Court Rules Single NY'ers Don't Have To Prove Homelessness

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A court has ruled that single New Yorkers who are homeless don't have to prove they have no other options before they enter a city shelter.

Tuesday's decision in Manhattan's State Supreme court is in response to a proposal that would have required people to show they're truly homeless, with documents if possible.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn calls the ruling a "tremendous victory.''

The council voted in December to sue Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration over the policy proposed by the city's Department of Homeless Services. The city delayed enacting it pending the court review.

1010 WINS Reporter Stan Brooks Reports...

Homeless advocacy groups have also been against the policy.

"In the single adult system, you have a much higher rate of mental illness and other underlying issues," Mary Brosnahan, executive director Coalition for the Homeless said last year. "Many of these people have either come directly from the street or will be sent right back out to the street, so our big fear is that this could be a death sentence for many people."

But Bloomberg has defended the policy, saying in November that the government does not have the money to provide services to people who don't need them.

Quinn says the administration did not consult the council or the public about a policy she says would have put thousands more New Yorkers on the street.

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