Top NYC mayoral candidate unveils plan to make subway stations hubs for the homeless and mentally ill
A leading candidate in the New York City mayoral race has unveiled a $10 million proposal to set up centers for homeless people within the Big Apple's subway network.
Zohran Mamdani wants to convert shopfronts within the MTA network into drop-in facilities that would also serve mentally ill people, Gothamist reports.
The plans are likely to prove controversial among New Yorkers amid growing concern about crime on the subway and the city's homelessness epidemic.
Four in ten riders say they want to see fewer people acting erratically on the subway, according to an MTA survey published last month.
Mamdani's plans were inspired by a similar system which operates in Philadelphia.
'If you just think about New Yorkers who are in a moment of crisis, in a mental health crisis, to just have a place they know they can go to that is in the subway station, where they can get just a moment of relief, a moment of care, a moment of guidance,' he told Gothamist. 'It could be all the difference.'
Unlike his political rivals, Mamdani does not believe in hiring more police to tackle crime on subways.
Instead he proposes appointing workers in the 100 busiest subway stations to act as a point of outreach.
An MTA spokeswoman told Gothamist that there are currently 62 vacant storefronts out of a total of 203 units.
There are about 350,000 homeless people in the city according to the Coalition for the Homeless, which said that the majority of this population will be living with a mental illness or other severe health problems.
This combined with a lack of psychiatric care beds and support has created a safety crisis on the subway.
But policy director for the advocacy group Riders Alliance Danny Pearlstein suggested that attracting vulnerable people down to the centers could exacerbate the current issues.
'We need immediate steps to draw people off the system and into services,' Pearlstein told Gothamist.
'Public space is so precious and this problem is so palpable to so many New Yorkers that it seems irresistible to at least try a solution.'
Critics also noted that the Philadelphia system that influenced Mamdani is considerably smaller than what would be required in New York.
MTA data shows that felony crime fell in the year to February, but a number of high profile incidents has left many New Yorkers fearful about taking the train.
Among the most shocking was the death of Debrina Kawam, who was set on fire by another homeless man as she slept on the subway.
So far the response by the authorities has been to send in more police who have at times forcibly removed mentally ill people from the system.
Mamdani's plan would form part of his $1 billion public safety proposal.
Candice Player, a vice president at Project HOME, the nonprofit that runs Philadelphia's drop-in center, told Gothamist that MTA bosses have contacted her about the model in her city.
MTA officials refused to comment to the outlet when asked about the feasibility of the democratic socialist's plan.
In the Democratic mayoral primary Mamdani is polling in second place behind disgraced former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who has promised to hire 5,000 more police officers to tackle the crisis.
Mamdani acknowledges that his plans would come with a hefty price tag which he claims he would fund by pushing for tax increases for the wealthy.
He is up against incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who is made a shock decision to quit the Democrat part y and run for re-election as mayor of New York City as an independent candidate, while decrying extremist politics of the left.
Adams was once seen as a future leader in the party, declaring himself 'the Biden of Brooklyn' when he won four years ago.
He has since drifted from the rudderless Democrats who are furious with his recent deal-making with Donald Trump on immigration law.
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The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate: five key takeaways
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Mamdani warned that 'President Trump will target whomever is the next mayor of this city' and said that is 'important that we have a mayor who will fight back and that is what I will do'. 'I am Donald Trump's worst nightmare as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,' Mamdani added. 'And the difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC.' Cuomo fired back, saying that 'Donald Trump would go through Mr Mamdani like a hot knife through butter'. 'He would be Trump's delight,' Cuomo added. Mamdani countered: 'It's true that I don't have experience with corrupt Trump billionaires that are funding my campaign. I don't have experience with party politics and insider consultants. I do have experience, however, with winning $450m in debt relief for thousands of working-class taxi drivers and actually delivering for working-class people.' Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York city council, said she would take legal action against Trump when necessary. Asked how they would respond if the Trump administration ordered city-run hospitals to stop providing care to undocumented patients or risk losing millions in federal funding, all candidates voiced strong opposition to Trump's recent crackdown on immigration in general. 'You cannot give in to Mr Trump and his demands,' Cuomo said. 'If you give in to him, he is a bully, I know him well, if you give in to him today, you will be giving him your lunch money for the rest of your life.' 'You have to fight him and the way you fight him is not by suing him,' the former governor said. 'We need a national coalition, which we can put together of like-minded states and cities that will oppose these actions and then we're going to have to eventually beat him politically in Congress.' 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He also denied the sexual harassment allegations against him that led to his resignation. 'I said at the time that if I offended anyone it was unintentional but I apologize and I say that today,' he said. Asked about their biggest political regret, city council speaker Adrienne Adams took a swipe at the current mayor. 'My biggest regret is believing that Eric Adams would be a good mayor for all New Yorkers,' she said. The city's comptroller, Brad Lander, said that he regretted not pushing 'for more housing in his Brooklyn district when he was a city council member'. Mandani used the moment to target Cuomo once more, saying that 'as a Democrat, one of my regrets is having trusted the leaders within our own party, leaders like Andrew Cuomo'. Cuomo, on the other hand, said his biggest regret was 'the state of the Democratic party', which prompted backlash from other candidates on stage. 'No personal regrets?' asked Adrienne Adams. 'No regrets when it comes to cutting Medicaid or healthcare? No regrets when it comes to slow-walking PPE and vaccinations in the season of Covid to Black and brown communities? Really, no regrets?' Cuomo said her claims were 'not accurate', adding: 'Medicaid went up under me. I pushed President Trump to give us everything he had, leading the way during Covid.' The moderators asked the candidates how much they pay in rent or mortgage in New York City. Adams said she owned her home and that it was paid off; Mamdani said he pays $2,300 a month in rent for a rent-stabilized apartment in Astoria. Blake said he spends about $1,800 for a home that he owns, while Myrie said his rent-stabilized apartment was $1,300 a month and Ramos said her rent was $2,500 a month. Lander said his mortgage was $3,300 a month. Cuomo said that he pays $7,800 a month, while Tilson said that he owned his home and paid about $5,000 per month in maintenance fees and taxes. Stringer said he pays $6,400.
NBC News
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Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Top NYC mayoral candidate unveils plan to make subway stations hubs for the homeless and mentally ill
A leading candidate in the New York City mayoral race has unveiled a $10 million proposal to set up centers for homeless people within the Big Apple's subway network. Zohran Mamdani wants to convert shopfronts within the MTA network into drop-in facilities that would also serve mentally ill people, Gothamist reports. The plans are likely to prove controversial among New Yorkers amid growing concern about crime on the subway and the city's homelessness epidemic. Four in ten riders say they want to see fewer people acting erratically on the subway, according to an MTA survey published last month. Mamdani's plans were inspired by a similar system which operates in Philadelphia. 'If you just think about New Yorkers who are in a moment of crisis, in a mental health crisis, to just have a place they know they can go to that is in the subway station, where they can get just a moment of relief, a moment of care, a moment of guidance,' he told Gothamist. 'It could be all the difference.' Unlike his political rivals, Mamdani does not believe in hiring more police to tackle crime on subways. Instead he proposes appointing workers in the 100 busiest subway stations to act as a point of outreach. An MTA spokeswoman told Gothamist that there are currently 62 vacant storefronts out of a total of 203 units. There are about 350,000 homeless people in the city according to the Coalition for the Homeless, which said that the majority of this population will be living with a mental illness or other severe health problems. This combined with a lack of psychiatric care beds and support has created a safety crisis on the subway. But policy director for the advocacy group Riders Alliance Danny Pearlstein suggested that attracting vulnerable people down to the centers could exacerbate the current issues. 'We need immediate steps to draw people off the system and into services,' Pearlstein told Gothamist. 'Public space is so precious and this problem is so palpable to so many New Yorkers that it seems irresistible to at least try a solution.' Critics also noted that the Philadelphia system that influenced Mamdani is considerably smaller than what would be required in New York. MTA data shows that felony crime fell in the year to February, but a number of high profile incidents has left many New Yorkers fearful about taking the train. Among the most shocking was the death of Debrina Kawam, who was set on fire by another homeless man as she slept on the subway. So far the response by the authorities has been to send in more police who have at times forcibly removed mentally ill people from the system. Mamdani's plan would form part of his $1 billion public safety proposal. Candice Player, a vice president at Project HOME, the nonprofit that runs Philadelphia's drop-in center, told Gothamist that MTA bosses have contacted her about the model in her city. MTA officials refused to comment to the outlet when asked about the feasibility of the democratic socialist's plan. In the Democratic mayoral primary Mamdani is polling in second place behind disgraced former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who has promised to hire 5,000 more police officers to tackle the crisis. Mamdani acknowledges that his plans would come with a hefty price tag which he claims he would fund by pushing for tax increases for the wealthy. He is up against incumbent mayor Eric Adams, who is made a shock decision to quit the Democrat part y and run for re-election as mayor of New York City as an independent candidate, while decrying extremist politics of the left. Adams was once seen as a future leader in the party, declaring himself 'the Biden of Brooklyn' when he won four years ago. He has since drifted from the rudderless Democrats who are furious with his recent deal-making with Donald Trump on immigration law.
