Kennedy Blasts NYC’s $81K Homeless Spending

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Kennedy Saves the World

Episode Title: Kennedy Blasts NYC’s $81K Homeless Spending
Host: Kennedy
Release Date: March 18, 2026
Podcast Network: FOX News Podcasts

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Kennedy tackles the hot-button issue of government spending on homelessness in New York City, highlighting the city’s annual expenditure of $81,000 per homeless individual. She explores the inefficiencies and questionable outcomes of such spending, calls out city officials and left-leaning politicians for managing—rather than solving—the homelessness crisis, and questions the priorities and effectiveness of current policy.
Her signature blend of humor, exasperation, and pointed commentary drives a fast-paced critique of progressive approaches to homelessness.

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Main Discussion Points

1. NYC's $81,000 Spending Per Homeless Person

• Kennedy opens by expressing incredulity at NYC’s figure:
  “$81,000 per year per street homeless person. And that's a lot of scratch. So you think about $81,000 and if you had an extra 81,000 a year, what would you do with it?” (00:40)
• She questions whether giving homeless individuals even part of that money would solve underlying issues—suggesting no, but proposing that more direct, effective approaches are ignored in favor of simply increasing funding.
• She compares this annual expense to the city’s median take-home salary:
  “$81,000 is more than twice the average take home income of the, the median New York City salary. So the average person takes home $40,000 a year and works really hard for that money.” (02:30)

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2. Government Mismanagement and Motivation

• Kennedy accuses NYC’s government of being more interested in managing rather than eliminating homelessness because it sustains bureaucratic jobs:
  • “People who no longer want to eradicate homelessness, they don't want to end homelessness, they want to manage homelessness.” (02:20)
  • She observes homelessness increasing despite growing budgets, referencing similar trends in California and Los Angeles.

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3. Cronyism and Lack of Accountability

• Kennedy contends that most funding does not reach homeless individuals but is siphoned off by agencies, political cronies, and redundant programs:
  • “That money is going somewhere, but not to people... And the people who manage homelessness just go around and go, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. They just count homeless people and it's like, well, mission accomplished, job done, let's go hit the showers, boys.” (03:40)
• Criticizes politicians like Zoran Mamdani (NYC), Gavin Newsom (CA), Karen Bass (LA), and others for perpetuating the cycle:
  • “That's at people like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass and Doran Mamdani and Brandon Johnson and all the other libs who are ruining big cities. That's what they have figured out.” (06:52)

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4. Personal Observations and Dark Humor

• Kennedy brings a personal touch, relating stories from her neighborhood and using edgy humor to illustrate the realities of the street:
  • On seeing homeless encampments and people in poor conditions:
    “Yesterday, I was walking home from the subway and I see the same homeless encampments every day. You know, I see the same guy with like the Mickey Mouse blanket and the guy next to him who's wrapped in what looks like a white canvas tarp. And, you know, these people obviously are not benefiting from any programs.” (03:10)
  • On advice to her children about avoiding erratic homeless people:
    “I've always said this. I said this to my girls at a young age when we moved full time to New York City. If you see a homeless man with no pants on, run. Because if you have no pants you will throw your poo... Next thing you know you got a poo thrower and you're getting E. Coli in the face and the $81,000 a year per butt cheek. It's not doing anything to make the problems go away.” (07:10)

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5. Human Nature, Voter Gullibility, and Compassion

• Kennedy concedes that most people, by nature, want to help the vulnerable:
  “Human nature is ultimately good and human beings don't want other human beings to suffer.” (08:20)
• She argues, however, that well-intentioned voters are manipulated by politicians and bureaucrats who use homelessness to justify ongoing tax increases and job creation for insiders.
• She points to more successful approaches elsewhere (without detailing them), asserting that New York and other ‘ultra leftist’ cities lack genuine, effective programs for therapy, psychiatric care, or rehabilitation.

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6. Rising Homeless Rates and Political Accountability

• Kennedy calls out rising homelessness statistics:
  “Homelessness has gone up by 26% just in the last year here in New York City.” (10:40)
• She indicts current Mayor Zoran Mamdani as failing the city, saying:
  “I've said it before and I will say it again. Zoron Momdani makes Bill de Blasio look like Rudy Giuliani.” (11:16)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On misaligned incentives:
  “If you actually had those systems, then you would obliterate so many of these problems. But if you do that, then your friends are out of jobs.” (10:15)

• On the frustration of taxpayers:
  “So much is taken away by a government with so little to show for it. That is an astonishing amount of money. But that's not what the most astonishing aspect of the story is.” (02:43)

• Sharpest jab at leadership:
  “Zoron Momdani makes Bill de Blasio look like Rudy Giuliani.” (11:16)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:40 — Kennedy introduces the $81,000 figure and its implications
• 02:20 — Discussion on spending v. homelessness rates; city salary comparisons
• 03:10 — Kennedy describes local homeless encampments
• 03:40 — Critique of city agencies' procedures (just counting homeless as “job done”)
• 06:52 — Roster of politicians called out for failed leadership
• 07:10 — Anecdote about telling children to avoid homeless with “no pants,” highlighting the severity of mental illness on the streets
• 08:20 — On basic human compassion and manipulation by politicians
• 10:40 — NYC homelessness has increased by 26%
• 11:16 — Final stinging comparison of Mamdani, de Blasio, and Giuliani

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Tone and Style

Kennedy’s tone is irreverent, sarcastic, and punchy, blending personal anecdotes with stinging political criticism. She makes heavy use of humor—sometimes dark or provocative—to keep the subject engaging and underline her points. Throughout, she positions herself as an advocate for both overburdened taxpayers and the neglected homeless population, while giving no quarter to perceived government inefficiency or progressive policymakers.

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For listeners seeking a direct, unfiltered viewpoint on public spending and urban policy—with plenty of biting wit—this episode offers pointed criticism, memorable commentary, and a call for accountability in New York City’s ongoing homelessness crisis.

Transcript

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[B]

Hello and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. Commies really hate people. That is the conclusion I have come to after learning that New York City spends $81,000 per year per street homeless person. And that's a lot of scratch. So you think about $81,000 and if you had an extra 81,000 a year, what would you do with it? Well, unfortunately for the homeless people in New York City, they don't have that money. They're not given that money. And if they were, you know, I can't imagine that their problems would magically go away. Although in places like New York and California, they seem to think that the more money they throw at the homeless problem, the more it will accomplish. When the inverse is true, and that has been proven time and time again, it is incredibly cruel, not only to the people who find themselves in the in a state of homelessness, but also for people who are almost taxed out of existence in places like New York City. And as I've talked about many times on this podcast, I have a number of friends who used to live in Manhattan and have since moved across the river to New Jersey to save money on being New York City residents because it has become so cost prohibitive. And these are not rich people who are fleeing to West Palm Beach. These are people who work very hard, sometimes for an hourly wage. And you know, they are just getting pillaged by the city government here. But the problem is their hard earned money that has been going to, you know, the homeless problem hasn't curbed the homeless problem at all. In fact, the more money you throw at it, the more ballot measures pass in LA county and in California as a whole. Well, it's very interesting because the homeless population tends to go up and it seems like that is part of the equation that is baked into the entire process. So you have people who no longer want to eradicate homelessness, they don't want to end homelessness, they want to manage homelessness. And that means that if that much money is being spent per homeless person. And it's not going to the homeless people. I don't, I'm not going to say unhoused. Occasionally I will say hobo. All right, go ahead and sue me. Send your comments to Mara. She loves your hate mail. She grinds your, she prints out hate tweets and she, she grinds them in her ninja and she adds them to her green smoothie and it makes her even prettier. So there you go. If you had $81,000 per person, you think that you would bring the homeless population down. That has not happened. $81,000 is more than twice the average take home income of the, the median New York City salary. So the average person takes home $40,000 a year and works really hard for that money. So much is taken away by a government with so little to show for it. That is an astonishing amount of money. But that's not what the most astonishing aspect of the story is. So our new commie mayor, Zoran Mamdani, he wants to spend close to $100,000 per homeless person. So that means again, that money is going somewhere, but not to people. Like yesterday, I was walking home from the subway and I see the same homeless encampments every day. You know, I see the same guy with like the Mickey Mouse blanket and the guy next to him who's wrapped in what looks like a white canvas tarp. And you know, these people obviously are not benefiting from any programs. And the people who manage homelessness just go around and go, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. They just count homeless people and it's like, well, mission accomplished, job done, let's go hit the showers, boys. And they don't really come up with anything because they would be cornering themselves out of jobs. Don't go anywhere more. Kennedy saves the world right after this.

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[B]

And that's at people like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass and Doran Mamdani and Brandon Johnson and all the other libs who are ruining big cities. That's what they have figured out. Because if you just put your hand out and say but don't you want to end homelessness? Everyone is like, yes. It's scary when people are mentally ill and on a drug binge and they're running around without pants. And I've always said this. I said this to my girls at a young age when we moved full time to New York City. If you see a homeless man with no pants on, run. Because if you have no pants you will throw your poo. If your twickenberries and your butt cheeks are exposed to the elements, you have no problem. Like the boundaries are gone and next thing you know you got a poo thrower and you're getting E. Coli in the face and the $81,000 a year per butt cheek. It's not doing Anything to make the problems go away. It is compounding them. Because the cronies who are friends, who are associated with those in governance, they are the ones who are lining their pockets. And I don't care about their good intentions. They appeal to voters because yes, human beings want to take care of other human beings. Human nature is ultimately good and human beings don't want other human beings to suffer. But as I was walking home yesterday, people were freezing in the cold because our mayor will not take down homeless encampments. Which means if you are not disincentivizing people, you are inviting them to poop on the street and in the worst case scenarios actually fling their feces at innocent people. Over taxed innocent people who are bearing the brunt of horrible programs that are only going to metastasize under this new mayor. There are things you can do about homelessness. What they are doing now, that is not part of the list of the things. And it is a shame that people fall for it. It is a shame that people allow their hard earned money to be fleeced from them in the name of doing good. Because it's not only a bad system, these are the worst outcomes for the most vulnerable. People who have been discarded and thrown away by people like mom Donnie, who pretend to be, you know, I'm a man of the people. You absolutely are not. You are a man of compromise, corrupt, crony est people who are directly benefiting from a series of redundant programs that come nowhere near tackling problems. That there is a way of solving these things. There are cities you go to and you do not see homelessness like this. It just makes you realize in these ultra leftist cities what they are allowing people to do when there are plenty of resources to truly help people, to get them the therapy, the psychiatrics and the rehabilitation that they need. There are not systems in place for that. And that is the point of the entire thing. Because if you actually had those systems, then you would obliterate so many of these problems. But if you do that, then your friends are out of jobs. And I hope Mamdani is out of a job in, you know, three years and change because the job is too big for him. The are too many homeless people. Homelessness has gone up by 26% just in the last year here in New York City. And he and fake do gooder lefty commies like him should be absolutely ashamed for making this problem so much worse. I've said it before and I will say it again. Zoron Momdani makes Bill de Blasio look like Rudy Giuliani. This has been Kennedy Saves the World. I'm Kennedy. Listen ad free. With a Fox News Podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts and Amazon prime, members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon Music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News Podcast Network.

[D]

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