Homeless Hurricane Sandy Victims To Be Kicked Out of Hotels

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Carmen Perez, 40, was living under a terrace in a third floor apartment in Far Rockaway when Hurricane Sandy hit. Her AC crashed through the window, water flooded the closets, and she, her husband, their 3-year-old daughter, and their pitbull, Blackie, had to be evacuated by the fire department. They had no water, no heat, no electricity, and survived mostly on canned goods until December 12, when the family was finally able to move into a hotel as temporary housing provided by the city. By that time, though, Blackie had died of respiratory problems related to the mold.
Late last month, Carmen's family, along with roughly 200 other households, received notice from the Department of Homeless Services that they'd be getting evicted from the hotels by April 30. Many have nowhere to go, and 125 people, several of whom have lost their jobs, do not qualify for NYCHA housing--partly because NYCHA lacks single-occupancy homes. Today, City Council members grilled DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond on the issue, and while he testified that the deadline would be extended to the end of May for some already transitioning to new housing, many Sandy victims would still be left out in the cold.

Carmen said her best option might actually be to move back into her mold-infested home. "I'm trying real hard to find an apartment," she told me. But she lost her job as an EMT due to health problems and is struggling. "I've been homeless before. I can't believe what they're doing," she says, her voice breaking.

"I can't believe that here, in New York City, where they put all this damn money into the ball parks, and you can't open an apartment building for us to live?"

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/04/former_cooper_u.php

[Lady Freedom Returns]

1. I expected to hear more of this type of news sooner.

And if it follows the usual course, the news will be getting worse.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. So did I. Happened with Katrina too.

It is amazing how callous some are. I know businesses need to make money but there should be some recourse in cases like this.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

3. But the planes are running on time.