FDR homeless couple launches
GoFundMe amidst eviction threats
BY DEAN MOSES
The homeless couple living beneath
the FDR Drive have started a
GoFundMe account amid eviction
concerns.
For months amNewYork Metro has been
following the life of one homeless couple
and their two dogs as they struggle to
survive amidst poverty and pandemic in
Lower Manhattan. Alex Lively and April
Saccoccio have been doing everything they
can to survive, with Lively even starting a
new job but the pair have had their ups and
downs over the last year, from settling into
the sidewalk below the FDR Drive on 18th
Street and Avenue C to now being threatened
with removal due to their placement
on an apparent active construction area.
The notion of the couple being forced
out of the home they have created for themselves
with found and donated items has
enraged their neighbors and friends. Buffy
Barton a costume designer and resident of
Stuyvesant Town not only stops by to chat
with the pair, but she also walks her dog
alongside theirs.
“They have a spirit of not giving up
and they are a good couple, they are not
messed up. I can always stop by,” Barton
April Saccoccio and her two dogs.
told amNewYork Metro.
Barton has known the homeless couple
for over a year and says she feels at ease
letting her children come to the waterfront
knowing her friends are there to watch
them, so upon reading about the potential
eviction she is furious.
“It’s scary to think they are going to put
them behind a fence, I mean that is just
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
frightening. They are people, that needs to
be seen,” Barton said.
Although Lively and Saccoccio are
constantly reminded of the eviction threat
via steel poles that have been riveted into
the sidewalk around their encampment
and Saccoccio recently lost a close friend,
they have had some good fortune. According
to Hazam Almaswri the co-owner of
Santa Barbara Deli, Lively is proving his
character after he hired the homeless man
to do some work in his East 12 Street and
Avenue B store. Lively did such a good job,
he has hired him several nights a week to
help out around the shop.
“I have been happy to work with him.
You have to give people a chance. He is a
good guy,” Almaswri said.
Despite the small income Lively receives
from his new employer, it is unfortunately
not enough for him to get the duo back
on their feet. Realizing that time is of the
essence as both Lively and Saccoccio claim
they are being harassed by homeless outreach
services to move from their dwelling
with no help being offered, the pair have
decided to create a GoFundMe page in
hopes of receiving donations to help them
fi nd an apartment.
“I want it to go to the vet. One of my
dogs has an ear infection and the other
one has bronchitis, so they need medicine.
I hope it is not asking for too much,” Saccoccio
said.
Lively also expressed thanks to everybody
who has helped them over the year.
With time running short before the pair
are forced out, they are hoping to fi nd a
place to go before then. If you would like
to donate to their GoFundMe, you can do
so here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support
for-buddy-and-snoopys-plight?utm_
campaign=p_cf+share-f low-1&utm_
medium=more&utm_source=customer
Hudson Square BID welcomes back visitors
with new socially distant lounge areas
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
With warmer weather approaching,
Hudson Square is gearing
up for more socially distant
lounging and outdoor dining areas for New
Yorkers to enjoy.
Hudson Square Business Improvement
District opened Freeman Plaza East and
West and Spring Street Park for the season
with additional furniture, allowing for more
socially distant lounging. The BID is also
teaming up with Streetlab, a nonprofi t that
creates free programs for public spaces
across NYC, to create open-air drawing studios
in Spring Street Park during Tuesday
and Thursday afternoons starting in May.
“The public realm has played an important
role in providing the outdoor space
we need to support our businesses and
community during COVID,” said BID
President and CEO, Ellen Baer. “We are
thrilled to welcome people back to our
neighborhood with the expansion of our
parklets and newly confi gured parks that
offer a safe and comfortable atmosphere to
enjoy Hudson Square.”
The BID has also recently relaunched
the area’s parklets, which ate temporary
curbside dining spaces. Each parklet
PHOTO COURTESY OF HUDSON SQUARE BID
expands seating in the adjacent roadbed
corresponding with the frontage of the
participating retailer consistent with the
City’s ‘Open Restaurants’ requirements.
The BID is supplying the parklets with
planters, furniture and umbrellas to liven
up the area, plus painted graphics will be
on the ground refl ect the color and artistry
found throughout the neighborhood.
Parklets are open at the following restaurants,
with more coming soon:
• Chop’t
• Deb’s
• Getting Hungry
• Harold’s
• Houseman
• Local & Vine
• Tauro
The initiatives set forth by the BID
are a part of a comprehensive strategy to
boost ground-fl oor retail by supporting
businesses and welcoming people back
to the neighborhood. Though Hudson
Square is predominantly a commercial
business district, the neighborhood has
seen a decline in foot traffi c since the start
of the pandemic. As we head into the spring
and summer, the BID hopes to welcome
back offi ce workers and visitors as the city
continues to reopen.
20 April 22, 2021 Schneps Media