As long as the wealthy don't feel their money, tax havens (US is #1), and careers are SERIOUSLY threatened by you (words mean nothing to them), none of you exist, and they truly don't care nor want to hear about your problems, nor what you think, no matter how serious and life-threatening your problems may be. Their sycophantic politicians, and all the other puppets and minions who praise them, heal them, protect them, entertain them, cater to them, and clean up after them, are the only other people they want in their world, and they DON'T want to see them/you in their gated and "exclusive" clubs and communities when you finish doing their dirty work, and feeding their outrageous egos - you are the "crumbs" at their feet. Get actively involved in the governance of your country, put immediate and REAL pressure on them they must face and can't avoid nor ignore, and you will find you have the power to change this very quickly.
5
Irresponsible, isn't it? To consciously subject your children to this abject system--while able bodied and willing to work. Even if taxpayers subsidize this caprice, someone--probably children will suffer.
2
NYC is a jewel of opportunity and culture in this country, and I get why so many people move there—and know many who have done it in the past—but over the past few decades, the cost of living in the city and the surrounding areas has gotten to be quite outrageous. It was the main reason that I—a fifth-generation NYer, an Ivy League graduate, a professional who worked in the city for many years, and a single parent who struggled to make ends meet for many years so I could stay there—finally left with my children after the last one graduated from high school 14 years ago. I could easily see myself ending up homeless there, with one bad turn of luck. After I relocated, I was able to buy a home for the first time in my life. Sadly—because I miss much of what I left behind—that was never going to be possible there, even though it was for the generations that came before me.
4
Frankly, I'd rather have the opportunity to sell my childhood apartment to someone able to care for it than not, in today's extreme global economic environment. Where to go is a looming question mark.
when will we face the reality of the situation. there are too many people, too much industrialization on this planet? maybe the correct answer is that possible solutions summon scenarios as inhuman as a thermonuclear armed conflict.
2
It's not just NYC, although it may be worse there due to the stratospherically high rents there. I have recently paid a month's rent for a woman and her daughter here in Arizona after her husband died unexpectedly, putting their small business cleaning yards and roofs at risk (she can't accomplish what he did). A friend has donated her unoccupied home to a needy woman for a few months.
Here's a thought for everyone: if you can, donate some cold hard cash to a needy family; if you can do it for a lengthy period of time, do so, especially if it secures housing. If you can, help a family find housing (consult your local church for candidates). If you plan to vote in upcoming elections, make sure your local candidates have a stated position and plan to increase affordable housing in both the short and long term.
Here's a thought for everyone: if you can, donate some cold hard cash to a needy family; if you can do it for a lengthy period of time, do so, especially if it secures housing. If you can, help a family find housing (consult your local church for candidates). If you plan to vote in upcoming elections, make sure your local candidates have a stated position and plan to increase affordable housing in both the short and long term.
4
"I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would bring their family to NYC without a plan and then ask for services."
that was the plan.
they will get food stamps, free health care from the best equipped hospital. and eventually a rent free apt. in ny you don't need a car to get around.. then you make some off the books work and life is quite pleasant.
the answer is obvious. new york offers the best service to homeless people in the nation.
when the story gets out, because ny is under court decree to accept
them , these people will flood the city
that was the plan.
they will get food stamps, free health care from the best equipped hospital. and eventually a rent free apt. in ny you don't need a car to get around.. then you make some off the books work and life is quite pleasant.
the answer is obvious. new york offers the best service to homeless people in the nation.
when the story gets out, because ny is under court decree to accept
them , these people will flood the city
15
@charles
Look around again. They have already flooded the city -- And please don't get me wrong.
It's not that I am heartless against all these people who are having a rough time -- I just have a problem that there are already so many New Yorkers that are having a rough time, and they might possibly have to cede their right to assistance in order to accommodate those who are coming from out of state.
Look around again. They have already flooded the city -- And please don't get me wrong.
It's not that I am heartless against all these people who are having a rough time -- I just have a problem that there are already so many New Yorkers that are having a rough time, and they might possibly have to cede their right to assistance in order to accommodate those who are coming from out of state.
9
This is an absolute disgrace and proof of the failure of leadership of the Mayor, those executives in his Human Services administration, and many others who are involved with this burgeoning crisis. This is not new, has been getting worse for decades, massive amounts of money have been wasted that is needed to help people in need, and it just continues getting more rapidly worse as every year goes by. Leadership is about taking care of PEOPLE, especially those who are the most in need. Get rid of these incompetent, sell-their-souls-for-money, executive failures. The magnitude of the damage they do to people and society by their lack of caring, lack of competence, greed, cowardice, etc., is beyond words. Make them ALL (and THEIR families) have to live the way the people who need their help have to "live", and you would see "miraculous" change overnight.
2
Multiple children birthed, by young women without a footing in the world is a common aspiration, which should be discouraged.
Building more and more is not a solution.
Building more and more is not a solution.
17
The homeless rate is high. Rent is high in NYC. Do you force landlords to lower rents? Do you give everyone a voucher to pay the high rents? I don't know what the solution is. What I do know is that NYC is the only place in the country where you can enter the shelter system without showing proof of NYC residency. I know times are hard but you shouldn't be able to come from California and enter the shelter system, use the California shelter system. There are tens of thousands of New Yorkers who are homeless, we have enough on our plate without adding people from other states and countries.
17
And lest my previous comment seems heartless, it wasn't meant to be. Quite the opposite.
I find this article, and the overall larger problem, to be just so sad on so many levels.
If have not yet read the book 'Evicted,' well worth the time. Painstakingly researched, extremely well-written, and so deeply personal. It explains so much also.
I find this article, and the overall larger problem, to be just so sad on so many levels.
If have not yet read the book 'Evicted,' well worth the time. Painstakingly researched, extremely well-written, and so deeply personal. It explains so much also.
3
Just about everybody in New York City who isn't a multi-billionaire lives in the fear that one day, they might become one of the thousands of homeless they encounter everyday
Things have gotten so bad, that now even people who are working, sometimes two or three jobs, never know when they might find themselves on the street.
And the homeless shelter situation is beyond horrific.
As long as the need for more affordable housing remains on the back burner, which it has for years now, this situation will not get any better, as the ranks of those who can no longer pay their annual rent-increases, join the ranks of those who cannot pay at all.
Things have gotten so bad, that now even people who are working, sometimes two or three jobs, never know when they might find themselves on the street.
And the homeless shelter situation is beyond horrific.
As long as the need for more affordable housing remains on the back burner, which it has for years now, this situation will not get any better, as the ranks of those who can no longer pay their annual rent-increases, join the ranks of those who cannot pay at all.
5
I keep coming back to young and/or unmarried women having a child or multiple children. Or it could be a couple, who keeps reproducing, without any solid foundation of support. It seems to really stack the deck against all of them going forward. And I also wonder ... during pregnancy, do these same women have all types of pre-natal and supportive services readily available, or mores, and then once having given birth, there is little to no continuing assistance? If -- if -- these are the types of 'systems' in play -- it all appears backwards and counterintuitive.
Help these young women, and men, with family and life planning and support them there, first. Treating the homeless issue after all these other complicating factors are established, entrenched ... born ... seems doomed to repeated failure. And that will sap the ambition and self-esteem of even the youngest and strongest among us.
Help these young women, and men, with family and life planning and support them there, first. Treating the homeless issue after all these other complicating factors are established, entrenched ... born ... seems doomed to repeated failure. And that will sap the ambition and self-esteem of even the youngest and strongest among us.
21
Once again, these stories remind me that we are forever dealing with the symptoms because we haven't the political courage to deal with the diseases that create them.
Lack of opportunity is a big issue, but so is a lack of commitment to schooling and responsible child bearing. Why one Earth would someone with a job title as unlikely to be needed as "gospel drummer" being two children he has no reason to believe he can take care of into the world. Then, he expects those of us who finished school and trained for jobs to pay for his shelter.
We continue to fail as a culture on both sides of the ledger.
Lack of opportunity is a big issue, but so is a lack of commitment to schooling and responsible child bearing. Why one Earth would someone with a job title as unlikely to be needed as "gospel drummer" being two children he has no reason to believe he can take care of into the world. Then, he expects those of us who finished school and trained for jobs to pay for his shelter.
We continue to fail as a culture on both sides of the ledger.
28
Dave: I sincerely hope that you never lose your job or suffer a catastrophic illness. In the meantime, perhaps you can work with organizations that support educating people about family planning and perhaps help a kid attend a decent school in the city or at least offer to tutor him/her so he/she has a chance.
3
Have these families ever thought of moving to a different part of the country where its cheaper to live? Seriously, for these families to want to stay in the most expensive city in America is beyond crazy. Add the fact that ilk like DeBlasio want to ensure that they can live here at considerable taxpayer expense also immoral. Last time I looked no one had a Constitutional right to live overlooking Central Park.
17
@john
Agree. That is one of the first things that struck me I after reading that the family in the photo came from California -- REALLY??
New York has enough of its own residents that it can barely look after, and now we're importing them???
Sorry. Something should be done -- pronto!-- to discourage that.
Agree. That is one of the first things that struck me I after reading that the family in the photo came from California -- REALLY??
New York has enough of its own residents that it can barely look after, and now we're importing them???
Sorry. Something should be done -- pronto!-- to discourage that.
16
As always, this public & community issue boils down to money. I'm proud that NYC has an official agency and process to enable any homeless person or family to get temporary shelter. But I'm not surprised that it is under-resourced. Even if Mayor DeBlasio has provided more resources, such an office will inevitably still be overwhelmed--because we Americans have grossly under-funded public services for decades.
Americans' independent streak is something to be admired; however, the right-wing Randian takeover of the political discourse is something to be abhorred. Since Reagan, there are no longer liberal Republicans and a "left-wing" Democrat would possibly be a blue dog of his era. Avoiding taxes and spending--hence, avoiding public responsibility--has become the guiding philosophical foundation for our politics and policy today. Hence, despite having a virtually unlimited bank of resources (i.e., money) New York cannot effectively combat homelessness. As a nation, we can't ensure every American has basic health care or food security.
The solution is simple--we need to spend more money. We are the wealthiest society in the history of mankind. This is not rocket science, folks--assess the problem, determine a solution, and then fully fund whatever program(s) will deliver the solution. Period.
That said, when it came to rocket science, we didn't nickle and dime the Apollo program. We put a man on the moon because we were committed and provided the necessary resources.
Americans' independent streak is something to be admired; however, the right-wing Randian takeover of the political discourse is something to be abhorred. Since Reagan, there are no longer liberal Republicans and a "left-wing" Democrat would possibly be a blue dog of his era. Avoiding taxes and spending--hence, avoiding public responsibility--has become the guiding philosophical foundation for our politics and policy today. Hence, despite having a virtually unlimited bank of resources (i.e., money) New York cannot effectively combat homelessness. As a nation, we can't ensure every American has basic health care or food security.
The solution is simple--we need to spend more money. We are the wealthiest society in the history of mankind. This is not rocket science, folks--assess the problem, determine a solution, and then fully fund whatever program(s) will deliver the solution. Period.
That said, when it came to rocket science, we didn't nickle and dime the Apollo program. We put a man on the moon because we were committed and provided the necessary resources.
9
In Paul Krugman's column today he points his fingers at TX for being one of the cruelest states in the country. How about the federal government being so horrible to poor people. Bill Clintons, when President, ended welfare. The result was never followed up. He never wanted us to know what a cruel act that was.
suddenly these single mothers with children had no money. None and Clinton congratulated himself for a being a hero. He out to be in prison for what he did. And that was only one of his cruel attacks on the poor. How quickly he forgets is own background. It is a direct result from neoliberalism Bill loves so much as does his wife, Hillary. While the rich get billions the poor isn't even allowed to sleep. Here's the real American Dream but it is a nightmare due to neoliberalism, the worst ideology I have ever seen. But the Clintons love it. It has put them in the top 1%. Americans do not even know what teh word, neoliberal means. Google it. We have to stop our government from throwing money at the rich and taking it from the poor. Get rid of Neoliberalism now.
suddenly these single mothers with children had no money. None and Clinton congratulated himself for a being a hero. He out to be in prison for what he did. And that was only one of his cruel attacks on the poor. How quickly he forgets is own background. It is a direct result from neoliberalism Bill loves so much as does his wife, Hillary. While the rich get billions the poor isn't even allowed to sleep. Here's the real American Dream but it is a nightmare due to neoliberalism, the worst ideology I have ever seen. But the Clintons love it. It has put them in the top 1%. Americans do not even know what teh word, neoliberal means. Google it. We have to stop our government from throwing money at the rich and taking it from the poor. Get rid of Neoliberalism now.
3
It's understood that any of us could be homeless under certain circumstances. And we also know that for the past few decades the pendulum has swung wildly to favor the rich and corporations, not the poor folks referred to in this piece. But the article is incomplete because it doesn't really get to the bottom of it. What is the story behind this nineteen year old woman with a baby (illustrated). How about the father? And what prompted the McKinney's with two young children to take a flight from California to seek shelter in NYC. Ultimately, the system can only work in tandem with the question of education and the possibility of a job that pays a living wage.
19
If we could just bring in a lot more refugees and open our borders, then the new citizens could support our homeless, right?
13
This is the effect of unbridled capitalism. In an effort to boost profits businesses do not raise salaries at the same rate as inflation. As a result a huge subset of the working population cannot afford housing and other amenities in the locality where business is booming. If local governments were proactive to mandate increase in minimum wages - wages that track the standard of living in the locality , homelessness would not become such a major issue. How do you expect people who work on $10 an hour to commute to the city when a round trip rail fare is $30 a day or more or when tolls are as high as $16 one way. People who work on hourly wages are then forced to become homeless
10
If this problem happened in the third world country , I already saw all comment here that the solution was " birth control ".
3
Well, yes. The problem in many poor countries is a lack of access to contraception and/or abortion. In many countries that is due to restrictive religious beliefs.
I would not want to be a poor woman in India, Brazil or the Philippines. Or Mexico. Or anywhere in the Arab world. Or Africa.
And I wouldn't want to be a 19 year old single mother in NYC either.
I would not want to be a poor woman in India, Brazil or the Philippines. Or Mexico. Or anywhere in the Arab world. Or Africa.
And I wouldn't want to be a 19 year old single mother in NYC either.
9
This is not just a problem in New York. It has gone through the roof in San Francisco and Atlanta. In both cities people are sleeping on the ground in front of small businesses in broad daylight. With the increase of new shelters and help for the homeless it still does not eliminate or reduce the lack of affordable housing nor poverty. Perfect examples of housing under water are Las Vegas, Milwaukee and Detroit.
3
' “It looked like a FEMA camp,” said Allen McKinney, a 29-year-old father of two, who was seeking shelter for his family after arriving from California days earlier."
Mr McKinney before we New Yorkers pay for your housing (and of course, food , health care, child care, etc), may we ask why you came to New York from California? How did you get here? Would that money spent on travel been better used for your family? Is there other family members who can help you, in California?
We in New York do not print money, (we are not the federal govt) we have limited resources to help other New Yorkers first. We simply cannot fix a nationwide problem. Thank you for understanding
Mr McKinney before we New Yorkers pay for your housing (and of course, food , health care, child care, etc), may we ask why you came to New York from California? How did you get here? Would that money spent on travel been better used for your family? Is there other family members who can help you, in California?
We in New York do not print money, (we are not the federal govt) we have limited resources to help other New Yorkers first. We simply cannot fix a nationwide problem. Thank you for understanding
45
The newest public housing units in New York City seem to have been built in 1995. Couldn't some of the money spent on keeping families in hotels over the long term have been used to build some public housing? Is there a reason we can't divert some of that money now? How about starting with a tax foreclosure or two?
3
@Scottilla: The answer is yes, money spent keeping families in hotels COULD and SHOULD have been used to build affordable public housing.
But that would be logical - and NYC government is pretty much never logical. The city prefers to throw good money after bad, without any coherent strategy that it follows through on, rather than acknowledge that sheltering the homeless (and finding out why people are homeless, and what specific things might help them, whether it's health care, job training, childcare, etc.) is a very complex problem that needs a steady, coordinated and sane response to REALITY, not to theories or prejudices.
IMO, both Giuliani and Bloomberg set back this process significantly. We are now reaping the harvest of their prejudices. This punitive POV they held shows just how much of the Puritan attitude still prevails. (I'm pretty sure Giuliani would have been in favor of using Puritan public-shaming techniques in midtown if he could have gotten away with it.)
But that would be logical - and NYC government is pretty much never logical. The city prefers to throw good money after bad, without any coherent strategy that it follows through on, rather than acknowledge that sheltering the homeless (and finding out why people are homeless, and what specific things might help them, whether it's health care, job training, childcare, etc.) is a very complex problem that needs a steady, coordinated and sane response to REALITY, not to theories or prejudices.
IMO, both Giuliani and Bloomberg set back this process significantly. We are now reaping the harvest of their prejudices. This punitive POV they held shows just how much of the Puritan attitude still prevails. (I'm pretty sure Giuliani would have been in favor of using Puritan public-shaming techniques in midtown if he could have gotten away with it.)
5
This is hideous and it has been going on for years with dips and increases. With all of our MBAs and administration we should be able to provide clean, safe and reasonable logistics, the key being to get people on surer footing. Homelessness is a tough problem however - add up the out-of-pocket and long term costs for and to these children, we can do better. Do we have our "best minds" working this problem? Where do the homeless fall as a priority?
6
Now people are traveling from California to NYC and arrive without a plan and this is our problem?
46
People with dreams but no firm plans have been traveling to NYC from California and points around the globe for longer than most of the commenters here have been alive. The problem is the great disparity between income and housing costs, something that didn't exist until the 1980s. And while the gap is greater in NYC, it exists throughout the country. That's the root problem and that's what has to be addressed in the U.S.
5
Years of working with low-income people have taught me a few things. Thing One: they are very, very tired. Unpredictable work schedules, multiple jobs, juggling child care, time-sucking bureaucracy for everything from food stamps to basic medical care, nothing convenient except the high-priced corner store where the milk is past its sell-by date, constant landlord troubles because slumlords are as scummy as ever they were & on and on.
41
But let's keep providing those huge tax incentives and government giveaways to the super rich developers who are cleaning up by building more glass towers in the sky for anonymous LLCs who will use them to park their money, if not launder it, without disclosing who the owners actually are or how often the residence actually serves the purpose of housing real people working in the private gated community for the rich that Manhattan has become.
24
that is so ridiculous and tired.
As if a tower on 57th street has anything to do with vagrants coming from out of town for the benefits and handouts of New Yorkers.
As if a tower on 57th street has anything to do with vagrants coming from out of town for the benefits and handouts of New Yorkers.
15
Cue the judgmental people to ask why do you have children if you can't afford them. A veiled way of saying, poor and marginalized people should not exist, should hate themselves the way you hate them. Well for the same reason you or anyone has children, they like children they love their partner and want a family, they know there will never, ever, every be anything resembling income equality in the US and maybe not anywhere, so why lose out on one of life's pleasure's waiting until we are not poor anymore. Instead of that ask why do the rich need enough wealth for millions of children when they have none or or only one or two? Look at the Economakis they emptied out an entire tenement building for their family of three, our laws let them do it. So no, no one is going to wait to have children until things are fair, you should stop asking that question.
16
Exactly.
2
Nonsense. When the the public is on the hook for that child, when you cannot provide the basics for that child- food, shelter clothing- then bringing a child into the world is immoral.
26
I appreciate your sentiment but having kids shouldn't be an absolute right. First, the world is way, way overpopulated already - our resources are stretched to the breaking point already and it's only going to get worse. Second, if the rest of us plan if and when to have kids, why shouldn't the poor? Maybe they wouldn't be in such dire straights if they didn't have kids? It's not being judgmental, it's being pragmatic.
21
This is very sad. I can imagine how it must feel to travel around the city on a school bus on little sleep and a stomach filled with unhealthy snack food. The US should resettle its homeless citizens before providing free housing and unlimited benefits to refugees from Syria, Somalia, etc.
18
Refugees are usually in greater dire straights and thus should be prioritized.
2
Also, for all you snarky people blaming the homeless for their situation, try this one on for size.
My husband recently went in for a procedure at a major NYC medical facility. During the intake processing, the woman who processed us accidentally revealed she and her family were newly homeless. Her husband had lost his job, the landlord wanted to upgrade the building, and he harassed them out until they were on the streets. Her husband was looking for a place for them and their children to stay while she was at work.
And this woman had a good-paying job at a major medical facility!
Never forget that the deck is stacked in favor of sleazy landlords and sleazier developers in this city. If you think homelessness can't happen to you--you're lacking in both empathy and imagination.
My husband recently went in for a procedure at a major NYC medical facility. During the intake processing, the woman who processed us accidentally revealed she and her family were newly homeless. Her husband had lost his job, the landlord wanted to upgrade the building, and he harassed them out until they were on the streets. Her husband was looking for a place for them and their children to stay while she was at work.
And this woman had a good-paying job at a major medical facility!
Never forget that the deck is stacked in favor of sleazy landlords and sleazier developers in this city. If you think homelessness can't happen to you--you're lacking in both empathy and imagination.
116
Emotional blackmail
1
[[Never forget that the deck is stacked in favor of sleazy landlords and sleazier developers in this city. If you think homelessness can't happen to you--you're lacking in both empathy and imagination.]]
Everyone is aware of those facts. Presumably, the husband will find a new job and the family will find a new apartment. That is different from a 19-year-old single mother working a low-wage job and seemingly cast adrift in the city.
Unfortunately, a certain amount of judging and questioning is going to come with offers of ideas and solutions.
With regard to the single teen mother, I can imagine that she and the father are on the outs, but where are the infant's grandparent's? What grandmother wouldn't take in her grandchild?
There should be some sort of workable, short term program to keep people from living on the streets, but it should be a program of last resort. Family first and then, if that doesn't exist or is not safe, the government.
Everyone is aware of those facts. Presumably, the husband will find a new job and the family will find a new apartment. That is different from a 19-year-old single mother working a low-wage job and seemingly cast adrift in the city.
Unfortunately, a certain amount of judging and questioning is going to come with offers of ideas and solutions.
With regard to the single teen mother, I can imagine that she and the father are on the outs, but where are the infant's grandparent's? What grandmother wouldn't take in her grandchild?
There should be some sort of workable, short term program to keep people from living on the streets, but it should be a program of last resort. Family first and then, if that doesn't exist or is not safe, the government.
5
You are right , homelessness can happen to anyone . This is why I nourish my friendship with friends and my son, because if anything I'm sure we wouldn't let anyone ends up in the street . We shelter each other until they find place to live. You said the woman has good paying job, so they will find (might be smaller )place but would be their own place anytime .
We talk about homelessness here but the problem goes even deeper than that. Connect with real people, have friends ( not online ) with real people . Those are the ones will likely wiling to help you better than the system. Then you can deal with the system at the same times . I wish all of those family good luck out there .
We talk about homelessness here but the problem goes even deeper than that. Connect with real people, have friends ( not online ) with real people . Those are the ones will likely wiling to help you better than the system. Then you can deal with the system at the same times . I wish all of those family good luck out there .
8
I pity them it is really very sad
1
Wow that is the dumbest logistical process ever.
How about this: people go directly to the shelter, get assigned a bed, and then get paperwork/processing started.
With mobile technology, it makes ZERO sense to move people around like this, from processing center to shelter and back. Instead, caseworkers can go from bed to bed, capture information, and let people sleep the rest of the time.
It still doesn't solve the problem of insufficient capacity (not enough beds) but at least you aren't wasting time, energy, and money shipping desperately tired people back and forth.
How about this: people go directly to the shelter, get assigned a bed, and then get paperwork/processing started.
With mobile technology, it makes ZERO sense to move people around like this, from processing center to shelter and back. Instead, caseworkers can go from bed to bed, capture information, and let people sleep the rest of the time.
It still doesn't solve the problem of insufficient capacity (not enough beds) but at least you aren't wasting time, energy, and money shipping desperately tired people back and forth.
20
That would be too efficient for the homeless. No one wants that...
2
Governmental management at it's best. Let's allow them to run healthcare!
4
It's not just NYC that has an affordable housing problem. The entire metro area is becoming unaffordable for people with jobs that pay much more than the minimum wage. We cannot just pick ourselves up and move to a place where the housing is affordable. It may be too far from our jobs to be a reasonable commute. Our families and roots are here. We won't be able to find a job or we don't want to move without having a job. Other states tend to look askance and refuse to help those who came in without a job.
It's not just the NYC city area where this is occurring. Look at San Francisco. Look at Chicago. Look at any metro area and you'll see that affordable housing is not being built or, if it is, the income ceiling is set too low and leaves out most of the middle class. The very affluent might start to care when they cannot get a plumber, electrician, or some other less affluent person they need to do something for them on the weekend or as an emergency on weeknights without paying a very high price. Businesses might care when they can't get an entry level employee to accept a position for anything less than 6 figures. And villages might care if the teachers they hire don't volunteer for anything because they live too far away to do more than commute.
On the other hand, since this is a longstanding problem, maybe the take home message is that unless we're rich our needs for shelter don't count at all.
It's not just the NYC city area where this is occurring. Look at San Francisco. Look at Chicago. Look at any metro area and you'll see that affordable housing is not being built or, if it is, the income ceiling is set too low and leaves out most of the middle class. The very affluent might start to care when they cannot get a plumber, electrician, or some other less affluent person they need to do something for them on the weekend or as an emergency on weeknights without paying a very high price. Businesses might care when they can't get an entry level employee to accept a position for anything less than 6 figures. And villages might care if the teachers they hire don't volunteer for anything because they live too far away to do more than commute.
On the other hand, since this is a longstanding problem, maybe the take home message is that unless we're rich our needs for shelter don't count at all.
20
This is the direct result of the real estate industry having too much influence in NYC, during the Bloomberg years they got a black check from Bloomberg and his appointees that passed all the laws they wanted, increasing their ability to drive out rent stabilized tenants. deBlasio has sadly continued Bloomberg's tradition of building luxury housing in exchange for a miserly number of "affordable apartments, in the disaster known as 80/20. The "20" can be as little as 15 apartments, but the presence of a luxury building will drive out hundreds if not thousands of long term tenants. That and the hotelization on NYC, and prioritizing tourism over the quality of life for low and middle income New Yorkers.
16
As a native New Yorker, I am so tired of people saying that those who can't afford the insane cost of living in NYC should just go elsewhere. What a punitive attitude toward the majority of New Yorkers who grew up here, who make NYC their home, and who have ties and jobs and family and community here. Why on earth should families have to abandon their home city because it's becoming liveable only for the top 1%? And furthermore, is it sustainable to have a major city that isn't affordable to poor and middle class people? Extraordinary lack of compassion, common sense, and, indeed, an urban planning FAIL.
71
Exactly! And once everyone who cannot afford the city leaves, who will do all of the jobs that the financially better off don't and won't do for themselves?
7
Rich people don't want to look at poor people, apparently. These asinine comments sicken me. Why don't they leave then, if it bothers them so much.
6
It's called compassionate conservatism. What it means is that they look at you, nod their heads, fake a tear or two and then walk away saying that they have to look into this in order to reallocate those funds to themselves. Then they can put higher fences around their dwellings to keep us out of sight and mind.
4
People flow and migrate to where they sense there is opportunity. A chance to earn a job, rest, educate themselves, escape mistakes, fail, build a social life, experiment or just simply grow and change. Our great cities are a magnet and will always be that both sad and shinning light on the hill. Cities are natural organic entities that have monuments of inspiration and the dynamics of inspiration.
4
Forty-eight hours ago I read an article in Minneapolis' Star Tribune about a Somali family arriving in the Twin Cities, assigned a case manager for three months, subsidized health insurance, expedited cash and food assistance, and over six grand for those first three months. Within three months, the father of that family expressed a reluctance to assimilate or accept his living situation. Now I'm reading an article about homeless American families getting as little as two hours of sleep a night, searching for a place to live and some stability for their children.
Something is seriously wrong with our priorities in this country. (And let me make it clear: I am a liberal, Democrat, and Hillary supporter.) I feel badly for refugees but worse for my fellow citizens. I don't care about America being first in the rest of the world, but I care deeply about putting Americans first in their own country.
Something is seriously wrong with our priorities in this country. (And let me make it clear: I am a liberal, Democrat, and Hillary supporter.) I feel badly for refugees but worse for my fellow citizens. I don't care about America being first in the rest of the world, but I care deeply about putting Americans first in their own country.
87
I hardly think he is "reluctant to assimilate". Can you not try showing some empathy for someone who has been living in a refugee camp and now has 90 days to learn how to become an American? http://www.startribune.com/years-with-no-nation-90-days-to-become-a-minn...
1
Were they forced to come here?
1
The same is true in my much smaller community. A poor, struggling inner ring suburb in the Rustbelt, hit hard by the foreclosure crisis -- but various liberal "do-gooder" agencies are moving in refugees from Nepal, Syria, Somalia and other countries, as well as encouraging illegal aliens from Mexico & Central America. They get rent, apartments, cash money and after a short time, the agencies put them on welfare, food stamps, Section 8, Medicaid etc.
Meanwhile, I am stuck with a crappy Obamacare policy with a $6800 deductible that I cannot even afford to use. I get basically NO benefits of ANY kind of the government, despite being modestly off. Oh BTW: my home has lost 70% of its value in 2006, so good luck moving or even refinancing.
Meanwhile, I am stuck with a crappy Obamacare policy with a $6800 deductible that I cannot even afford to use. I get basically NO benefits of ANY kind of the government, despite being modestly off. Oh BTW: my home has lost 70% of its value in 2006, so good luck moving or even refinancing.
14
While we must have compassion for those less fortunate, it is sad that this City is the only place in the world that supports people who arrive from the four corners of the earth and have to immediately support not just an individual, but an entire family! This is the classic case of a nearsighted, but well-meaning jurist creating an open-ended, but unfunded mandate on the City's taxpayers. We do not have sufficient resources to take care of our native homeless population. Many of our native homeless could benefit from a helping hand to become self-sufficient again. Some are victims of mental health cuts or have serious addiction issues. But our resources are limited. If you can't take care of your own, you shouldn't take in others. Sadly, the burden does not stop at homeless services. Last year, a 72-year old woman was sexually assaulted and beaten by a West Side homeless shelter resident who had arrived via bus ticket from a southern town where he was persona non grata. Mayor Koch drew the line between being "liberal," but not crazy. It is time to revisit the "all-you-can-eat" policy that has artificially swelled the ranks of NYC's homeless. New Yorkers are suffering from compassion fatigue.
35
It is well-established federal case law that social service benefits must be provided for all legal residents of the US by all municipalities that uses federal money to pay in part for those services.
2
NYS State Associate Justice Helen Freedman, in the McCain case, "quickly invoked the state directive and ordered the city to provide emergency shelter to any family asking for it, no questions asked," according to City Journal.If you wish to disagree with me, that's fine. You should either quote where this case law exists, or stick to polemics. The decision was made by a State jurist, the plaintiff was Steven Banks, then head of Legal Aid, now the de facto Homeless Commissioner. This is the case that has cost the City billions of dollars. This is not a Federal mandate. If it was, why is NYC the only City in the world that provides shelters to visitors? Ms. Goldstein, let's stick to the facts, and leave the false and misleading narratives to Mr. Banks and Mr. Putin.
4
NYC DHS has become one of the worst runs system, they appear to be wanting to spend more money, doling it out to those who can help them politically rather than tending to those families in need. Their purported incompetency has allowed thousands of apartments registered with DHS to be rented back to the city to house homeless on nightly basis, at rate of $2,000+ a night. These nefarious apartment building owners with the help of DHS have taken advantage of city regulations which provide for single night use, as opposed to renting to the city on monthly basis for family needs. There are many apartments which should be available for monthly and short-term lease, but because of DHS inefficiencies NYC is spending tens of thousands for these apartments per month, rather than perhaps $1,000 per month to house a family.
We live in a century when this should not be occurring, we've paid for computer programs to prevent this even if the humans running these programs won't. So who's not doing the right thing by the tax payer and the families in need? Who's using DHS for their own political advancement?
We live in a century when this should not be occurring, we've paid for computer programs to prevent this even if the humans running these programs won't. So who's not doing the right thing by the tax payer and the families in need? Who's using DHS for their own political advancement?
7
If employers were required to use e-verify to ascertain the legality of all of their employees to work in our country, then illegal immigrants would lose their jobs. Most would self-deport.
1. There would be fewer workers to compete for jobs so more Americans would find employment. And wages would rise.
2. There would be more affordable housing available for the indigent.
The Harvard economist George Borjas found that Black employment dropped as the number of illegal immigrants increased. We cannot absorb every person who is able to slip into our country. Our housing is limited as are the numbers of unskilled and low skilled jobs (especially since many former jobs are now performed by machines and many others have been out-sourced).
So many Americans and legal immigrants are having trouble finding work that pays a decent living and a place to live that we cannot allow people to work and live here illegally.
1. There would be fewer workers to compete for jobs so more Americans would find employment. And wages would rise.
2. There would be more affordable housing available for the indigent.
The Harvard economist George Borjas found that Black employment dropped as the number of illegal immigrants increased. We cannot absorb every person who is able to slip into our country. Our housing is limited as are the numbers of unskilled and low skilled jobs (especially since many former jobs are now performed by machines and many others have been out-sourced).
So many Americans and legal immigrants are having trouble finding work that pays a decent living and a place to live that we cannot allow people to work and live here illegally.
17
Something not mentioned is that fewer apartments are available for people to rent long term because landlords are renting short term through companies like Airbnb.
15
If you're dirt poor maybe you shouldn't be having kids.
22
Every human being deserves the right to create and love their family and family planning services should be available to everyone rather than defunding Planned Parenthood.
8
Most people are one paycheck away, one medical crisis away, from ruin. I guess you're one of the lucky ones. Not empathetic, but lucky.
7
Mr Financial, let me get this straight: are you actually saying that human beings who are poor shouldn't have children? Interesting, too, that you used the term "dirt poor." Your hatred of poor people is crystal clear. Words cannot express how appalling this is to me.
8
We often read historical accounts (or the occasional obituary) - about a person who arrived in New York City from some far-away country "With nothing in their pockets and only the clothes on their back" --
Then - subsequently - we read how "They were able to find work in a lamp repair shop" - Or - "As a seamtress in a sweatshop" -- and then, how they "Lived in a rooming house on the lower-east side, sharing a kitchen and bathroom with eleven other people" ...
Yeah -
When I came to New York in the fall of 1969 as a college freshman - I was able to rent a room in an apartment up near Columbia University for twelve dollars (yes - $12) a week...
And - if you're wondering - $12 in 1969 would be $79.95 in 2016 dollars --
Can I rent a room near Columbia University today for $79.95 a week -- ?
Of course - back then, there were no such things as smartphones, the internet, cable TV - and a "Fashion & Styles" section in The New York Times --
And yes -- we also did not have this seemingly overwhelming influx of people entering the city on a daily basis with no resources -- however what we most certainly DID have, were people like the ones cited in the hypothetical stories above -
So my question is --
What happened...?
Then - subsequently - we read how "They were able to find work in a lamp repair shop" - Or - "As a seamtress in a sweatshop" -- and then, how they "Lived in a rooming house on the lower-east side, sharing a kitchen and bathroom with eleven other people" ...
Yeah -
When I came to New York in the fall of 1969 as a college freshman - I was able to rent a room in an apartment up near Columbia University for twelve dollars (yes - $12) a week...
And - if you're wondering - $12 in 1969 would be $79.95 in 2016 dollars --
Can I rent a room near Columbia University today for $79.95 a week -- ?
Of course - back then, there were no such things as smartphones, the internet, cable TV - and a "Fashion & Styles" section in The New York Times --
And yes -- we also did not have this seemingly overwhelming influx of people entering the city on a daily basis with no resources -- however what we most certainly DID have, were people like the ones cited in the hypothetical stories above -
So my question is --
What happened...?
12
Times change. Economies shift. Technologies advance. People move.
A million things happen. And that, in and of itself, is not bad.
People who complain that New York City has become too expensive need to acknowledge how lucky New York City is to have gone the way of economic juggernaut.
It could have just as easily gone the way of Detroit, Pittsburgh, or any of the other fallen industrial giants.
People in those places aren't exactly thrilled that you can buy a house for cheap.
New York City is one of few cities in America to have successfully weathered economic transitions from agriculture to manufacturing to services. After all the ups and downs and changes, New York City continues to proper and grow. That's not an easy feat, but it highlights how valuable this city truly is.
The prices we see today are a measure of the cumulative value that has been created over the past centuries. They are a measure of resiliency, of productivity, and of expected future value to be created.
Yes, bubbles grow and burst, people game the system, and there are winners and losers, but at the end of the day, New York City is expensive because New York City has been, is, and is expected to be extremely valuable going far out into the future.
A million things happen. And that, in and of itself, is not bad.
People who complain that New York City has become too expensive need to acknowledge how lucky New York City is to have gone the way of economic juggernaut.
It could have just as easily gone the way of Detroit, Pittsburgh, or any of the other fallen industrial giants.
People in those places aren't exactly thrilled that you can buy a house for cheap.
New York City is one of few cities in America to have successfully weathered economic transitions from agriculture to manufacturing to services. After all the ups and downs and changes, New York City continues to proper and grow. That's not an easy feat, but it highlights how valuable this city truly is.
The prices we see today are a measure of the cumulative value that has been created over the past centuries. They are a measure of resiliency, of productivity, and of expected future value to be created.
Yes, bubbles grow and burst, people game the system, and there are winners and losers, but at the end of the day, New York City is expensive because New York City has been, is, and is expected to be extremely valuable going far out into the future.
4
The system described here is the equivalent of a Times Square old-time shell game, except that real human lives are what's being shuffled around in a very, very bad game.
If ever I wanted to illustrate the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions," the way NYC treats people in need of shelter would be, unfortunately, an excellent example.
It appears there is no true will to provide shelter; only the necessity of APPEARING to try to address the issue.
If ever I wanted to illustrate the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions," the way NYC treats people in need of shelter would be, unfortunately, an excellent example.
It appears there is no true will to provide shelter; only the necessity of APPEARING to try to address the issue.
2
I wish we would invest in each other not just with dollars but with time and kindness. These are heartbreaking stories- this could happen to many people.
7
The problem with articles like this is that the reporter will go to the shelter, talk to whoever's willing to be interviewed, and in the resulting article those subjects come across as representative of the homeless population. If someone is gainfully employed and has deep roots in NYC but still can't make enough money to afford our city's unreasonable rents they're going to decline to be interviewed, because they're not going to want to have their names in the paper where their bosses and colleagues can see them. As a result the only examples we're going to read about are atypical and convey the impression that homelessness is mostly the result of poor life choices. That is simply not true. Many people in the shelters are either native New Yorkers or came here in a stable life situation, just to have it rendered unstable by economic forces beyond their control. Just because you can't relate to the particular stories told in this article doesn't mean that homelessness isn't a problem that affects many intelligent, responsible, hard-working people who weren't born into the wealth necessary to afford the so-called "market rate" rents that cater to the 1%. And no, they can't just move to a cheaper town if this city is where their industry is or where their parents live. Please, everyone, stop looking for excuses to look away. The wrath expended on 19-year-old single mothers should be redirected toward rapacious real estate developers.
90
Exactly.
6
Hear, hear.
3
This is another heartbreaking commentary on the unconscionable gap between the rich and the poor. There is no better example than in NYC. It astounds me to see it every time I go to the City, not just with the homeless but countless small businesses going under to greedy landlords.
I think Hilliary Clinton is right on target with her proposal to implement a work program similar to FDR's Works Progress Administration.
In the meantime we all need to open our hearts and our minds. Being judgmental only perpetuates the issue and creates resentment.
I think Hilliary Clinton is right on target with her proposal to implement a work program similar to FDR's Works Progress Administration.
In the meantime we all need to open our hearts and our minds. Being judgmental only perpetuates the issue and creates resentment.
42
It is everywhere, just more in your face in NYC and perhaps more honest.
I fear this city's homeless problem will not be solved, much less abated, in my lifetime.
4
It seems like it doesn't matter who's in charge, how they organize the agencies, or what they try. You say the shelter census has hit a new record - this in the middle of summer; imagine the coming winter.
Now that the advocates are in control, maybe they'll become familiar with the word "insoluble."
Now that the advocates are in control, maybe they'll become familiar with the word "insoluble."
5
This article is all the proof you need to see that the problem will never improve. The more money NY spends on homeless and the better the conditions become, the more people from all 4 corners of the globe will flock here to get in line for assistance. The court order that mandated that NYC house anyone who happens to set foot there, is a disaster. It would be cheaper, and result in fewer homeless wandering the streets, if the city simply paid fines for contempt rather than continue to throw money at this issue.
I am also not comfortable with the taxpayers subsidizing corporations. If you do business in this city, you need to pay a living wage or close up shop. I don't want to subsidize Fine Fare or any other employer.
I am also not comfortable with the taxpayers subsidizing corporations. If you do business in this city, you need to pay a living wage or close up shop. I don't want to subsidize Fine Fare or any other employer.
24
I find it odd that the US government can find places for illegal immigrants and refugees, but cannot look after its own homeless residents? There is something terribly wrong with that scenario.
37
While lacking formal education after age 16, I learned early to live within my means and not buy, have or do things I could not afford to pay for. So, while I know accidents can happen and jobs can be lost for no good reason, I still don't 'get' why there are so many babies and young children homeless, sometimes several in a family. Having babies while jobless and homeless should be something to avoid under those circumstances. Get yourself educated, set yourself up, and then have a family--not the other way round Perhaps more education with regard to education is a way to start? But, sadly, I doubt many of them read the NYT to receive our sage advice.
45
Here comes the 1970s again. People from every corner of the world flocking to NYC with their hands out. Bleeding hearts who have all the opinions and personal solutions that don't pan out. Hospitals who close the door or evict the mentally ill. Lines that form around churches and soup kitchens. NIMBY people protest. But it's okay to bring thousands more from the middle east because they can't control their own issues. I live in a nice apartment with a bum next door who still doesn't recognize that his unit has a toilet and shower he can use. Politicians are doing this for votes and to be idolized, but irresponsibly make the public deal with these issues. Crazy.
15
So what's the deBlasio administration doing about this?
4
helping the real estate industry turn what's left of AIDS facilities into luxury housing...
3
We're resettling refugees where they get homes and jobs but we can't so the same do homeless citizen families? What a country!
35
"The sight had become a symbol of the city’s poor management of homelessness at the time, and the city had paid $5 million in fines over four years for violating a court order to stop it".
$5 million in fines paid to whom?
$5 million in fines paid to whom?
15
I just don't understand why people who cannot afford children, have them. Instead of making it harder for poor women to have abortions, we need to help them make that choice and implement it.
21
Speaking as a woman who had an abortion back when that wasn't legal and who emphatically doesn't regret that:
A better solution is subsidized long term reversible birth control as pioneered first in St. Louis and then Colorado by the Susan Buffett Foundation, as recently reported on in the NYT.
A better solution is subsidized long term reversible birth control as pioneered first in St. Louis and then Colorado by the Susan Buffett Foundation, as recently reported on in the NYT.
17
There is a vacant mall
Just a few blocks from here
Broken windows and shattered glass
Containers and trash everywhere
There you will find them
The people with ragged clothes
Empty carts in the parking lot
That’s where they live
The building and the people
Trash of our times
All of them forgotten
Rejected by society
Just a few blocks from here
Broken windows and shattered glass
Containers and trash everywhere
There you will find them
The people with ragged clothes
Empty carts in the parking lot
That’s where they live
The building and the people
Trash of our times
All of them forgotten
Rejected by society
3
The lack of affordable housing, i.e. homelessness, is nation-wide. One of the main drivers of USA homelessness is the demand for housing caused by illegal immigrants, excessive numbers of legal immigrants, and "refugees". The USA can't house its own citizens - yet insists on importing millions more every year -
another example of how the needs of ordinary American citizens are ignored.
another example of how the needs of ordinary American citizens are ignored.
13
The failure of the city and its system is most evident in the last line "job location is a low priority with a less than 1 percent vacancy rate."
Clearly Ms Galindo (and people like her) who are employed or are actively seeking employment are trying to improve their situation and rather than helping them succeed (and hopefully ultimately graduate from this broken system) the city stacks the deck further against them! How will she keep the job? How will she have safe childcare? Prioritize people like this and their needs and hopefully she will get out of the system and reduce the backlog! The shelter system should be a stopgap measure to give families a hand to get back into society rather than create this parallel hellish nightmare!
Clearly Ms Galindo (and people like her) who are employed or are actively seeking employment are trying to improve their situation and rather than helping them succeed (and hopefully ultimately graduate from this broken system) the city stacks the deck further against them! How will she keep the job? How will she have safe childcare? Prioritize people like this and their needs and hopefully she will get out of the system and reduce the backlog! The shelter system should be a stopgap measure to give families a hand to get back into society rather than create this parallel hellish nightmare!
15
Interesting that several readers are outraged that the homeless (whom a man named Rudy was supposed to have removed or at least declared illegal in order to make NYC fit for the chic, the wealthy, and their preferred shopping venue) continue to show up and expect aid.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Of course you did.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Of course you did.
61
About half of these first nine comments address the issue of a family coming to NYC and immediately getting in the queue for housing for the homeless.
Decades ago there was a judicial finding that NYC and similarly situated local governments could not simply turn away nonresidents seeking assistance, providing them only with bus fare back to their previous area of residence. Significant numbers of people were coming here because support services for the poor were nonexistent or bizarrely inadequate in the places they were leaving; at least you could survive on the benefits provided in NYC. If I remember correctly the rationale for that ruling was that a portion of the benefits were funded by the federal government. The ruling was understandably unpopular then. It has become less relevant as fewer impoverished people from elsewhere see NYC as a haven but apparently some still come and of course NYC is still required to provide for them.
I'd like to see these kinds of services robustly federally funded so we could legitimately direct people to cheaper locales for housing that might meet their needs. For an easy example, the young lady who works in Harlem might be better off in Yonkers or Mount Vernon. Others of course would be better off out of the metropolitan area altogether.
I did wonder if the family from California had come to NYC thinking that they would be able to stay with extended family who turned out to not be receptive to that plan.
Decades ago there was a judicial finding that NYC and similarly situated local governments could not simply turn away nonresidents seeking assistance, providing them only with bus fare back to their previous area of residence. Significant numbers of people were coming here because support services for the poor were nonexistent or bizarrely inadequate in the places they were leaving; at least you could survive on the benefits provided in NYC. If I remember correctly the rationale for that ruling was that a portion of the benefits were funded by the federal government. The ruling was understandably unpopular then. It has become less relevant as fewer impoverished people from elsewhere see NYC as a haven but apparently some still come and of course NYC is still required to provide for them.
I'd like to see these kinds of services robustly federally funded so we could legitimately direct people to cheaper locales for housing that might meet their needs. For an easy example, the young lady who works in Harlem might be better off in Yonkers or Mount Vernon. Others of course would be better off out of the metropolitan area altogether.
I did wonder if the family from California had come to NYC thinking that they would be able to stay with extended family who turned out to not be receptive to that plan.
22
Very good point. I have a friend who was a victim of domestic violence 12 years ago. She was living in GA and had a decent job in retail sales and had a nice 3 bdrm townhouse, a new car, and access to quality low cost child care. She asked her mother if she could move back home with her 2 small daughters until she got on her feet to get away from her abuser. Her mother said no and told her to go NYC and go into the shelter system. She was one of the lucky ones. She was placed into a one bdrm apartment near Bedford park in the Bronx for about a year. Her daughter likely got lead poisoning from eating paint chips, and the apartment was infested with rats the size of cats. She was able to save money while they lived there, but never received any rental assistance from the city into a permanent apt. Since then her life has been a struggle to make the rent in several apts. Her last apt the rent went from $1600 a month to over $1900 in 3 years.
At this rate, there will be more homeless than people with homes. And not just in NYC. You know its getting bad when people are coming across the country to be homeless here.
At this rate, there will be more homeless than people with homes. And not just in NYC. You know its getting bad when people are coming across the country to be homeless here.
11
Odd, isn't it, how often our lawmakers get it exactly right on a law's wording, it's purpose, who it is aimed at, how quickly it gets passed, and EXACTLY who it benefits?
Hedge funds? No problemo.
Derivatives? Well, step right up!
How about free sewer, water and electrical hook-ups on a new tax-free business built on public property? Ho! We've got that one down to a science!
Laws to benefit the 'doing better than just-fine, thank you' crowd can be whipped out in a moment, their tax bill reduced over and over and over. During Eisenhower's Presidency, he, a Republican, put a 96% tax rate on those of the greatest wealth. Today those rates are 15% and they whine about THAT!
Now, I recognize that this is the NYTimes bi-yearly article on poverty (Christmas is their other one), and that poverty has been non-existent in this campaign season, as it is in every campaign season, in fact, I doubt that any politician in this nation can hold a discussion on poverty for longer than the length of your article without blowing up and calling the questioner a commie.
But you could have, at least, given an explanation on how and why it is that 'adult' families were given 450 housing units that was supposed to go to families with children?
"The value of a nation is not in how they treat their wealthiest and most powerful. It is on how it cares for the needs of the poorest and weakest."
I don't know who said that, but, oh, it is sooo true.
Hedge funds? No problemo.
Derivatives? Well, step right up!
How about free sewer, water and electrical hook-ups on a new tax-free business built on public property? Ho! We've got that one down to a science!
Laws to benefit the 'doing better than just-fine, thank you' crowd can be whipped out in a moment, their tax bill reduced over and over and over. During Eisenhower's Presidency, he, a Republican, put a 96% tax rate on those of the greatest wealth. Today those rates are 15% and they whine about THAT!
Now, I recognize that this is the NYTimes bi-yearly article on poverty (Christmas is their other one), and that poverty has been non-existent in this campaign season, as it is in every campaign season, in fact, I doubt that any politician in this nation can hold a discussion on poverty for longer than the length of your article without blowing up and calling the questioner a commie.
But you could have, at least, given an explanation on how and why it is that 'adult' families were given 450 housing units that was supposed to go to families with children?
"The value of a nation is not in how they treat their wealthiest and most powerful. It is on how it cares for the needs of the poorest and weakest."
I don't know who said that, but, oh, it is sooo true.
64
I'm guessing but it is possible that many of those adult families had either frail elderly or seriously disabled members - perhaps adult children. There are a lot of incomplete stories in this column.
23
What you fail to realize Rosa is that it's the businesses and the tax dollars which they generate that fund the welfare coffers. Make NYC unfriendly to new/emerging businesses and the tax dollars dry up. People need to quit expecting America to be a welfare state. It's one thing to be down on your luck and quite another to continually make bad decisions and expect the government to compensate you for that.
4
Mr. Pickard, I hear what you are saying, but NYC is already very unfriendly to business, which is a major factor in the homelessness epidemic in our city. Every day more and more businesses are going out of business because landlords are determined to extract every dime they can out of a property. Even small businesses which have been fixtures of communities for decades are dying all over the 5 boroughs. The only new businesses that seem to be able to thrive are fast food restaurants, and chain stores. Businesses which once provided their employees with decent wages and benefits are gone and replaced by minimum wage jobs, with few if any benefits.
I get that there are no shortage of people who are victims of their own bad decisions. I am often crucified by others for expressing that opinion. But a lot of these homeless people are simply working folks who cannot make the rent. If the city just provided rental assistance to those in need, instead of forcing them to become homeless and go through this gauntlet to get help, they would actually save money. For many people homelessness is the difference of a few hundred dollars a month. And if not cheaper, at least more effective than shuttling people around on buses night after night and paying for hotels and temp shelter all over the city.
I get that there are no shortage of people who are victims of their own bad decisions. I am often crucified by others for expressing that opinion. But a lot of these homeless people are simply working folks who cannot make the rent. If the city just provided rental assistance to those in need, instead of forcing them to become homeless and go through this gauntlet to get help, they would actually save money. For many people homelessness is the difference of a few hundred dollars a month. And if not cheaper, at least more effective than shuttling people around on buses night after night and paying for hotels and temp shelter all over the city.
8
I really do not know what the long term solution to this problem is. That said I really do not know how any city could manager 59,373 people with no place to go.
21
@Thomas Renner: NYC: A city of 8,000,000 of which 60,000 are homeless: do the math - the city OUGHT to be able to "manage" this situation IF the city cared to do so.
NYC is all talk and very little useful (much less compassionate) action on this. It's like being on Medicaid: if you need it, you're looked down on by others as being not worthy, as being "less than". This is simply wrong. People like Giuliani despised the poor and their needs.
NYC is all talk and very little useful (much less compassionate) action on this. It's like being on Medicaid: if you need it, you're looked down on by others as being not worthy, as being "less than". This is simply wrong. People like Giuliani despised the poor and their needs.
1
I am ashamed to be a part of a society that simply will not come to grips with its responsibility to treat the poorer and weaker members with humanity.
How long will it take us to recognize the reality that all people are NOT created equal and that as a community we will all benefit from policies that deal with that reality? People are born with advantages and disadvantages, both because of their innate abilities and their status in society. Why can't we accept that, to have a healthy world, both for selfish and unselfish reasons, we have to support the weaker and more unfortunate to survive decently.
We are an embarrassment to ourselves in comparison with less affluent but more caring nations.
How long will it take us to recognize the reality that all people are NOT created equal and that as a community we will all benefit from policies that deal with that reality? People are born with advantages and disadvantages, both because of their innate abilities and their status in society. Why can't we accept that, to have a healthy world, both for selfish and unselfish reasons, we have to support the weaker and more unfortunate to survive decently.
We are an embarrassment to ourselves in comparison with less affluent but more caring nations.
68
Could you provide an example of a less affluent society with a more substantial social safety net?
2
JN, what kind of nonsense are you talking? Somehow 19 year old men and women are homeless with kids is very bizarre. What is the real story behind their homelessness? Understand one cannot live in NYC working at a retail store or fast food restaurant, but thought that there was affordable, subsidized housing in the burrows.
I'm ashamed to be a part of a society that lacks the common sense of seeking to understand root cause. You know, instead of throwing more money and space at this issue, discover why it's happening and how to therefore incentivize behavior to minimize homelessness - especially in NYC!
The growing tax dollars go to government administrators that appear to be tephlon when it comes to corruption. One where the citizens wait years, spend millions of tax dollars, and then finds that the 'criminal' is on probation with a fine. Everyone wants this for those that brought down the housing market (look to Congress), but no one cares about the expansion of government through administration?!!
Does anyone here believe this will be solved by more adminstrators?
I'm ashamed to be a part of a society that lacks the common sense of seeking to understand root cause. You know, instead of throwing more money and space at this issue, discover why it's happening and how to therefore incentivize behavior to minimize homelessness - especially in NYC!
The growing tax dollars go to government administrators that appear to be tephlon when it comes to corruption. One where the citizens wait years, spend millions of tax dollars, and then finds that the 'criminal' is on probation with a fine. Everyone wants this for those that brought down the housing market (look to Congress), but no one cares about the expansion of government through administration?!!
Does anyone here believe this will be solved by more adminstrators?
Thank you! My fear is that by turning a blind eye, we are making it okay for this epidemic to spread to the wider society. We are all, unless we are the 1%, vulnerable in this day and age. The loss of a job, an illness, or a catastrophe can shock the foundations of even the most stable middle class family.
1
It takes a huge salary to just live a middle class life in The City. These people should go to small towns like the one I grew up in.
You can live there for less than 10% of what NYC costs and maybe find work other than being a drummer in a band.
It's living in unreality to make it here on minimum wage or homeless when there is the rest of the country to move to.
You can live there for less than 10% of what NYC costs and maybe find work other than being a drummer in a band.
It's living in unreality to make it here on minimum wage or homeless when there is the rest of the country to move to.
44
Is there work there? Good public transit, as most can't afford a car, social services?
Where is this nirvana? Maybe I'll go.
I also grew up in a small town, cheaper? Maybe a little for a few things. Panacea? Not so much.
Where is this nirvana? Maybe I'll go.
I also grew up in a small town, cheaper? Maybe a little for a few things. Panacea? Not so much.
11
Just because someone is homeless in NYC does not mean they would be homeless if they moved out of the city! My point is: paying rent outside the city is more do-able on a moderate salary.
One example of options: work in Albany and live in city or nearby. There are public buses. My experience: Secretary working for State in Manhattan lives with young son in Bronx public housing. Secretary working for State in Albany (on slightly lower salary) owns a house in Watervliet.
One example of options: work in Albany and live in city or nearby. There are public buses. My experience: Secretary working for State in Manhattan lives with young son in Bronx public housing. Secretary working for State in Albany (on slightly lower salary) owns a house in Watervliet.
2
No. They should be able to stay in the city that is their home.
5
I find it truly odd that the NYT would choose to feature a family just arrived, with no place to stay and the breadwinner out of work.
This is surely the most unsympathetic choice you could possibly make.
And I wish I knew why they were chosen. Is the message that if we would happily support helping homeless New Yorkers find housing, we must also welcome everyone who shows up with no job, no place to stay, and a need for family housing?
This is surely the most unsympathetic choice you could possibly make.
And I wish I knew why they were chosen. Is the message that if we would happily support helping homeless New Yorkers find housing, we must also welcome everyone who shows up with no job, no place to stay, and a need for family housing?
96
There is also the other family: teen mom and her child, they are highlighted as well.
It shows how homelessness touches those who have lived here and have work and also those just arrived, though it's is incomplete reporting not to let the reader know why they left CA for NYC, especially with no immediate prospects
It shows how homelessness touches those who have lived here and have work and also those just arrived, though it's is incomplete reporting not to let the reader know why they left CA for NYC, especially with no immediate prospects
3
TT why would anyone travel the length of the country without at least some housing lined up? There are homeless shelters in California. The man is also a music performer, an industry not known for high-paying, regular employment.
I don't know their life but the selection is curious. I think it's reasonable to question the situation, and ask why NYC taxpayers should pay for someone who travels from CA without a place to live.
I don't know their life but the selection is curious. I think it's reasonable to question the situation, and ask why NYC taxpayers should pay for someone who travels from CA without a place to live.
16
Because this is the reality. Its called reporting the news. not making it up.
BTW. usually the NYT DOES picks very sympathetic hard worker down on their luck - to justify the giveaways. not those with a huge sense of entitlement and no desire to help themselves.
BTW. usually the NYT DOES picks very sympathetic hard worker down on their luck - to justify the giveaways. not those with a huge sense of entitlement and no desire to help themselves.
2
Only the desperate will hang on long enough at the center; anyone with any resources, any extended family or friends who can help will leave. It wastes everyone's time; it weakens families and interferes with children's schooling; all the supports necessary to gain control of their lives are knocked out.
I respect LegalAid's work on behalf of the homeless, but The problem in part is that the problem is not in Social Service guidelines, but in the regulations and policies for housing and development, and support for low as well as middle income housing. A legal decision that makes it imperative that people not be seen overnight in a homeless processing center has backfired - because orders don't create the housing which is disappearing at the low to moderate side.
It would be interesting to have Steven Banks speak on what he has learned and how he now thinks the city should be accessing or providing the housing needed for families.
I respect LegalAid's work on behalf of the homeless, but The problem in part is that the problem is not in Social Service guidelines, but in the regulations and policies for housing and development, and support for low as well as middle income housing. A legal decision that makes it imperative that people not be seen overnight in a homeless processing center has backfired - because orders don't create the housing which is disappearing at the low to moderate side.
It would be interesting to have Steven Banks speak on what he has learned and how he now thinks the city should be accessing or providing the housing needed for families.
11
I'm interested in the McKinney family. Why did they come here? What is more attractive to them here than in California? From reading this article, it seems that the hardest place to be homeless is NYC. Since Mr. McKinney said he was looking for work, wouldn't it have made sense for him to get the work first and then come here instead of the other way around?
82
Where are the 19-year-old's family members? Where is the father of her child?
62
He's a drummer. The center of the music industry is in LA -- maybe Nashville -- but NYC seems like a stretch, especially if you have no roots or contacts here.
They gave up an apartment and friends in LA to move to NYC? Why didn't the father come alone first, secure a music job and THEN send for the wife and kids? Where on earth did they think they would live? Did they realize that a one room studio apartment rents for $4000 a month? And they probably need about $15,000 cash to move in? (Rent, security deposit, key fees, broker fees, etc.)
They gave up an apartment and friends in LA to move to NYC? Why didn't the father come alone first, secure a music job and THEN send for the wife and kids? Where on earth did they think they would live? Did they realize that a one room studio apartment rents for $4000 a month? And they probably need about $15,000 cash to move in? (Rent, security deposit, key fees, broker fees, etc.)
6
@Concerned Citizen
Who says that he had a job, shelter or friends who could put him up in LA. Your assumption that there is no center of gospel music in NYC is unsubstantiated. Your statement about a studio running for $4000/mo. only shows who careless you're being with the facts. An expensive unit in Manhattan could run for that but it was not unreasonable to hope to find a 1BR in the Bronx for $1500.
Who says that he had a job, shelter or friends who could put him up in LA. Your assumption that there is no center of gospel music in NYC is unsubstantiated. Your statement about a studio running for $4000/mo. only shows who careless you're being with the facts. An expensive unit in Manhattan could run for that but it was not unreasonable to hope to find a 1BR in the Bronx for $1500.
2
I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would bring their family to NYC without a plan and then ask for services.
123
Because they either are confused, unwell emotionally or unaware of other options or are unrealistic
25
Because he heard they could get free housing while he tries to make it as a "gospel drummer" whatever that is?
18
Maybe family agreed to house them temporarily and that plan fell through?
6
One of the people interviewed for this story is Allen McKinney, who arrived with his family from California just "days earlier" and is already seeking shelter as homeless. There is something wrong with a system in which a family can travel over 2,500 miles (presumably not for free), promptly declare itself homeless and receive shelter benefits.
118
I don't know their situation. Maybe a little compassion is due here..
21
"Mr. McKinney, who is a gospel drummer looking for work"
Music is one of the toughest businesses to make a living in, yet this gentleman seems to have no back up plan except public assistance. In another story in today's Times, we read how California's economy is booming due to its progressive politics; why did he leave there and come to New York?
Music is one of the toughest businesses to make a living in, yet this gentleman seems to have no back up plan except public assistance. In another story in today's Times, we read how California's economy is booming due to its progressive politics; why did he leave there and come to New York?
7
Meanwhile undocumented Mexicans, traveling as many miles under under more trying circumstances, seek out work immediately upon arriving in U.S.
11
Why not offer train fare and motel voucher for Poughkeepsie, Schenectady, Amsterdam, or Buffalo? NYC cost of living was too high for me (employed professional) and I moved upstate.
49
Outsourcing the homeless?
7
Send poor NY families to Poughkeepsie or Buffalo, for their health and education systems, their social services to take care of?
I'm sure they would not thank you.
I'm sure they would not thank you.
16
And what give you the idea that Buffalo needs or wants NYC's homeless? We have quite enough of our own to take care of, thank you very much. If you had suggested sending them to Hudson, at least you would be volunteering your town's resources, not someone else's.
15
This is an absolutely crazy situation. What time does the intake center close, that waiting applicants aren't bused to shelters until 3-4am? It doesn't make sense. And why not have processors go to the temporary centers where the applicants are? It doesn't make sense to centralize services when it causes more chaos and waste.
55
I totally agree. I just read this whole article and I see how high the homeless population has rocketed. It's crazy. I walk on the streets of NY and see Homeless men woman sleeping in front of commercial stores on 5th avenue. Like it's okay. In front of Versace, Omega You name it is an epidemic that is taking baby steps to get better. It frustrates me to see this.
33
@Yvette: I think homeless people in front of Versace and other ultra-high-end stores is exactly right: it may remind the oblivious that not everyone is a gazillionaire.
9
Are you more concerned with families not being able to find shelter? Or having to look at homeless people on your way to shop at Versace and Omega?
3