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Scrambling to find alternative housing for the city’s street homeless population amid an influx of more than 13,000 migrants into the overwhelmed shelter system, Mayor Eric Adams has awarded $34 million in contracts to provide “stabilization beds” or temporary “safe havens.”

The Department of Homeless Services has awarded two contracts totaling $34 million to the Bronx Family Network, according to records reviewed by The Post.

Bronx Family Network provides services including full showers and kitchens, access to clothing, and appropriate referrals to substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers, medical and health services.

DHS estimates that there are 3,182 homeless adults currently living on the streets, subways or in other public places. Other estimates are higher.

Earlier this year, Adams launched a program to remove homeless individuals from encampments and from the subway system and dispatched outreach teams to persuade them to access shelter and services.

But many street homeless individuals refuse to go to the large congregate shelters because they consider them unsafe.


  Mayor Eric Adams has awarded $34 million in contracts to provide more resources for the homeless. William Farrington Mayor Eric Adams has awarded $34 million in contracts to provide more resources for the homeless. William Farrington

  Bronx Family Network provides services that can benefit homeless New Yorkers. Google Earth Bronx Family Network provides services that can benefit homeless New Yorkers. Google Earth

“For those individuals living outdoors for an extended period who agree to accept services, stabilization beds provide a less restrictive alternative to traditional shelter. In this way, stabilization beds provide shelter to the unsheltered and help facilitate ongoing coordinated services with outreach teams to help individuals who were previously residing in the subway and other public spaces get back on their feet,” DHS said in the announcement of the contracts.

The alternatives for the street homeless cannot come soon enough with cold weather approaching and the city already struggling to house more than 7,000 of the migrants that have crammed an already overburdened shelter system.

The city has already issued emergency contracts with hotels to provide 6,000 rooms to house migrants to provide relief for a shelter system that Adams said is at a breaking point.


  DHS estimates that there are 3,182 homeless adults currently living on the streets or public spaces. G.N.Miller/NYPost DHS estimates that there are 3,182 homeless adults currently living on the streets or public spaces. G.N.Miller/NYPost

There are about 55,000 individuals in the shelter system and the city is under a federal court order to provide shelter to anyone who seeks it and can be sued for denials or delays.

One homeless advocate said the city is way behind the curve in providing shelter and permanent housing to street homeless individuals.

“This morning we were at sweeps in two different boroughs to support homeless New Yorkers as the City conducted yet another blitz to remove people from sight. Last year the City placed only 16 people eligible from the street into supportive housing,” said Helen Strom, a supervisor of benefits and homelessness advocacy at the Safety Net Project.

“Stabilization beds that are single rooms are urgently needed, but the mayor also needs to get people into permanent housing and stop these vicious sweeps immediately.”

An administration official said the new contracts to combat street homelessness is part of a larger $171 million program Mayor Adams announced in April.


  The stabilization program provides overnight single room beds for chronic street homeless individuals. ZUMAPRESS.com The stabilization program provides overnight single room beds for chronic street homeless individuals. ZUMAPRESS.com

“As part of the mayor’s focus on addressing unsheltered homelessness, the Adams administration allocated an additional $171 million a year to aggressively expand and enhance outreach efforts and specialized resources, including Safe Havens, stabilization beds, and Drop-in Centers (DICs),” a spokesman for the city Department of Social Services said.

“This is the largest investment made by any city administration in street outreach and targeted low-barrier programs to support some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing homelessness on the streets and subways.”

The stabilization program provides overnight single room beds for chronic street homeless individuals while outreach teams work with them to find a  more permanent housing option.

Adams said Wednesday the huge surge of migrants has “put an additional strain on our housing and our shelters” and the administration has to become “extremely creative as we place people into temporary housing arrangements so we could get them into permanent housing.”

“But we do need the federal government and we need the state to assist in that, and we have been in conversations with both,” Adams said while addressing a Crain’s power breakfast gathering.

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