John Jurado pays $995 a month for his studio apartment at 1873 Second Ave. And when he’s forced to leave it for thirty days in August, the MTA will pay his rent and give him $167 a day, plus expenses.
“No wonder the MTA is broke!” said Jurado, 38, manager of the Ship of Fools bar, who plans to crash with friends.
Jurado is one of 40 tenants along Second Avenue who will be temporarily evicted as the MTA reinforces their buildings to dig the subway line. The MTA will pay Jurado a whopping $6,210 for the thirty days he’s out. That’s the housing stipend, plus a $40-per-day food allowance.
Elyse Rodriguez, 24, has to move out of her apartment at 1823 Second Ave. this Saturday, June 26. And she’s not exactly crying over it, either. She figures she’ll make out with about $3,000, even after she pays for a temporary sublet in East Harlem.
And if the work goes longer, Jurado and Rodriguez will get about $167 for each additional day. Tenants could be out anywhere from four to eight weeks, said Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction.
It’s cheaper for the MTA to pay the stipend and move the tenants than encounter potential delays to Second Avenue subway, according to an authority spokesperson.
