De Blasio Faces Tough Questions In Wake Of CBS2's Reports On City's Forgotten Families
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday responded to multiple CBS2 reports about the taxpayer funded homeless program that's full of big problems.
It's a story uncovered by CBS2 last week -- family after family saying the city moved them out of homeless shelters into homes with no water, no heat, and crumbling walls.
More of CBS2's Coverage on the City's Forgotten Families
De Blasio admitted the way they're living is "unacceptable," but every family who spoke with CBS2 so far says the houses have been falling apart since the city pressured them to move in months ago.
The latest involves another unlivable house in New Jersey and another working parent who says the Department of Homeless Services moved her out of a shelter and sent her there.
WATCH: CBS2 Demands Answers From De Blasio About SOTA Program
Nikita White says things hit rock bottom one day in November.
"That was the day that the toilet would no longer flush," White said. "I used a bucket."
With its Special One Time Assistance program, or SOTA, the city offers to cover one year's rent for homeless parents who are working if they move out of city shelters.
CBS2 took the mayor to task about our growing list of families relocated into crumbling conditions.
"When we learned that was happening we moved to stop it," de Blasio said. "It's unacceptable."
The city pays private landlords up front and in full, and anyone can apply to be a landlord on the city's website. The DHS says it accepts applicants based on an "apartment review checklist" and "Staff verify authenticity of address utilizing Google Street View."
CBS2 asked DHS Commissioner Steven Banks about it on Monday.
"This is an instance where the landlord took advantage of our program, the family, and we'll make sure this doesn't happen again," he said.
The families who spoke with CBS2 blame the department for putting them in the temporary homes and then forgetting about them.
"If they were trying to report bad conditions and our agency didn't follow up, that's a problem and people will be held accountable for that," de Blasio said. "This is all done on a voluntary basis. If someone says I want to go somewhere else, and that's their desire we're trying to facilitate that. That is in the interest of that person, family."
That flies in the face of what at least a half-dozen different families have told CBS2.
"If you're in the shelter, they force you to take the first program available to you," SOTA recipient Shakira Jones said.
"You can only turn down two places," Kevin Nicholson said. "If you turn down more they basically say you gotta leave the shelter."
Many of the families say they didn't choose to go out of state. Instead some say they felt pressured to do so by DHS.
"I haven't talked to the families to hear their perspective," de Blasio said. "I do know what the policy is and we believe strongly in this policy. No one's pressuring people, we're giving them an option."
"If they don't take the option, they remain in our shelter system."
CBS2 called some of the families from previous stories and told them what the mayor said. One father, who was relocated to East Orange, reiterated that DHS only showed his family a handful of houses to pick from -- all of which were in New Jersey.
The father said their DHS caseworker claimed it was because most landlords in New York City will not accept DHS vouchers.
