ABSTRACT
More than any other issue perhaps, the care of New York's homeless epitomized the simultaneous challenges David Dinkins faced as he sought to pursue liberal social policies in a time of retrenchment. As Manhattan borough president, he had often criticized the city's shelter system as inadequate and ill-conceived. The number of homeless single men had the greatest effect on the city's physical space, but the number of homeless families laid a greater claim to the city's heart. Dinkins policy toward creating more permanent housing had been set in no small measure by Mayor Edward Koch, who in 1986 launched a ten-year plan to create more than 250,000 apartments. Rehabilitation of abandoned, city-owned buildings was expected to account for nearly fifty thousand units. Meanwhile, Dinkins unveiled his third preliminary budget in January 1992. The Financial Control Board and the Citizens Budget Commission provided support for the mayor's critics.
