My Community Issue!

            Homelessness in New York City is an enormous issue effecting more and more people everyday day. Men, woman, teens, and children are finding it harder to find places to stay warm on the coldest nights in New York City; being turned away from homeless shelters and institutions leaves this people no choice but to slum it out on the concrete floors that line the city. Park benches, church entrances, beneath construction scaffolding, or just curled up in an isolated places homeless people have literally reached rock bottom to the point where even if they wanted to get off the streets space is so limited in housing and homeless shelters they have to just stick it out. This unfortunately is not a new issue especially in New York but one that has resurfaced countless times.  So why hasn’t anything been done about it? Where is the support that this people so desperately need? Why does it seem as though there is nowhere to turn?  The goal of this proposal is to identify the causes and effects of having limited space and lack of homeless shelters and institution Manhattan New York.

New York is said to be the City of Dreams but not every dream has a happy ending.  People from all over the world come here to have a new opportunity.  Make more money, better jobs, better living conditions, and of course the chance of stardom but sometimes those opportunity are just a dream. There are more and more homeless people showing up on street corners around the City. Where are they coming from? Do they have a place to go? And is anyone going to do something help? These are questions that are on a lot of people’s minds, especially the people of the Upper East Side.  One of biggest issues that many people don’t know is that homelessness is increasing dramatically and no one is doing anything about it.

 The Author  lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, right across the street from the famous Central Park and around the corner from upscale stores like Oscar De La Renta, Jimmy Choo, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Giorgio Armani, and Roberto Cavalli. This is the place where the wealth resides, but not everyone is accepted.  With the increase in homelessness around this area many residents are complaining and taking drastic measures to get them out.  At the October 14 community board 8 meeting. Many people spoke out about their feelings towards the growth of homelessness in the community. Few were tremendously concerned, some seemed annoyed, and other seemed disgusted.  What was once the biggest issue suddenly seemed to just float by. What changed the priority level?  Was it really the reaction of the community members?

            People in this community are not very concern with anyone outside of themselves and that was made very clear.  One woman who spoke noted that she was robbed by a white homeless man right outside of Central Park. She said that he stole her “Fur” and she was extremely saddened by this event. As I sat there and listened I was shocked I could not believe that I was so oblivious to the situations going in my own community.  I thought about it more and realized that there was a sudden increase in the homeless people.  I usually run on the outside of Central Park in the evenings and as I passed each bench I saw a homeless person sleeping, talking  to themselves, eating, building a bed out of flimsy boxes and rags, and even some reading news papers and washed up books. Not once has one of those people even looked at me for more than three seconds so thinking by at the older white woman speaking about her recent robbery, I began to have a rush of fear. I could not understand why things changed from good to bad so fast. What was I missing? Could the recession really be hitting people this hard? Primarily I think it’s the lack of support that this homeless people are getting.

            The increase in homeless people in New York City is at its all time high since the Great Depression of the 1930’s. There were 36,600 homeless men, women, and children were sleeping each night in New York City municipal shelters, including 15,800 children, 14,100 adult family members, and 6,700 single adults. Thousands more sleep rough on city streets, in public parks, in the subway system, and in other public spaces according to coalitionforthehomeless.org. There is a homeless shelter for women on 67^th and Lexington connected to the Armory called Lenox Hill Woman’s Shelter where I spoke to Jenna Andrews a woman who works with the new arriving homeless people.  She become my interview without it being my intentions, I am so glad she spoke to me because she gave me lots of information.

Daziann: Wow There is so many people here! How do they all fit in here? (I said jokingly)

Jenna: (She Sighed) There isn’t enough room for all these people but there is a point that you have to stop rejecting people and give them a helping hand. Things are bad out there.

Daziann: What do you mean by rejecting people? More people wanted to stay here?

Jenna: Unfortunately I myself turned away hundreds of people. It’s probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Looking into these women’s faces with Children at hand and saying there is no more room go somewhere else.  There is such a hopeless feeling every time someone comes in here.

Daziann: Where do they go if they can’t stay here?

Jenna: Most try other shelters around the city but I doubt they get to stay there either. There is so many people turning to us for help and there is not enough help to go around. It’s heart breaking. Plus the ones that have been here for so long are so territorial. (As I looked around I noticed many of the women staring at me as if I was going to snatch their beds out from under them) There is so much stealing here, which I never understood because all of them have so little and they all know that, why make it worst for each other. (She shakes her head in disapproval) what people don’t know is that many of the women in here are college graduates smart intelligent people, who lost their jobs because of the recession. I hope this doesn’t offend you but there is a huge difference here between homeless people and bums. (My Mouth Shot Open and Jenna Laughs)

Daziann: Wow I never heard that I thought it was all the same. How is it different?

Jenna: ( She Placed one hand on her hip and had a finger in the air) Homeless people here are the ones who lost their jobs, don’t have money for education, lost their apartments and have no other options no family or friends to crash with. Bums on the other hand are the ones that used all their money to buy drugs have no education been selling everything their own including their own bodies just to feed their addictions. It burns my soul thinking about the fact that there here and I am turning away women with their children it’s not right. It’s just not right! I know I am not supposed to be basis but sometimes you can’t help it. Dear Lord knows how it boils me.

Daziann: Well what are the rules here? How do you know who to keep and who to turn away?

Jenna: Well there are not many people that we turn away but as you see there are only so many beds 115 to be exact and as you can see many are sharing. There’s a fee for living here it can go from eighty dollars a month to three hundred six dollars. (She sighed with sadness) it’s just madness. They want them to pay this but are not doing too much to help them get housing.

Daziann: Is there anyone who is actually helping at all? (As a young girl walked in to the counter not older then 21)

Jenna: I am sorry but I got to handle this new case, but look into the Coalition for homeless people there the only ones who seem to give a rat’s ass.

Daziann: Thanks Jenna! (I took one more glance around the big space and watched the women shifting on their corners looking at their newest prey.

            “Coalition for the Homeless is the nation's oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women, and children. We are dedicated to the principle that decent shelter, sufficient food, affordable housing, and the chance to work for a living wage are fundamental rights in a civilized society. Since our inception in 1981, the Coalition has worked through litigation, public education, and direct services to ensure that these goals are realized.” This is one of the only programs that I reached out to that was able to tell me what their plans were to help these people get off the streets. I spoke to a representative who told me that they are trying to raise funds to expand existing shelters and provide new ones. They are trying to get permits to go a walk for homelessness. They seemed very eager about this project and even invited me to join.

            The walk against homelessness is to raise awareness of the tremendous rate of homeless people in New York in hopes of providing more food, money, and shelter for these individuals. Although there is no set date for this event they are other ways that we can help the homeless people in every community. People are encouraged to join soup kitchens and food drives which can be extremely helpful. This year there was such a huge shortest of food that they had to turn people away on Thanksgiving day. Also look into local churches and community houses who are involved with coat drives and food drives. Winter is coming and many homeless people are forced to stay on the street it would nice to at least try to give them a good warm coat. Food drives are especially important, we have people starving right here in our city who would love anything that you could give. Sometimes people feel that is not much that can be done about the increasing rates of homelessness, but everything counts.

            Homelessness is an issue that seems as though it will continue on for a long time.  Hopefully with the projects and people helping out we can lower the rate of people on the streets and get them into shelters and affordable housing. The Upper East Side is not as beautiful as people may see it to be there is minimal help and people who could care less about what happen to the people they throw their pocket change at. All they want is them off and away from their homes. “There rich why should they have to bother with the slums on the street.” Kathy Monroe.