That sounds like a harrowing experience. Leaving aside the particulars of your own situation, I do want to comment on your assertion about the price of rent. $

That sounds like a harrowing experience. Leaving aside the particulars of your own situation, I do want to comment on your assertion about the price of rent. $1,200 is maybe higher than we'd like, but it's still pretty low. It's manageable as long as you're making $30k per year or more. It doesn't seem crazy to me. There's also the more option of getting roommates. In all of NYC there are just three units on Streeteasy going for less than $1,250. However, there are more than seven hundred two-bedroom units going for less than $2,500.