-NY City turns luxury apartment into homeless shelter

From NY Daily News:

Granite countertops. Terraces. Marble bathrooms. Walk-in closets. The homeless are livin' large in Brooklyn. The city is paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a month to rent luxury condos in a Crown Heights building for homeless families, the Daily News has learned.

"It's like a hotel. It's the nicest place I've ever lived in," said Nelson Delgado, 36, who moved into a swanky two-bedroom, two-bath pad two weeks ago.

"When I first saw it, I was like, 'Damn, everything is brand new,'" said Raymond, who wouldn't give his last name. "It has marble counters and marble floors in the bathrooms, too. I like the big kitchen. That's my favorite."

City officials said the condos - which couldn't attract buyers in the fizzled housing market - are part of an effort to help an "unprecedented" number of homeless families who have ended up on the street because of the tough economy. Units priced at $350,000 This spring, Shriki signed a 10-year contract with the Bushwick Economic Development Group to turn the building into a homeless shelter.

Developer Avi Shriki wouldn't say how much he gets paid - but he said he jumped at the chance to get people in his building. "At least we still own the building and we are paying our mortgage, so that's good," said Shriki.

"The outcome is not as bad as some people I know who had to surrender the whole building to the bank." The city is paying Bushwick Economic Development Corp. $90 a night for each of the apartments, about $2,700 a month - a figure that also covers social services, housing help and job counseling designed to get families back on their feet. Shelter residents said it's not their fault they landed in such swanky digs.

"People are saying we don't deserve to live here," said an 18-year-old man who gave his name only as "Boss," who moved into a two-bedroom apartment with his mom last week.

"Just because a person fell out doesn't mean they don't deserve a place to stay," he said.

It doesn't mean the taxpayers are obliged to provide a luxury apartment for them either. If they wanted to do that they can, on their own dime and time.

Yes, this is the same New York City who is in a fiscal crisis almost as bad as California's.