As I ride along all the outdoor restaurants resembling greenhouses in the cool autumn chill, I wonder how long outdoor dining will continue. Today the city will begin indoor food service but with 25%At the same time, I heard on NPR that DeBlasio has caved into the UWS wealthy lawyered-up contingent and removed over 300 homeless residents from the hotels turned shelters in that neighborhood.
This is where everyday math comes in!
Here is the equation in the form of a word problem:
NYC restaurants are struggling. Nearly 10,000 restaurants (documented which means more in the outer boroughs) have set up an oasis of outdoor dining.
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Soon the temperatures will start dipping below 40 degrees and the posh well to do neighborhoods especially will continue outdoor seating with heat lamps.
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The homeless population will continue to be tossed around by the city from shelters to hotels and end back up on the streets, where it will continue to get colder and colder.
UWS neighborhoods do not like their hotels being used as shelters because they bring crime and drug use.
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1 in 10 NYC public school students are homeless.
Most people would agree (even people who don't like homeless people in their neighborhood) that children need homes (or at least a safe warm place to sleep) in order to do well in school.
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The city should create a program where restaurants can "adopt" a homeless family. Where after the restaurants close at 8 or 9pm, they take in a homeless family until the next morning. They would feed the family with left over food that would normally get pitched and give them a warm place to sleep outdoors. The city would give the restaurants huge tax breaks and pay them for every family they house.
The families would be registered and background checked, etc...and have protection from the cold, food insecurities and storage for their belongings during the day.
People need to get creative with problem solving...
lovely concept!
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