Poverty New York Style
By: William, Dollar Bill
Tags: Homelessness, New York City, Mental Health, Culture, Lifestyle

Poverty New York Style

Alexas Fotos — Pixabay

Note: This was written before the pandemic. There is now even more free food in New York as a result of governmental and charitable efforts to ensure that everybody gets fed.

It might be easy for me to say given that I’m not homeless. But going without a home in New York City isn’t quite as bad as you’d think. As someone who volunteers daily at soup kitchens and pantries in NYC, I have a unique perspective on what it’s like to be poor in New York City.

First, nobody goes hungry in New York unless they want to! There are 130 places in Manhattan alone that provide free meals for the hungry. Some locations serve two per day (usually breakfast and lunch). A small but significant percentage serve dinner. With a little effort a homeless person can eat three free meals a day.

I can tell you that not only are the homeless fed a lot — but the quality of what we give away is sometimes really good. I distribute pantry daily in Alphabet City and we get donations from Trader Joe’s, Starbuck’s and the like. Right now, we have huge packages of Perdue chicken breasts. They are past date (which is why we have them) but perfectly good (I’ve eaten some). At St. Bartholomew’s Church in Midtown, we used to get leftovers from the Waldorf and Midtown caterers. And wow! London broil. Filet mignon! I’m not kidding.

I’ve also seen voluminous amounts of fruit and vegetables rot before even being distributed. There is a lot of food for everybody in New York City. That’s a fact! I’m impressed with what mom and pop bakeries and corporate giants give away. It almost restores my faith in the human race.

Additionally, there are several senior centers that serve meals for between $1 and $1.50. The food is a little better and they all have multiple programs for anybody over the age of 62.

With regard to clothing, the poor do pretty well there, too. At St. Bart’s we used to give away winter coats twice a week in the appropriate months. Some were North Face and other brand names. Guys would come in every day, get a coat, and sell them in the street!

One of the volunteers was solicited by a guest as he was walking home therein. He didn’t recognize Patrick from the soup kitchen. That’s purely anecdotal of course but I’ve been volunteering for 5 years and a streetwise guy. Especially with pantry guests, I know they’re going to every pantry in the neighborhood and selling the food they get. That’s how much food there is in New York. Getting it free has become a gig for the poor.

There’s a program called the Midnight Run which gives out all manner of clothing articles to those who attend. And then there’s Dress For Success, yet another program that outfits attendees so they can dress appropriately for job interviews.

At the University Soup Kitchen where I volunteer on Saturdays, we have a clothing locker with a surprising stock of garments we give to people in need after we serve them their meatloaf meal.

I’m making this sound so rosy that maybe you’re thinking of going homeless. Guess again.

The gravy train ends with housing. Shelters in New York, while providing a roof over your head, are scary. Not only are they threadbare, but full of the mentally ill and criminal element. You’d be better off in jail, honestly. And safer, too. Rents in NYC are prohibitive (duh). There are programs like Section 8 and some others which can help a homeless person get lodging, but they take diligence and responsibility to access.

And here’s one that’s a big concern for the homeless: Where to go to the bathroom! Unlike European cities which boast water closets on the corner, NYC has no such thing. And nobody wants to let the homeless use their toilet. Big problem requiring logistics for those lacking in ways and means to take care of their basic biological needs.

If you’re poor but have found lodging one way or another, it’s easy to participate in SNAP and line up for pantry. You’ll get your food free. But you’ll have to do some work to get it. Such is life.

Medical care can of course be obtained via Medicaid. The USA has socialized medicine for the poor notwithstanding the hype that we don’t. And the rich can pay. It’s the middle with the problem. Obamacare aims at addressing that problem. Trump aims to dismantle it and force his grossly uninformed program and views on the idiots who think he’s qualified to lead the free world.

Obviously, enough of that. There’s my view on being poor in NYC.

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