The city wants the homeless to get out of town — and is offering to pay a full year’s rent to those willing to abandon the five boroughs.
Under a pilot program quietly launched last month, shelter residents who have been in the system for at least 90 days and have a source of income can get 12 months of rent paid up-front virtually anywhere they can find an apartment.
Their travel expenses to vamoose would also be paid under a program already in place known as Project Reconnect.
“The plan to send some families outside of New York City only speaks to the devastating lack of affordable housing here for low-income families,” said Giselle Routhier, policy director at the Coalition For The Homeless. “While it could be beneficial to a small subset of families, we would also be concerned about the short-term nature of the assistance and the stability of families at the end of the year.”