Homelessness and mental illness issues could affect NYC's iconic tourist spot

NEW YORK (PIX11) – Some of the city's most iconic spots in Midtown West have been overtaken by the homeless and mentally ill. 

Stakeholders are concerned that if enough isn't done, tourism could be impacted, which would cut the city's bottom line. 

Eighth Avenue in Midtown, from Times Square to Chelsea, is the gateway to the most visited spots in the world. 

But when 60 million tourists arrive every year: “People in distress, people with mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, looking to connect with those individuals,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.

And it’s not at all the portrait New York leaders are looking to paint.

“It’s significant, and that’s why we’re all working together,” Bragg added.

Since February, Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has teamed up with Assembly Member Tony Simone, the NYPD, and Sheriff Anthony Miranda. 

While there’s a significant law enforcement element, they say it starts with housing the homeless and mentally ill. That’s why they launched the Neighborhood Navigators Program.

“A lot of these folks need to be helped. We’re not going to arrest ourselves out of the problem,” Simone said.

The navigators have experienced homelessness themselves, and the peer-to-peer outreach has connected over 100 people so far with services. Still, many wonder why there is still so much despair on display.

“It takes months for them to establish a relationship and get them help,” Simone said.

Simone lives nearby and walks the avenue with Sheriff Miranda, looking for illicit activity, including unlicensed pot shops.

“The inspections are the result of community making complaints,” Miranda said.

Kathy Wylde leads the Partnership for New York, overseeing business development in the city. She calls this corridor extraordinarily important for its vitality.

“We have a lot of work to do in that area. It suffered most due to the pandemic,” Wylde said.

Wylde says she fielded safety concerns from fashion executives during New York Fashion Week. “They see homelessness, they see flagrant drug abuse. It’s not good,” Wylde said.

While she says it hasn’t affected tourism’s $74 billion business, it has led to more retail and restaurant openings in Brooklyn than in Manhattan. 

Overall, crime in the area is down, but D.A. Bragg says it will take time to see a difference. “There’s more work, and we’ll do it,” Bragg said.