Tuesday, April 2, 2013

NYC taxpayers are suckers

From the NY Post:

For out-of-towners seeking “four-star" accommodations here, there’s The Waldorf, The Pierre, The Plaza — and the city’s homeless shelters.

“People pay $3,000 for an apartment here, and I get to live here for free!” said Michal Jablonowski, 25, who moved back to the city from his native Poland three years ago and is now staying in a Bowery shelter.

“I have food. I have health care. It’s great," Jablonowski said. “Here, the city supports you. The city helps you with everything.’’

City shelters boasting generous resources have increasingly become havens for out-of-towners, statistics show.

Nearly one in four of the city’s single homeless people who entered the system in December 2012 listed their last address as outside the city.

“We get breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have a microwave and TV. They do the laundry for free,” noted Jablonowski, who lived in New York for years before going back to his homeland, only to return here to a freebie life.

Jablonowski said he even gets a prepaid cellphone — allowing 1,000 texts and 300 minutes a month — through Medicaid and boasted, “I’m going to get my teeth fixed.”

“I love New York because you cannot starve in New York, you can always find food and clothes,” he said.

“The shelters are really nice. You have clean sheets. You get to watch TV and stay in the warm. Homeless people have it so good, they don’t want to look for a job."

“Some people in here have it better than people working 9 to 5, because they’re not paying rent. I’ve stayed in hostels worse. I call this four stars,” said William Sullivan, who came to the city from LA for a job that fell through.

“Everyone in this place has a silver spoon in their mouth. You get fed three to four meals a day, and the food here is great.”

A Michigan woman who arrived in December said she was drawn to New York for the “adventure.”

“New York is New York! That’s why people come here,” said Amy Kaufman, 41, who is staying in a city-funded Chelsea shelter.

“I go to the library, and I go sightseeing a lot in Times Square and Chelsea. I like it here.

“I’m staying here for a while because the housing options are better. Michigan is in a recession right now.”

Even reverse snowbirds from Florida would rather suffer through a brutal New York winter than be homeless in their own state. Florida is the second-most popular last address for out-of-town homeless.

“Survival in Florida was a lot harder than here. There are a lot more resources here for homeless, especially in terms of housing and finding transitional housing,” said Steve Rios, 49, who came up from the Sunshine State.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The system should find a way to make it very difficult for those who come from outside the US (THE IMMIGRANTS - as in ILLEGALS) to obtain shelter (READ GAMING THE SYSTEM) in our city. I am certain they can put up roadblocks to certain individuals to wear them down each day so that eventually they get the idea that the the city won't stand for housing abuse!

Anonymous said...

America be very good to me

Anonymous said...

that's it
i'm selling my co-op and moving into a homeless shelter

Anonymous said...

Was this an April Fool's joke?

Anonymous said...

you voted for the dem./lib/prog/politicians ,who give OUR tax $$$$$ away. illness,illness,illness?????

thanks D.I.N.O.