Dispute erupts over hotels for homeless
Health workers in New York are to stop putting homeless people with Aids into luxury hotels following furious criticism about how much money was being spent.
The Sofitel hotel alone sometimes took more than $6,000 (£4,173) a night from the city's Aids agency to accommodate up to 19 homeless people. Nearly $200,000 (£139,111) a week was being spent on hotel bills in total.
New York residents and even Aids charities have attacked the use of luxury hotels as a waste of money, which they say would be better spent setting up longer-term housing.
Jennifer Flynn, director of New York's Aids housing network, said: "They choose accommodation in the most ridiculous manner. At three o'clock they see how many people are left to place, flick through a phone book and pick hotels at random."
The rooms are booked in the individual's name by credit card and the bill is picked up by the city. Flynn said: "They're spending $180,000 (£125,200) a week on hotel bills, so they have the money to create a housing scheme. But they don't want to."
The hotels themselves have largely been staying out of the argument. A spokeswoman for Sofitel said the hotel was untroubled by the publicity surrounding the story. She said: "When anyone - a person, a company - calls for a service, we provide it."
The agency that finds accommodation for homeless people in New York is now looking for apartments and bedsits rather than five-star hotels.
by Ben Walker
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 26 April - 2 May 2001
