When Deblasio was Public Advocate he was so lazy and staff complicate they ignored all housing inquires. The same staff who ignored housing abuse by developers and no transparency at HPD where given fancy titles like Chief of Staff and head of policy making. To date these people do nothing and I'm still waiting for the policy guy to show us something he has written. Waiting for the Chief of Staff to do something besides make sure her girlfriend had a nice city job.
4
When politicians are running for office they go everywhere. They will show up in diners, coffee shops, pizza places. They will walk along broadway stoping people, they Coney Island Boadwalk too. So being that they show up during our regular routines they opened the door to a two way street.
3
Socialism is ,for the socialists.The main reason those Chinese women are targets of the mayors police teams.They risked their lives to escape communist China only to wind up in the Socialist hotbed of the Nation.Unprotected here as are the victims of gang violence from Guatemala ,they've traded evils of an existence far too many suffer from.While the mayors government preaches good will ,essentially good capitalism is the key to the city.
1
how many times was Michael Bloomberg ambushed during his long tenure as mayor whose polices continued into and through bill deblasio's? ditto with the nycha crisis, nycta, et alia.... why only the low hanging political fruit?
2
My limited sympathy towards the homeless has expired. A 63 year old woman was nearly killed by a 'mentally ill' homeless person earlier this week. The NYPD initially minimized the attack and only after relatives of the victim posted on the local newspaper's website did the entire story come out.
https://www.silive.com/news/2018/10/watch-surveillance-video-shows-distu...
5
Housing the homeless in hotels or really, homeless mega-shelters is a train wreck for any community-mostly the homeless community. Many of the homeless suffer from addiction and lumping addicts together ensures homelessness and their addictions continue to thrive. It is the utopian setting for both drug addicts and drug pushers. Get a real solution, because hotel mega shelters will never be it.
6
Incredible that you could call moving 100,000 people from homelessness to housing a failure.
2
How many homeless shelters has Deblasio put in Park Slope?
5
Bring back Abe Beame! Exhume John Lindsay!
Being Mayor of NYC is an Impossible job. De Blasio is a regular Joe trying to do his best. The demands and expectations are unrealistic. Homeless issues plague all big cities including NYC Moscow or SF. More housing is necessary for all types to set the supply and demand equation right.
The etiology of homelessness is multifactorial, free housing is not the answer. When job skills are scarce the family structure breaks down the city is expected to jump in.
Churches temples labor unions should be required to provide some temporary housing as part of their tax -free status.
Mental illness is another cause of homelessness needs to be addressed.
Making a show of public confrontation against politicians does little to solve the issues but does alienate voters whether it is on local or on national issues.
The problem is De Blasio needs to pony up for a private club like Bloomberg.
7
@cdb
Deblasio wants you to think hes an average Joe
hes no average Joe but a demagogue who doesnt deliver on campaign promises
Basically an incompetent blowhard
Cuomo, who cant stand him for that reason, is correct in his antipathy
and im no fan of Cuomo, but he is competent
Giuliani and Bloomberg were not great friends of the homeless problem but handled it so much better than this guy
4
@cdb No mayor of NY (except maybe LaGuardia) has ever been a "regular Joe".
Confronting pols at their leisure will guarantee a better group of people will seek office. After all, who wouldn't want to be confronted at all hours. (sarcasm font)
2
@Phyllis Sidney
Inappropriate confrontation makes guys like Trump look justified for their behavior/ viewpoints.
One problems that needs to be addressed, is how some "affordable" housing, is really not affordable for most. This type of housing should be called "somewhat affordable" or "almost affordable housing". When developers build units and promise to provide some affordable housing in order to build bigger and wider, they should be made to build the affordable housing before they build the luxury housing.
12
For some reason I feel there are those who will never be proud for Bill de Blasio no matter what he does to help the homeless. In cases such as this, it will always seem like a lose-lose for him. I say this because if he doesn't do much, his critics will rule him for being apathetic. Meanwhile, even if he does try to help solve the homeless crisis, his critics will claim he isn't doing enough. Overall, there will always be a group that will keep raising the bar and grilling him no matter what he does. Perhaps, he isn't the one with the ego, but certain people are, and they use him as their personal scapegoat. It's not as if any of you who criticize him have any solutions yourselves for this problem. Personally, we should blame both Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg for their huge push for gentrification that created the very problem to start with in which de Blasio is forced to handle. Maybe the reason he goes to this particular gym is because it's the one he is been going for decades just like anyone else who goes to theirs'. There are times to bother him, and there are times when it shouldn't be done. Even politicians need to have times for privacy. Another thing is that I don't think those pressuring him are really critics but rather bullies who are constantly picking on him for just about everything he does. In a way, I sort of feel like de Blasio because I can never please anyone no matter what I do especially for my own family.
7
de Blasio....Do as I say not as I do. Limousine liberal; Hypocrisy at its zenith. People like him never see the irony. And they never will.
26
@Margo Channing
Love your nom de NYT. Buckle up!
1
Just curious; this article says there’s no capital budget for homeless shelter expansion. In a companion article today, Jane Doe Ponytail, a block in Queens seems to be a sex-worker oasis, and her building specifically. Yet she is arrested time and time again and the owner of the building gets no penalty? His building isn’t forfeited? That and other buildings might make good shelters, low rent opportunities. As that article pointed out, the focus was supposed to shift to prosecuting johns and pimps. They suffered nothing, and the building owner just goes merrily on...his way. Maybe that activist at the gym should have asked about that, too.
10
Until there is a recognized 'human right' to adequate living space, education, healthcare, clothing and - a law limiting market rents and real estate accumulation, there will always be homelessness.
8
This ambush engagement of politicians is a current fad brought on by the seeming success in confronting a certain republican senator in an elevator during the recent supreme court nomination process. It is not new, think back to Michael Moore or Sacha Baron Cohen or 60 minutes in its heyday. Gonzo politics. I am not sure I like it because of where it could go next.
4
No, the confrontation is brought on by those fed up with being ignored, disbelieved and disrespected by those who put party above honor, ethics and indecency. Flake is a coward and the women who confronted him are heroes. If you want to see 'gonzo' politics, tune in to a Trump propaganda rally where instead of promoting unity and patriotism, he blabbers on and on about perceived personal slights, attacks those who disagree with him and carries on like a deranged nutcase. 'Ambush' or 'speaking truth to power' as it's really known is just the beginning until we bring balance and normalcy back to our government. Get over it or get out.
12
@LisaG
Your reply and its tone is exactly what Ben is talking about. You are speaking slogans to power, just like Trump twitters.
What are now called "activists" seem so blinded by their anger that their brains stop functioning. They heckle and the result is what? A Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court. Thank you.
She did not make a friend of de Blasio nor did she move him. What she wanted is clearly pointed out in the excellent article. What she got was an annoyed Mayor. Had she come screaming directly into the NYT office, she might have gotten the article without the negativity.
We are just beginning to read the results of what you call for, an increase in backlash from many who would have voted Democrat as well as an increase of activated Republicans. We'll be lucky to get a House majority; forget the Senate.
If you're ready to street fight in a revolution, okay, but just more childish foot stamping and bumper-sticker blah blah merely gets us a classic Democrat bullet in the foot. That's not how real change happens.
@Anonymot
I find bumper stickers to be a highly effective means of educating myself about extremely complex issues (sarcasm font once again)
De Blasio has proven himself to be the emptiest of empty suits. He is all arrogance and no usefulness.
I can't wait for his term to be OVER, then he can move back to Park Slope and go to his gym on his own, instead of needing an SUV cavalcade polluting the air as he carries on about congestion and how we should all be riding bikes (even if we're 80 years old and infirm).
30
There are many legitimate reasons to grip about the Mayor but this constant harping about when and where he goes to the gym is just stupid. Being mayor is not a 9-5 job. It is a 24/7 job. Maybe by going to the gym at 11AM he is actually doing everyone a big favor by not swamping the YMCA with his security detail, the media and protesters at a prime time hour. It also means he is not on the road during morning rush hour. I think it is stupid of him to not use a facility near Gracie Mansion (54th Street Rec Center!) but hey, we all have our particularities. At least he isn't flying to Bermuda every weekend in his private plane like our previous mayor.
10
@Christine LeBeau: Comparing him to Bloomberg is a false equivalence. Bloomberg is gone and not coming back as mayor here, while we're stuck with De Blasio - but thank heaven for term limits.
To De Blasio, being mayor seems to be a part-time job! WHY does he need the Park Slope YMCA - is he unable to cope/adapt? And if so, how is it that he's HAPPY to live in Gracie Mansion?
He should have stayed living in Park Slope - he'd have saved us a bunch of $$ for security at Gracie Mansion and he could just walk to his gym whenever he felt like it.
And everyone likes to forget that De Blasio is LATE to nearly every event & appointment. That says to me that (a) he's disorganized, and (b) that he disrespects the value of other people's time.
18
@Christine LeBeau
Bloomberg used his own plane and funds to get to his home in Bermuda.
11
@Margo Channing
Yeah, so he had the funds to have some time for himself far away from the city, which he did habitually. So De Blasio takes a couple of hours a day to go to the gym and work out. Big deal! People have been having a meltdown over this just because then don't like the man.
1
I often intersect with DeBlasio and his entourage after dropping my kids off at school. That's around 8.20-8.30.
Every time, his arrogance and dismissal of the taxpayer's anger of these unnecessary trips makes me dislike him a little bit more.
37
De Blasio could have handled this much better. He could have been more diplomatic and sensitive to her concerns, i.e. "I don't have the necessary info in front of me right now, but let's set up some time and have a conversation." Instead he sounded irritated and brushed her off. Says a lot about him.
22
@B
No if he is tired. It becomes more difficult to be diplomatic. It was in a gym after all.
8
Homelessness is a nearly insoluble problem. There are different kinds of homeless people. Some are hardworking who have been pushed out of their apartments by exorbitant rents. What politician dares to take on the affluent landlords. No, to get their campaign contributions give them tax breaks to keep apartments and storefronts empty. Then there are the unproductive homeless addicted to liquor and drugs. Then there are the mentally ill. My neighbor was a social worker whose job it was to find the homeless an apartment and a job. He got burnt out he said because within 6 weeks they would stop going to work and the apartment would be trashed. A multi -pronged effort is needed. House the mentally ill in medical facilities upstate and make sure the residents are well treated. Screen the addicts to find those who want help and get them into detox programs. Strengthen rent control.
19
@an observer
Thank you. When the "homeless" or what I believe now should be referred to as the "unsheltered" are discussed, it is always as if the problem were only lack of housing. You are absolutely right. Some are mentally ill and need meds and therapy, some are mentally ill and will need life long supportive housing. Some are addicted and need rehab (which may take many many times). Some are anti-social (for lack of a better term for bums). Some have multiple problems. In all, any amelioration (not solution) will be costly, but in a society striving to be more just, we should pay the cost.
3
The city is spending on average $167 (approximately) per room per night to house the homeless in hotels. That’s over $5k per month per room. Imagine the beautiful apartment one could have for 5k a month. Not only is this an inefficient use of tax dollars, but the people in need do not have the necessities in a hotel room. Yes they have a roof and bed, but where are they cooking their meals?
I live in Greenwood Heights (part of Sunset Park) Brooklyn where the hotel situation is rapidly escalating out of control. When we moved into our home 6.5 years ago, there were two hotels within three blocks. Now there are 3 being used for the homeless plus 3 more being constructed,all within a 3 block radius. The blocks west of 4th avenue are mixed use residential/ commercial thus not zoned for condos. Hotels are a lucrative way for developers to make millions a year off of the city. So, my neighborhood in particular is becoming the hub for expensive hotels housing the cities homeless population. There must be a better solution
26
I visited Brooklyn last year and, rather than sleeping in my daughter’s tiny studio apartment with her and her boyfriend, did what was for me, on a Texas teacher’s salary, a vacation splurge, and rented a room in a nice, new hotel nearby. I was surprised to find it was being used as a homeless shelter. I was impressed that New York was trying to provide shelter for people, but agree that it is a ridiculously expensive way to provide inadequate housing (no kitchen or ability to leave your belongings.). It was also a bit uncomfortable for me—it was noisy, with people who knew each other hanging out in the hallways bantering, my neighbor having lots of really loud sex with a succession of people, and a gauntlet of folks to run each time I entered or left my room. I have not rented a hotel room in New York since. This “solution” is bad for tourism, inadequate for the homeless, inefficient for taxpayers and benefits only the hotel owners.
21
@Austin Schoolteacher - Deblasio should pay attention to the tourism room nights that NYC & Company the alleged tourism agency that is suppose to promote the city. Each year the same press release goes out by this suedo govt agency saying tourism is great. How they calculate hotel room night stays is a big mystery when hotels have been converted to luxury condos, homeless shelters, and the Waldorf is closed. How are the hotels being occupied by the homeless being accountant for?
1
This mayor lives in a bubble. More concerned with horses and real estate than the people.
I live in a neighborhood with several family homeless shelters.
My question is WHY are homeless apartments given out to illegal aliens?
We should be caring for our own citizens FIRST, NOT handing out $3000 per month apartments, plus food stamps and other benefits to people who do not belong here.
(I know people who work in shelters, homeless and other social service agencies. Those numbers and conditions are accurate.)
Under those conditions, which aren't too bad, there's little incentive for any people to leave to leave, citizen OR alien.
22
From my upstate vantage, and despite my addiction to the Times, de Blasio seems absent. This is in stark contrast to Bloomberg and Giuliani, both fountains of ideas - good and bad - aimed at improving the urban condition. I don't think that de Blasio is less capable or well-meaning an administrator. He's just seems not the kind of personality that is required to really deliver the goods in NYC.
17
Empty store fronts, homeless problems in every borough, mismanagement at city agencies. Meanwhile, Build it Back program run by DDC has failed residents on a daily basis, as people are still waiting for the agency to build back their homes from the Sandy storm. Deblasio with no care in the world that people are homeless, homes not rebuilt, the subway & bus service is awful and he's driven like a king to the gym.
24
I would like to know much much more about the homeless -- there are several panhandling daily in my nabe. Why are they homeless? Were they always marginally functional? (I know there are no jobs... so that can't really be discussed.) Where and how are their communities? Where can they go during the day besides standing in front of the grocery store begging? Are they originally from NYC? Who are their families?
Meantime hy are rents going up up up?? and why are apts. in Midtown sold to unknown entities often in money laundering transactions? Does middle income housing have to come with inexpensive parking? Why do people need cars in the city? Would people be happier living outside the city -- which is where I understand the city of Boulder, CO has opted to quarter some of its more needy residents.
6
Excuse me but... there are Plenty of jobs... every other store front has help wanted signs in their windows!
7
@Usmcsharpshot
Many of those jobs don't pay a living wage.