My ideas
of change first concerned NYC and can be found on my Web
Page - CRHNYC.com. The idea of change is a complicated
one. To address the idea
of change in NYC is even more complicated. There is a law, Rent Stabilization,
that prevents change from taking place. This aspect of the law is never discussed
and the misunderstanding of the law and the fear of change is so pervasive
that the law was extended by the NY State Legislature for eight years in
June, 2003.
However,
in thinking about possible change for NYC, the question of
what happens to the poor is a natural continuation. We
have come to accept that poverty
in America belongs in our Cities. There is now a strong demand by the middle
class to return to cities and to a more urban environment. New communities
that are being built are designed to replicate the urban environment. Why
not give them the real thing? This would involve America
making the decision that
it was a worthy goal to encourage our cities to return to the middle class
and upper middle class that they once were. It also would require finding
an alternative to poverty.
The
bottleneck of poverty in our cities can be cleared and I believe
it would be in the best interests
of all Americans
- poor, rich and middle class.
In addition, I believe it would be in the best interests of all Americans
to try not only to empower those who are poor to improve their lives, but
to allow
for a degree of “wealth” by encouraging the ownership of real
estate by as many Americans as possible, including the “poor”.
Would
it Be Immoral to Allow American Cities to Become Havens for
the Middle Class Again?
What Do
We Do With Poverty in America if Our Cities Are to Become Middle
Class?
A
Solution to House, Care For & Help to Improve the Lives
of the Indigent, Working Poor & Others in Need:
"Community Living Centers"
If
we can agree that it would be a worthy goal to allow our Cities
to return to a population base of primarily middle class,
we need an alternative for poverty in America. Historically,
great cities are made up of the best that society has to offer.
American cities have become something other than that. When the
middle class left the city, the poor moved in. There is now demand
by the middle class to reclaim our cities, however, the large
presence of poverty precludes massive change in most American
cities.
The
implementation of my ideas, I believe, would give the United
States a major boost both economically and psychologically.
It would be a revolution of our
social service system that would:
1.
Provide for a better solution for the poor for current living
and for the prospects of a better future
2.
Greatly reduce our cost of providing for the poor
3.
Give America a psychological boost that would carry far into
the future
4.
Allow individuals and businesses to make a direct contribution
to the improvement of our society
5.
Provide a “way station” for new immigrants to
allow them to learn English and to allow us to make sure
those we allow into our country
are not here
to try to
destroy us.
I
believe taking care of the indigent, including the homeless,
is not the responsibility of the Cities, including New York.
I believe it is a National responsibility.
The indigent moved to the cities when the middle class moved to the suburbs.
We all can only gain by uplifting the indigent to allow them to be self sufficient
and productive members of society. I propose that Governments, Corporations
and individuals could change the direction of the indigent through the formation
of what I call Community Living Centers (CLC's™).
CLC's™ could be created to house the indigent, working poor and others
who desire this type of living
arrangement or have no other choices for housing. CLC's™ could be
established in any area of the country. I believe that our cities should
not be the destination
of the poor. We should look once again to our Cities as harbingers for
the middle class. Hopefully, through CLC's™ the poor can learn a trade
or profession to allow them to become middle class and make their own decisions
where to live. CLC’s could have a specific purpose - to learn a specific
skill, to house those who are not capable of working, etc.
Similar
to a kibbutz in Israel, my vision of the Community
Living Centers would be a facility where those in the CLC's™ would help with their own sustenance
-
cooking, cleaning, child care, maintenance, etc. The CLC's™ could also have
a way of earning income - manufacturing, farming, cottage industries. This
would
make the lives of those in the CLC's™ more productive and would dramatically
reduce the cost to society of taking care of those not able to take care
of themselves.
The
issues facing NYC, as well as problems that exist in all the
Cities of the United States, are complex. Housing in America
has become a serious
issue.
Homelessness abounds because of the cost of housing. The working poor
find it difficult to house themselves. It should not be assumed
by those who
can not afford their own private housing that they are entitled to similar
housing,
and often superior housing, to those who work and pay for their apartments.
This is often the case with Sec. 8 recipients. CLC's™ could become
a haven not only for the homeless and indigent but for those who are
at a place in
their lives where they need assistance to make it into the workplace
and, hopefully, the middle class.
CLC's™ would offer a supportive, forward moving
environment
that could help properly prepare the indigent for “independent” living,
if they are capable of it. I believe the problem of caring for the
indigent and, hopefully, giving them the tools to become independent,
is a National
problem, and should not rest primarily on the localities where they
have settled. Massive shifts took place in the 60's - 80's, with the
Indigent
moving to the
Northern cities as the middle class moved to the suburbs and then fled
fearing the trauma of living among the indigent.
New
York City has become one of the
Cities that became a destination for the poor. A NY Times article
stated that about 25% of NYC’s population is “poor.” I
believe massive population shifts could take place once again
in New York City,
and all American
cities, with the middle class replacing the indigent. I envision
the CLC's™ would allow training for adults and children on many
levels. As
Hillary Clinton has
said and written: “It Takes A Village”. The CLC's™ would
be the ultimate realization of this wise concept. Many people, I
believe,
would
prefer this
type of environment over the alternatives available now. It certainly
is in everyone's interest to bring up the level of the indigent so
they can
support
themselves, become productive members of society and have their children
become productive members of society.
The
CLC's™ may be a short term stay for some who want private housing
and are capable of finding it on their own. But some
may prefer this type of living
because of the cost, security of where they live and the communal environment.
Private industry should also be involved in providing locations that would
help teach trades related to their business. People could be directed to
locations that would help them get training that would allow them to get
a job in the
area of their interest, or give them a direction to fields that need people.
Nationwide
placement could be available to those who have “competed” training.
Perhaps, the United States could consider a program similar to Germany
where people receive Certificates and are, in fact, very well
trained
in the field they
receive
the Certificate in. This would help to allow the indigent to mainstream
into society and the workplace. If they had special problems,
they could be in
Centers that are equipped to deal with these special problems. This would
help reduce
the high cost of taking care of those who can not take care of themselves
and end up in expensive mental institutions because nothing else is available
for
them.
And
what about the homeless? Does not our wealthy society have
an obligation to take care of those who can not take care
of themselves
and to try to find
a “home” for them, hopefully one they can pay for on their
own? Would not an idea like the CLC's™ provide the
least expensive and most effective
way to confront this problem? Wouldn't we, as a society, and the
homeless benefit from a solution to this problem?
Donald S. Weiss
September, 2003
I
believe this is the future for a stable New York City as
well as a more stable, and affluent, America.
NY
State now discourages ownership of apartments. The laws make
it very tough to convert buildings. I believe it is in the
best interests of the citizens of NYC and, therefore, the
City and the State, to encourage home and apartment ownership.
This can be done by relaxing the restrictions on converting
buildings to ownership.
In
addition, smaller buildings should have a much more simple,
and less expensive, filing process. How complicated is it
for 2 - 15 (?) owners to have an agreement of ownership.
Changes in the tax laws should also be explored to encourage
property. The ownership of real estate does not have to be
limited to the middle class and higher income brackets. I
believe it is in the interest of all Americans to try to
establish as much wealth as possible for our citizens. If
ownership of real estate is a good path to establishing a "net
worth", government should encourage it and find ways
to make it possible.
My
ideas about a "revolution" of our social service
system, Community Living Centers, could also be focused on
eventual ownership. This would encourage movement to CLC's™ and
would help establish a basis of property ownership for the
now lower class that can only help us as a country in the
future.
