New York grapples with growing presence of homeless in midtown Manhattan – Reuters

New York grapples with growing presence of homeless in midtown Manhattan – Reuters

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) - An influx of homeless people into midtown Manhattan after an emergency move by New York City to ease crowding in shelters has been a fact of pandemic life since last spring.

Many of the newcomers, living in nearby hotel rooms contracted by the city, have been largely inconspicuous. But others with mental health and drug problems have become a growing presence in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and adjacent Times Square.

As the city looks to welcome back tourists and office workers with the pandemic lifting, suburban commuters and residents say there is a palpable difference from the New York they knew before much of the country locked down in March 2020.