STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The boroughs leading non-profit combatting homelessness stands to play a big role in the mayors new plan to combat the homeless living on the street.

Chief Executive Officer of Project Hospitality the Rev. Dr. Terry Troia said that the plan, titled The Journey Home, could help move Staten Islands long-term street homeless into safe settings as they transition back to housing.

The biggest problem that we have on Staten Island is that we dont have beds," Troia said. There is no shelter for adult street homeless on Staten Island.

Mayor Bill de Blasios plan aims to bring 1,000 Safe Haven transitional beds and 1,000 permanent apartments for homeless New Yorkers to the city, along with improved outreach and services for the long-term street homeless.

Currently on Staten Island, Project Hospitality operates a Safe Haven program on Jersey Street in New Brighton for 30 chronically homeless people, and a supportive apartment building for former homeless people that opened in 2017 on Vanderbilt Avenue.

Troia said the organization is also working on a similar supportive apartment complex with space for more than 40 formerly homeless persons in Port Richmond.

A lot of the folks that are chronically out on the street -- first of all theyre sick, she said.

Theyre bodies are worn out from living on the streets for years and years and years. A lot of them struggle with serious life issues that impair their ability to care for themselves, so they really need some kind of supportive living situation, she said.

MORE SAFE HAVEN BEDS

Long-term street homeless often avoid the traditional shelter system for a variety of reasons, including substance abuse and mental health issues. The Safe Haven beds and the 1,000 planned apartments are considered low-barrier, which means they have few restrictions to access for potential residents.

The Safe Haven beds often have simplified application processes meant to streamline access for potential residents. Troia said the Safe Haven her organization runs often sees residents stay for months at a time, and that there is a need for more in the borough.

Its a home, and it creates that level of safety for them to come in off the streets, she said. We can send all the outreach people in the world onto the streets, but if we dont have a way to bring people in -- were spinning our wheels.

Part of City Halls announcement included a request for input on where the new beds and apartments are needed most. Troia said normally non-profits that provide homeless services bring location ideas to the city.

She said more transitional and permanent housing is what Staten Island needs to get people off the streets.

CITY COUNCIL ACTION

In addition to the mayors new plan, the City Council passed legislation Thursday that will require private developers receiving city funding for housing projects with more than 40 units to allocate 15 percent of the units for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

City Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) painted the legislation as a bane to all Staten Island developers forcing those getting any sort of subsidy or financial incentive from the city to place a homeless shelter in a residential neighborhood with no other considerations or public input.

The text of the bill specifies that the projects affected be multi-dwellings with no less than 41 new dwelling units offered for rent.

That means, at minimum, each new multi-dwelling permanent housing building with more than 40 units offered for rent that receives city funding will be required to have at least six units available to homeless individuals or families.

At best however, it is an acknowledgement of Mayor de Blasios failed homeless policy and his inability to build shelters through any normal and transparent process, Borelli said.

PROMINENT ISSUE FOR THE MAYOR

The plan announced Tuesday is the latest step de Blasios administration has taken to combat homelessness -- an issue that has risen to prominence during his time in office.

Funding for street homelessness programs in 2013, the year before de Blasio took office, was $45 million. Since he took office, funding for such programs has increased to more than $240 million, according to a release from the mayors office.

Overall, the mayors Turning the Tide initiative launched in 2016 has aimed at reducing the number of homeless both on the street and within the citys shelter system.

According to the Coalition for the Homeless, the number of people in New York City shelters each night has consistently risen since he took office. Their data shows that number has been consistently on the rise since the late 1990s.

Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island) also voted against Thursdays bill, criticizing the citys one-size-fits-all approach to affordable housing.

I am a firm believer that if we want to make housing less expensive, we must make it easier and less expensive to build housing, he said. Set asides for affordable housing should be left to negotiations with local elected officials and the community, not by another one-size-fits-all mandate.

Councilwoman Debi Rose voted in favor of Thursdays bill. She described homelessness as a crisis that the city has been unable to put a dent in. She said discussions with Staten Islanders has shown support for keeping the boroughs residents close to home in permanent housing.

This bill is a good start toward ensuring permanent homes for these individuals and families, she said.

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Islands top homeless advocate cites benefits of mayors new plan to tackle issue on our streets - SILive.com