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Amid Manhattan’s wealth, homeless get a helping hand

USA TODAY Rick Hampson

 

Isaac Simon is  financial adviser who manages $200 million. He also drives a van to give food, clothing and other supplies to the homeless.

 

"It’s a city of extremes,'' he said last Tuesday as he drove the van through holiday traffic.This year, as Christians mark an event that turns on a housing crisis – no room in the inn – it's a nation of extremes. A few live at unprecedented heights and in unparalleled splendor; many struggle to pay the mortgage, make the rent or find a place to stay. In New York, where three high-rise apartments not even ready for occupancy are under contract for more than $90 million each, the homeless shelter census has passed 51,000, the population of Charleston, capital of West Virginia.