Advocates Rally Behind Bill Mandating Naloxone Training For Homeless Shelter Staff

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A report highlighting heroin overdose deaths among New York City's homeless population has prompted renewed calls that outreach workers and shelter staff be trained to administer overdose antidote naloxone.

As 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman reported, according to a recent report 61 homeless New Yorkers died of overdoses in the last fiscal year.

Shelter residents and homeless and community advocates rallied to support a bill in the city council mandating the training.

"Someone is trying to get into recovery, but they use, and they relapse, and they die, there's no recovering from that," outreach worker Hector Mota said.

The Department of Homeless Services said since that report, most shelter staff have been trained. Many at the rally said overdoses aren't just happening at shelters.

Jeremy Saunders of Vocal New York said the homeless themselves need to be armed.

"People are witnessing overdoses in the street, they're witnessing overdoses in places where friends are gathering," he said.