Catholic Church to Provide 150 Beds for Homeless in NY to Honor Pope's Visit

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said that the Catholic church will provide housing for 150 homeless New Yorkers in honor of Pope Francis’ visit.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — The Catholic church will provide housing for 150 homeless New Yorkers in honor of Pope Francis’ visit, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The Catholic Church will honor the Pope’s visit by working with the City to provide up to 150 beds with social services for street homeless individuals by the winter," the mayor’s office said.

This is the first announcement stemming from a new initiative between New York City and religious leaders to use places of worship to house the city’s homeless population.

"This announcement demonstrates the Church’s long-standing tradition to help the poor and the needy and represents the largest allocation of beds in the homeless services clergy initiative," de Blasio’s office added.

The initiative aims to house 500 homeless individuals by the winter of 2015.

According to The Coalition for the Homeless, New York City’s homelessness has reached the highest levels since the 1930s with over 58,000 people sleeping in shelters as of July 2015.