Multiple city agencies collaborated to clean up an uninhabited homeless site at a wooded area in Bayside last week, according to officials.
City workers removed “unattended debris” from a pop-up homeless location at the Cross Island Parkway and Northern Boulevard on Feb. 28.
There were no homeless individuals residing at the location at the time of the cleanup, Department of Homeless Services (DHS) spokesperson Isaac McGinn noted.
The pre-arranged cleanup effort was coordinated by the NYPD, the Department of Transportation, DHS and Breaking Ground: a not-for-profit organization that provides supportive housing and services to the homeless population in Queens and Brooklyn.
“Our outreach teams coordinate closely with partner agencies to address and clean pop-up locations quickly and carefully whenever and wherever they may occur, while also encouraging those street homeless individuals to accept services and transition indoors,” McGinn said.
The city cannot forcibly remove a homeless individual or their belongings from a location without notice unless they pose a danger to themselves or others.
Cleanup efforts are treated delicately and on a case-by-case basis, the spokesperson added. Situation assessments are performed prior to every attempted cleanup to ensure the safety of all involved.
DHS outreach teams and Breaking Ground recently helped two of the four homeless individuals known to be in the Bayside area off the streets, the spokesperson noted. The groups continue to work with the other two individuals and canvass the neighborhood seven days a week to encourage those homeless to accept services.
New Yorkers who see individuals they believe to be homeless and in need should contact 311 via phone or mobile app and request outreach assistance.
