Mayor Giuliani yesterday blamed garden-crazy New Yorkers who turn city lots into flowering pots for shutting out homeless families from affordable housing.
Responding to reports that homelessness is on the rise, Giuliani said the city can’t build housing for low-income families until they prune the number of community gardens.
“The city let those people have gardens for a temporary period of time until it could be taken back and housing could be built,” the mayor said.
“Now the people don’t want to give the gardens back. So that’s holding up more than enough units that could satisfy the increase right now.”
The Coalition for the Homeless said the city has seen a record jump in the number of homeless people, with more than 28,000 jamming into city shelters so far this year.
Families also are staying in shelters for longer periods of time, advocates said, blaming the worsening problem on skyrocketing rents and unemployment.
Some 2,300 units of housing – which would more than handle the increase – are being held up while the city and the gardeners fight it out in court, Giuliani said.
Hizzoner added that state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is aggravating the problem with an “ill-conceived court action” that is blocking the city’s seizure of the community gardens – lots on which the city wants to build affordable housing.
The Coalition for the Homeless warns of a crisis unless the city devotes more funds for building and renovating low-income housing.
Outraged gardening advocates – who rallied outside City Hall yesterday to demand the city turn over community gardens to neighborhoods – quickly fired back at the mayor’s claim.
“I think he’s completely from outer space. There are 10,000 empty lots in the city,” said Adam Honigman of Clinton Community Garden.
“Why is he trying to pit gardens against the homeless? Why is he trying to pit gardens against housing?” asked J.K. Canepa of the More Gardens Coalition.