Friday, March 6, 2009

Bloomie's deputy thinks his numbers are full of crap

From the NY Times:

At a news conference at the Department of Homeless Services, Commissioner Robert V. Hess cheerfully announced the results of the annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate, which was conducted in January. More than 2,000 volunteers comb some of the city’s streets for one night each year, looking for homeless people in parks, bus shelters and subways.

The total of 2,328 people counted in the survey, Mr. Hess said, is “a far cry from the 4,395 that we first counted in 2005.”

Not a chance, responded the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group in New York.

“The numbers released by the city today defy credibility and run counter to what New Yorkers observe every day on New York’s streets,” Mary Brosnahan, the executive director, said in a statement. “The Bloomberg administration is claiming that there is the same number of homeless people in New York City as in San Diego — a city with one sixth of New York’s population. Looked at over a four-year period the city is arguing it has cut street homelessness in half. Do New Yorkers really think there are half as many homeless people on our streets as four years ago?”

“You know, this is a little bit counterintuitive,” said Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs, who oversees homeless programs. “How is it that, in this economy, with everything that’s going on and all the need we see, with the recession, the loss of jobs, the instability in the housing market — how is it that we can see such a dramatic drop, a 30 percent drop, in street homelessness this year compared to last?”


Yes, it is, Linda. Do you think the B.S. numbers could be because it's an election year?


Photo by Mr. Angry.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

No there are twice as many. One of them was standing behind me in Duane Reade threatening "rich people", namely me with injury and death while I bought two half-price cereals from my unemployment money.

Anonymous said...

So Bloomberg is jerking our chains once again?

NO! But his PR firm (Parkside?) is
definitely putting in some overtime!

Watch out Pinocchio!

Mike's nose is growing longer than yours!

Anonymous said...

Folks this is exactly what happened with the so-called survey;
On the nights when it was announced that the surveys would be conducted in specific stations in Queens, the city had the Transit cops go from station to station and shoo all the homeless onto the street. Cops were overheard telling the homeless that they could come back the next day, but for that night, they couldn't be hanging around in the stations.

Anonymous said...

That photo of the bum says it all about the subways. Whenever you're standing on the platform, and a crowded train passes by, and you quickly scan the cars to "game" where to get a seat, if you suddenly see an empty train, you know it's due to 2 things:

1.) The air conditioning is broke
2.) There's a smelly bum on the train.

Anonymous said...

Heh! I'm glad we're not the only ones calling Bloomberg out in this.

This is really no different than when they fake the 'compstat' numbers. Crimes get downgraded or not reported all so the numbers look good and then the mayor looks good.

The homeless situation in NYC is a shell game at the moment. The homeless that do get housing are now being moved into apartment buildings where the landlords want to kick out anyone who's been living there longer so they can jack up the rents: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/nyregion/04homeless.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Anonymous said...

What a laugh! I saw a "bum" try to get into the nyu bookstore the other day. He was escorted out and headed towards washington sq. park. Also, there is a "permanent" homeless man on Fresh Pond Rd. Has anyone seen the return of the squeegee (correct spelling? ehhh) guys by the 59th Queensbridge!?!?!?!?

They are back!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUr-QP-pEZc

GIULIANI TIME Trailer

amazing piece of information on a scumbag like giuliani

Anonymous said...

The E train is the worst when it comes to bums. I'd carry a Lysol on my commute!