The homeless population in the nation’s largest city is exploding, having reached an all-time high for the month of February 2015, according to statistics published by the Coalition for the Homeless. The record numbers of homeless people have forced city officials to house many families in decrepit tenements, already identified by the city housing authorities as dangerous.
New York City’s Mayor Bill de Blasio has not been able to make good on a campaign promise to address the city’s homeless problem, and according to the Daily News, it has only gotten worse during President Obama’s term in office. But putting the blame on any one politician is the easy way out when the problem has been ongoing for years. It is receiving deeper perusal only because of the rapidly growing numbers.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan have the largest number of homeless people, many of them living hand-to-mouth within the buildings for years. But the city’s airports are now seeing an increase in the numbers of homeless, according to Volunteers of America. The volunteer organization has had a contract with the Port Authorities of New York and New Jersey since 1986 to provide outreach programs to the homeless living in the airports.
On freezing winter nights, about 80 or more homeless people have been finding shelter at LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports. They sleep on seats in the baggage claim and waiting areas. Sometimes they can be found in the food courts sleeping on radiators. They use the restrooms to clean up and those with a suitcase blend right in with passengers. LaGuardia has seen an increase to about 50 people a night, and JFK’s numbers have increased to around 33 homeless a night.
New York City’s shortage of affordable housing to blame for the rise in homeless numbers
The homelessness crisis is the result of the shortage of affordable housing in the city. Between 2000 and 2012, the average rent in NYC rose 75 percent, compared with 44 percent nationwide, according to a detailed 2014 report by City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
Besides detailing the somber news that the city had lost 400,000 apartments renting for $1,000 or less, the report also detailed “stagnant incomes, rising rents, and a deepening affordability crunch, especially for the working poor and others at the lower end of the income spectrum.” But the most telling observation in the report was the 40 percent increase in the number of residents ages 60 and over. Most of these people are also in the low-income group.
The city has been trying to move homeless families into permanent housing, but the scarcity has forced the city to continue using unacceptable housing, known as “cluster sites.” The apartments in the clusters are riddled with code violations. The list of violations is unbelievable, including lead paint, falling ceilings, broken plumbing, electrical problems or being infested with vermin.
The Bushwick Economic Development Corp., Acacia Network, and Camba Inc. are the biggest providers of buildings the city leases, and they have accumulated hundreds of building code violations. About a dozen nonprofit groups, hired by the city, place the homeless in these buildings. Yet these nonprofits collect millions of dollars per year from the city’s taxpayers, as well as state and federal taxpayers.
