West Side Shantytown Near Intrepid Renews Homeless Debate
The Mayor attempts to offer permanent solutions for New Yorkers living on the streets, while citizens and business owners on the West Side hope for swift removal of homeless encampments. Some encampments have been removed from the area in recent days while others remain.
| 19 Jul 2026 | 01:56
Pedestrians heading toward a homeless encampment on West 45th Street that occupied the entire sidewalk, forcing people to venture into the street to get around it. (
)
A covered encampment was constructed along West 36th Street, just a block north of the Javits Convention Center. (
)
Trash and stolen goods line the streets near the structures in suitcases. (
)
The remnants of the structure on West 45th Street on July 16th, after the homeless encampment appeared to disperse. (
)
The encampment on West 46th Street has been left untouched since July 14th. (
)
Members of the encampment moved early July 16th to avoid conflict. (
)
The first official complaint to City Council regarding the growing shantytown near West 45th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues was lodged on the 4th of July weekend, according to Carl Wilson, representing Manhattan’s West Side. According to locals however, the homeless camps have been there substantially longer than that, tucked into doorways and under construction awnings along 12th Avenue, West 46th Street and elsewhere nearby. The unsightly structures, in view of the Intrepid Museum, have reignited an age-old debate over how to combat homelessness while keeping the city's streets presentable.
The New York Post broke the story, claiming that Mayor Mamdani’s efforts to clear the streets were lackluster at best. The Mayor, who promised to “look into it,” addressed the encampment again at a press conference on Wednesday, July 15th. Mamdani shared that his office intends to rebuild the relationship between local government and the homeless population, directing them toward more long-term housing solutions through weekly outreach.
Under Mamdani’s seven-day policy, it requires that before an eviction from a homeless encampment, efforts must first be made to connect those individual living on the streets with intake facilities through the Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Social Services. After a week of outreach, the mayor promises that the encampment will be cleaned up and removed by the Department of Sanitation.
Many are unhappy with the length of this process, wishing for it to be expedited. DHS, which reported the site on Tuesday, July 14th, is suspected to give the encampment until the 21st to disperse. Locals have claimed its presence in the neighborhood for weeks.
A handful of encampments have been built along the sidewalks between the Javits Center and the Intrepid Museum, an area heavily trafficked by tourists. The makeshift housing brings with it heaps of trash and often strong odors, forcing locals and tourists to walk in the street to avoid the mess.
The issue gained attention after reports that someone was tapping into city power lines, diverting power to their makeshift shelter. The police removed extension cords and ordered the person involved to disconnect from the power source. Members of the encampments have also partially loosened a nearby fire hydrant, offering a solution to the Code Red heat advisory of recent weeks.
A Straus reporter returned to check in on the state of the major encampments between West 44th and West 46th Streets on July 16th only to discover that two of the major structures had already been removed. Both sides of West 45th Street have been cleaned, with only two members of the encampment remaining on the south side of the street.
A local construction worker spoke to Straus, airing his frustrations: “They just move back and forth,” the worker said, pointing out that after a 911 call from a neighboring building manager, a few of the homeless packed up and moved a block south down to West 44th Street.
The settlement on 46th Street remains, where members make use of Amazon shipping bins to store their belongings. The city in this west side case appears to a large extent to have answered the public's request. Of course, the question down the road will be to watch to see if the encampments return in a few days or weeks ahead.