Bill de Blasio promised to take the keys to New York that
he would end the inequality that split the city between poor and rich. For
this, it was a priority to combat the crisis facing the largest metropolis in
the United States due to the increase in homelessness.
Almost
six years later, the Democrat is criticized by other mayors for a program that
allowed him to export thousands of homeless families to other locations across
the country.
The controversial unique special assistance program
(SOTA) is part of the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). According to the
information revealed by the local press, the city allocated 89 million dollars
to cover transportation, one-year rental and furniture for 12,482 people who
moved from the city. That amounts to about 5,070 families since the special
single assistance program was activated in August 2017.
The city deployed them to more than 370 locations in 32
states, including remote territories such as Puerto Rico or Hawaii. The New
York authorities never informed the receiving localities about the financial
status of the new residents they welcomed. Relocation is also done without the
beneficiary having to demonstrate a link with the destination community.
Newark, across the Hudson River in New Jersey, identified
1,200 families that are part of this program. Now he is about to adopt a
municipal order to prohibit his neighbor from sending homeless people through
SOTA. Mount Vermont Mayor André Wallace, in Westchester County, also requires
Bill de Blasio to take care of the people who sent him.
The Homeless Coalition amounts to 63,840 homeless people
in New York City. The count is made every January. The figures, indicate from
the organization, did not stop growing with Bill de Blasio. In the case of
adult men doubled in number during the last 10 years, to exceed 18,000
individuals. The families went from 9,600 to 15,000 in that period.
Doubtful legality
Some of
the people transferred arrived in Honolulu, almost 5,000 kilometers from New
York. Democrat John Mizuno, who chairs the Hawaiian Senate Public Health
Committee, wrote to the US attorney general to review the legality of the
policy followed by New York. He believes that the program "does not
guarantee the security, welfare and support they need" for these displaced
persons. "It's a recipe for disaster", he predicts. Hawaii has a
similar program.
Irvington authorities in New Jersey regret the lack of
coordination and supervision. Tony Vauss, his mayor, insists that the homeless
are "vulnerable citizens" who need permanent attention. When the aid
disappears, it is the recipients who must take over. Like the mayor of
Torrington, in Connecticut, she heard about the New York program through the
press.
The
seriousness of the crisis, they point out from the coalition, "is not a
surprise". You can see it happening in front of the shelter for men that
Basic Housing manages in the Upper West Side neighborhood. It is a
hotbed of people entering and leaving the complex. A few years ago it offered
apartments to tourists. He joined the system to respond to the increase in the
population of homeless people.
The experts of the Manhattan Institute point out that
this program reflects the "desperation" to try to reduce the census
of homeless. And although moving them to other locations where housing has a
more affordable price can be helpful, the Homeless Coalition warns that it is
not a realistic option for people who cannot be self-sufficient when the
subsidy expires.
Taxpayer Savings
"It
is unfair that the largest city in the US addresses the problem of the homeless
by sending them to other communities without notifying them", laments
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. This town in the suburbs of New York received
more than 130 families, although they never had an official notification. The
solution, the mayors agree, is not to send these people to other cities.
DHS denies being "exporting" to these families
and insists that the program is designed to help them find a home so they can
start a new life. To justify it, he explains that welcoming them in shelters
run by the city costs up to 70,000 dollars (66,176 euros) for a family with
children, while paying them a rent in another city is around 17,500 dollars
(15,794 euros).
The taxpayer's saving argument, however, is questionable
and not only because the cost is transferred to other cities. 35% of the
beneficiaries of this assistance program moved within the boundaries of the
metropolitan area, where rents are higher. And many, in addition, end up
returning to the shelters in New York a few months after the poor housing
conditions.
The New York State Senate is investigating the assistance
program following numerous protests by mayors. The City Council itself is also
doing it, after detecting “severe vulnerabilities” in its execution and the
responsibilities assumed by the owners of the foster homes.
SOURCE: EL País
