Homeless celebrate Christmas in NYC restaurant

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Years ago, Mayor Bloomberg promised he would end homelessness as we know it New York.

But that hasn't happened. In the last 12 years the number of homeless people in shelters shot up 57 percent.

Today in Lower Manhattan, there is a party for the homeless courtesy of City Hall Restaurant. They came in buses from shelters all over the city.

This is one of the nicer restaurants in the city. The owner decided when he opened 15 years ago he would feed the homeless every Christmas. But during that 15 year period the number of homeless keeps going up. Eyewitness News reporter Dave Evans checked the shelter number this morning and it stood at 47, 511 homeless in New York City.

Henry Wilson lives in a shelter in Jamaica, Queens. He's disabled, and has two 6-year-old twin boys.

"But you know it just breaks your heart not being able to be at that level where you can give your kids the best," Wilson said.

Henry and his boys have lived in that shelter for two years.

Mayor Bloomberg this afternoon visited here and defended his record on the homeless.

We asked Henry what the thinks of the Mayor?

"I voted for him a couple years ago. I guess I'm sort of let down," Wilson said.

It's not like Mayor Bloomberg is ignoring the homeless. He has tried countless new programs but it's just an old problem that wont' go away. It is felt more profoundly at this time of year.

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