24 The QUEE NS Courier • MARCH 10, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com THE POLITICS OF HOMELESNES It’s no secret that the rapidly increasing homeless population has become a franticly tossed political football Queens Politics & More BY MIKE FRICCHIONE *SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS, PROMOTIONS, SPECIALS, UNION OR INSURANCE PLANS. COUPON MUST BE PRESENTED AT TIME OF SALE. between New York City and Albany. And the latest pass came when the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance sent a letter to the city alleging that a gang rape had occurred inside a city shelter. The city denied any such incident and called the letter an orchestrated “political media hit.” Days later, a pair of homeless advocacy groups closely aligned with the mayor retaliated by slamming the governor for making “disingenuous attacks” and doing little to help the homelessness problem. The adult-level political food fight between Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo started out last year by looking like just another in a series of political squabbles between two top dogs. However, the issue, just like the homelessness epidemic this city is experiencing, is only getting worse. Regardless of whose side you take in the debate, assuming you can even follow all of the long-range grenades being lobbed between Albany and New York, it’s important to take a brief look at the new face of homelessness in the All tiffAny items WAnted We Purchase Entire Estates Top $$$ Paid We Purchase all Gold, Antiques, Pre-1950 Furniture, Paintings, Rugs, Sterling Silver, Bronzes, Jewelry, Bric-a-Brac, Marble Figures and Marble Tolp Furniture, Fine Porcelain, Entire Contents of Estates, Rugs and Painting Wanted We Come to You EYESUPPLY WELCOMES BACK NEW YORK CITY DISTRICT COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS. OVER 300 UNION & HEALTH PLANS ACCEPTED! ACCEPTING MOST INSURANCE PLANS. Andrew Korman Proprietor We Accept: Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue View NYC Council of Carpenters & most Eyemed Insurance. WE ARE A GVS PROVIDER Please call us to see if we accept your insurance. PromPt & Courteous serviCe exam not incl’d VARILUX Progressive Lenses (No-Line Bifocals) w/Metal Frames $16999 With coupon* Expires 3/31/16 DOCTOR IN: MON., WED., FRI., 10-5:30, TUES. & THURS. 11-7:30, SAT 10-4:30 39-25 BELL BLVD., BAYSIDE • 718.279.2020 www.eyesupplyofbayside.com NO-LINE BIFOCALS Progressive Lenses w/Metal Frames $9999 With coupon* Expires 3/31/16 2 PAIRS OF GLASSES $7999 With coupon* Expires 3/31/16 BUY 1 Pair of Glasses Get the 2nd Pair $100 OFF With coupon* Expires 3/31/16 OF BAYSIDE Savings! You Will Feel GREAT With Our city, since public perception of homelessness is outdated and not reflective of the new times. Most don’t realize that families now make up the largest segment of the city’s homeless population. Shockingly, one in three people in shelters are children. Yes, by the latest tallies, there are approximately 24,000 kids that go home to a shelter every night. Equally troubling, most of those who remain on the streets are mentally ill and include many of our nation’s veterans, including those from Iraq and Afghanistan. Homelessness is, right now, at its highest point since the Great Depression, yet there still isn’t one local politician who is leading on the issue and making it his or her own. Fortunately, most of those kids who go to bed afraid at night in our city’s shelter system don’t usually expose themselves to these types of high-level food fights. Hopefully, the battle between the mayor and the governor will spark a race to the top, a competition, to solve the problem faster and more effectively. That’s something all New Yorkers should encourage and get behind. But the stakes are simply too high to try and score this issue for one power broker or another. ANTIQUES & STERLING WANTED TOP DOLLAR PAID ALL JEWELRY WANTED 718.762.7448 / 917-748-7622
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