5 Things We Learned About Homelessness on the Subways

Plus: The $51.5 billion transit repair plan just needs...the $51.5 billion [View this email in your browser]( 5 Things We Learned About Homelessness in Our Subway System Plus: The MTA has its most ambitious capital plan ever — now it just needs the money. Drivers won't need to buy those new license plates, after all. And let's be fair: The MTA is very good at typography and signage. By [James Ramsay](mailto:james@wnyc.org?subject=We%20the%20Commuters) Gretchen Robinette for Gothamist In 2008, the MTA logged 254 "incidents" that involved homeless people, most of which caused some sort of subway delay. In 2018, that number was up to 836. And that, it turned out, was enough for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to make "the homeless problem" one of the MTA's top priorities. "Someone has to say what everyone believes and thinks," Cuomo said during a June call with reporters. "What is going on? How did we get here?" Truth is, he should know how we got here. In the late 1980s, Cuomo founded a nonprofit that build housing for the homeless. He then served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton. Though he hasn't ridden the subway in nearly three years, he's familiar with the causes of homelessness. But We The Commuters decided to take up his questions and explore the issue of homelessness in the transit system, from all angles. Do the facts match the MTA's rhetoric? How do transit employees who work all day in the stations think of the issue? And what should other rides make of seeing fellow New Yorkers suffering, each morning during the daily commute? After weeks of reporting, here's what we learned: 1. The Vast Majority of Homeless New Yorkers Are Not on the Subways According to the latest federally-mandated count, there are an estimated 2,178 homeless people sleeping on trains every night. But that's based off a survey that was conducted during one cold night back in January. And even then, [fewer than 4 percent of the more than 60,000 homeless people in New York City sleep in the subway](. Many of the people sleeping on trains or in stations have tried staying in shelters, but found them unsafe, or restrictive (e.g. shelters have strict curfews, no-pet rules, and limits to how many belongings you can bring with you). The city contracts with outreach workers to talk to homeless people about moving out of the subway system, and many do eventually leave. It just takes time: five months on average, according to city officials. — [Reporting by Mirela Iverac]( 2. Homeless "Incidents" Aren't a Major Cause of Train Delays Graphic by Clarissa Diaz/WNYC According to the MTA, there were 659 delays caused by homeless people in 2018. In that same time, the MTA had 880,078 delays total. The leading cause of delays in 2018 was — you guessed it! — signal problems, which held up the trains 46,856 times. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( 3. Average Commuters Can't Solve This Problem. What Are We to Make of the Suffering on Our Trains Each Day? Stephen Nessen When We The Commuters first launched, we received a bunch of comments about homelessness, many of which echoed this note: "I don't go more than a few hours in New York without seeing someone living in desperation in the subways. It makes me feel guilty about all the resources I have in my life, but it also feels like a social issue we should be addressing as a community." Dr. Alisha Ali, an NYU professor who studies the psychological effects of poverty, says, "We don’t really have the capability as human beings to look at this onslaught of problems that are depressing, problems that are overwhelming, and deal with it — especially [while] commuting to and from work — on a daily basis." She added that feeling guilty is a good sign; it means your moral compass is working. But feeling too much personal responsibility can lead to something called "compassion fatigue." — [Reporting by Shumita Basu]( 4. Station Workers Understand the Issue Better Than Most Gretchen Robinette for Gothamist Subway station cleaners aren't really there to deal with riders at all, whether they're homeless or not. Their job is to sweep up debris and take out the trash. But they do spend 8 hours a day in close proximity to the people living in the stations, so they have some insight. "I don't think they're here because they want to be here," Shafawn Simmons, a former cleaner, [told me](. "I think they don't feel like they have a choice. A lot of them have families, and I've spoken to some that say their families tried to help them. They don't want the help. Mentally, they don't see it as help." Shenilya Fuller, pictured above, said the subway is also one of the few transit systems where homeless people can go. "I have taken the Long Island Rail Road, I’ve taken Metro North, and it’s nothing like this," Fuller said. "There’s honestly nothing we can do about it, as far as I can see. Because whether the police are involved, or the homeless outreach, they always tend to find a way back to New York City Transit." 5. Advocates Want Cuomo to Fight Homelessness by Keeping People in Permanent Housing To his credit, the governor has championed a minimum wage hike, helped strengthen the city’s rent laws, and proposed a $20 billion plan to address affordable housing and homelessness. And yet, New York’s homeless population has continued to climb. "Fifteen dollars an hour can’t pay the rent in New York City," Paulette Soltani, the political director for VOCAL-NY, [told We The Commuters](. "There are homeless people now, in the shelters, working full time jobs. The need is so great, and what’s available for people is just crumbs on the table." In addition to making housing more affordable for working people, experts say there's also a huge need for supportive housing — which includes attendant care — for people living with severe mental illness. Cuomo said back in 2016 that he'd create 20,000 supportive units over the next 15 years. But so far, only 1,426 units are "operational." — [Reporting by Christopher Robbins]( A Reminder About Next Tuesday's Event: Following up on our ([fantastic, imo]( event on the state of biking in New York City, my colleague Shumita Basu will be back next week as the host of another [We The Commuters live event]( — this time, about homelessness in our transit system. We'll hear from the WNYC and Gothamist reporters who've been covering this issue, along with: - State Senator Liz Krueger - Giselle Routhier, policy director of [Coalition for the Homeless]( - Josh Dean of the homeless advocacy group [Human.nyc]( - Kathryn Wylde of [Partnership for NYC]( - And a performance by Theatre of the Oppressed's [Rapid Response Troupe]( which uses interactive theatre to highlight social, health and human rights injustices. The event starts at 7:00 p.m. in The Greene Space, on Tuesday, September 24th. [Get your tickets]( while they're still available. Best of the Week From Gothamist and WNYC MTA/Flickr New York City Transit Chief Andy Byford is "ecstatically happy" about the MTA's new $51.5 billion, five-year capital plan, which calls for new signals on six lines, new elevators in 70 stations, 1,900 new subway cars, and 2,400 new buses. Now comes the hard part: [finding that money](. Citi Bike plans to install docks at 85 new locations in Bushwick and Ridgewood this fall, which is sooner than expected. But two members of Brooklyn's Community Board 4 are [urging the bike share program to wait]( until the city makes improvements to street safety. "This summer, there was a city-wide spike in fatal cyclist collisions, including on both Bushwick Avenue and Broadway, [where 14 docks are] scheduled to be installed," they noted. It's time to break the car culture, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and transit expert Nicole Gelinas [said on The Brian Lehrer Show yesterday](. As part of this week's Covering Climate Now series, they made the case that reducing carbon emissions is central to the push for prioritizing public transit over car ownership in the city. Gov. Cuomo has scrapped his plan to require drivers with old license plates to replace them for $25. Starting in April, license plates that were 10 years old or older were going to have to be swapped out for newly designed ones. But a recent Siena Poll found that most New Yorkers hated the idea, so the governor canceled it, [bringing an apparent end to #plategate](. F Train express service has returned ... which means [Manhattan-bound trains will skip all local stops between Church Avenue and Jay Street - MetroTech]( in Brooklyn between 7 and 8 a.m., and again between 5 and 6 p.m. (for trains heading towards Coney Island). A Kensington resident named Sophie, who currently has 21 stops between her apartment and her office, wrote us to say she's hoping the MTA will expand those hours. "8 - 9 a.m. and 6 - 7 p.m. would make the whole difference for me, and many others I’m sure," she said. Do you have tips or suggestions for this newsletter? We'd love to hear from you! We're wethecommuters@wnyc.org. What Else We're Reading The MTA's claims about fare evasion are based on flawed data, according to the agency's inspector general. The MTA estimates that $215 million in revenue was lost last year, but Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny is casting doubt, since the MTA only looked at 60 percent of the turnstiles it was supposed to in order to come up with that figure. ([AM New York]( If you want to eat lunch in a corridor of the 42nd St - Port Authority subway station, you could soon be in luck. The MTA is trying to rent out a block of storefronts, which would be sublet to shops and restaurants. The cons: It's hot and smelly and there are rats nearby. The pros: There's a lot of foot traffic down there, and the rent per square foot is about one tenth the cost of rent in nearby Times Square. ([The New York Times]( Respect Where It's Due: MTA Typography and Signage Edition New York Transit Museum My colleague Ben Yakas is right: It might sometimes feel like you're trying to decipher hieroglyphics when you're staring at 16 weekend service changes flyers on the platform, but overall, MTA signage is one of the most consistently good things about using our mass transit system. Changing Signs, Changing Times: A History Of Wayfinding In Transit is currently on display at the New York Transit Museum, and it's well worth checking out. As is [our photo gallery]( of some highlights from the exhibit. Weekend Service Changes: Night of September 20th – Early Morning on September 23rd This is a partial list of major service disruptions scheduled for the weekend. For a complete list of the MTA's Weekender updates, [check here](. Downtown trains will skip 86 St, 79 St, 66 St, 59 St and 50 St in Manhattan. On Saturday and Sunday, train service between 241 St and Gun Hill Rd in the Bronx will be replaced by free shuttle buses, and downtown trains will skip 86 St, 79 St, 66 St, 59 St and 50 St in Manhattan. On Saturday and Sunday, train service between Utica Av and New Lots Av in Brooklyn will be replaced by free shuttle buses. Pelham Bay Park-bound trains will skip Brook Av, Cypress Av, E 143 St, E 149 St and Longwood Av in the Bronx. On Saturday and Sunday, train service between Broad Channel and Mott Av in Queens will be replaced by free shuttle buses. train service between Kings Hwy and Stillwell Av in Brooklyn will be replaced by free shuttle buses. Manhattan-bound trains will skip 25 St, Prospect Av, 4 Av-9 St and Union St in Brooklyn. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. Upcoming Meetings and Events Monday, September 23rd Joint Metro-North & LIRR Committee Meeting — 8:30 a.m. NYC Transit / MTA Bus Committee Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 25th MTA Board Meeting — 10:00 a.m. Registration for two-minute public speaking slots opens 15 minutes before the start time for official MTA committee meetings. To speak before an MTA board meeting, you must register 30 minutes early. All meetings are held in the MTA's Board Room at 2 Broadway, on the 20th Floor. James Ramsay will remind you one more time: Please attend [our event next Tuesday night!]( (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2019 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. 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