Posted on October 7, 2016 by Emma Whitford in Gothamist Gothamist, By Emma Whitford Despite Mayor de Blasio’s recent efforts, about ten thousand New Yorkers are estimated to be living in overcrowded and hazardous three-quarter houses—apartments, primarily in central Brooklyn, where landlords have been known to cram addicts, recently released prisoners, and the mentally ill in illegal conditions, capitalizing on the $215 monthly shelter allowance the state gives to people on public assistance.