticisms or the City’s stance, life goes on for all homeless men, women, and children in New York City and it continues to be rough for all those living on the streets. Gabe Pressman of NBC New York recently went out to report on the situation first-hand and he found that life on the streets is as rough as ever. Braving the elements, from bitter cold to snow to rain, many street homeless struggle day after day just to survive. As Pressman put it: “I have been reporting on the homeless crisis since the 1980s. I spent the other night, out on the streets, trying to get a sense of today’s situation. I don’t know where the magic numbers come from. It seems to me that the situation of homeless New Yorkers is just as desperate today as it was yesterday.” One major resource for the street homeless is soup kitchens. As part of his investigation into life on the streets, Pressman joined the Coalition for the Homeless Grand Central Food Program for an evening of feeding those in need. The Coalition Food Program is a mobile soup kitchen that brings meals to designated spots all around the city each night. Pressman also visited St. Francis of Assisi’s bread line, which has reportedly served more folks recently than ever before. Regardless of the results of the City’s annual estimate of street homeless individuals, we know for sure that there are more homeless people in shelters than ever before. As for those living on the streets, there are still too many for any New Yorker to accept.
