Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Landlords don't want LINC vouchers

From DNA Info:

Approximately 80 percent of the vouchers the city has granted to homeless New Yorkers under a rent subsidy program aren't being used, according to the Department of Homeless Services.

Since the program began last year, 15,921 LINC vouchers were granted to families and individuals living in homeless shelters to help them pay rent in private apartments.

But only 3,220 vouchers have actually been used to exit a shelter — about 20 percent of the number certified for the program.

“People don’t want to deal with a LINC V voucher because they feel that it’s unreliable,” said one resident, who preferred her name not be used. She said she has tried between 20 and 30 landlords, to no avail.

“It’s discouraging when you go out there and you look for apartments and nobody wants to deal with the LINC V voucher.”

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE NEW YORK, Free money everywhere you turn,
EXCEPT ON MY PROPERTY TAX BILL,

Anonymous said...

15,921,I wonder how many are actually new yorkers

(sarc) said...

Can you blame landlords?

When the program was cut and ended the last time, landlords were stuck with tenants that could not pay,would not leave, and had to be evicted. Costing thousands in legal fees, a year without rental income and a destroyed apartment.

Fool me once...

Anonymous said...

very low vacancy rate means the landlord does not have to deal with the pain in the a** programs

JQ said...

These supposed liberal programs that are designed to help the homeless have no teeth to it.

There needs to be a level of reinforcement to make sure that these people get shelter to prevent discriminatory rejections, like the units the NYPD has for drugs and terrorism, and ridiculously movies and TV shoots. It's obvious these landlords know the damn rules, know that nobody is surveilling them, and are cognizant of the fact that desperate people are being ignored.

Otherwise, there needs to be a huge gatherings in Albany and City Hall to get all these subsidies and tax breaks abolished.

Where the hell is the OCCUPY movement on this?

(sarc) said...

JQ

You can try to crack down on this, Due to the problems with these and other programs, More and more Realtors are getting out of doing rentals.
The vague burdensome regulations, heavy handed enforcement has made doing rental business not worth it.

So many rentals now are on blogs and Craigslist - real tough to find a big fish.

People are choosing to keep units empty until private recommendations come in to get top dollar and avoid any discrimination issues...

Anonymous said...

Where the hell is the OCCUPY movement on this?

Smoking dope on the street corner, like they always were. Most of the few who were capable of anything more probably found a decent paying job and have something constructive to do with their time. The loonies moved on to Black Lives Matter - maybe for their next flavor of the month you can woo them back to occupy.

Anonymous said...

major of these people are not from NEW YORK -- thank you mayor -- you are a piece of work --

Anonymous said...

I would not rent to these homeless people either. A person on my block did that a young woman and her 4 kids. From day one it was a mess. She was fighting in the street with her girlfriend and there was always a lot of noise and craziness coming from her apartment. Even broke a window in her bedroom. That is all I needed to see like I said would never do it.

Anonymous said...

If you won't rent to them I will punish you with higher property taXs
Don't make me do it,Mayor Stompy Foot.

JQ said...

Good assessment on the machinations or lack there of on providing and searching for housing for the lower and even middle classes (sarc). Too much entrenched bureaucratic bullshit in the way. And the reliance on crappy websites to get services as the only vessel.

As for OCCUPY, I call them out because their name befits the overwhelming crisis that can happen to anyone anytime and the only ones who benefit are the same culprits that caused the last and future economic meltdown from wall street, the network and streaming news to the goddamn electeds. And I know they clearly moved on. Recall early in the new year when one past OCCUPYer was obstructing and taunting a police car during an spontaneous block party. And a group of them were at Rockaway helping people in the town days after Sandy. While that was noble, it seems that in the last few years they have settled there and now the area in inundated with overpriced foodie restaurants/cafes/bars bullshit, which are the seeds of gentrification.

And yes Black Lives Matter is more show than substance, and I don't approve of their tactics. Like the lie that is hands up,don't shoot (which was never said)

LibertyBoyNYC said...

Send us your tired, poor, huddled masses from Baltimore and Buffalo and Philly and Scranton, we'll make sure they are vouchered, and are useful mules in leaning into uncooperative districts and shake down communities outside the political fold.

No vacancy for the mayor's pet homeless.

(sarc) said...

Hey Liberty

Don't forget the Syrian "refugees"...

Anonymous said...

As long as no NYC government housing subsidy goes to a White American born in NYC Chirlaine will be happy.

Do you notice that the majority of people who get ANY housing subsidy are not White, ie: Blacks are first in line.

Unknown said...

Um yeah I have a BBA AND WHITE AND HAD THE SAME JOB FOR 14 YEARS IM IN A SHELTER BECAUSE MY RENT WENT FROM 2600 TO 4300 IN TWO YEARS AND MY INCOME DIDNT DOUBLE.JUST WAIT WE WILL BE HEARING HALF OF YOU CRYING IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS DONT WORRY ILL LEAVE YOU A NICE WARM SPOT RIGHT HERE BIGOTS

Anonymous said...

Why didn't you find a cheaper apartment? Or move out of state?

Unknown said...

I am a real Estate agent here in Brooklyn and I have to say that a lot of times it isn't particularly the program. Some real estate agents don't want to work with the program because the city has formed whole departments dedicated to trying to steal business from Real estate Agents. Meaning you must at some point divulge the information of the owner for the transaction, and the city has a unit that compiles these names and numbers and beginning a month after the rental is over they will continuously harass the landlords asking for vacancies to avoid paying the brokers for future rentals. They also encouraged the housing specialist at the shelters to try to rent properties we show to them without us and offered them a $1000 bonus for every 5 they do. Almost all 9f the linc clients,come from the shelter system. Besides betrayal, the limits for 1 and 2 bedrooms are significantly lower than the market value. The average 1 bedroom is about $1400-$1600, the programs offer $1268 for that size apartment. They also bar clients from accepting an apartment that doesn't include heat and hot water. Which given the range they are offering cuts out half of the places that would have been affordable.

Unknown said...

I am currently residing in a domestic violence shelter with my son and I have been looking for an apartment for 8 months. I have practically begged people over the phone to accept Linc. I refuse to move to an unsafe neighborhood. Why can't landlords accept the program in a decent neighborhood?

Anonymous said...

Why can't landlords accept the program in a decent neighborhood?

lol what do you think is keeping those neighborhoods decent?

the answer is not accepting those programs.

Unfortunately said...

All i can say is screw these programs. Thats y i decided to go back to school. Having a career, a good job is the only way to survive in nyc doesn't matter what race is are.

Unfortunately said...

Its tough in nyc and doesnt matter what race you are. Im in a shelter and decided to further my education. I guess to survive in nyc you got to have a career or a good job. It takes alot of money period.

Unknown said...

Help people

Unknown said...

This LINC program is full of SHIT and the landlords are also full of SHIT. You have some people that need the help to start their life over again. But the world does not care and only think of helping themselves and forget about others who need help. But they can help but won't. These program and landlord are just no life assgoles.

Dennis said...

I'm white in a shelter I'm a new Yorker most people in the shelter are new Yorkers very few from out of town and even if they were people move from state to state all the time so what's so spacial about new York

HomelessUber said...

I am a business owner in the shelter... No matter where you come from, who you are, or the color of your skin: homelessness can happen to you.... I started my business in the shelter...
For all the people pointing fingers at Blacks and Hispanics- dont forget about those rednecks on welfare soaking up the free cable, housing, and whatever their state offers for public assistance.. Also, please don't forget that we are now the majority. Open your mind- wherever you go there is drama, whether it may be that someone had a bad day or a bad year, you judged a woman based on argumentative moments with her spouse. You don't argue with your wife or girlfriend from time to time because she burned your favorite meal? Because you had a bad day? Be realistic, this goes to further show that the majority are the only people living with open minds and open hearts... We as a majority should rent to those who truly need because we are the ones who truly understand struggle

Unknown said...


Find local landlords, properties, tenants or renters. Join the community !! mycriib.ca

Re-inventing consumer behaviour through a renting platform that would provide social network connectivity, real reviews and access to goods and services at the reach of a click.

Renting community
landlord reviews