Neighbors raise safety concerns over encampment near school in Sunset Park
Residents report seeing makeshift beds, blanket forts and what they believe to be drug paraphernalia throughout the encampment. Local shop owner Carol Lee says the activity has made the area feel unsafe.
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Neighbors in Sunset Park say they are increasingly concerned about a growing homeless encampment at 51st Street and 5th Avenue, describing unsafe and troubling conditions they witness daily.
Residents report seeing makeshift beds, blanket forts and what they believe to be drug paraphernalia throughout the encampment. Local shop owner Carol Lee says the activity has made the area feel unsafe.
“They do smoking, drugs and we’ve seen needles in the street,” Lee said. “Honestly, it doesn’t look safe.”
The encampment is located one block from P.S. 94, raising additional alarm among parents and school officials. Brooklyn Community Board 7 District Manager Jeremy Laufer said complaints from the school have prompted repeated cleanups in coordination with the 72nd NYPD Precinct, though the encampment often returns.
“The principal recently received complaints about this, worked with the 72nd to get it cleaned up, and folks moved back. That is a common occurrence at a lot of encampments,” Laufer said.
Tensions surrounding homelessness and shelter placement have also surfaced in nearby neighborhoods. In Sheepshead Bay, residents protested the opening of a local shelter in May, voicing opposition to placing unhoused individuals in the area.
“We’ve never had a homeless shelter here before, and we don’t need it now,” Sheepshead Bay resident Kelly Wade said during the protest.
However, others in the community argue that individuals experiencing homelessness deserve compassion, safety and access to resources that can help them rebuild their lives.
“They need to get a second chance,” said Juan, a local resident. “A second chance to start all over again from fresh.”
Laufer says he is hopeful that the incoming city administration led by Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will expand services for unhoused individuals and make meaningful progress in addressing the broader housing crisis.
For now, neighbors remain divided, balancing concerns about safety and quality of life with calls for humane solutions that move people off the streets and into stable housing.
