Opinion: Resident disgusted with new luxury cars in New Bedford public housing

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Here’s a note sent to us from a fan fed up at seeing brand new high-end cars in public housing:

“I would like to express my disgust with what a lot of people see including myself every day. It’s a taboo subject that people rarely speak about openly… but we know it exists.

Why is it that when you walk through the projects you see brand new cars? Not just a cheap new car, I’m talking BMW’s, Lexus and Mini Coopers.

Isn’t public housing for people who couldn’t afford these things? Can someone please answer this question were all wondering?

It’s very disrespectful to display your riches so openly while people are literally on the streets. The payment on that brand new BMW is enough to pay the rent for a homeless family.

Does nobody that lives in the projects care? It’s pretty obvious just at a gander.

How can these people sleep at night knowing that someone is hurting while you reap the benefits that the state provides? How is this fair?

Can someone please explain how this works? Because a whole lot of people are tired of seeing the people in the projects for so long…doing so well while the rest of us work hard and get very little and pay so much? Just a thought from a bystander with a soul.”

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64 comments

  1. I am so glad to hear someone speaking up on something that everyone has turned a blind eye to. The Housing system was put in place to help needy families have a roof over their head who could not afford other wise but as we all see people have taken advantage of the system and the system does nothing to correct it. Kudos to the writer of this letter who had the courage to speak out when no one else would.

  2. When the state stops sending “surprise inspection” notices, to all the apartments they’re going to do a surprise inspection on; maybe they’ll actually catch them doing wrong things.

  3. It’s true , but most of the time its not registered to them , they register it in others names in order to get away with it , I’m sorry but in my opinion if your driving a bmw or lexus you dont need public assistance , and its not just their cars I’ve seen houses with brand new furniture and huge tvs in every room , and then half of them have boyfriend’s living with them that aren’t even supposed to be there . And a lot of them sell drugs to get their money . You would think that if they seen tenants driving all these vehicles they would be called into the office and investigated but nope nothing is ever done

  4. They prob figure we cant efford both nice car and a place to live…so they get assistance in the housing and get a reliable vehicle to get them to and from work (instead of a beater that may break down) because there is no program that will assist them with buying a vehicle or making payments on a vehicle like they do for housing. Not everyone can efford to pay for a decent place to live and a decent form of transportation.

    • It is not the state or tax payers responsibility to pay for their housing so they can drive a fucking Mercedes or a Beemer! You are making excuses for people who are taking advantage of the system!! That makes you a defacto enabler! I bust my balls every day as a single person trying to maintain my mortgage my car, my insurance and everything else, so h as groceries and utilities and I drive around in a 15-year-old car doing over 25,000 miles a year. there are times when I skimp on food and eat garbage like oodles of noodles pasta and rice, OR NOTHING just because that’s all I can afford; and these motherfuckers are living in free or subsidized housing driving around in Beamers with snap cards buying fucking steak and lobster while talking on a $700 I-phone…. This shit has got to stop!!

      • William Sterling

        Liberalism is a mental disorder!
        Put them in charge of taxpayer money and it’s freebees for votes time.
        Next time you vote, vote for a conservative.
        Just imagining to give away programs Bernie would be handing out.

        • Wow someone from my old hometown that hadn’t been poisoned by the liberal schools in Massachusetts throw the lowlifes on the streets and let them live in their cars

      • This issue can be solved make it that cars have a parking sticker and before the sticker is given to the tenant they have to provide a valid registration and current car insurance. I managed a private housing complex and I noticed cars in the lot that I new didn’t belong on the lot they were parked in prime parking spaces for residents. I implemented the sticker related to the apt, everyone that was a resident had to bring me their current registration info and insurance info, it worked, I had designated parking spots for visitors.

      • Right on, I so agree with you, I work 50 sooner thing hours a week and I still wouldn’t be able to afford a car after rent and bills and food oh and I pay my own health insurance and people in the project get every thing handed to them, this shit ain’t right

      • I agree. See it constantly. They shop at expensive malls and the rest of us can’t afford to but once in a while. They buy food out all the time, they always have bags of new clothes from the mall, and they drive around expensive suvs or bmws or Lexus and you can tell they aren’t educated or hard workers because they are always hanging out and by the way they act.

    • Amen to this. I hate when people assume. I drive a 2015 vw and while it’s brand new I can afford to live comfortably. People are so ignorant and this post made me laugh honestly. What if they’re leading the vehicle because they didn’t have the money to buy it outright but need a way to get to work? That’s what I do? And side note, i don’t know how this person just compared a Lexus and a BMW to a mini.. lol. Is that a joke?

      • You’re completely missing the point. These are people who are supposedly in a bad enough financial position that they can’t afford to put a roof over their own head. For the money that these people spend on either buying or leasing a brand new luxury car, they could afford to pay for rent and a cheaper reliable car. Notice how I used luxury and reliable to describe two separate cars…a cheap used Toyota that you can but for a few thousand dollars is much more reliable than any brand new car with chrome rims, leather interior and power everything. I’ve never had a car with all that, but mine definitely gets me from A to B (B being work, which is another issue with them). If they can afford to drive a Mercedes, or any car of the like, they don’t need my tax dollars to for a place to live.

      • BMW and Mini are family companies… Aka BMW makes Mini

    • Agree plus you never know if somebody else gave them the vehicle in the first place.

      • I agree to most of the situation. Unfortunately when people clearly out that the vehicle was a gift at the registry they are working the system. They should also have to prove insurance which states that they can actually legally drive the car. The same can go for significant others living there when they aren’t on the lease. They can make all the income they want and as long as they aren’t seen during inspection the person on assistance and on the lease makes out. All around it should be regulated a lot better.

    • So they should be a Camry if they want something reliable. Brand new they cost half what a BMW costs and are cheap to fix. I agree they should have something reliable but let’s be reasonable

    • What do you mean they need a car to go to work, who says they are working? Come on stop making excuses for abusers.

    • Lol well a reliable car isn’t a BMW or Lexus why not start off at a Hyundai or Kia those will get u to an from work.. sry if it doesn’t have your 8 inch screen or your heated seats!!

    • A reliable vehicle isn’t a luxury car. Luxury cars are very expensive and to maintain. It’s obvious they get a lot of support. The shopping center where people work full time and have nice houses are respectable people who are safe and have regular cars. The shopping center with the section 8 the people are driving luxury cars, smoking weed in the parking lot and eating out all the time. And that shopping center feels unsafe and uneducated. Not all the people but enough. 80000 dollar vehicles smoking weed with music blaring. Expensive mall with mostly them shopping. Where are they getting their money from.

  5. Couple of reasons come to mind… One, because they can. Car dealerships don’t say no and do everything they can to get the car out of the dealership. Car loans are going at seven to eight years now. Stretching out a payment over that kind of time frame, that car payment gets pretty low. However, the interest over that long of a period is pretty nice for the finance company. Leases are another story, with less income restrictions than a loan, but also highly profitable for the dealership. Could the dealerships be preying on these folks?

    Another reason may be why some of these folks are in that type of housing to begin with, lack of financial management skills and bad financial choices. Many don’t realize these cars, although they can “afford” the monthly payments, will be their nemesis to building any sort of wealth.

    I’ve heard of drug testing for people who are utilizing public assistance programs. Rather than that, why don’t we make it mandatory for these folks to attend personal financial management/get out of debt courses?

    • Drug testing people for collecting public assistance has been ruled as unconstitutional under US Constitution. Check your Title 8 statutes in Federal Housing Act to be more educated on the matter and less judgemental. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

    • Drug testing people for collecting public assistance has been ruled as unconstitutional under US Constitution. Check your Title 8 statutes in Federal Housing Act to be more educated on the matter and less judgemental. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

      • Hmm if it’s unconstitutional, how did it work in Maine? They did it and cut welfare rolls substantially. Govt handouts aren’t a right, it’s a privilege-you want the freebies, gotta pee in the cup. Has nothing to do with judgement, has to do with use of (working) taxpayers money-its not the govts money…

      • It works in Florida too! Time to cut the fat out of the pork as John McCain said he would have done! NOT

        No worries the Trump train ? will roll through soon enough. Go Trump baby!

    • I very much agree with you on the dealerships selling whatever they can.
      I know someone who has a very nice car, BMW, and the payment is only 250$ (about) monthly, but is a long term loan and will cost way more than selling price if the car.
      Especially the youngsters in these homes, often the ones with the “virgin” credit are the ones who get into these cars which, excuse my French, fucks them for their future.

    • Because DEBT is NOT why someone qualifies for public housing? That could be a good reason why…

  6. Its easy to beat the system. Some people have no moral compass. There is little to no regulation in these situations and easy to manipulate them. Some people are paid off the books and dont pay takes and collect public assistance. Then theres hard working people struggling to make ends meet paying their taxes and many of these people could benefit from some help but get nothing because they are doing the right thing.

  7. If the article is true then I agree with all the comments except this last one. Having driven unreliable vehicles you are correct – people need a reliable car. That does not mean it needs to be a luxury car. No one would fault the people if they bought a brand new Ford Focus or Honda Civic, but a luxury car, new furniture and large screen tv’s? While different story and NOT right!!

  8. The demon of Jealous is the worst. You could lose everything overnight and need to live in housing. So mind own biz cause you have no idea how long n hard they worked. N i rebuke that demon in you.

  9. The drug trade is very lucrative-just saying.

  10. Just recently relocated to New Bedford and have moved away again,after living in a condo watching 25 yr old kids driving 500 class Mercedes and not going to work…very frustrating…there should be a law that your car can not be worth more than a certain amount

    • Talk about hating lol. Wow. So they can’t own a nice car? So someone who works on the books and still qualifies for housing shouldn’t bee allowed to walk into a dealership? What is the difference to you other then you being jealous if they finance a brand new toyota or s brand new mercades? Either way they are financing a brand new car, with close to the same monthly payment, but they should get the cheaper not so nice car? To appiease people that made thier own choice to not do the same thing? Lol. Hating at its finest

  11. I agree with Al Prevost. Why send surprise notices to the occupants of housing. I lived in housing from 1982-1990 It was right after my divorce from my husband I has 2 young children so basically I was a single MOM raising two children. Living in housing helped me get on my feet, I was able to go to college and then I was able to get a job with the New Bedford School System after a year of working I left housing and rented an apartment so that I could let others in the situation that I was in get a head start in life. The cars I had were 10 or more years old. those SURPRISE NOTICES are a JOKE.. if a single Mom is living with her Man then she just tells him to leave for the day and puts his things away in boxes, so when apartment is inspected nope no man living with me and it’s OK for another YEAR. But I have to also say this there are Honest people Living in Housing and who are working yes they may have good jobs but Housing knows that so their RENT IS RAISED at a 33% of their yearly income. I know of a few people who are living in housing that are paying over $1000.00/ yes one thousand a MONTH to live there so if they want a car that they can afford or Lease then let them they earned it. Look at the Housing Authority Recently they are leasing space at the old Santanda Bank instead of at one of their many properties. Well I guess some people need to GRIPE. if you really need to GRIPE, GRIPE at what is Happening to our City, Schools and Neighborhoods. N.B. has been on a list as the WORST CITIES to LIVE IN MA. ????????

  12. They sell drugs.

  13. It amazes me as a former area resident to see people sticking their noses where they don’t belong and assuming. Living in any federal, state. county environment requires having to pass NEEDS MEANS TESTS (sec 8, Federal Housing Act). Perhaps in a city that is having so much lack of an earnable living, a decline in school quality, a major opioid crisis, there is a better way to help solve problems instead of being part of them.

  14. Wow Michael, since this is such a concern to you, I suggest you get a camera and take some pictures. Send them to your local police station. You’re probably going to be breaking up a drug bust or a prostitution call. I have never seen what you see. What I do see is a lot of envy and poor shaming for those subsidized housing. What you can do to make your life better is worry about how Wall Street and your government are the ones really trying to screw you. That’s what’s wrong with Under achievers, they envy the poor instead of the rich!

  15. Just a thought but perhaps some tenants were working class people living in private housing and lost their job. They now live in housing and brought their tv, furniture and car with them.

    Not every tenant in housing is a bad person selling drugs. I recall an article in the standard times that stated most crimes in the city occurred on streets outside of public housing.

    • I f&%king work if i lost my job they wouldnt give me publuc housing cause im white. people with all the excuses yes there are some people that need it but the majority off them are living better then the rest off us

      • Ummm… last time I checked, there is a very large population of Whites living in the projects. Poverty doesn’t discriminate. The systems in place that create poverty discriminate (i.e. education, lack of jobs)

  16. Amen to that I saw a Navigator, corvette and a boat parked in public housing on the corner of Cottage and Mill St. Sad!!! state should go visit these drug houses!

    • I know this is late, but better late than never, right?

      The buildings at the block you cited, william, are not public housing – those properties are “owned” by the tenants who have now have mortgages. Mind you, they were originally sold by the City of New Bedford (via a lottery), but these are not public housing.

      And, yes, the boat is still visible on google maps!

  17. Most cars that are parked here dont belong to any residents but guests. But most ppl have nice cars..and its income based. Some ppl get their stuff from tax money as well. But rent is 30% of income they dont count taxes.

  18. Not everyone in housing uses the system for selfish gains…. Some actually do need the housing…. But those that are in houses just to leech off of the system should be removed from any assistance from the government

  19. These are your Democrats at work people. Democrats take from people with barley any money and give it to the people with “No” money or “claim” to have no money. I blame it on the Democrats not the people who take advantage of it. A scbag is going to be a scumbag and take advantage of any and everything believe me. It’s human nature to these people. It’s our fault for electing these scum Democrats that keep taking and taking and taking from the middle class and rich and allowing these people to abuse everything. It’s sad! Very sad! It starts at the voting booth people. That and making a stand and letting our word be heard.

  20. Not everyone is a drug dealer, or out to play the system.

    I work 2 jobs healthcare and retail. I live in public housing when I first moved in I payed less than I do now
    because i only had 1 job. now I pay the highest which they call their ceiling rent. they base it on your income. I work hard. I don’t have food stamps . I was on that list and struggling for a while until one day i was called up. I drive an old saturn I pay for health insurance with health connector. Not everything is what people think. as for people with nice cars most of the time with what i’ve seen it’s people visiting them ie family, visiting nurses,etc. yeah i’m sure there’s some out there that have a nice car but that percentage is very small. I wish people wouldn’t generalize that we are all terrible leeches without morals.

  21. Wow!! So you people are more concerned about the cars that people in public housing drive? Your tax dollars pay for their luxuries? Has it occurred to you that they may have lost a high paying job and their home or (dare I say?) APARTMENT!? and had to move to public housing because the rent was more affordable? So they should have to get rid of their RELIABLE transportation to make you feel better about what YOU are driving? GET OVER YOURSELVES! What you should be complaining about is the way your tax dollars are spent frivolously by our GOVERNMENT, or how the are depleting the Social Security Funds that YOU are putting into the system. No instead you want to complain what kind of cars people in public housing are driving. To assume they are drug dealers based on what they drive is insulting to the people who worked hard for what they have gained. Not all people in public housing with nice cars are drug dealers. Shame on you people!!

  22. Wow!! With all of the crazy shit going on in this world (especially all the corruption with the politicians) and your worrying about someone driving a more expensive car than you, seriously? You don’t know nor care about any of the low income community so stop worrying about what other people have.I wish you were this concerned with the “real thugs” in congress!

  23. OMG Too funny………………….and their 8 kids dress better than mine and we appreciate hand me downs and savers specials. Been happening all my life but to see the NON working make out 150% better live better drive better cars dress better……………that is messed up something is def wrong not to mention when they go to doc appt. n I have a $100 or more copay and they go daily for no reason………….its all a mess. I COULD KEEP GOIN but we all see this frustration everyday. Not only in the projects. But we have what we have because WE WORK FOR IT. they have what they have because WE WORK FOR IT.

    • You should quit and do what they do if you think they are doing so well. I paid 800 for a 2 bedroom apt at housing, I do have an Apt now but I was not living for free at public housing, my kids dress well because children place has great deals specially when you shop online, I also have co payments and it is hard to save money to go on vacation, but guess whos FAULT is that? The government keep milking the poor and are making the rich richer the people that live in housing have nothing to do with my strogle.

  24. I am appalled also. Being a single mom of 2 special needs kids and myself being physically disabled paing 900.00 a month for rent. I have applied for section8 7 years ago and still have heard nothing. I see and know people who flat out play the system. Selling food stamps which infuriate me because my stamps dont make it from one month to the next. They’re living in the projects driving brand new bmw or range roovers. Something needs to be done!!! I am not looking for a hand out. I have nothing extra once i pay my rent. I am constantly making payment arrangements on the rest of my bills because i dont have enough to make steady payments. So yeah seeing that does make me angry!!

  25. Or how about the woman with their manacured fake nails that I can’t afford to have!! I watched a video of a woman crying to a judge about not being able to afford to pay her parking tickets. She had beautifully manicured fake nails professionally done!

  26. Ill lived in housing for over a year now and trust me if I could move I would but with very little to no income this is all we can afford. So when you say EVERYONE IS THE PROJECTS DOESNT CARE ABOUT THE HOMELESS is a a big misconception, and yes that is what you said(Does nobody that lives in the projects care? It’s pretty obvious just at a gander.) well can we go gander at your house and stuff and tell you that you don’t care because you have a car and i have to walk and I don’t see you offering me a ride, so that says you don’t care about about ppl with less then you right? Me and family were homeless for a year before we got in. I understand your not taking about everyone but they way you said it that’s how it comes across to ALOT of ppl.

    • My thoughts exactly, they have all the excuses in the world as how they’ve obtained luxury cars, gifts, 8 yr payment terms, had it before they lost their jobs and took it with them when they moved into housing..but they forgot to mention how they pay for their very expensive CAR insurance for these luxury vehicles. Their all bullshit liars. Robbing from taxpayers and making money illegally on the side is the only explanation. This does not apply to people driving non-luxury cars and having lower car insurance. Also how much does gassing up an escalade cost weekly? Please. These people all need to be investigated and present their bills to see if their ability to pay for these luxuries are legit. They should also make it a law to drug test every resident. Illegal now, but should be done. How are they paying to get their very expensive drug habits? Hmmm. WTF?

  27. My aunt was,on assistance for years and every 6 months she had to show income. If above a certain amount she would have to move. She was not allowed to have a car worth over $3000. Why don’t they keep up with that? .I see every one has,a big gas grill outside, fancy cars, lawn furniture sets. I have a crappDr appt 2500 car no grill or lawn furniture. And I work 40 hours a week. I asked for help by way of food stamps I made,1.75 over the limit to get help….system needs re evaluating!!

  28. This topic absolutely irks me, not.inly New Bedford but Fall River also well. These so called low-income families claiming poverty, but their living like kings. For example Sunset hill in the 1 bedroom apartment the have Full Kitchen with washer and dryer hook-up, garbage disposals 24/7 building maintenance at a monthly cost of $150- $250 monthly rent fee. When your cable bill is more than your rent theirs something wrong? When they have 4k smart tvs 80in Tv’s and driving new cars as well is an Huge red flag! As I can tell Massachusetts housing authority is not doing proper evaluations on the house on the person’s income. Here’s the catch with the cars, one they have a partner living with them that’s not on the lease or they put their cars in others name’s. But everyday you see the same people using those cars and living pretty great! If I wanted to rent an apartment with all those accommodations it would cost me at least $1000-$1200. Something Truly needs to be done!

  29. Have you noticed that there are all these claims about luxury cars in projects and welfare offices, but nobody ever seems to take any pictures of them?

  30. One by one, they didn’t look for reasons for themselves but thought it was the government’s default. Many of their comments were jealous of why others lived in the same house but he could live better than me. Why? Because others work hard, others may have been poor, but others will always work to get better for your life, and you can only be jealous of others why they can live better than me, because each of you doesn’t work hard in exchange for yourself Desirable success. Behind their good quality of life, they have their own struggle experience, and only some people can only envy others if they don’t work hard for their own struggle.

  31. I don’t think anyone’s really thinking about the fact that you can buy older. Really nice. Used cars with very high miles!
    Not every person is at a point of being completely broke on public housing… They have limits for the amount of people and the amount of income in 30% of your before tax pay is what you pay for rent based on the price of the house or apartment…

    Yall starting to sound like people staring at people’s grocery carriages when they notice them using their food stamps and judging them for the type of meat they feed themselves!

    Not everyone is fing the system..mass allows a vehicle 5 yrs or older..

    Not all and half of …just some assholes that will have their day for screwing around..?

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