Homeless numbers rise in city
The city’s homeless population rose sharply over the last year, causing a record number of people to enter the shelter system. The increase has forced the Bloomberg Administration to open nine more shelters in just the last two months.
Department of Homeless Shelter Commissioner Seth Diamond told reporters the city had no choice but to open the shelters, given the demand.
The city recorded 43,731 homeless people (25,475 adults and 18,256 children) in the shelter system this week, up 18 percent from the 37,143 (21,807 adults and 15,336 children) a year ago, officials said.
“We do have to move quickly, and we have to always make sure that we have enough capacity,” Mr. Diamond said. “The one thing we cannot do is have families come in and not have a place for them.”

Call for Federal probe of NYCHA
Following published that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has been sitting on $1 billion in unused federal funds since 2009, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries called on the federal government to investigate the agency.
Jeffries, the Democratic Party candidate to replace retiring Rep. Ed Towns in Congress next year, said the allegation of fiscal mismanagement “shocks the conscience.”
NYCHA currently operates 334 public housing developments and houses five percent of the entire city’s population.

Bed-Stuy crime remains on the rise
Overall felony crime in Bedford-Stuyvesant is up nearly 12 percent for the year, according to police statistics for the 79th Precinct, which covers most of the community.
Of the major crime categories, robbery is up 15 percent, car theft is up 21 percent and felony assault is up 17 percent.
There have been nine murders so far in the area in 2012 as compared to eight at this time last year.