Friday, March 20, 2015

City cold calling people to ask them to house homeless


From the Daily News:

Mayor de Blasio, desperate to reduce the city’s skyrocketing homeless problem, is making robocalls to Big Apple landlords asking them to take in families from the shelter system.

Landlords who do take up the mayor’s offer will receive a $1,000 signing bonus, which is in addition to the city funds that will pay the family’s rent, the mayor says in the 45-second taped call.

“Hi, this is Mayor Bill de Blasio,” the roughly 45-second robocall begins.

“As a landlord, you have an opportunity to fill vacancies in your building and receive a $1,000 bonus from the City of New York.”

One Queens resident and civic leader who received the robocall recorded it and posted it on her Facebook page, asking her friends if they had also got the call.

“Did anyone else receive this phone call from Bill de Blasio today asking you to shelter homeless families in your house?” Christina Wilkinson asked.

“How many homeless people is Bill de Blasio sheltering in HIS house?” one friend wrote.

The money for participating landlords is being distributed through the city’s new Living in Communities (LINC) Rental Assistance program, which aims to move families out of the strained shelter system and into homes.

Many of the families who qualify for the program have full-time jobs, but still can’t afford the costs of moving and rent. Others in the program are escaping from domestic violence, or have other special needs that has left them struggling.

The families are expected to contribute 30% of their income to rent. The amount of assistance from the city depends on the family size, and can range from $1,268 for a family of two to $2,530 for a family of 10.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aside from trying to reduce the strain in the shelter system, this may be a desperate attempt to keep low wage workers in the city. Multiple articles have been written on the fact that nyc's cost of living has motivated more people to move out than move in. The majority of them being young families who are finding it harder and harder just to get by let alone raise children in the most expensive city in the world. Many stats show that some parents are actually paying the same for after school child care that they do in rent. This is for a service that lasts from 3pm to 5pm. Its ridiculous. So its no wonder that the backbone of the american economy, young families, are finding the grass is greener on the other side of the hudson. The problem is, so many of them are leaving there are no more ppl like them to fill theie vacancies. Recent grads dont have their experience and recent immigrants dont have their skills. So employers and businesses are suffering. Overworking the employees they already have cuz they dont have time to train an unskilled employee. This wouldnt be a problem if we didnt have so many unskilled workers being allowed into the city in the first place. Young families wouldnt have to compete w/ppl willing to work for pennies bringing wages down and making the city unaffordable. If de Blaz really wants to help out the middle class he needs to put a cap on illegal immigration.

Anonymous said...

No, we need to put a cap on the large greedy Landlords who ar shoving people out of their homes. That was the reason our Goverenor (Republican) put Rent Stablization back on. He said "The Landlords are out of control". Much, much worse now. It would take up this whole blog to list the dirty tricks they are pulling on tenants to get them out (even Market Rate tenants). Being a Billionaire is not enough for them - They want to be Trillionaires.

What people do not understand is without Rent stablization Tenants have absolutly ZERO rights)

Anonymous said...

If we stopped taking in so many foreigners and got stricter with our laws for renting out places (for example no more than 3 people can live in 1 bedroom apartment) and having the dob do random checks on apartment buildings and houses then we might not have these high prices. Let's face it, the only way [most of] the illegals and liberals can afford to move here is only if they buddy up. Alot of them live with a lot of roommates just to afford the cost of these apartments. Obviously, we know that the asians can only afford those big houses by sticking 4 families in a two family house. If none of this was allowed then our prices of houses and rents would go down because it wouldn't be taking in more people because everyone would have to find their own place to live. We should start maybe some kind of "city resident program" where you would need to Apply through the city to get some kind of permission to live here and when you are moving out, you would need to let the city know. That way we can control the high population here. Obviously people born here who want to stay here should obviously automatically be granted one of these tickets but if you want to move out then you must give up your ticket. It's almost like a green card to live in this city. It might not be the best idea but it's just a thought to control population.

Anonymous said...

Is the mayor going to lead the way and use his Park Slope properties to house the homeless? Or is he still looking for $5,000/month in rent?

JQ said...

Why doesn't he turn his Park Slope palace into a shelter?

And why not take these pied a terre phantom owners at One57 and other dark ass buildings to task and help out?

Anonymous said...

A family of TEN? How many famillies of 10 in the shelter system?

JQ said...

I think I found the inspiration for Mayor Big Slow's homeless remedy>>>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVgArsc4zLw

Anonymous said...

Was tried years ago and many landlords got stiffed

Anonymous said...

I have been on the section 8 waiting list for a very very long time.
who got it ahead of me? black women w/ crack babies with different fathers, illegal immigrants and anyone who paid off NYCHA section 8

Anonymous said...

So I guess it's ok now to let strangers into your home.

Anonymous said...

Maybe the Mayor should try Airbnb. I hear there are a lot of New Yorkers looking for guests.

Jerry Rotondi said...

How many will Mayor De Blasio be taking in? This is the way a major metropolis deals with its homeless population?

Anonymous said...

Can you see Bill's son Dante sharing his bunk with a stranger? Der. Mayor Wilhelm is lacking some gray matter.

Anonymous said...

His Honor should welcome a homeless family to live rent free in his empty home. At the same time, he would save the City some money.

He needs to set an example to the public and his neighbors.

Anonymous said...

The Mayor is irresponsible. He's endangering too many lives with his hasty over development and housing ideas. Garage apartments, legalizing basements. The great state of NY is huge, we don't have to cram everyone into the city and it's boroughs.

Anonymous said...

Why pay rent, go live in the Shelter. I know people with good jobs live in the shelter. Taking in $1000 sign on bonus will cause you $10000
In eviction legal fee and property damage repair.