Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Man Takes Homeless Vacation to Help Homeless
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 3, 2009
Modified Mar 3, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 3, 2009
Modified Mar 3, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
32-year-old Yusef Ramelize has taken a week's vacation from his job as a production coordinator to dabble in homelessness, as part of an effort to raise awareness and money for homeless shelters and food banks. The experiment started on Sunday night, with Ramelize spending the night in the Union Square subway station, followed by a chair at a McDonald's, before being kicked out for sleeping. According to the Village Voice, he's been staying in touch with the non-homeless (homefull?) community through his iPhone, and friends have been bringing him food at night, though he insists none of the meals are worth more than five dollars. So far he's raised $2,785, but, naturally, one commenter on the Voice website is quick to find fault: "You've got to realize that him taking up a graciously allowed chair at a 24 hour McDonald's denies that chair to someone in need. Sure, maybe the greater good could be served in the long term, but he could be hurting folks in the present. Did he give his apartment over to a homeless person while it was unoccupied for the week?"
Tagged
homeless
week
yusef ramelize
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
ICE agent shoots, injures immigrant man in NYC's Marble Hill, DHS says
The agency says the man is alive and hospitalized.
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 5:33 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 20, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Lazy drivers in Prospect Heights lose chance for 1 less day of alternate-side parking
A pilot found that drivers actually complied with alternate-side less when fewer days were in effect.
By
Liam Quigley
Jersey City mayor shakes up staff amid $255M budget gap
By
Michael Sol Warren
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
By
Caroline Lewis
MTA chair accuses Andy Byford, who's leading Penn Station rebuild, of going 'full MAGA'
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Carol Chen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .