TarumK t1_j6snqhs wrote
Reply to comment by OmegaBean in New Yorkers witnessed more homelessness, encampments during Mayor Adams’ first year by Nscience
Wait is it true that they're spending 5k a month per bed? In that case how is it underfunded? It seems like the dangerousness must be a result of there being dangerous people staying in the shelters? What is the solution to that?
NetQuarterLatte t1_j6szup9 wrote
>Wait is it true that they're spending 5k a month per bed?
I was ball parking it and being charitable.
For example, take this new 19 Debevoise Avenue (Brooklyn) shelter contract: https://a856-cityrecord.nyc.gov/RequestDetail/20221129105
It's $467,334,567.00 for 200-beds for 33 years. Open spaces packed with beds and shared bathrooms..
Result: $5900 per bed per month.
Project Renewal is the same operator who runs the shelter in midtown where a woman was stabbed last month (https://nypost.com/2022/12/17/27-year-old-woman-stabbed-to-death-at-nyc-womens-shelter/)
newestindustry t1_j6trd1r wrote
Wait, so you just took that number and divided it by the number of beds in the shelter and years? What about these other aspects of the project:
-557 homes of affordable housing
-Community facility space
-Outdoor open spaces
-A health clinic
-A senior center
-A workforce development center
-Cafe
Some extremely fuzzy math there. Really dishonest.
NetQuarterLatte t1_j6trq3w wrote
>Some extremely fuzzy math there. Really dishonest.
Those are all separate being developed by other entities.
The awarded contract of $467M was just for "Shelter FacilitIES for Hmlss SINGLE ADULTS" (that's how the contract title is spelled out, I kid you not)
I understand this is hard to believe. Because it's too stupid to be true, right?
newestindustry t1_j6tu5ca wrote
But it's a massive construction project, you are dishonestly saying that NYC pays $5k per bed for homeless shelters, which isn't true
NetQuarterLatte t1_j6tximi wrote
For this Brooklyn one that's $5.9k per bed per month for the duration of the contract.
For the E 45th Shelter, where a woman was murdered by stabbing in December, the city was paying $3.2k per month per bed last year.
They renewed their contract for $4.9k per bed per month ($30,585,745.00 for 130 beds for 4 years: https://a856-cityrecord.nyc.gov/RequestDetail/20220729109). What's worse: the city actually owns that building! Project Renewal is just providing Shelter "services"...
Same company, with a $5.3k per bed per month 39-year long contract https://a856-cityrecord.nyc.gov/RequestDetail/20220127107
That's just one company out of many deserving more oversight: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dhs/shelter/providers/providers.page
newestindustry t1_j6u6upy wrote
All of those shelters are also involved in major construction projects, do those dollar figures include capital costs? Those links don't give anything but one number.
NetQuarterLatte t1_j6u7vaf wrote
If only someone could review those contracts.
Capital costs or not, nothing here makes sense.
Why should the city pay for a NGO to buy the land and construct the building, and when the contract is over, they can just own it?
Besides, the E 45th building is already there, and it’s owned by the city.
newestindustry t1_j6ua4ol wrote
You can't pretend the capital costs don't matter, these are new high rises in Midtown. We all agree there is a lot of bloat on all state/city contracts here, I agree that it sucks and benefits the wrong people. But these organizations reduce the suffering of the most vulnerable, hated people in our society. I recognize that most people here don't care about that.
NetQuarterLatte t1_j6v0bjj wrote
All good and valid points.
But remember that only 1 out of 5 accepted going to a shelter.
With the same budget the city could be offering a lot better quality services and housing.
4 out of 5 whose suffering are not really being reduced.
Simply offering more of the same (or locking shitty solutions into decade-long contracts) ain’t going to really move the needle. It only keeps draining the city’s resources away from more effective solutions.
th3guitarman t1_j6tg4ol wrote
The ability of random suits and profit seekers to suck up funds on the way to the people who need it doesn't equate to an effort being well funded.
TarumK t1_j6tqlv6 wrote
I mean yeah, but there's a difference between something not getting done because it's under-funded vs. because the money getting stolen in corruption. They're different things with different solutions.
th3guitarman t1_j6ttqpt wrote
Yes. I don't know why people (not you necessarily), in a system so obviously hostile to the poor and homeless, don't consider for half a second that the shelters could be run atrociously
IncomingBlessings t1_j6x3qpu wrote
It’s not underfunded, the funds are mismanaged
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