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How Will The New York Mayoral Candidates Address Homelessness?

 

Will New York City Mayoral Candidates Address Homelessness?

Photo Credit: EAKEAK - stock.adobe.com 

At Mentor A Promise and its network of partner organizations, we maintain complete political neutrality and, thus, will serve the city’s less fortunate regardless of whether they lean right or left, occupy a middle ground or have no political opinions whatsoever. That said, in this blog post, we will lay out, without fear or favor, how each of the four remaining New York City mayoral candidates plans to address homelessness in the United States’ largest city. 

How Does Zohran Mamdani Plan to Address Homelessness in New York City? 

Because he views homelessness as a symptom of greater societal inequality, Mr. Mamdani champions housing first policies. If elected, according to his platform, he will strengthen the city’s right to shelter decree and promote permanent supportive housing. Through proposed municipal bonds, activation of city-owned land and buildings and pooled rental assistance, he hopes to fund the following:  

  • Increased zoning capacity 
  • The elimination of parking minimums 
  • The construction of new affordable housing, with community input, and 
  • Expanded rent stabilization

For more information, you may read his platform here. 

What Will Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Do About Homelessness? 

On May 6, 2025, Mr. Cuomo released a fourteen-point blueprint for addressing the homelessness crisis. This plan, which largely focuses on a treatment-based model, would invest $2.6 billion into programs that would: 

  • Increase the supply of supportive housing units for the seriously mentally ill
  • Expand access to community-based mental health services 
  • Utilize technology to expand timely access to care 
  • Fill essential workforce shortages 
  • Unify and strengthen the city’s currently disconnected behavioral health delivery system 
  • Address the mental health needs of young people 
  • Improve outreach and engagement among the street homeless 
  • Provide additional housing options for street homeless 
  • Scale up crisis response services 
  • Utilize civil inpatient psychiatric beds and increase their number 
  • Enforce involuntary removal and commitment laws
  • Mandate screenings for those discharged from Rikers Island, public hospitals and clinics who present signs of mental illness
  • Overhaul the system of determining competency for trial 

It is worth noting that, as governor, Mr. Cuomo cut housing voucher funds and prioritized transitional housing and privatization of homeless services. During his tenure as governor, rates of homelessness spiked. 

What Will Mayor Adams Do About the Homeless If Reëlected? 

It should be noted that he has faced unprecedented challenges as mayor, such as the influx of migrants bussed from Texas, Florida and other Republican-led states. Much like his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, Mr. Adams favors a treatment-based approach to tackling the homelessness crisis. Furthermore, he has overseen the destruction of homeless encampments. Nevertheless, he has pledged the following initiatives: 

  • Subway Safety Plan: 
    • Over 3,500 homeless individuals formerly living in subways connected to permanent housing since 2022. 
  • Enhanced client placement support:
    • Holds shelter clients accountable for their behavior and aims to improve safety and conditions in city shelters 
  • Investment in shelter beds: 
    • Addition of 1,400 new beds since taking office, with 400 more planned by the end of 2025 
  • Mental Health and Addiction Services: 
    • Supporting individuals with behavioral health issues and focusing on harm reduction 
  • Ending “Anything Goes”: 
    • Increasing access to services while addressing public disorder 
  • Long-term Housing Solutions: 
    • Implementing systemic changes to create new housing and reduce homeless populations 

To learn more about these initiatives,  click here. 

What Are Curtis Sliwa’s Strategies For Dealing With The Homeless? 

As the sole conservative-leaning candidate, you should expect Mr. Sliwa’s positions to differ from those of his arguably more liberal-leaning opponents. While he does advocate for a treatment-based approach, i.e. physically removing the homeless from the streets, he does seem to share Mr. Mamdani’s distrust for corporate landowners. His positions are as follows:

  • Stopping corporate landlords from pricing the working class out of middle-income neighborhoods 
  • Amending the tax code to encourage smaller landlords to construct more affordable housing 
  • Rehabilitating vacant properties and making them suitable for affordable housing 
  • Stabilizing rents for those on fixed incomes 
  • Giving communities control over zoning laws
  • Providing funding only for citizens, and 
  • Ensuring safe, humane shelters for homeless children, families and veterans

Who Should I Vote For As NYC’s Next Mayor? 

Ultimately, that decision is up to you. Each candidate has big plans and, doubtless, each will come up short in one way or another. 

Regardless of who becomes New York’s next mayor, Mentor A Promise and its network of partner organizations will never cease to advocate for the most vulnerable among us. 

Contact Mentor A Promise Today 

Our organization recognizes the immense potential within each individual and seeks to provide them with the educational resources and opportunities they need to thrive. To that end, we have built a strong network of family shelters, educational institutions and community organizations to support homeless children, youths and their families. Click these links to learn more about what we offer or to get involved. Together, we can break the cycle of homelessness. 

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