New York, NY —

70 sites across New York City where the homeless often built semi-permanent shelters have been cleared by the city. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

It took nearly a year to clear the sites. Several were located in remote places, such as a wooded area along the Harlem River and underneath the Henry Hudson Parkway, where the homeless had put up tarps and brought in old couches to sleep on. Outreach workers regularly visited the sites to try to convince the homeless to leave.

The city says 68 people agreed to be placed in temporary housing and in some cases, permanent apartments. Not everyone came indoors though. Last year, the city estimated more than 300 people were staying at the sites. Homeless advocates believe many may have moved to the subway system because numbers from the city's recent homeless count show an increase in people staying underground.

The Department of Homeless Services says the Sanitation Department cleared the sites of tons of debris and the police and outreach workers will go back every 2 weeks to make sure no one returns. For WNYC, I'm Cindy Rodriguez.