The Issue: The city’s never-ending difficulties in dealing with its homeless population.
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Thank you for your poignant article, “Why NYC Homeless Policies Are a Mess” (Michael Benjamin, PostOpinion, Nov. 14).
As a former DHS employee, I experienced firsthand the “messy policies” that changed week to week and were ineffective in stemming the endless flow of applicants.
Michael Benjamin’s depiction of “the city constantly chasing its tail” is spot on.
Vacating the Callahan Consent Decree appears to be the obvious solution to a major problem.
However, does the DHS, under the administration of Mayor Bloomberg, possess the courage to challenge and overturn the consent decree?
That remains to be seen.
Keep writing, Benjamin. You definitely have something to say.
Deborah A. Cain
Brooklyn
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Benjamin fails to mention the most pressing issue regarding the homeless.
When violent schizophrenics are re-institutionalized, shelters will become more manageable and, hence, more cost-effective.
Fewer homeless people will choose to avoid the shelters and sleep in the streets or Penn Station.
D. Rabinowitz
Brooklyn