Homelessness & Gentrification
There were a variety of factors that led to the influx of homelessness in New York City.
For one, the process of deinstitutionalization led to people with mental health concerns being handed over from large state facilities to community-based facilities. Due to the sheer size of the project, the project took longer than expected, leading to former patients sleeping on the streets. Although tedious, most patients were reinstitutionalized by the end of the process, whether that meant living in group homes or in jails.
The emergence of drugs such as crack in the 1980s led to an influx of drug users living on the streets. However, this mainly accounts for single people, not families.
It is believed that the main reason for homelessness in NYC was the widening gap between income levels. The increasing lower class made it more difficult for families to afford housing.
The lack of affordable housing was also due to the rise of gentrification.
Photo of homeless encampment with anti-gentrification graffiti
Photo of demolition site
What is gentrification?
Gentrification occurs when higher-class people renovate homes and businesses located in poor neighborhoods, resulting in increased property values and the displacement of previous residents.
Homelessness and Gentrification in tick, tick...BOOM!
Many of the neighborhoods mentioned in tick, tick…BOOM! were products of gentrification through the 1980s into the 1990s. SoHo grew trendier as businesses and wealthier residents moved into the neighborhood. This pushed the lower-class residents to move to the Lower East Side. Because of this influx of residents in the Lower East Side, it became a hub for music and art. Chelsea and the Upper West Side were also products of gentrification.
This transition is evident when Jon drives from his apartment in SoHo to Michael’s building across the bridge. He goes from an overly crowded neighborhood with a rising homeless population and growing real estate prices to a commercialized world, seen as a model for the rest of America.
Photo of an anti-gentrification protest sign from the Lower East Side
Times Square was vastly different from what we know today.
Crime rates spiked through 1989. Movie theaters showed X-rated films. Efforts to address the increase in prostitution, especially by juveniles, were derailed by the arrival of crack cocaine. The arrival of crack cocaine to Times Square also brought a wave of users dedicated to finding their next “hit”. Homeless encampments dotted the streets.
In 1990, the city established The New 42nd Street, a non-profit dedicated to the revitalization of the area. Due to the project, visitors in Times Square increased, and the surrounding neighborhoods became more accessible to families.
Photo of a pornography storefront