Mayor Bloomberg may have been inartful when he declared Tuesday that “no one is sleeping on the streets.” But the attacks on him for it have been worse.
In a literal sense, Bloomberg misspoke: Obviously some folks are sleeping on the streets. But it’s equally obvious that he meant no one is on the streets because the city put them there. And that was the charge he was responding to.
Remember, city shelters — which house an estimated 48,000 people — are designed to offer temporary relief as a last resort.
The goal is to provide for those in need while insisting that those who have other options (e.g., staying with relatives) do not drain precious resources.
Meeting that responsibility became harder last week when an appellate panel upheld a ruling that struck down a requirement that people seeking shelter demonstrate they have no other choice.
The decision was not based on the merits. Instead, the courts say the city failed to allow sufficient public input before implementing its policy.
But let’s face it: Some folks choose the streets. Remember Jeffrey Hillman, the barefoot man whose photo went viral last fall after a big-hearted city cop bought him a pair of shoes? Turns out Hillman had access to the city shelters and family members willing to take him in. Yet, for his own reasons, Hillman chose the streets — and there are more like him than some homeless advocates care to admit.
So, yes, Bloomberg could have been more clear. But no one is served when people pretend not to understand a truth because a distortion better serves their agendas.