Daniel Neiditch’s Blog
I Was Homeless for 3 Nights in NYC – This is What I Learned
This post was originally featured on HuffingtonPost.com Paramedics and EMTs have a lot of exposure to people living on the streets. Some are hardened by these experiences, but I don’t know a single EMT who hasn’t been forever changed. As a volunteer EMT myself, I have seen far too many homeless people die from the elements. It’s one of the reasons I slept on the streets of NYC for three nights in winter. I wanted to talk to the people living in these conditions, put myself in their shoes, and see if I could do any good. When I was a child, there was a [...]
For Landlords With Subsidized Units in NYC — Hindsight is 80/20
As a real estate developer and a volunteer EMT, I see things other developers don’t get to see: that the homeless people dying in the streets aren’t invisible. To me, the homeless aren’t a “problem”, they’re a product of a bigger issue, one that NYC hasn’t begun to figure out how to solve. Because New York is overcrowded, there exists a severe housing crisis - at least an affordable housing crisis. This translates to a frenzy that often leaves the disabled and homeless out in the cold, literally. One way NYC has been providing affordable housing for tenants is through the 80/20 program, but even [...]
Preparing Homeless Children to Return to School
NYC Public School kids return to their classrooms on September 8. Generally, back to school time is filled with both sadness of summer coming to an end, and excitement regarding the start of a new chapter and connecting with friends. Yet for some of New York’s most vulnerable groups, those living with extreme poverty, returning to school can be altogether unpleasant because of need. Impoverished children are more likely to battle with the summer slide (a term describing a situation in which children regress during the summer due to a lull in practicing learned skills) and a host of other issues related to their economic [...]
Spotlight on TEAK Fellowship
Half of New York City’s residents live in near poverty, according to a study from 2014. A large percentage of those who find it difficult to get by, are people of color--Asian, African American and Latino groups, whose socioeconomic status is a result of generational gaps in wealth, and unlikely to change without assistance. For this very reason, The TEAK Fellowship was created. For 18 years, TEAK has partnered with caring individuals in New York City to transform the lives of low-income students from a severely limited to a most promising future, through guidance, mentorship and internship programs. Impressively, 100 percent of the organization’s participants [...]
How One NYC Charity Is Helping Homeless Children Heal
As recent as 2013, homelessness among children in the United States reached 2.5 million, making it the largest amount in history and a remarkable 8 percent increase over the previous year. What’s more is that this issue affects one 1 in 30 children, in every city, county and state in the country, and the number grew in over 30 states between 2012 and 2013. As a result, child homelessness has drawn increased attention from policy makers and charities alike, who hope to alleviate the issue. One such charity is the Care for the Homeless, based in New York City. Initiated in 1984, Care for [...]
Spotlight on the New York Foundling
The New York Foundling is an organization that is dedicated to helping underserved children and families, as well as adults with developmental disabilities. The Sisters of Charity founded this organization in 1869 as a home for abandoned children. This organization works hard to give resources to a variety of people in need. The people they help are in a number of tough situations, whether they are abused children in need of foster homes, young people lost in the juvenile justice system, or young mothers who need help raising their children. It all started on October 11,1869 when Sister Mary Irene Fitzgibbon, along with two [...]