NEW YORK—Two emergency, temporary shelters slated to open on the Upper West Side have perturbed elected officials and community residents, who say the shelters come with scant notice from the Department of Homeless Services (DHS).
DHS Press Secretary Heather Janik said in an emailed statement, “We have been actively communicating with elected officials from the beginning of this process and engaged in an open dialogue with community leaders.”
But Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal said the extent of that communication from the DHS is, “I’m sorry, we’re going to go ahead with this plan,” even though many groups have been voicing misgivings.
The department plans to place some 400 people in two buildings on West 95th Street, according to elected officials. The owner of the buildings will get about $3,000 a month, despite “spaces [being] no larger than approximately 150 square feet, with mostly shared bathrooms and kitchens,” according to a press release from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s office.
“I have always supported permanent, affordable housing for formerly homeless individuals, provided that it is operated by a quality nonprofit or management company,” said Council member Gale Brewer in the release. “However, the proposal to house 200 adults, who are currently homeless, in 100 tiny rooms at 316 and 330 W. 95 St. on a temporary basis is poor planning, poor policy, and includes little if any transparency.”
A resident from the area told The Epoch Times on Tuesday that she knows there’s a housing crisis for New York. “However, this is a small, narrow street, and I don’t think it can handle the influx of traffic,” the resident said.
DHS has a “legal mandate to provide temporary, emergency shelter to homeless individuals in need,” according to Janik. On the department’s website, shelter census numbers are higher than last year, with 43,525 persons in shelters on Aug. 6. Families found eligible for temporary emergency housing are placed in a shelter the same day they apply, and are assisted in moving toward permanent housing.
But, the new shelters on West 95th Street represent a step backward, according to Assemblywoman Rosenthal, because temporary shelter housing will replace permanent, affordable housing.
Rosenthal said temporary shelters help “perpetuate homelessness,” because permanent housing helps formerly homeless people more in the long-term. She said other shelters have also opened up in the area without proper input from the community. On one occasion, 200 homeless men were placed on West 94th Street, only to be moved again after the community and DHS met and mutually decided the situation wasn’t right for anyone.
Another unsavory part of the deal, officials said, is that the building owner was fined $600,000 in 2011, when the buildings were being operated as illegal hotels.
Nonetheless, the department will move forward with its plan, “so that our clients can live and be served with dignity and respect,” said Janik.
With reporting by Benjamin Chasteen
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