Adams will remove the homeless from the streets of New York: they are already creating special units

New York begins implementation of plan to remove tents homeless from streets and parks throughout the city, and transferring these people to shelters within the next two weeks. City officials will work to eradicate makeshift patches on city streets and the subway system and place the homeless in shelters where they can access mental health, medical and housing services, reports CNN.

More than 150 such camps across the city have been identified as places the city wants to clean up, the official said.

The first notifications of these efforts were posted on Thursday, March 24, and the visits took place on Friday, March 25, when the homeless received a 24-hour notice to clear the facilities.

On the subject: Adams says criminals and the homeless have made New York a laughingstock, but vowed to fix it

The interagency effort is being led by a task force that includes the city's Department of Human Services, the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the Department of Sanitation and the Department of Parks and Recreation, the official said. Police officers who make visits are required to wear body cameras, the official said.

Homeless advocates denounce city plan

The city makes an average of 650 arrests per night, the official said. During the first week of the plan, 22 people expressed their willingness to be placed in shelters.

Between February 21 and March 20, according to the official, 312 people were placed in shelters and provided with services.

“When all sites have been reviewed in this initial phase, the task force will continue into the next phase, which will include a re-inspection process followed by a re-survey of the five districts to identify any new camps,” the official said.

But the plan is already facing opposition from some homeless advocates, such as the Homeless Coalition.

Adams administration officials said they believe shelters are much safer than living on the subway or on the streets.

During the March 26 meeting, Adams answered questions from homeless advocates who oppose his administration's approach that the city lacks safe and affordable shelters.

“There are 8,8 million people and 30 million opinions in this city, but there is one mayor,” Adams said, adding that the shelters are “extremely safe” for homeless people.

Temporary housing is 'dangerous', Adams says

The effort is part of the first phase of what Adams called a comprehensive safety plan to combat crime and homelessness, which will expand response teams made up of health, police and local government officials throughout the city.

This joint initiative calls for the deployment of up to 30 inter-agency collaborative teams. They combine the Department of Homeless Assistance, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York police and community service providers in “needy” places, the plan says.

In addition, the “B-HEARD” pilot program will create additional county mental health emergency teams to enable mental health professionals to respond to non-violent 911 mental health calls; enforce direct enforcement of subway rules by the NYPD; and allocate funds for homeless services and housing.

These new efforts were made as crime in the city, especially in its transport systemattracted national attention.

Adams said he does not "share the theory" that homeless people should not continue to live in dangerous and inhuman conditions such as makeshift shelters, cardboard boxes or subway stations.

Without mentioning names, Adams did not refrain from striking at his predecessors, whose administrations, according to Adams, ignored such abandoned terms.