The new homeless "Subway Diversion Project" announced by the de Blasio administration will go into effect on July 1.
The plan which will give homeless people the choice of receiving a summons or accepting social service help is the latest attempt by the city to rid the subway of vagrants.
The Diversion Project will team NYPD personnel and workers from the Bowery Residents' Committee. The two parties will determine if the person is truly homeless and if they are willing to be escorted to one of four homeless service centers.
The MTA recently reported a 50% jump in homeless complaints in the first three months of 2019.
According to an article published in the New York Post, the number of homeless people has skyrocketed under de Blasio and the cost to taxpayers has nearly tripled since 2013.
District Attorney Cy Vance called the diversion program "potentially life-altering." Vance added, "Unsheltered people living in the subway need services, not arrests and court appearances for technical violations of transit rules."
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