My ideas of change first concerned NYC and can be found on my old 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.