Homeless In Deep Freeze On Queens Streets And In Parks

Arnold S. Cohen, president of Partnership for the Homeless, blames the deteriorating situation on a booming economy that "created a surge in homelessness with skyrocketing rents putting housing out of the reach of most poor people."
Organizations like the Coalition for the Homeless and the Partnership say that the situation in Queens is the worst they have seen in years. They report that the crowds of homeless who flock nightly to the Bronx point of entry to the homeless shelter system are literally at each others throats seeking placement in rundown shelters and hotels.
"The scene is chaotic and we expect fist fights to break out," one social worker said about the deteriorating conditions in the facility that places homeless in a ragtag collection of shelters. They are funded by the Citys Department of Homeless Services and many are administered by the Salvation Army.
Al Peck, director of homeless services for the Salvation Army, sponsors a small outreach program that sends social workers in the field to offer shelter or hospitalization to homeless in Queens parks and under trestles hidden for the most part from borough residents.
Peck was unable to propose a solution to the Citys homeless problem.
"Affordable housing will, of course, help," he said, "but its not the complete answer."
Sister Georgette, a staffer with the Partnership for the Homeless, said the declining economy and rising rate of evictions has generated large numbers of homeless on City streets.
"There is a crisis all over the City," she said. "The tension is high in the shelters."
Others have blamed the Giuliani administration for letting the homeless situation get out of hand and point to his edict calling for the arrest of the homeless as a policy that has raised tensions.
According to a report by the City Department of Homeless Services, this winter, more than 25,000 homeless are jamming the shelter system, with the largest increases coming among women and children over the last few years.
"I cant screw the front door any tighter," said Martin Oesterreich, the Citys commissioner of homeless services, in reference to tough screening procedures started by the Giuliani administration in 1996, resulting in more families being turned away.
Oesterreich said the increase is part of a national trend. He cited a 25-city survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors that calculated a 17 percent rise in the number of families applying for help because of homelessness. The City homeless rate is at its highest level since the 1980s.
The boroughs most acclaimed recreational zone, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, becomes a haven for the homeless when a "cardboard city" springs up at night with upwards of 300 homeless camped out on winter nights because their low level jobs dont pay enough for them to afford decent housing. They dwell mainly at the Jewel Avenue section of the park in the shadow of Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills.
The Partnerships Cohen said that the problem is serious in Jackson Heights where Mexicans, Cubans, Argentinians and other South Americans camp out under bridges on the streets and sleep in shifts in cheap housing.
He said that the homeless often have drinking problems and unmet health needs, complicating the problem for authorities and homeless agencies.
Forest Hills community leaders have recently reported giant rats in the vicinity of the "cardboard cities" and fears are growing that they will spread disease.