New York ( CNN ) -- The barefoot , apparently homeless man depicted in a widely publicized photo of a New York police officer offering him a pair of boots is not really homeless , according to the head of a city agency . On the frigid night of November 14 , police officer Lawrence DePrimo , a two-year veteran of the NYPD , was on patrol in Times Square when he came across a man in bare feet with `` blisters ... about the size of my hands . '' `` My heart went out to this man , '' DePrimo told CNN . `` I just went toward him and asked him if he wanted a pair of socks . '' Opinion : Shoes a start , but homeless need far more . DePrimo then headed to a nearby shoe store and -- after asking the man his size -- bought winter boots and helped the man put them on his feet . Unbeknownst to DePrimo , Jennifer Foster , a tourist from Florence , Arizona , had been close by and captured the moment of DePrimo helping the man . The NYPD posted the picture to its Facebook page , where it has garnered hundreds of thousands of comments . Since then , the barefoot man , once thought to be homeless , has been identified by the New York Times as Jeffrey Hillman , 54 . That name was confirmed to CNN by Hillman 's older brother , Kirk . `` Seeing him on the street , the way I saw , that was a shock at that particular time with no shoes and in the cold , '' Kirk Hillman , 62 of Allentown , Pennsylvania , said , recalling the first time he saw the photo that went viral on the Internet . `` My brother has been homeless for a while now , he 's been on the street for many , many years of his life . '' But according to the city , Jeffrey Hillman has housing -- an apartment in the Bronx . Seth Diamond , commissioner of the New York City Department of Homeless Services , says that Jeffrey Hillman has been on the city 's radar for years . `` He has housing and that 's one of the most important elements for a stable lifestyle , '' Diamond told CNN . Read more : ' I knew I had to help , ' cop says . Jeffrey Hillman , who served in the military , is eligible for support through the federal Housing and Urban Development 's Veterans Affairs Support Housing program , Diamond said . Thanks to that program , Jeffrey Hillman has a Bronx apartment that has been paid for outright , Diamond said , emphasizing there was no need for the man to `` panhandle on the streets to pay rent . '' Diamond would not give any details about Jeffrey Hillman 's use of the apartment . CNN was unable to locate Jeffrey Hillman . But Diamond described the situation as being one that his agency deals with regularly with the city 's homeless population : `` At times , he 's receptive and at times he 's more restive , and that is not atypical . '' And Diamond said he remains steadfast and vigilant in this case , as in others . `` Mr. Hillman needs to be living a better and healthier life . We have incredibly dedicated people who do not take no for an answer , '' Diamond says , `` We just have to keep at it . '' Read more : Dear New York , what 's up with the niceness ? CNN 's Mary Snow contributed to this report .
A photo of a police officer aiding a barefoot , presumably homeless man went viral . A tourist 's photo captured the officer helping the barefoot man with a new pair of boots . The officer bought the boots for the man . The city agency for the homeless says the man has an apartment in the Bronx .