NY Democrats Solve Homelessness – Just Pay Them to Leave!
Under a secret program, New York City has been shipping its homeless population to other cities without telling those cities about the program.
The Special One-Time Assistance Program (SOTA) provides homeless families with transportation to another city and rent for one year. The families are not connected to social services or otherwise monitored.
Over the past two years, NYC has sent more than 12,480 people to 373 cities throughout the country and to Puerto Rico. The program has cost upwards of $89 million (for rent) and an undisclosed sum for travel expenses and furnishings.
The program is obviously not in the best interest of the families, but NYC’s Department of Homeless Services actually supports it because it costs less money to pay rent in other cities than it does to run homeless shelters in New York City.
Homeless shelters in NYC cost roughly $41,000 per family per year, compared to the average annual rent for one family in the US, which is about $17,560.
As you can imagine, cities on the receiving end of the program are not happy. Lawmakers in New Jersey are working on legislation to block NYC from sending homeless people to the state.
Mayor Tony Vauss of Irvington, NJ, which unwittingly received 278 SOTA families, says he is “highly disturbed by the lack of communication from New York and the lack of oversight of this program by the city.”
These families “require ongoing social services and resources,” continues Vauss. “Therefore, once SOTA ceases funding, program recipients end up using our state and local resources to maintain themselves.”
A handful of SOTA recipients are suing New York City based on the conditions of the places they were sent to live.
Sade Collington and her family were sent to an apartment in East Orange, NJ that had no water, heat, or electricity. “It was completely unlivable. We could not stay there any longer. We went to a shelter for another six months.”
The New York State Senate has opened an investigation into the program based on such complaints.
“We were initially seeing a lot of complaints about conditions,” admits policy analyst Jacquelyn Simone. “Now that the program has been in operation long enough that the SOTA subsidy is expiring, one of our main concerns is it might not be realistic for people to be entirely self-sufficient after that first year.”
This is utterly ridiculous. Did NYC really think those families would succeed away from home, with just enough money to pay rent? Not surprisingly, at least 224 SOTA families ended up moving back to New York City’s shelters, which as of January 2019 were utilized by 63,000 people each night.
Editor’s note: I’m horrified that any city would send its citizens away. This is essentially an act of banishment, you can be sure that the families are not entirely volunteering for this.
What’s next? How about if New York City does the same with its criminals? How about with its older people? Or anyone else who has difficulty pulling his weight? Rather than pass good laws, and find ways to take care of the weaker in our population, let’s just get rid of them – it’s much cheaper!! Then they are someone else’s problem!
Can you imagine what the receiving cities will think when they realize that New York is sending people who can’t support themselves out so another city can support them?
I never thought the Democrats would fall this low, this fast.
While disheartening, I am not surprised by the mayor’s administration in doing something as heartless. For eight years, he has only acted when it serves his personal political or financial interest. His wife with no qualifications is given nearly $1B to help mental illness which goes to no visible program, no measurement, no results.
To him, homeless are merely a political liability that is better to just get rid of. Stuff them in expensive hotels (that aren’t suited for families), pay real estate friends to house them at extraordinary rates or ship them away.
We got the mayor we voted for.
If I were homeless in N Y I would be begging to get out . Ga. Ala. Miss., La .Texas would all be better places to be lots of available jobs and cheap housing good food , thousands of open jobs some well paying for the cost of living here others well paying period.
I hope the Mayor of NYC gets thrown out for this….This is a tragedy……I hope every Democrat that voted this guy in is reading this…..I was wondering why I noticed our homeless population in NJ was increasing. These people are the poorest of the poorest. Many are mentally ill and would’t Even know how to get services on their own. The Mayor of NY needs to be held accountable. He treated these poor people like throw-always. I also hope Murphy from NJ condemns these acts of abuse from DiBlassio’s administration.
Sounds like BLOOMBERG, INC. to me..
What can you say? New Yorkers voted for him so they are paying for their mistake. Just like many states that voted for complete morons, Omar, Aoc, Tlaib, Waters, Schiff, Nadler, the list is long and the voters are to blame. Good thing about this huge mistake is voters can correct their mistake by voting all these morons out. Simple solution looking at which party all these losers come from would be to vote Republican straight across knowing the people they do vote in will get rid of the sanctuary laws these morons all started. And letting all know that if voters get them these positions, they had better do what they were voted in to do.
You really think that New Yorkers think this is a mistake? They voted for Deblasio because they want to get rid of the homeless and they can live their lives without being bothered. New Yorkers are LEFTISTS! Leftists only care about one thing – THEMSELVES!
They do it in Seattle to portland also
Gee, NYC must be broke now, hugh money spent on this venture. Now they have a reason to raise taxes, right DeBlasio. More businesses to be leaving the city. That would be big businesses leaving the little guy will not be able to afford to leave.
democrats ,just leave it to then,they mess everything up.
next move clean house on them ,losers.
carl
truth is im not a democratic, im a republican and also a capitalist, and i support the president. but ive been homeless a lot in the last 30 years. most of the time i was homeless, i slept in friends homes, or in motels by the month not outside, but i did some when i was roo poor to afford monthly rent in motels. its been at least 10 years though. as im now much older im too scared too, i wasnt scared to 20 years ago. believe me this type of program helps a lot. the people who need a years rent paid for in a much cheaper city im sure LOVE it. this gives them plenty of time to come up with a source of other income and get on their feet, how can anyone criticize it except a bunch of selfish people in the city a few moved to who worry about what till happy after a year? i wish i couldve done this and it was for everyone who needs it and not just families.
It is just what OBAMA did with all the ILLEGAL RADICAL ISLAMIST all over the country…..did MINN get a choice? DID MICHIGAN? How about all those ILLEGALS IN RADICAL ISLAMIST TERRORIST CAMPS LEARNING HOW do destroy AMERICA from within???
NEW YORK IS JUST ANOTHER A DEMOCRAT ENCLAVE OF STUPIDITY AND DECEPTION TRYING TO KEEP THEIR “NIGGAS”(black white or otherwise) ON THEIR DEMOCRAT VOTING PLANTATIONS SO THEY CAN CONTINUE TO STAY IN CONTROL AND CONTINUE TO STEAL AND RAPE OUR COUNTRY OF ALL OUR RIGHTS AND CHRISTIANITY….. AMERICA NEEDS TO REALLY WAKE UP AND SEE THAT PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP IS OUR LAST BEST CHANCE AT PUTTING OUR GREAT NATION BACK TOGETHER LIKE IT WAS MEANT TO BE………… THIS IS NO DAMN JOKE PEOPLE AND YOU REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KEEP YOUR FREEDOM AND YOUR ABILITY TO GO AFTER THE AMERICAN DREAM WITH HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION TO BE WHAT YOU WANT TO BE……. IF YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS, THEN YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM AND YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN FIX THAT, NOBODY ELSE CAN DO IT FOR YOU, EVER OR AT ALL……….