Mayor Bloomberg Goes to Bat for Program That Studied Homeless People by Tina Moore

This man is so callous and heartless...

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Mayor Bloomberg Friday defended a city experiment that bars 200 struggling families from a taxpayer-funded program so researchers can study what happens to them.

"In the end, we are only going to spend money on things that work, so we have to find out what works," Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR-AM radio show with John Gambling.

The Daily News revealed Thursday that the Department of Homeless Services' study bars the randomly selected group from a homeless-prevention services program.

Another 200 families will receive rental assistance, job counseling and other services from the program called Homebase.

Researchers will track both groups to see what services they use and if they end up in shelters - a method some elected officials called "inhumane" and "cruel."

The Bloomberg administration has said the study only affects a small percentage of the 7,700 clients Homebase served in 2009.

Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) vowed to hold hearings on the study that she called "inhumane."

DHS' contention that the study is necessary to see if Homebase works comes one month after the Mayor's September Management Report dubbed Homebase a "highly successful model" that helped keep 90% of its clients out of shelters.

With Adam Lisberg