Friday, April 18, 2014

Hope for the homeless


From WNYC:

New York City is creating a new rental subsidy to help tackle its unprecedented homelessness crisis.

According to a draft of the proposal obtained by WNYC that the city sent to the Cuomo administration in March, the subsidy would be available to an estimated 1,400 to 2,800 families in which at least one member works full time, 35 hours a week. Currently 13,000 families live in the city’s shelters.

For a two-bedroom apartment that costs $1500 a month, a family could get a subsidy of $1,100. The total cost of the program could be as much as $115 million a year by the fifth year, according to the proposal. The city would have to negotiate with the state on how to split that cost.

The city said it’s still refining the proposal and refused to comment for this story. But advocates say they’re optimistic.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The state should pay for the whole thing. NYC sends enough money to the state for that. There are people here who need help. Take care of them first instead of bailing out the rest of the state.

Anonymous said...

What about all of your other people? All of the struggling "middle income" the government tries to put up affordable housing for us right by project housing. This government wants you to depend on them for everything....it's getting to be really sad.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant. So when landlords realize that these tenants now have an extra $1100 to spend on housing, guess what will happen to rental prices for non-controlled units?

And what then to those who aren't poor enough to qualify for the subsidy but live at the edge of middle class and have to pay taxes for all of this anyway?

How do morons who get these govt. leadership jobs stay such morons for so long!?

Anonymous said...

Economics 101: What does this do to supply and demand?

Are there rental units now that are now vacant at $1500/month?

Or are there builders standing by to create new rental units for which they can recover building and operating costs at $1500/month?

This a fantasy for which the middle class taxpayer will surely pay this $13,200 per year per qualifying homeless family subsidy.

13,000 is the number of families, counted. If you expand this, for example, to food-stamp eligible that moves the number to 500,000. And if you allow people to self-identify as "homeless" to qualify, that moves it to over 1 million. That would be then over 1 billion a month in a housing subsidy.

Anonymous said...

subsides, subsides, subsides.

More and more money leaving the wallets of the working and middle classes.

Anonymous said...

"the state should pay for the whole thing"

Why don't we just apply that to everything and call it a day? Lenin, Mao, LBJ – so many people have tried to create the socialist workers paradise and failed, but I'm sure de Blasio will succeed. I can't wait, it's going to be the best.

Oh, and go and take that supply and demand crap to the tea party where it belongs, you racist, sexist, people-hating Archie Bunker. Bet ya read Ayn Rand and voted for Romney. Didn't you hear the governor? Get Out Now.