Study: N.Y. homeless efforts struggling

NEW YORK, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Efforts implemented by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg have failed to significantly reduce number of the city's homelessness as planned, a study says.

A report from the New York Independent Budget Office said when compared to data from 2004, the year Bloomberg implemented his homelessness plan, nearly the same amount of families are living in New York homeless shelters this March, The New York Times said Friday.

While March 2008 saw nearly 8,500 New York families living in such shelters, the study did find that Bloomberg's efforts have affected the number of homeless living on the city's streets.

The budget office report says since 2005, the number of individuals living on New York's streets has decreased by nearly 25 percent to a 2008 total of nearly 3,300, the Times reported.

Bloomberg has acknowledged that his homelessness plan has struggled in recent years, but the city official said New York would be worse off without such localized efforts.

"I think it probably would be a lot worse," the mayor said.

"Can we reduce it? I can tell you every day we are continuing to try," he added, referring to the number of homeless in New York.