We've been hit with two incredibly significant statistics of Gotham income's reality over the past few months. First, the homelessness levels in this city right now are that of the Great Depression. And second, half of New Yorkers live in or near poverty. Now that we're settled into the situation here, let us move on.

City statistics show that the rate of homeless people sleeping on the subways rose by 13 percent this year - a steady increase underground that has unfortunately gone on for some time now. In 2005, the approximation was around 845; eight years later, that number is around 1,850. Above ground, the homeless population sleeping on the streets dropped by a mere 2 percent.

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In October, we heard about a homeless shelter immediately opening in Carroll Gardens, much to the dismay of local residents. Since August, the Department of Health Services personnel had been (and continue to be) overwhelmed with the accelerating rate of the homeless population, unable to find space in the five boroughs. As a result, the Bloomberg administration had notified the Community Board in the hyper-gentrifying neighborhood only days before.

And the same thing just (sorta) happened in Greenpoint.

Yesterday, the Daily News reported on the building at 400 McGuiness Boulevard, which has been there since August as well. The location is an assessment shelter, evaluated over time to determine if a long-term facility is needed. Except the City opened it without telling nearby residents.

And there's one characteristic of the story that's a bit different: the shelter is home to a few convicted sexual offenders.

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Remember when Mayor Bloomberg said a few weeks ago, "Nobody's sleeping on the streets"? Well...

At that time, the Coalition of the Homeless furiously responded by telling reporters that there was "no accurate measurement of New York City's unsheltered homeless population, and recent city surveys significantly underestimate the number of unsheltered homeless New Yorkers." So, almost immediately, City Hall released a quick statement, arguing that its main vocalist had misquoted himself and meant to say that he was simply rounding down (... to zero).

And then, yesterday, this became news.

The Coalition for the Homeless released a report to the press, stating that the population of those living in shelters has topped 50,000 for the first time since Great Depression. The number is 50,135, on average, to be exact. And a little less than half of that number consists of children.

Unfortunately, as spectacular as that landmark seems, it shouldn't come as much surprise.

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Like most gentrified neighborhoods in New Brooklyn, Carroll Gardens looked completely different only a decade ago. There were no coffee shops or strollers on Smith Street and the brownstones were not obsessively recognized for their aesthetic charm just yet. It was a lower-income neighborhood on the brink of a migratory explosion.More »

www.funnytavern.com

Not all Upper West Siders have this attitude. Just most of them.

The U.S. economy is in the shitter, and with that comes high unemployment, which, naturally leads to more homeless people. So in response to the spike in homelessness, Mayor Mike Bloomberg has set up homeless shelters in some of New York City's pricier neighborhoods.

And who lives in New York's pricey neighborhoods? Rich people, that's who -- most of whom don't seem too thrilled with their new neighbors or the mayor's decision to give them glamorous new mailing addresses without neighborhood consent.

Bloomberg -- who by our count currently owns 11 homes -- said in August that, "We have made our shelter system so much better that, unfortunately, when people are in it, or, fortunately, depending on what your objective is, it is a much more pleasurable experience than they ever had before."

In other words, New York City's homeless shelters perhaps are becoming too nice -- so nice that people don't want to leave.

This, apparently, is a problem for the haves in New York's wealthier areas..

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Jason Lewis/ Village Voice

Councilman Brad Lander grills DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond during hearing.

At a committee meeting held yesterday, City Council members told the Department of Homeless Services to start coming up with better solutions, not temporary fixes and excuses, to combat the rapid rise of homelessness in the city.

"We're in crisis mode, and if we don't do something over the next 16 months, then we're going to be left with a situation that's going to be getting worse, not better -- under a new administration," Councilman Stephen Levin said at yesterday's hearing.

"As much time as [the new administration is] going to take to figure out what to do, we're going to be well over 50,000 people in New York City on any given night in the shelter system."

The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness estimates that some 20,749 children will spend this Christmas housed in a shelter -- a figure not seen since the Great Depression.

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www.nyeducator.com

King Bloomberg thinks he's coddling the peasants.

According to Mayor Mike Bloomberg, there's a reason the less fortunate are staying in homeless shelters 30 percent longer than they have in the past: New York City's homeless shelters are just too damn nice.

In response to a Wall Street Journal report that found the average length of stay for families with children in city homeless shelters has shot up by more than 30 percent during the last fiscal year, Hizzoner said the following:

"We have made our shelter system so much better that, unfortunately, when people are in it, or, fortunately, depending on what your objective is, it is a much more pleasurable experience than they ever had before."

It's that "pleasurable experience" part that has raised a few eyebrows (read: pissed off just about everyone).

We spoke to a few homeless people on our way into the office this morning, none of whom consider living in a homeless shelter to be a "pleasurable experience."

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El Diario

95 percent of the Montealegres belongings

"The whole marshal encounter was surreal," Andres Mares Muro said about Maria Montealegre's eviction that went down late afternoon this past Monday. "She vomited afterwards, her kids wept lots."

Muro, a former staff member of the Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center in Hamilton Heights, has been helping Montealegre, and her family, throughout her housing/eviction situation since the beginning, exchanged texts with the Voice throughout Monday evening informing us that after going to various shelters, and being turned away, Montealegre and her kids ended up in a Queens motel.

After we reported that neither Mirabal, Public Advocate, Urban Justice Center, Housing Preservation Department, nor Councilmember Robert Jackson, did little to help Montealegre avoid eviction or attain housing--let alone take over 1985 Amsterdam Ave. or hold Moshe Samovha accountable for his multiple housing violations, we got some angry phone calls. More »

As the never-ending sweat of August settles into New York's membrane, there are those who are unfortunately not able to sit by an A/C all day and bask in the endless drivel of freon, forced to sleep outside of churches, federal buildings or any other institution that legally cannot kick them out. 
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Nicholas Nowillo was beaten to death by Eric Cherry in September of 2008. Cherry was convicted of manslaughter yesterday.

A homeless Queens man may have landed himself a nice, warm bed -- unfortunately for him, it will likely be at a state prison, and if prosecutors have their way, he won't be allowed to leave for up to 25 years.

Queens District Attorney Richard Brown says 47-year-old Eric Cherry's been found guilty of manslaughter in the 2008 beating death of a man who only made Cherry's acquaintance when he tried to get him to stop creeping out his female neighbor. Cherry responded by beating 65-year-old Nicholas Nowillo to death.

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