12/2
Frustrations are mounting. Sean
has more and more stuff here. He’s trying
very hard. He’s got all these things, antiques, he says, probably
very valuable….he says, but….
Rachel comes in to talk, and as
much as I have missed her, have worried about her, I’ve forgotten that within
fifteen minutes she always makes me want to shoot her or myself. And part of it
is not about her, but simply the fact that anyone who has been a professor at
Hunter and in her own Upper Eastside apartment should ever be homeless. Even if
she is crazy. She wouldn’t survive a night in the shelter system. For every idea I have, she’s
got a yes but…and I’ve got no ideas
left.
George is back keeping his vigil
and I don’t even want to get into that.
Part of my frustration is the
growing realization that the homelessness issue is intractable. We realize that
the numbers double under the Bloomberg administration and that last year alone
saw an increase of over 15,000. And according t some reports that incoming
Manhattan Borough President Gale brewer has seen, the number may be as high as
56,000 including many more families and
children.
What is criminal is the combination
of cutting rent subsidies for low income people on the one hand forcing people into homelessness and the
privatization of shelter provision with
cynical names like Housing Solutions reward the most unscrupulous of bottom feeding capitalists.
Today’s New York Magazine featured
a story describing how the worst
slumlords drove people out of poorly maintained housing units then converted
them to hotels advertising only in Europe and then when the jig was up on that
game converting to private homeless shelters contracting with the city. The insanity? Obscenity? Is
that the average subsidy keeping someone housed was $300 a month. The city now
pays $122 a night to house someone in a
private shelter, or close to $3800 a month. For half that amount they could get
a market rate apartment! All the while, the violence and lack of security of
the shelters f=drives away all but the most desperate with people preferring
the streets.
And so to Rachel, to Joe, to Keith
to Sonnie all I can say is that I have nothing to say. My contacts and
resources can’t help then where they are. Maybe a new mayor? But for now, I
have nothing to offer…
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