6,718 blocks

Homelessness | One rescue mission is covering them all in a bid to feed New York’s growing numbers of homeless | Alisa Harris

James Allen Walker for WORLD

NEW YORK—The New York Rescue Alliance training video shows homeless people holding wry signs:

"Brad and Angelina are going to have twins and I need money for a gift."

"Desperate need of hair weave. Please help."

One particularly sardonic sign skewered people who hurry past: "I have invisibleman-itis. Please donate so I can be cured."

The Rescue Alliance is trying to cure the "invisibleman-itis" of the homeless, but with more than a donation. Last year, the Alliance's 1,200 volunteers made contact with 1,300 homeless people while walking all 6,718 blocks in Manhattan, inviting each homeless person they met to get food, shelter, and a place in a program that offers lasting rehabilitation. This year, they're undertaking the same task.