New York is sending its homeless to North Carolina. One city is considering a lawsuit
Homeless families were sent to North Carolina — and local leaders had no idea it was happening, news outlets report.
So how did dozens of people end up relocating to Charlotte, Raleigh and other nearby cities?
It was part of a New York City program that has used taxpayer money to help 12,482 people move to places across the country, The New York Post reported.
The Special One-Time Assistance program gives the city’s Department of Homeless Services clients a year of rent money so they can move away. New York has one of the most expensive average monthly rents in the world, Deutsche Bank found earlier this year.
While many homeless families ended up in nearby Newark, several came to North Carolina, according to a map available on the New York Post website. The graphic shows more than 40 arrivals in the Tar Heel state.
It turns out, several leaders in North Carolina weren’t even aware of the program, WNCN reports.
When the New York Post reached out to the mayor of Fayetteville, it was the first time he heard six families came to his city by bus, reports ABC11, The News & Observer’s media partner.
“We’re struggling now to keep up with our own homeless population and putting the amenities and resources in place to deal with that and we certainly can’t take anyone else’s issues,” Mitch Colvin told the station.
Now, he says Fayetteville may sue New York City, media outlets report.
Across North Carolina, about 27,000 residents “experience homelessness” each year, according to the state Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs.
Officials estimate there were at least 372 homeless people living near Fayetteville in 2018, according to the city.
It isn’t the only time cities have reportedly transported homeless people to other places.
After participants from San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, were sent to other locations, some still had trouble finding housing, The New York Times reported.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 2:08 PM with the headline "New York is sending its homeless to North Carolina. One city is considering a lawsuit."
