Homeless on the streets of New York: the extent and causes of the problem

Today, about 58 thousand people live on the streets of the Big Apple. Mostly in Manhattan, which spoils the look of the city. About this writes the author of the blog about New York, Milan Rudinskaya on Yandex Zen.

Homeless people are forced to sleep in cardboard boxes just in the middle of the street, carry a cart and wait for alms. “I am truly sorry for these people,” the author notes and suggests sorting out how it happened that so many beggars appeared in a prosperous metropolis.

Why are there so many homeless people in New York:

The first reason - This is the law that makes forced psychiatric treatment impossible, which was followed by the cessation of financing of some psychiatric hospitals. “That is, a significant part of the homeless are people with mental disabilities,” Rudinskaya writes. “In addition, drug addicts, former prisoners, orphans of adolescence who have left their adoptive parents fall into this category.”

At the same time, it is worth noting that the state continues to help the poor in the United States, despite their number. They are allocated housing in social houses or subsidized a significant part of the lease, issued special cards to pay for groceries and basic necessities, as well as an allowance of about $ 700.

The second reason apparently lies in the unwillingness of the homeless themselves to change something. Judge for yourselves: in the city there are shelters where homeless people are accepted even with pets; they are entitled to free medical care; they can receive support from one of several government programs to help the poor; some of the programs include free training in professions that are in demand on the labor market.

Huge amounts of money are being spent from the city budget to support the homeless. In addition, public organizations, churches, and socially responsible business are connected to help.

On the subject: New York promises to end street homelessness in 5 years, but 'it's not that simple'

“But the fact remains: people live on the streets,” the author emphasizes. “Sometimes you see an absurd picture: homeless people are sleeping on an air mattress in the middle of the street in an embrace, next to a cart with things, a mobile phone, a cat.”

Even more paradoxical is that some of the homeless even have social housing that they rent out, as evidenced by statistics.

Moreover, some emigrants even abuse state aid. They draw up a fictitious divorce and receive the status of the poor.

Given this, the author notes, it is difficult to understand the reason for this phenomenon: “I do not understand what these people are doing on the streets of the most expensive city in the country. There are so many young people among them - what makes them ask for help in a city where a huge number of illegal immigrants work? They say they earn more on the simplest jobs per hour than most educated Muscovites do. ”

The fact is that a whole subculture of homeless people has formed in American cities, and for some of them this is a well-informed choice. “It’s very difficult for me to see people in such a desperate situation, and I admit that it’s not always pleasant to ride with them in the same subway car,” Rudinskaya shares.

The third reason - local loyalty. Locals take homeless people on the streets for granted. They are accustomed to them, and can even exchange a couple of phrases with them, buy food and give them old clothes, which, apparently, encourage the homeless to continue their old lives.