Conversations over the last several years have centered around the homeless population and their ever-present and growing existence in the greater Riverdale neighborhood. Just last week, a homeless encampment set up in a corner of Vinmont Park was found and quickly reported to both 311 and the office of Councilman Eric Dinowitz.
The nonprofit homeless advocacy organization Coalition for the Homeless has data suggesting more than 350,000 people were living without homes in the city during the month of July. The number on how many people sleep on the streets is unreliable but, with more than 130,076 in shelter beds, the organization safely estimates thousands more are on the streets.
According to Dinowitz, when the Vinmont site was reported to his office, he was the one to reach out to BronxWorks, a nonprofit conducting homeless outreach in New York City…