The liberal New York Times has been slammed by the
New York Post over a feature it ran about thousands of "homeless" children living in New York City.
In an editorial, the Post says that the five-part article written by Andrea Elliott is contrived to make it appear as though life in New York City is a nightmare for an estimated 22,000 homeless children.
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The story, headlined "Invisible Child" in the liberal daily newspaper, centers on the plight of a young girl named Dasani, along with her parents and seven siblings, supposedly living in impoverished condition in Brooklyn.
"Her family lives in..a decrepit city-run shelter for the homeless," claimed The Times. "It is a place where mold creeps up walls and roaches swarm, where feces and vomit plug communal toilets, where sexual predators have roamed and small children stand guard for their single mothers outside filthy showers.
"It is no place for children. Yet Dasani is among 280 children at the shelter. Beyond its walls, she belongs to a vast and invisible tribe of more than 22,000 homeless children in New York, the highest number since the Great Depression, in the most unequal metropolis in America."
But The Post said that if the feature "is to be believed" it makes it look like New York City does not seem to care about those in need. But the conservative-leaning paper went on: "If you read closely, it suggests just the opposite."
The editorial pointed out that the family is not really homeless at all.
"True, they live in housing meant for 'homeless families.' But their 540-square-foot unit gives them a solid roof over their heads, in addition to city-provided meals and services."
A city official, in fact, said the Times did not report vital key facts about the family and that their situation is 'atypical.'
A spokesman said: “New York City provides families in need, including this one, with subsidized health care, child care, shelter, job-training, counseling and placement services.” The spokesman also revealed to the Post that the family receives cash assistance as well.
"For this family, shelter, rental assistance and food stamps alone have added up to nearly half a million dollars since 2000," said the editorial. "In addition, Medicaid covers health care.
"Yes, the family’s housing has problems. But the Times and Elliott, like much of the liberal establishment, seem to think it’s the city’s job to provide comfortable lives to outrageously irresponsible parents. In this case, that’s a couple with a long history of drug problems and difficulty holding jobs."
The Post added: "If the city is at fault here, it might well be for having been too generous — providing so much that neither the father nor mother seems much inclined to provide for their kids. That would be a story worth reading."
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