On April 26, Bruce Blakeman, the current Nassau County Executive and Republican candidate for New York State Governor, held a press conference in front of a homeless shelter construction site at 2501 Benson Avenue in Brooklyn. He was joined by State Senator Steven Chan, and State Assemblyman Lester Chang to express their opposition to current policies that lack transparency and exacerbate community burdens.
Steven Chan strongly criticized the long-term Democratic rule, accusing their policies of increasing taxes, raising the cost of living including gas, water, and electricity, deteriorating public safety, and blaming government mismanagement for the homeless shelter issue. He emphasized that the shelter system has turned into a “multi-billion-dollar business”, possibly involving corruption, and called for federal intervention to investigate.
Blakeman, on the other hand, targeted incumbent Governor Hochul, criticizing New York’s highest tax burden in the nation, energy and utility costs that are 50% above the national average, funding going towards supporting the “green energy hoax”, and related policies that he believes foster crime and weaken community security. He advocated for increased transparency in shelter siting, enhanced community involvement and local decision-making powers, and opposed locating large shelters in residential areas, especially single men’s shelters.
Blakeman proposed a comprehensive approach to addressing homelessness, including strengthening job training, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment rather than just expanding shelters. He criticized the current system for merely “placing problems” and “creating more problems” instead of “solving problems”, wasting public resources and failing to improve the situation of the homeless.
State Assemblyman Lester Chang also presented alternative solutions, such as repurposing the facilities on Rikers Island to house individuals, as a substitute for the costly $17 billion plan to build new community prisons. By spending just $1 billion to refurbish Rikers Island, the saved $16 billion could be used for affordable housing and filling the fiscal deficit.
Saritha Komatireddy, the Republican candidate for State Attorney General competing against the incumbent State Attorney General Janice Law, emphasized the unique role that the Attorney General plays in addressing homelessness issues, as almost all shelters are operated by non-profit organizations and must be registered with the Attorney General. She pointed out that one of the Attorney General’s responsibilities is to regulate these non-profit organizations, but she believes Law has not fulfilled this oversight duty, leading to a 38% increase in the homeless population in New York during her tenure.
If elected, she stated that she would immediately conduct a comprehensive audit of the funding flow of non-profit shelter institutions to combat potential fraud and abuse issues. She noted that while expenditures on the shelter system continue to rise, the issue of street homelessness has not improved, indicating a severe malfunction in the system.