Finding a home is proving to be an overwhelming task for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, ARD reports. One of them is Chris Gerrit, who has been homeless for more than ten years. The man seems to have accepted that he will live on the streets. Sometimes he sleeps in the subway until the police evict him. Otherwise, he makes a bed out of cardboard boxes in Central Park and sleeps there despite the sub-zero temperatures.
Chris doesn't want to go to a homeless shelter. "There are crazy people living there, and they live in a very small space, and for me that's a problem", he says. "I prefer to be alone here in the cold. It's not easy for me. But the shelter reminds me too much of prison - a place I don't want to see."
Chris was a crack addict for many years and has been in and out of prison many times. Due to mental health problems, he has to take medication, which is difficult to obtain. "If I had the right medication, I could work and have an income. Then I would probably have found a room and a roommate."
350,000 are homeless
Many people dream of moving to New York. But for thousands of New Yorkers, life there is nothing like a dream. The percentage of homeless people in the US metropolis of eight million has reached its highest level since the financial crisis of the 1930s. About five thousand people live on the streets, and 350,000 have no permanent housing - they sleep either in temporary accommodation centers or with acquaintances. Outside of New York, the number of homeless people is at a record high.
The main problem is rent, which is constantly rising. The average price for a one-room apartment in New York is currently around 4,000 euros per month. For this reason, even working people find themselves on the streets - like 31-year-old Christopher Tucker from the Bronx, as ARD reports.
He has been living in a homeless shelter for two years, even though he has a job as a security guard. After a painful breakup, the man fell into a hole. "People think that homeless people are all people with drug problems and mental disorders," the man says. But it's not like that: "There are also good and educated people who have run into problems and need help finding a new home".
Christopher had hoped to receive financial assistance for renting a house, but he was denied it: "When they denied me, I wanted to kill myself. It would have helped me have an apartment. I'm still young, I don't have children and I have a future."
Mayor promises changes
The homeless in New York are not completely abandoned, however. They are entitled to a bed in a shelter, food vouchers and pocket money of about 177 euros. And although many soup kitchens are distributing free food, for many people on the streets the situation seems doomed.
A few days ago, New York Mayor Eric Adams presented a 630 million euro plan to combat the housing shortage and homelessness. He plans to create a service to help people with mental illness, as well as more beds for the homeless: "It's not safe, it's not humane, and it can't continue like this", the mayor promised, quoted by ARD.
Adams has also consulted with some of those affected, including Shams DaBaron. The man has lived on the streets for over 40 years, but a few years ago managed to find a home. He believes that new housing is needed: "This is the solution for the homeless - building new housing is a better option than creating more shelters". New York is building and "we are on the right track," Shams is convinced, but much more needs to be done.
Author: Jan Koch (ARD)