Located at 79-00 Queens Blvd., the building is now home to nearly 200 families, some of whom attended the rally, which drew a much smaller crowd than the prior events. They shared several concerns.
One resident, Christine Napolitano, said, “I’m grateful that I have a roof over my head,” but she complained that the four members of her family, including her three children, aged 16, 11 and 5, have to live in a single room.
“We’re on top of each other on a constant basis,” she said. “My kids want to kill each other. We’re not animals. We’re people who really need help. Things have to change.”
The city pays nearly $4000 a month to house Napolitano’s family, she said. And the space doesn’t even include cooking facilities.
“There is no place to eat here. It’s not allowed,” she said. “The food you wouldn’t give to your dog.”
And, once the new school year begins, she said it will be difficult for her children to continue attending the same specialized schools in the Bronx to which they are accustomed.
“They’re comfortable in those schools,” she said. She would like to be able to return with her family to the Bronx, but said, “Any changes have to be approved by the higher-ups.”
Another resident, Sheila Carroll, who has two preteen children, was similarly grateful but also expressed concerns. “I thank God for the shelter,” she said. “But I’m trying to transition back to life. Every day I’m pounding the pavement looking for affordable housing. We should have affordable housing in every section of the city. I’m tired of getting rejected.”
Carmen Rosario, who also lives in the shelter, said, “I’m here to fight. I’ve been fighting since I got here.” As the mother of a newborn and a toddler, she is disturbed over the sleeping accommodations they were provided.
“The toddler has to sleep in an infant crib,” she said. She also said the elder child got sick from the food and has a hard time keeping food down now. “Everything is liquid, liquid, liquid,” she said. “My kids need nutrition. They’re not getting the nutrition they need.”
Why does Danny Dromm support this? Why does Melissa Mark-Viverito support this? Why does Bill DeBlasio support this?
31 comments:
AND this is one of the major problems of these so-called "hotel make-shift" homeless shelters that are put into effect quickly. With the money that the city is paying for this crap, they could have easily used a rent voucher program (which would have been much cheaper) to put these families in their own neighborhoods in apartment buildings, etc.
What is going on now is a disaster from every angle you look at this.
"Why does Danny Dromm support this? Why does Melissa Mark-Viverito support this? Why does Bill DeBlasio support this?"
Because if they're nothing else they're political whores/sluts (Though I think I do whores an injustice here) and this to them sounds like it's politically expedient?
$4,000/month!!!!! That would rent 2 full houses or 5 illegal basement apartments in Flooshing!
The city is getting hosed. Which one of de Sleazio, MMV or MK's friends own that hotel?
This makes Boardwalk Empire look quaint.
Who is holding de Sleazio, MMV and MK at gunpoint to have gotten this outrageous deal? Can we just impeach all three of them?
The ex-thugs that are used as security guards have to get paid too. The food caterers are surely on the take, as are the maintenance and cleaning services. Heard there is a plumber on hand 24/7 to ensure any emergencies are handled quickly. You know how much plumbers get paid per hour.....
It shows you what sort of benefits the friends of the city's homeless shelter bureaucracy can accumulate.
$4,000/month to shelter a woman and her three kids - and we can't make these public assistance clients "happy".
So will $8,000/month be enough? The taxpayer checkbook is open at your disposal, as always.
I like how all these homeless parents, who clearly made some bad decisions in life, are dictating demands to the city instead of trying to use the place as a footing to get their lives back on track. That mindset is part of the problem.
The other part is of course what everyone else is saying - all this money being thrown at this problem is fucking insane. $4000 a month? For one room? That's fucking insane.
Why not house people in the boroughs that they're from? It seems silly to move a family from the Bronx (where housing is much cheaper) and then pay $4k/month for a substandard experience.At least shelter people in the boroughs that they're from. Queens shelter should have Queens residents. It might be easier for people to get back on their feet if they are familiar with their surroundings. This $4k/month per family is ridiculous.
The city is quite unfair. These families should be placed in hotel suites of three and more rooms.
They should be allowed cooking facilities and be able to BBQ on hotel terraces.
They should also be given food vouchers for restaurants. Not fast food places but restaurants where a family my sit down and be served.
Their children should be sent to private schools and have tutors to assist them in learning.
They should be given an automobile and free gas cards so they and their children do not have to rely on public transportation.
Figure out how much all of this would cost and then figure out the cost of what they are already getting; $4,000 for a crap room, Food, medical, counseling, clothes, laundry, transportation, etc. etc. Not that much of a difference.
Or better yet, give them $50,000 and a bus ticket out of town. As a society we'd be better off.
Mark-Viverito?
How about our borough - where is that culture-king library alumni, mister 'majority leader of city council - our very own Jimmy Van Bramer whose office is just down the pike?
Why don't both sides go over there and hold this discussion away from traffic and the kids in front of someone that actually has 'juice.' Hell if trustafarian hipsters get attention because trains rumble in a frieghtyard, the plight of the parties in this dis-pute is a bit more serious, eh?
Election day is right around the corner. Make sure you tell your representatives how happy you are with them wasting your money. Remember you get the government you deserve, we deserve better.
A new born and a toddler, and no daddy. But a check for each, and three hots and a cot. Pay women to have kids, and they will have kids. Sick, this welfare state we have built. Good luck, Queens, the taxpayer money being wasted does not belong to the bureaucrats running the programs so its "the sky is the limit".
It's kind of funny and sad at the same time. The shelter is a shithole, but it's ok so long as we hand out backpacks and take the kids to the movies.
Let's do the numbers:
$4,000 per month for each of 200 families equals $800,000 per month.
Multiply that by 12 months and Voila!
This shithole is getting almost $9,600,000 per annum for lodging.
Now add the cost of everything else the 200 families are getting.
Are you sick yet?
My advice to Christine Napolitano is keep your legs closed and don't get knocked up with so many kids if you (or the fathers if any) cant afford them !!
gross! what a disgrace! why are these losers having kids they can't afford while I'm breaking my back working hard for a living???? no wonder the hardworking Chinese, Korean and Indian immigrants are so pissed off. it should be mandatory that if you want to live off welfare you get sterilized!! the only way to cure poverty is to stop having children in poverty!!!!
Folks, regardless of why these people are homeless, the bottom line is that you can rent an apartment in Midtown Manhattan for less than Samaritan Village and the Bergers are making off one room at this hotel.
The city owns plenty of properties that just sit idle in all 5 boroughs. Wouldn't it make sense to place these homeless families in these properties in their own boroughs? Homeless kids could continue to go to school in their neighborhoods and parents could look for work close to home. Why saturate middle-class communities with high real estate taxes with people who don't want to be there anyway? District 24 is the most over-crowded, yet, the agencies are shutting out neighborhood kids for seats for the homeless kids. If the city won't house these people in warehoused apartments, why don't they just buy each family a house? It would be cheaper in the long run. The only people making money off this issue is Samaritan Village. Ask their Board of Directors where they live and if they have any homeless shelters in their neighborhoods. As usual, the losers are the taxpayers who struggle to pay their bills and work two jobs.
We should have affordable housing in every section of the city. I’m tired of getting rejected.”
Um, since when is living in this city an entitlement? No one is holding a gun to your head, move out to a cheaper city like Philly or somewhere in Virginia
Its all a scam, the city and its appointed judges have all gotten into the real estate business and special interest.
This is my opinion but Look how some clearly corrupt judge just punished Tony Avella regarding the Shea Stadium property for not "not been getting on board" constantly turning his back on the mayor, developer's and democrat club house!! --Now Avella is guaranteed to be screwed again. Judges in NYC simply re-interpret law's & agreements anyway that helps "special interest & friends"
Why is nasty "change" crap unheard of in 100% republican towns towns and villages like Southold, Mattituck, Nassau Point, Jamesport, Setauket, Robbins Island, Shelter Island, Fishes Island ?
Answer: Those Long Island people (most who fled Queens years ago) have learned to kick democrats, liberals' right out the door head first the moment the hear of one. To add judges and council members must live in the towns & villages they rule in.
They don't want another Queens, East or South Hampton that's now getting all screwed up
VOTING ALL INCUMBENT DEMOCRATS OUT AND DE-WHEELING THE WHOLE CLUB IS THE ONLY FIX.
The developers and overseas money have bought ALL of them !!
"Why is nasty change crap ..."
Not to dispute your overall point, which is correct, but Setauket is quite liberal. All Democratic representation except for the state Senate. Weekly protests at a main intersection against the Iraq War by Move On types. It's limousine liberalism up there.
The Chronicle article on the backpacks has my favorite part, a family admitting they moved here from Georgia in April. Two months later, in the shelter. Great.
"...move out to...somewhere in Virginia..."
Why not? Joe Crowley did.
On Setauket — you're mostly right, it's different than when I was there about five years ago — then it was a Dem super, tax receiver and highway superintendent, but yes, it flipped since then.
But one of those two Dem councilwomen (Cartwright) represents the district Setauket is in, they also have a Dem in the county legislature (Hahn) and they've had Dem Assemblyman Englebright for a long time.
So yes, a mix, and what I said was out of date, but still lots of liberals running around.
Does New York State have a residency law in order to receive benefits, or can anyone come in, cry poverty and just collect? Our state does have generous benefits. If not, don't you think it's time we did? Anyone out there representing us, the taxpayers? Anybody?
Anon. No. 24:
Gasp!!!
Get the fuck out then ingrates and good riddance.
"We’re not animals. We’re people who really need help. Things have to change." They are worse than animals. Animals don't ask for help. Animals can take care themself without crying for help. "The food you wouldn’t give to your dog." Go get a job and buy good food. Dog is much better because they don't complain even if the food is not good.
You want them to get a job anon? 60% of adults there already have a job. But in a city designed to inflate prices so only the rich and unions survive it isn't enough to get by.
Having a job and having a full time job are two different things.
Don't they all get WIC, food stamps, etc.? Why don't they buy food for their families with that?
It sounds like most of the "adults" being need mental health services more than anything else.
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