Concrete Pillows
In New York City
by Herb Bardavid
This is Nathan
Nathan is a 32-year-old graduate of Francis Lewis High School and the Technical College of Brooklyn. He became homeless in January 2024 when he was evicted from his apartment in Harlem, a building that his father had owned. He had been living in this apartment for five years, along with his many, many parakeets. He said there were too many to know the exact number. After his father sold the building, Nathan was evicted for non-payment of rent. His parents. who live in Bayside, New York, wanted nothing to do with him. He dislikes them and refuses to live with them. He said that he does not get along with his father.
At one point, Nathan did consider reconciliation with his father. However, attempts at family therapy at the Albert Ellis Institute failed. Nathan had missed several sessions because he had to stay home to care for his parakeets. He said his parakeets were more loving and caring to him than his parents. He would rather live on the streets, than with his parents.
Nathan has a bachelor's degree in information technology and worked for five years at a firm in Midtown Manhattan. However, he saw unhappy co-workers and decided he did not want a career that would make him unhappy. Happiness is more important to him than money, and he did not want to end up like his unhappy co-workers. He quit, moved to Israel, and attempted to work in the areo-space industry. When he could not make inroads into the field, he decided to try to advance his career by joining the Israeli army. However, he was too old at the time, and he was rejected. He then returned to New York and moved into his father's building in Harlem.
While living in Harlem during the Covid-19 pandemic, Nathan decided to quarantine himself to avoid contracting the disease, which failed. He did get covid. He described this as the time he "died." He stated that he was now a dead person.
Nathan's father permitted him to live in the apartment rent-free. However, once the building was sold, the new owners expected him to pay rent. When he refused, he was evicted.
Nathan does not want to move into any apartment. He wants to continue living on the streets. Clearly, he has employable skills and even has a computer that runs on electricity produced from the solar panels that he proudly showed me.
Nathan is not the typical street person. He is educated, employable, and has the tools (his computer) to apply for a good-paying job. Even though he had to give away his beloved parakeets, he prefers to sleep on the streets of Manhattan on his concrete pillows.