Residents along a blighted stretch of the Bronx say they have had enough of an eyesore corridor where people experiencing homelessness have lived for years in aging RVs, trailers and trucks, The Post has learned.
The section of Webster Avenue, dubbed the “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” has frustrated neighbors for at least two years. But the people living inside the dilapidated vehicles say New York’s soaring rents left them with few alternatives.
“It’s starting to become an eyesore,” neighborhood resident Rae Henry said. “It’s just too many.”
“I don’t mind having one or two or a couple,” Henry said. “But there are so many now. It’s starting to become a bit too much for the neighborhood. I’m used to the tractor-trailers because they’re allowed to park on the street. But not the RVs.”
Locals said the RVs and trucks began appearing during the COVID-19 pandemic and never left, even as police towed abandoned cars parked nearby.
CBS-TV News reported on the situation in 2024, but nearly two years later, residents say nothing has changed.
“It looks whack,” said Williamsbridge resident Alex Ramos. “I see them every day. It’s weird. Cops came and swept up all the cars that were abandoned, so I assume that’s why they haven’t taken those because people live in them.”
The residents of the vehicles told The Post that New York’s high rents forced them to choose between the streets, potentially dangerous shelters or the RVs and trucks they now call home.
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“We need housing,” said Rita Freeman, who has lived in her RV since last November. “I mean, this is absurd. This is bizarre. There are so many of us.”
“I went into hotels, and I maxed out my credit card for the first time since I got it in 1994,” she added. “Because I did not want to go to a shelter or the street. It’s very dangerous.”
Camille said she chose the corridor six months ago because shelters would not allow her to bring her dogs.
“None of us can afford the apartments they have, and they want you to go into a shelter,” she said. “They don’t let you into a shelter with dogs or cats. I have three dogs.”
Camille said she supports herself as a dog walker and pet sitter and is on an apartment waiting list. She was priced out of her Westchester County home after the rent reached $1,800 a month.
“Where do you want us to go?” she added.
Other vehicle encampments have drawn attention across the five boroughs, including a line of vehicles near Citi Field in Queens. People living there allegedly tapped city power and water and operated illegal car-repair businesses.
Another group of RVs was spotted along Bronx Boulevard earlier this year. Some had solar panels and were dumping waste onto the street, despite complaints from nearby residents.
Tent and makeshift-shelter encampments also troubled residents for months near the Intrepid Museum on Manhattan’s West Side. The encampment simply moved to another location after the city eventually cleared the area.
