NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A federal judge temporarily halted New York City's plan to evict homeless individuals on Thursday from the hotels that the city placed them in during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Legal Aid Society, in conjunction with Jenner & Block LLP, cheered the judge's order which will require New York City and the Department of Homeless Services to stop moving disabled homeless individuals until a more detailed plan is devised to protect those individuals' rights. The city must also review previous transfers and ensure future removals are legally compliant.
“This ruling is a victory for homeless New Yorkers with disabilities,” said Joshua Goldfein, a staff attorney with The Legal Aid Society’s Homeless Rights Project. “The order ensures DHS must implement proper protocols before they transfer a client and to verify that clients are going to a place that can serve their specific needs."
Goldfein added the decision puts a stop from Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration putting "tremendous pressure" on DHS to transfer their homeless clients safely.
De Blasio had planned to transfer over 8,000 homeless people from hotels to group shelters, according to The New York Times. However, with concerns of the surging delta variant, advocates had been pushing the city to ensure it was responding to concerns over homeless people's health.
Another federal judge agreed last month that these concerns were not being sufficiently addressed, the Times reports.
Helen Strom, the supervisor of benefits and homeless advocacy at the Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center, emphasized the need to focus on COVID-19 rather than De Blasio's plan to evict homeless New Yorkers.
“We're glad the court took action to pause the City's cruel and illegal hotel evictions," she said. "It's time for the Mayor to finally stop transferring people to dangerous congregate shelters as COVID outbreaks pop up in shelters across the city."
The temporary pause will last until Aug. 19, according to the New York Daily News.