February 3, 2007: Vol. 30, No. 5
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Before and after: Carroll Gardens man signs lease
for The Brooklyn Paper
Dominick Diomede, 94, has lived in Carroll Gardens for 90 years, but has been evicted from his apartment of 20 years.
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del.icio.usThese pictures tell the story: 94-year-old Dominick Diomede, who was days from being kicked out of his Carroll Gardens apartment, now smiles as he shows off the lease on his new apartment, courtesy of the Fifth Avenue Committee.
Behind the pictures, though, is a gripping story of greed, gentrification, bureaucracy and redemption.
It began last year, after Diomede’s landlords — the grandkids of the childhood friend who let him move into the Woodhull Street pad two decades ago with a handshake lease — evicted him so they could get more money from the top-floor one-bedroom.
City social workers and lawyers — part of a Department for the Aging program that keeps senior citizens from becoming homeless — first fought the eviction in court. But when all legal avenues were exhausted last month, they scoured the listings and non-profit agencies for an apartment for Diomede, who was paying just $500 a month on Woodhull Street.
At that price, few apartments presented themselves.
After The Brooklyn Paper put Diomede’s story on the front page, offers of help started pouring in — but still no apartment.
Diomede’s social worker applied for the Fifth Avenue Committee’s emergency housing program and, after a push from Councilman Bill DeBlasio, Diomede got the studio unit — at $40 a month less than he was paying in his old place.
“It’s beautiful,” he said, touring the 551 Warren St. flat last week. “It’s pretty good for an old man.”
DeBlasio credited the Department for the Aging social worker and the Fifth Avenue Committee, and cheered his constituents, too.
“I’m proud of the outpouring of support we have seen,” he said. “I look forward to seeing Dominick make his new apartment home.”
Diomede is expected to move in next month — thanks to free schlepping services provided by Movers, Not Shakers, a Red Hook moving company that reached out to Diomede the day after The Brooklyn Paper story hit the streets.
As a result of the outpouring of support for Dominick Diomede, the Aging in New York Fund, the non-profit wing of the Department for the Aging, set up a way for New Yorkers to support other seniors facing eviction. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the “Save a Senior Fund,” send a check made out to Aging in New York, 2 Lafayette St., Suite 2100, New York, NY 10007.
©2007 The Brooklyn Paper
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