Why are there so many more homeless people living in our streets? New Yorkers all over the city are asking. No wonder Mayor De Blasio’s approval rating has plummeted.
The New York Times reported that more than
half of New York voters (53%) disapprove of the way our mayor is handling
poverty and homelessness, according to a poll released last week. De Blasio’s
approval rating on handling homelessness was only 36%, a trend that was
consistent across boroughs and ethnicities.
In response, the mayor has announced a $22 million mental health effort
that will include more caseworkers at shelters and more outreach personnel to
tend to mentally ill people. A plan to deal with the low-income housing
shortage is expected to be forthcoming in the fall. Like all politicians, De
Blasio also blames his predecessor, Michael Bloomberg, for contributing to the
homelessness of the poor and mentally ill. While De Blasio has rightly claimed
that living on the streets “is not against the law,” urinating on the sidewalk
or apartment building wall is a crime and a quality-of-life issue for all New Yorkers. Besides, doesn’t it seem like arguing about the legality of living on
the street is missing the point in a big way?
I don’t
claim to have the answer to homelessness, but one thing I know for sure: New
York is on the verge of becoming an exclusive playground for the rich. (Think Hunger Games.) As real estate prices
sky rocket, owning a home
anywhere in
Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens is becoming more and more out of reach for the
middle class. Rentals are becoming less and less affordable as the supply of
rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments continues to dwindle. In some
ways, I believe we have created a culture that is the modern-day equivalent of
pre-revolutionary France. Whatever the politicians say or do, they might as
well be quoting Marie Antoinette who famously said of the hungry poor: “Let
them eat cake.” With the exception of
Michael Bloomberg, Jimmy Carter, and perhaps a few others, politicians are
funded by wealthy individuals, corporations and super-PACs. None of them are going to play Robin Hood and
risk losing their financial backers. Certainly De Blasio—despite his stated
good intentions—has not made any headway in providing more or better quality
housing for the most vulnerable members of society.
What I
keep wondering every time I see a homeless
person on the streets of Manhattan (an alarmingly frequent occurrence) is
what happened to that individual’s family? Once upon a time those men and women
who now huddle in filthy sleeping bags or under cardboard boxes were innocent
babies, some of whom must have been welcomed into a family nest and loved. Obviously, the fairy tale was fleeting, and
for all kinds of reasons the nightmare of living on the streets became a
reality. For me, this type of reflection
is dangerous and worrisome. What will
happen to my daughter Sarah and other adults on the autistic spectrum when
their parents pass away? Will they end up in the streets or warehoused in
sub-standard living conditions?
Maybe
we should look at the Israeli solution for housing young adults with autism.
Last fall the ALUT Fellowship House
opened as a home-for-life for 24 young adults with autism, who function at
various levels and range in age from 18 to 28. Some of these residents interact
with their environment, have jobs or attend college and operate independently
in many areas. Fellowship House is
located in a desirable area of Tel Aviv, overlooking two rivers and next to a
well-maintained park, so residents can ride their bikes or stroll and shop in
the neighborhood. Young adults at Fellowship
House are divided into three groups of eight. They each have their own room, but eat
together and share common area where they can watch TV and interact. The goal of the facility is to provide a
family lifestyle, while taking the needs of each individual into consideration.
In
The
Journey Magazine, ALUT’s stated
mission is to ensure “the well-being, rehabilitation, future and economic
status of persons with autism in Israel.” While providing educational,
residential, vocational, and leisure-time services to people with autism, ALUT
works to promote their rights and improve the services available to them and
their families. Now that sounds like a
plan with vision, doesn’t it?
At the
opening ceremony of
Fellowship House,
Rabbi Eckstein addressed the crowd and said: “If we want to progress and set an
example for the world through our values and care for our fellow man and
society’s weakest, it can only be done by all three sectors—the government, the
non-profit sector, and the business sector—working together. ‘
A cord of three stands is not quickly
broken,’ we learn in Ecclesiastes 4:12. The
Fellowship House is an example of all relevant factors coming
together.” Of equal importance, he emphasized, was that this house represented
“Christian and Jewish friends around the world coming together to offer
compassionate support for Israelis in need.”
Hello,
America, is anyone listening?
If Israel—a tiny nation perpetually
at war—can provide a home and dignified lifestyle to young people with autism,
why can’t we do that here in the USA, with greater resources and more power? Come to think of it, why limit the Fellowship
House model to people with autism? Maybe
it’s a pipe dream, but why not expand Fellowship
philosophy to help house our homeless poor, mentally ill and learning
disabled populations? Instead of
allowing the chaotic avarice created by various “interest groups” contributing
millions of dollars to campaigns where politicians give speeches about
complicated problems that they hope will please their constituents, why not
invest in concrete solutions? What about something simple and obvious like
homes for all humans?
Labels: ALUT, autism, Christians, De Blasio, Fellowship House, homelessness, Israel, Jews, Marie Antoinette, mentally ill, Michael Bloomberg, New York City, politicians, poor, rentals, Robin Hood
I don’t
claim to have the answer to homelessness, but one thing I know for sure: New
York is on the verge of becoming an exclusive playground for the rich. (Think Hunger Games.) As real estate prices
sky rocket, owning a home anywhere in
Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens is becoming more and more out of reach for the
middle class. Rentals are becoming less and less affordable as the supply of
rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments continues to dwindle. In some
ways, I believe we have created a culture that is the modern-day equivalent of
pre-revolutionary France. Whatever the politicians say or do, they might as
well be quoting Marie Antoinette who famously said of the hungry poor: “Let
them eat cake.” With the exception of
Michael Bloomberg, Jimmy Carter, and perhaps a few others, politicians are
funded by wealthy individuals, corporations and super-PACs. None of them are going to play Robin Hood and
risk losing their financial backers. Certainly De Blasio—despite his stated
good intentions—has not made any headway in providing more or better quality
housing for the most vulnerable members of society.
