>> NBC NEWS IS OUT TODAY WITH EXCLUSIVE NEW REPORTING.
>>> NEWARK, NEW JERSEY SUING THE
CITY DEMANDING AN END TO THE
HOMELESS PROGRAM.
HOMELESS PROGRAM. NEWARK HAS AGREED TO STOP
SENDING FAMILIES BUT PLANNED TO
COUNTERSUE FOR DISCRIMINATION.
SOME FAMILIES ARE STUCK IN THE
MIDDLE.
MIDDLE. ALEXA SPOKE WITH ONE MOTHER
WHO’S UP AGAINST A DEADLINE.
>> Reporter: MORE THAN A
THOUSAND FAMILIES HAVE BEEN
RELOCATED HERE IN NEWARK, NEW
JERSEY.
JERSEY. IT’S PART OF A BROADER PUSH FROM
NEW YORK CITY TO TACKLE THE
AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS AND
HOMELESSNESS.
HOMELESSNESS. AND IT’S ACTUALLY AN ISSUE
THAT’S PLAGUING MAJOR
METROPOLITAN CITIES ACROSS THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THE QUESTION BEING HOW DO YOU
TRULY HELP PEOPLE TO GET BACK ON
THEIR FEET?
THEIR FEET? LESS THAN A YEAR AGO, NEMESIS
AND HER FAMILY FINALLY FELT LIKE
THEY HAD ESCAPED HOMELESSNESS.
BUT TOMORROW, THEY COULD BE
HOMELESS AGAIN.
HOMELESS AGAIN. >> I DEFINITELY DON’T HAVE
NOTHING TO PAY THE RENT BECAUSE
I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD
NOTHING.
NOTHING. >> NEMESIS AND HER FAMILY
BOUNCED BETWEEN SHELTERS FOR
YEARS.
YEARS. >> WHEN YOU’RE TIRED, YOU DON’T
WANT TO UNPACK.
BUT THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER DAY TO
UNPACK AND IT’S LIKE HOW MANY
THINGS IS THIS GOING TO BE GOING
ON FOR.
ON FOR. YOU’RE GETTING TIRED AND TIRED.
>> BUT THEN A CASEWORKER TOLD
THEM ABOUT A NEW YORK CITY
HOUSING PROGRAM CALLED S.O.D.A.,
A SPECIAL ONE TIME ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM WHICH RELOCATES FAMILIES
TO OTHER BUREAUS.
THE PROGRAM PAYS THEIR RENT FOR
A YEAR.
A YEAR. >> TO BE HONEST, IT’S GRATEFUL
THEY PAY OUR RENT, BUT IT’S NOT
ONLY ABOUT RENT.
WE’RE GOING TO BE HOMELESS
AGAIN.
AGAIN. >> ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT LAST YEAR,
OVER 550,000 PEOPLE EXPERIENCED
HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. THAT’S ACCORDING TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT.
DEVELOPMENT. AND THE CONCEPT OF RELOCATED
FAMILIES IS FAR FROM NEW.
MANY STATES LIKE FLORIDA,
CALIFORNIA, AND ARIZONA HAVE ALL
EXPERIMENTED WITH SIMILAR
PROGRAMS.
PROGRAMS. FOR NEW YORK CITY AS WELL, THE
THE CONCEPT DATES BACK DECADES
WITH PLANS PROPOSED UNDER THE
ADMINISTRATION TO THE
CONTROVERSIAL ONE-WAY TICKET
HOME APPROACH DEVELOPED UNDER
THE BLOOMBERG ADMINISTRATION.
>> HOMELESSNESS IS NOT A NEW
JERSEY PROBLEM, A NEW YORK
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. IT’S A NATIONAL PROBLEM.
IT’S VERY COMPLEX.
>> JOSE ORTIZ HAS WORKED IN THE
FIELD FOR OVER 20 YEAR.
>> I BELIEVE THIS IS ONLY A
SHORT-TERM SOLUTION.
SHORT-TERM SOLUTION. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT TEACHERS,
POLICE OFFICERS, FIREMEN, HOME
HEALTH AIDE WORKERS.
WE ALL NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
>> THE CITY SAID BETWEEN 2017
AND 2019, MORE THAN 5,000 HOUSE
HOLDS HAD USED SOTA TO SECURE
APARTMENTS AND MOVE OUT OF THE
SHELTER.
SHELTER. THAT EQUALS A TOTAL OF OVER
$89 MILLION SPENT ON RENTAL
PAYMENTS.
PAYMENTS. COULD THAT MONEY HAVE BEEN USED
DIFFERENTLY?
DIFFERENTLY? >> THEY’RE HELPING TO GET OUT
BUT NOW I’M STRANDED.
NOW I’M ON THE OTHER SIDE NOT
KNOWING WHAT TO DO.
>> THE PROGRAM IS COMING UNDER
HEAVY FIRE AFTER NEWARK SUED THE
CITY FOR WHAT THEY CALLED AN
UNLAWFUL PROGRAM OF MIGRATION.
>> THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO TIES TO
OUR CITY, HAVE A GREAT IMPACT ON
OUR RESOURCES HERE.
>> NEW YORK CITY FOR ITS PART
SAYS THEY WANT TO FOCUS ON A
SOLUTION AND NEWARK IS TRYING TO
BUILD A WALL.
IN A STATEMENT, A SPOKESPERSON
FOR DE BLASIO’S OFFICE SAYS THEY
WERE TAKING A PAGE FROM THE
TRUMP PLAYBOOK SAYING SOME
APARTMENTS ARE IN POOR
CONDITION.
CONDITION. AND WITH A YEAR’S RENT PAID UP
FRONT, THERE’S NO INCENTIVE FOR
LAND LORDS TO MAINTAIN THE
UNITS.
UNITS. MOST IMPORTANTLY, TENANTS SAY
ONE YEAR OF RENT IS NOT ENOUGH.
>> RIGHT NOW IT’S $1,768.
AN APARTMENT IN NEW YORK COSTS
THAT.
THAT. BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW LOW IF
YOU DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES,
THEN YOU DON’T HAVE THE
FINANCES.
FINANCES. AND IF YOU HAVE THREE CHILDREN
WITH YOU THAT TAKES YOUR
FINANCES THAT THEY ACTUALLY
NEED.
NEED. YOU CAN’T.
YOU CAN’T. >> NEMESIS HAS MOVED AROUND.
PUERTO RICO, NEW YORK CITY,
JERSEY CITY, AND IT’S BEEN FAR
FROM EASY.
FROM EASY. IN 2017, SHE HAD A RUN IN WITH
THE LAW.
THE LAW. SHE WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED
WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND
WEAPONS POSITION.
WEAPONS POSITION. BUT SHE TALKED ABOUT HER HOUSING
INSTABILITY AS PART OF WHAT PUT
HER IN THAT POSITION.
>> I DID NOT HAVE ANYWHERE TO
STAY.
STAY. MY FRIEND WAS TAKING CARE OF MY
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. IT WAS A HORRIBLE THING, BUT
BEING THAT I WAS THE ADULT I WAS
BASICALLY RESTRAINED, JUST ENDED
UP SELF-DEFENSE CASE.
>> NEMESIS WAS GIVEN A PETTY
DISORDERLY PERSONS OFFENSE
SIMILAR TO A MISDEMEANOR IN
OTHER STATES AND HAD TO PAY $125
FINE.
FINE. BUT AS IS ALL TOO COMMON,
SPENDING TIME IN THE JUSTICE
SYSTEM COMBINED WITH HOUSING AND
SECURITY IS A DIFFICULT SPIRAL
TO ESCAPE.
TO ESCAPE. >> WHAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO
GET BACK ON YOUR FEET?
>> THE JOBS.
IT’S BASICALLY THE JOBS OVER
HERE.
HERE. THE WAGE IS NOT THE SAME.
I STARTED WORKING AGAIN AS A
DRIVER.
DRIVER. AND I’VE BEEN BACKED UP.
>> PEOPLE ARGUE THAT THIS
PROGRAM HELPS PEOPLE ENOUGH AND
THAT TAXPAYER MONEY SHOULD BE
SPENT DIFFERENTLY.
SPENT DIFFERENTLY. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
>> I THINK IT’S A LIE.
THIS PROGRAM DOES NOT HELP AS
THEY THINK IT DOES.
>> NEMESIS SAYS SHE’S WORKED FOR
A MAY JOB SHIPPING COMPANY, IN
RETAIL, IN VALET PARKING, IN A
SUPERMARKET, AND IN A THIFT
STORE.
STORE. >> NONE OF THEM HAVE GIVEN ME
THE SALARY THAT I’M LOOKING FOR
TO MAINTAIN MY HOUSE, MY FAMILY.
>> NEW YORK CITY’S OWN
DEPARTMENT OF INVESTIGATION
FOUND IN EARLY DECEMBER THAT,
QUOTE, THE PROMISE OF THE
PROGRAM IS NOT BEING FULFILLED.
NEWARK’S LAWSUIT AGAINST NEW
YORK CITY ARGUES THE STILL
ILLEGALLY COERCED SOME HOMELESS
FAMILIES TO MOVE.
>> THEY KEPT ON TELLING ME THAT
THIS PROGRAM WAS GOOD FOR ME,
THAT I WAS GOING TO BE GOOD.
YOU SEE THIS OUT THERE AND THEN
THEY TELL YOU THIS.
SO, IT’S LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY’RE
OPENING YOUR EYES.
THEY’RE TELLING YOU CONSTANTLY.
AND THEN YOU KEEP ON TRYING TO
DO EVERYTHING TO GET IT.
THEY JUST KEEP ON MAKING IT
HARD, YOUR LIFE HARD.
SO, IT’S LIKE --
>> BUT NEW YORK CITY’S
DEPARTMENT OF HOME LESSER SERVIC
SAID NO ONE IS BEING SHIPPED
ANYWHERE.
ANYWHERE. >> DO YOU REGRET THE PROGRAM?
>> YES.
>> YES. >> DO YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE
STAYED IN A SHELTER?
>> NO, BUT I KNOW THERE WOULD
HAVE BEEN OTHER WAYS.
>> THE LEASE FOR NEMESIS AND HER
FAMILY IS UP ON DECEMBER 14th
MEANING IF SHE CAN’T MAKE RENT,
THEY’RE BACK TO SQUARE ONE.
>> WHAT DO YOU SAY?
>> HELP.
>> HELP. I HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS.
AND JUST CONTINUE TO WORK.
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