Not everyone is a drug addict or alcoholic that are homeless. There are many people just came across really hard times.

When I was a child back in the day, no person went hungry because the neighborhood helped each other no matter who it was. Families looked out for each, learned how to cook from scratch, made clothing and saved!!! Boy do I missed the old days!!!

I blame big corporations for trying to turn everyone into part time workers with hardly any benefits and low wages.

All Americans need to work together in helping each other out no matter what race, gender or income class they are.

I'm european and this is a serious problem here too. I'm 35, working and earning slightly above minimum wage and I can't afford rent (or buy my own place). I'd be homeless if I didn't have a mother who is ok with me sharing her apartment. I've been hit with waves of depression for the last few years, due to the frustration of working and not being able to afford a place of my own... and I know other people my age in the same situation.

The prices are too high and the wages are too low! And don't get me started on health insurance.

In reading these comments, it seems some people watched this just so they could feel superior to someone. Be careful, life has a way of putting you in your place.

Thats how i grew up. My both parents were working but the money they were getting wasnt enough, but we had a house thanks god.

These people are truly doing Gods word. Humility is a rare gift in this world. If everyone did SOMETHING every day to better this world it would change. amazing place and staff.

The American dream..............Homeless and hungry.......... The richest country in the world whose citizens have to live this way , shocking really....!!!

All these years later. Hardly anything has changed. It's just getting worse and worse. It's not fair. The American dream has turned into a Nightmare

I watch docs like this to remind me of how fortunate I am. I am not wealthy by any means but am grateful I can meet my commitments

Hers what I know . 23 year old female lives Tucson. Great young lady. Got a job at Walgreen at 20. she gets minimum wage. She takes home 235 a week after tax. A decent single bedroom apartment in a safe apartment block averages 125 a week. The lower prices are filthy scary apartment blocks and still go 90 to 100 a week but you can not live there due to crime noise and the filthy conditions of the place. So then she has 40 a week utilities, add to that her car Insurance as she needs her car to get to work as no transport to it and she works night shifts as well there. Add it all up. This young woman 235 a week. 125 rent 30 Utilities 20 petrol 25 Car insurance. Thats 195 a week gone. Shes left with 40 bucks a week for food clothing and God help if she needs anything like a car repair. Its so sad. So she stays living with her mom who also is on minimum. Not a lot of hope for the future but the last thing she would do is have a child. Shes smart enough to know not to. There are people she works with that both are on minimum as well married. so they get 460 a week married couple? Theres a great future huh.

I always say that when I grow up and start making a sustainable income I'll donate a part of every paycheck to these God-sent organizations. This could be any single one of us someday.

This is so SAD. Why, in one of the richest countries in the world, are people living like this? This is not fair at all. Even people who have jobs are forced to do this. So much for "the land of opportunity".

I feel their pain I'm working poor too.

Minimum wage jobs did used to be for young people who were just starting to work, and they would use that as a step to bigger and better opportunities. That is not the case anymore. Many older people have to rely on those types of jobs. And a single, older person cannot support themselves on minimum wage. No one can

College grad and a working poor. No hope to get out of my situation. I need a master degree or higher to even make more than 30,000 a year. And you bet I have a lot of student loans. So I stay living with my mom and hating my life. If it wasn't for my mom, I would be living in a shelter.

greedy corporations only want to pay minimum wage, whose the fault here.

I got my Economics degree in the mid 1970's. Even though I'm far from "Liberal" I AM a Christian and have maintained a constant study of economics for 40+ years. My heart goes out to the poor and especially the "working poor" because they are actually working full-time at real jobs and don't fit the stereotypical "poor". The Official Poverty Level set by the Government is SO low that economists (Liberal & Conservative) consider people earning 150% or less of the Official Poverty Level as being poor. So many people work full time and still can't afford rent AND food/utilities/transportation expenses. I fear that my Republican Party is dead (Thanks, George W!), and rightfully so. Sadly, I don't think the Democrats are much better. It is a systemic issue that may never change thanks to Globalization.

GOD bless those that serve the poor.

God bless their souls. Helping the needy

That chef is a badass! Great job Pedro. Keep doing god’s work 🙏

What really upsets me is the amount of food we throw out when we can feed these people!!! I just witnessed three organic roast chickens thrown in the garbage tonight at my local grocery.

"Kind of nurture people back towards the middle class"... What middle class?🤷🤦

The food looks so tasty! Hope everyone enjoyed their warm meal. Thank you Chefs and the organisation for helping those through difficult times. I wish the need for these shelters will decrease one day. ❤️

The "I've got mine already, **** you!" attitude in this country is sadly all too prevalent and not to mention...dangerous for the long term stability of this country. History shows us what happens when the there's a large increase of the poor who can't find jobs that pay enough to put food in their bellies or a roof over their heads, lets just say historical examples aren't pretty. I hope for the sake of the long term health of this nation that things will turn around, but my hopes aren't particularly high.

$2k a month is poor, I know it very well.

The goal of capitalism is to maximize profits. That means paying the employees as little as possible in order to reap as much as possible. In real estate that means getting as much money as possible out of the tenant. In education that means getting as much money as possible out of the student and spending as little as possible on their actual education. When you have a society whose goal is to get as much money as possible for giving as little as possibly could be given in return, it's pretty much inevitable that the masses are going to be thrown under the bus.

I used to be the working poor but I made a change in my life. I went and got my CDL and now i'm the driving poor. Life is good...

Let me say this without it sounding mean spirited. Life is about choices. I see these poor folk with nice clothes, tatoos and other things that they should never have if they are truly poor. Speaking from experience, I say that you've never been "poor" unless you've been hungry.Most of these people look like they have never missed a meal. Peaple choose to drop out of school, not to work, not to save, not to deny themselves the things they "want."

We grew up in a tent, a trailer, and then a van. My life changed when my dad died. My mom found a way to Finnish school, and get a job as a truck driver. My mom tought me that If I am going to survive in this mans world, you have to fight, work, and fight some more just like a man. And so I did. If I lost my job and everything I worked for, I'd get a survivalist bag, bug out gear, and live wild as if the world had ended. I would never live in a big city if I was homeless.

How are people ever going to get ahead when every time minimum wage does go up so does the cost of living?!

The cost of living especially in NY NJ metropolitan area is very high,. Even if you make 40k to 60k its difficult to make ends meet. In NJ the average rent is 1200 per month for 1 bed room or studio. You can't. survive on 8 to 9 dollar per he wage.

I make 70k before taxes I haven't bought new sneakers or clothes in 6 years and I am 1 paycheck away from homelessness due to high rent, healthcare, and govt taxes. The oligarchs only offer me part time work for IT gigs, I do uber to supplement my income. I have a bachelor's degree in info systems

America is asset rich. banks are asset rich and cash rich. the masses of people are cash poor. most fortunately there are charitable organizations helping the needy people.

Sad thing is many starving children don't get enough to eat. It's really heartbreaking.

This post is five years old and nothing has changed. Hopelessness is rampant in this country. I feel for these people.

This is America where even full time employees are poor 🤦🏽‍♂️

The housing costs are so high where I live we had to buy our house 10 miles outside the city limits. Rent is 1600 for a two bedroom apt here. They need to make affordable housing and people need to fight for a 40hour work week and then a raise in minimum wage

This was an INCREDIBLE video, about the REAL LIFE situation in MANY cities in the U.S. .... It's SAD, in one respect, but also, encouraging to know that something IS being done about it !! As that "GAP" between the Rich and the Poor, is continue to INCREASE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel terrible for people. I have had my hard times as a single mom in a country with zero benefits. However, I'll never understand why people continue to have children when it's obvious that they're not able to manage. It baffles me. I found it hard enough with one child.

I'm thankful for programs like this! For working class poor also those that hit hard times and folks that become homless.

I live in an RV I bought .... work on my own rigs....do all the work on my RV.....have alot of tools....skills.....do not go out....the good times are gone in America as our politicians spend our tax $$$ like drunken sailors......would rather live out in the sticks ....and do for myself.....service jobs do not pay the freight......

The American dream is for the rich, not for the poor.

So many want to demonize the homeless immediately saying well they are addicts or alcoholics or this or that, it's just not the case, and if it is SO WHAT! They are human beings. HATE isn't the opposite of LOVE, indifference is. To be hated your being acknowledged, for someone to be indifferent towards you, you become invisible. I've seen it all and its heart wrenching.

God forbid we pay people more than $7.00/hr...oh GOD forbid!

Thank u for this video. Very good conversations between the reporter and workers at this shelter.

God Bless these people that help others

You can thank the Koch Family for this evil form of social engineering.

only going to get worst many degreed people still cant find a job to use their degrees only to still end up working the two minimum wage jobs like they had in high school and college to make ends meet with student loans to pay. Many jobs went overseas and salaries staying 20years behind time . So lets make our representatives make the correct decisions.

And we spend how much feeding other countries poor? We spend how much fighting wars? Hmmm

I have been studying poverty and the city for many years now, I honestly do not believe that the answer to homelessness is simply to give checks out to the poor. There needs to be a mechanism that 1) provides a safety net to prevent people from living on the streets or in a tent when things go south. Then 2) a pathway out of poverty. The current system penalizes the poor for working and trying to escape poverty. Effectively creating a permanent underclass. Solving the issue of poverty is not the realm of the federal government, although federal dollars are needed. Programs dealing with homelessness, job training, mental health, addiction, family services and the like should be dealt with at the state and city level with a strong partnership with non-profits. The Feds want everything to be a "one-size-fits-all" solution, and with every dollar that they give out, comes with ten dollars in expanded bureaucracy. Rules and regulations that may apply to one location but not another. The system is cold and unresponsive to local needs and conditions.

The problem also when the minimum wage goes up so does the taxes

Very sad we have the same issue here in South Africa

God Bless The Working Poor Nation Wide, Remember God Is Forever & Always Will Be 🗽🇺🇸🙏🏾🥰

I have actually had the opportunity to do security in a homeless shelter in NY. I must say God Bless them all.

Lottery shelter isn't the solution. It's a psychological disaster. Real shelter for all in need and bringing people back into the work force with high enough wages to afford housing and food is the answer. Your video is important for people to see.

Its not just NY guys its the USA .... may 2019 be a better year for all of us! And I am so thankful for that shelter, I am sad they have to get bigger, but bless their hearts!!!

min. wage needs to be over $20/hr!

Job placement? Job training? Give them a chance? Student job interviews? Fair shake? Fight against inequality? Automation, automation, automation, automation, automation, automation. Wake up!

"It's not just the poor lining up for a meal, it's the average working American who can't make ends meet." Ya.... The poor

This was once a rich country look what happened.

Their food looks good

Only solution is bring down the cost of rent and real estate. If you have two adults working full time at minimum wage they must be able to obtain adequate housing with money left over for food and savings.

When the good manufacturing jobs went to robots it to other countries, that's what started this downward spiral. The greedy executives should burn in hell.

Why does the girl look scared doing the documentary? She looks terrified.

If you live in NYc and do not make at least a six figure income i have no idea why you would live there. Its crazy expensive, just insane.

Why are they living in New York, one of the most expensive city in the world? Why? I am not living in Dubai or Belize, because I can't afford it. If they can't afford it, why are they not looking for jobs in other cities?

Let's be honest. All our problems come from greed. Until we start reinstating price controls and ban profit gouging, like we used too, nothing will get better.

Fast forward to 👉 2020 MORE HOMELESS THAN EVER!

Rich don’t pay taxes they get richer. Middle working class making decent money but pay a lot in taxes it’s hard to make money live decent life if this issue doesn’t get resolved which it won’t because we know the rich control what benefits them.

Wow it’s a good thing they had on those hard hats everyone knows how those homeless people just always fall right on your head

Keep up the good work that your doing to help the needy.

Moving out of New York City would immediately lift many out of poverty.

The poorer we get, the closer we get to not use money anymore... it has to be a better way of doing things.

Pedro is really an exceptional human being. What an impressive overall person. In my view, globalism is suppressing low-skill wages and it will not stop because outsourcing is an option in a free market system. Capitalism is the best way to improve quality of life and our standard of living. However, without enhanced skill sets, too many Americans will live in abject poverty. In addition, with the demise of unions, wage inflation will remain subdued. Illegal immigration also posses a downward force on low-skilled wages. Finally, technology will replace mundane jobs and even more complex positions in the future. I feel a properly constructed Universal Basic Income (UBI) is the best solution to this dilemma. It encourages work, strengthens the civil society and actually shrinks the Federal Leviathan.

these shelters are amazing keep up the great work you do

The economist says wages need to be raised "a little bit?" They need to be raised A LOT.

I watch things like this to keep myself humbled and realized how lucky i really am.

Why does people always assume that the government is a household and it has to save as normal people does? Do they not realise that when a government reduces it's spending, less money enters the economy compared to tax revenues out of the economy? Why can't politicians realise the fallacy of composition? (If USA really cared about the deficit, they should end their perpetual war in the middle east and cut the oversized millitary budget which is well over 50% of the entire budget.)

God bless the NYC Rescue Mission and the amazing people they help

Great work, keep it up!

In the USA 4000$ a month is working class

No one likes being homeless life is too damn expensive and for people that work hard there is employers that like to help us get a job it makes me happy knowing that there are good people that don't like to see others suffer.

Aw, disappointed that Pedro the head chef didn't win Chopped. He should go back. He's a true hero.

There needs to be more programs like this.

How beautiful those people that cook for the soup kitchens

Here is a thought why can’t we just lower the cost of living... Lower rent ..lower the cost of utilities... food gas etc

I love the rescue mission chef. What a beautiful soul xxxx

That soup kitchen serves better food than what I cook at home. LOL.

1:45 How do you get a better job when working the whole time and school is crazy expensive.

guy at 2:41 has a SUPREME hoodie on, but is in line at a soup kitchen? lol

I really like this documentary. Good job.

We are documented immigrants. What follows is not meant to sound superior but perhaps someone may benefit from our experience. My starting pay was very low. Wife could not work. We had to find a job with an income and lifestyle we could afford. What we did not do is stay in a location were there were no jobs and affordable housing. We paid cash for everything and saved. We moved 6 times. This was hard on my wife and son. We prioritized being self sufficient. Eventually due to luck, effort and continuous education we succeeded. It was NOT easy but possible. We have seen many people fail because they would stay in a loosing situation because of family ties or other such reasons.

why the ducking upbeat happyintro music..wtf

If you are in a homeless shelter,do volunteer work, I do volunteer work at the soup kitchen,instead of just taking give back

This Chef is a true hero. Where can we donate to this pantry?

Shame on America! So many poor in the land of plenty. All those who assist the poor are heroes.

I went to a food bank this morning! I get allot of veggies and breads free.