“The untimely tragic loss of two small children once again reminds us that the cluster homeless shelter program has been broken for a long time and should have been eliminated years ago,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “There is an undeniable homelessness crisis in this city, and the city must initiate an aggressive reform in the shelter system to provide humane, clean and safe spaces for our most vulnerable residents during a difficult time.
“This is why Councilmember Rafael Salamanca will be introducing legislation, at my behest, to prevent the City of New York from leasing space in buildings that have outstanding C-level violations or stop-work orders; including hotels, motels, cluster-sites, and shelters; used for the purpose of housing homeless individuals or families.
“I will continue to work with all of my partners in government to identify the bad actors in our shelter system, in order to protect our most vulnerable residents.”