Over 4,000 Homeless Accepted Shelter Since Launch of ‘Subway Safety Plan’

By Forum Staff

Mayor Eric Adams rode the subways overnight last week with WABC-TV’s N.J. Burke on the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Subway Safety Plan and discussed the City’s progress supporting New Yorkers experiencing homelessness, and ensuring riders feel safe while using the subway system.

Since the start of the plan last February, 4,000 New Yorkers experiencing homeless - ness accepted shelter, and over 1,300 New Yorkers still currently remain in shelter, stabilizing their lives on a path toward permanent housing. is past fall, Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced phase two of the city’s subway safety e orts, adding 1,200 additional overtime o cer shi s each day. Adams noted that major crime in transit stations is down 18 percent since the beginning of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022. As a result of this progress, in

December, subway ridership topped 3.9 million people in one day, the highest number since the pre-pandemic period, and riders are reporting an increased feeling of safety through customer satisfaction surveys.

“I started my career as a transit police o cer, so I know rsthand that subway safety is public safety,” Adams said. “Our transit system is the key to ge ing to work, to school, visiting family and friends, and experiencing all that New York City has to o er. It makes life in our city possible.

Last year, Governor Kathy Hochul and I announced a Subway Safety plan, where we promised to devote more resources to helping those experiencing homelessness and facing mental health crisis get the shelter and the care they needed. We knew it would take time to build trust with this vulnerable population, and I’m proud that, one year into this work, we have successfully connected more than 4,000 people facing homelessness with shelter and the assistance they deserve.”