How This ‘Have-Not’ New Yorker Makes It Work and Why He Won’t Leave

In Lisbon Black’s eyes, there are two types of people in the world: the haves and the have-nots. He considers himself a have-not.

Today, his only stable source of income is $1,200 from Social Security. After paying for rent and spousal support, he is usually left with $255 to cover all other needs. To supplement that income, he works other jobs, like desk services for the US Open and assisting at the Alliance for Positive Change, a nonprofit that helps New Yorkers living with chronic illnesses.

Black said the world is defined by dollars and cents — something not abundant for many living in New York City. Across the five boroughs, 62% of residents cannot meet the city’s high cost of living, according to a recent report from the city government. Black is one of several New Yorkers Business Insider has interviewed for our Cost of the City series to understand how people get by in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Black, 76, has worked in human services since graduating from Loyola University Chicago with an undergraduate degree in social work. Born in South Carolina and raised in New York City, where his parents moved shortly after his birth, Black has lived across the city’s boroughs, from Manhattan to Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The job market at 76 years old

The periods when Black felt financially comfortable in the city were when he was younger and held stable jobs. As a social worker, Black dabbled in many career opportunities: from psychiatry, foster care, and family therapies.

Yet, the older he got, the more difficult his situation became. He began receiving his Social Security in his late 60s — but never stopped working.

“When I applied for my social security, I said: ‘Things are gonna be a little better because I will have a little more money to work with.’ It got worse,” he said. With Social Security as his only stable income, Black realized it was not enough to live on. As his financial needs grew, and age brought along medical issues, Black realized there are jobs he can’t physically afford to do at 76.

“I get texts about jobs, and I fit the qualifications, but physically I can’t do it,” he said. “The money would be nice but I can’t do that job anymore.”

Meanwhile, Black said that if he were to earn more and move up an income bracket, that could harm his overall well-being, as it would disqualify him from being able to access certain services he has now, like Medicaid and SNAP benefits.

Business Insider has covered the experience of Americans who are ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — before. There is an increasing number of Americans who find themselves struggling but make too much money to qualify for the help they need.

“I don’t want millions and trillions, I just want to be able to get up, get out and see something I like and not think about whether I’m gonna use this to eat, pay my rent, pay bills,” he said. “I can’t remember when I last went to the barber, got my beard trimmed, got my head shaved. I learned how to do that myself — you can see I’m not doing a very good job,” he said with a chuckle.

For Black, daily choices are based on survival. Every day he has to choose between doing laundry, paying rent, or buying food.

“Pretty much when you reach my age you are living day by day,” he said. “Every day I have to deal with what’s necessary right now. I can’t deal with things in the future.”

Finding fair treatment and community

With no immediate family nearby — having outlived his parents and three siblings, and with his two children living in different states — Black has found support at the Broadway Community soup kitchen and food pantry, a service agency in Morningside Heights supported by United Way of New York City.

He goes three times a week to eat at their soup kitchen, which serves meals every weekday except for Thursday, which is when Black goes to their weekly food pantry. What he loves most is the fair treatment he receives from the people who work there.

“They don’t look down upon you, they don’t judge, they accept you with open arms,” he said. “I need that more than I need anything else.”

Affordable housing is not affordable for everyone

Since 2005, Black has consistently applied for affordable city housing and assistance through Section 8, the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program. Yet, for over 20 years, he has had no luck in finding stable, affordable housing for himself through those programs.

Today, he rents a private room in a three-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. Feeling the burden of paying high rent and gas, and electricity bills, Black offered his own question: When we talk about affordable housing — who is it affordable to?

For him, paying from $1500 to $2000 for a studio, that’s “not even really a studio,” is not affordable for people in his situation.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made affordable housing in New York City a central part of his policy since he began his campaign. He launched his Block by Block strategy in May to build 200,000 new affordable units and maintain existing ones. A month later, the NYC Rent Guidelines Board approved a controversial rent freeze on one- to two-year leases on rent-stabilized apartments, accounting for roughly 40% of rental housing across the five boroughs.

“People have to make a choice to pay rent and eat,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Black did not like Mamdani at first and would have liked someone else in office, but he said it seems like the mayor and Governor Kathy Hochul are trying. Though he said making buses free was a stretch.

Why stay in New York City?

Although New York’s cost of living is at times unbearable, Black would not live anywhere else. Having lived in other places like Virginia, where you need a car, he said New York City is easy to get around, especially when commuting for work.

“No place in this country has transportation like NYC,” he said. “As crazy as New York is, it’s the best place to live.”

Black does not see things getting much better for him, but said he prays things do not get worse.

“Where I am at right now is not the worst place I could be,” he said. “I’m thankful that I have places and people that I can turn to.”