Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi guys, I'm an unaccompanied/homeless youth that will be attending CCNY this fall. I'm from Florida and basically have a free ride due to my status. Orientation starts on the 14 and lasts until the 15th. Dorm move in is on the 19th. I will arrive in LGA at about 10:30 PM Monday night and hope to be able to stay in the terminal over night. I will have a place to stay during the 14th and 15th but after that I'm on my own until the 19th.
I need advice on where to stay during that time. Would Time Square or surrounding places like Rockefeller Ctr be ok to stay and catch a little sleep? I'm very short on cash and have been unable to reserve a hostel. Also, there is a bus the m60 bus from LGA to Columbia. Is that bus ok to take and is the walk between columbia and ccny rough or fairly tame? I'll only have a light backpack during this time, no baggage or anything.
you are likely to get hassled and be unable to find a good, safe place to sleep. NYC is not a good place to lack a couch to crash on
try couchsurfing.com as well as airbnb.com, or bust your butt to scrape together enough cash to stay at the nearby hostel in morningside heights
there was a recent thread on someone who felt homelessness was a good idea for college, feel free to read up there. although your situation is quite different since it's only 4 days. still a bad idea
also the walk from m60 to ccny is fine i do it all the time, i teach at ccny and take graduate classes, as long as you don't do anything stupid you'll be fine safety wise (during the day that is, all bets are off if you try to sleep at a bus depot or whatever)
Hi Odysseus and thanks. I've been looking at hostels and the one I think you're talking about in Morningside HI hostels is pretty much booked except for Wednesday and Friday. Like I said before I'm pretty strapped for cash until my financial aid and loan package comes in so even if I could find room in a hostel it would set me back too much. Food is more important than housing.
I've roughed it out in quite a few SAs or Manna houses over the past few years; 4 days won't kill me. Just a 24 hour lounge or something within a decent area of CCNY will be fine.
How much is the American Youth Hostel ?
I would also call the housing office at CCNY, and the college office - they might have ideas.
If you look on craigslist, you can find sublets for a few weeks, maybe even a pet sitting thing ...
I've roughed it out in quite a few SAs or Manna houses over the past few years; 4 days won't kill me. Just a 24 hour lounge or something within a decent area of CCNY will be fine.
Thanks, I appreciate it.
there are no 24 hour lounges in ccny that i know of
security will actually kick you out. i have had to vouch for students in the classes i teach who work late at the lab using my staff id. if you just have a student id you can't be inside the main academic center after hours. i assume the other buildings work likewise
the surrounding area is not a part of nyc you really want to be hanging alone in at 4am during your first week in the city. not even just for crime (which would be my first concern) but also for law enforcement. NYPD will have no problem ticketing you or even bringing you in for being where you're not supposed to be at that hour
You can eat for all meals at the soup kitchens - there are quite a few around CCNY.
Does anyone know whether they run out of food ? Never thought of that, I know the pantries do.
There is a small men's shelter at St. Mary's church on 126th, across from the police station.
They serve meals also.
How much is the American Youth Hostel ?
I would also call the housing office at CCNY, and the college office - they might have ideas.
If you look on craigslist, you can find sublets for a few weeks, maybe even a pet sitting thing ...
$50 per night. It's a really good price but I have about $200 to my name right now. I was thinking of hanging around the Chelsea area between Grand Central and Time Square for the days in between, hanging around night life areas to be relatively safe, try and distance myself from the rough areas of Harlem.
I called the school a while back and they basically told me I was screwed until move in date and to try to find a hostel. Sound advice, just not really possible for me. I know there are a couple 24 hour McDs down in that area. I could try and just table sit and buy a hamburger every couple hours.
I called the school a while back and they basically told me I was screwed until move in date and to try to find a hostel.
Call the school again. Keep trying different contacts--> guidance counselor, dean of your intended department, dean of students, etc? I think if they knew an incoming student on financial aid has $200 to his name and plans to sleep on the streets until the dorm opens, they would HELP you. Find you a couch in a upperclassmen's or professor's home, open a dorm early, etc. Or loan you money for the hostel until your aid comes through. There may even be some sort of student emergency fund you can get a small grant or short term loan from. Don't take "scrw you" for an answer. That is ridiculous.
If that doesn't work, start calling churches. Redeemer Presbyterian does a lot of outreach and certainly would be able to help you find a bed/sofa for a few days.
It's humbling to ask for help but it's better than what can happen on the NYC streets. Read the other thread if you're unaware of what happens on the streets & shelters of NYC. You are new to thr streets and you will be a target. Can you afford to pay for stitches or to replace stolen belongings? I think not.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
