UWS Pol Co-Sponsors Bill To Stop NYPD From Homeless Outreach

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Upper West Side Council Member Helen Rosenthal is co-sponsoring a bill that would change the way the New York Police Department interacts with people experiencing homelessness on the streets.

Bill 2177, which is still in the review process of the City Council, would prohibit NYPD officers from engaging in any outreach to people experiencing homelessness.

The bill defines outreach as "engaging in contact with or offering services to unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness, including but not limited to the removal of an individual's personal property."

While Rosenthal is the only co-sponsor on the bill, Brooklyn City Council Member Stephen Levin is the primary sponsor on the piece of legislation.

“Outreach to unsheltered individuals by any government agency shall not include any involvement by the police department and shall be limited to department staff or staff contracted by the department to contact and offer services to unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness,” the bill reads.

While the police would no longer be doing outreach, the NYPD would still respond to any calls related to a homeless person performing criminal, violent, or threatening actions.

It is not the first time that powers within the city have called for ending the NYPD's current homeless outreach program.

Organizations like the Coalition for the Homeless, Communities United for Police Reform, and Neighbors Together have all spoken out against NYPD officers performing any outreach for people experiencing homelessness living on the streets.

However, other groups quickly spoke out against Levin's bill for handcuffing police officers trying to do their jobs, including president of the Police Benevolent Association union, Pat Lynch.

"Our first big winter storm is about to hit, and still have nearly 4,000 New Yorkers sleeping on the streets," Lynch told the New York Post. "What is Council Member Levin's plan to help them, other than telling cops we can't help?"

The Department of Homelessness already does a significant amount of homeless outreach, and in many cases teams up with other city agencies like the Department of Transportation and the Parks Department to do so.

Under the new bill, "outreach to unsheltered individuals by any government agency shall not include any involvement by the police department and shall be limited to department staff or staff contracted by the department."

Rosenthal has become an active participant in the conversation around New York City homelessness after her leading role in the battle between whether homeless shelter residents staying at The Lucerne hotel would stay on the Upper West Side.

She is a strong advocate of keeping the now less than 200 men in the Upper West Side temporary shelter until public health is safe enough again for congregate shelters.