NEW YORK.- The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the number of homeless people in this city, including dozens of Dominicans in the five counties.
A report from the Big Apple Comptroller Scott Stringer states that spending on shelter services has increased but the homeless population is not decreasing.
“The Big Apple was facing a growing homeless crisis before the pandemic, and Covid-19 has only exacerbated this challenge.”
“Expenditure on services for those who do not have a ceiling grew by 138% between 2014 and 2020, reaching a total of $ 3.5 billion dollars, due to the increase in that population,” says said report.
The pandemic also prompted the City to further increase its dependence on commercial hotels, signing a nearly $ 300 million contract with the NY City Hotel Association to place homeless people in those facilities to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 among the homeless population.
The pandemic has not only severely impacted finances, causing companies and small businesses to close, but it has also been a great challenge for New Yorkers who have lost the source of income with which they and their families could support themselves.
“The City is spending more money than ever on services that are supposed to help people overcome and prevent homelessness, but we are not seeing reductions in homelessness,” Stringer stressed.
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