<p>US census pays $18+ an hour</p>
<p>LessTB, you have the right attitude and I bet you’ll do fine in NYC. The reason I mentioned that it might be really, really hard to find even a closet for $450 is so you will have a realistic idea of how much money you need to raise now. Also, I have heard that getting food stamps in NYC can take a while (red tape). It’s a good idea to do some research on that before you get here. </p>
<p>There are a lot of scrappy young people here, like you, who find a way to survive. You’re in a great position because you have meaningful work lined up through an organization that you can turn to for help. You will be able to find odd jobs here, too, if you really put your mind to it. This is the odd job capital of the U.S. Seriously.</p>
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<p>Both my husband and I are working for the census, and they are paying between $14.40 and $16.00 per hour, plus mileage. We are in an area comparable to VT.</p>
<p>I live in a college town with a lot of students but noone ever asks me, a homeowner for odd jobs. If a young man did, here is my list. First detail both cars. Take everything out of the garage and pressure wash the floor, then we will put everything back together. Next help me go through the attic clutter. Afterward go to the nursery, pick up some bags of dirt, refresh the flower beds, plant flowers and add mulch. Those are the kind of projects I tend to put off when I have to do them myself. I suggest that you start asking around. I find as a homeowner that it’s easy to hire people for big projects and for regular projects, like monthly landscaping but not no easy to find a worker for odd, infrequent jobs.</p>
<p>Since you chose to do CTY in NYC, I assume you had thought out living arrangements- my D also did CityYear, but she stayed in her hometown.
It isn’t really a salary, but a living stipend because CityYear isn’t a job , it is a service program & it is at least 40 hours a week- not including the time to take public transport.
Often times CityYear youth share housing, my D’s team leader lived in a hostel during her term- getting discounts for working the desk as well.
I expect there are lots of hostels in NYC.</p>