Dozens rally in Canarsie against plan to build 200-bed single men's shelter near middle school
Officials said Midway Living will operate the shelter, which is expected to open in 2028.
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Dozens of people, including elected leaders, parents, and teachers rallied in Canarsie on Monday to protest a plan to build a 200-bed single men's shelter on East 108th Street -- located just one block from the Science and Medicine Middle School 366.
"You want to put it next to a school - a middle school for God's sake!" Said Council Member Mercedes Narcisse (D-46th District) "These are our children! Shame!"
Narcisse said the Department of Social Services told her last week that the shelter was coming to the community.
"When we spoke last year, there was no shelter plan," said Narcisse.
Officials said Midway Living will operate the shelter, which is expected to open in 2028.
Statement from a DSS spokesperson, “Last week, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) announced plans to open 12 new shelters across the five boroughs to increase high-quality shelter capacity and deliver stability to more New Yorkers. In accordance with Emergency Executive Order 2 (EEO2), this added capacity will also allow the City to phase-out of the use of commercial hotels and substandard sites for families with children by expanding compliant family shelter capacity. This announcement builds on the Mamdani Administration’s work to address unsafe conditions and over-capacity in shelter facilities such as at 30th Street and Bruckner Boulevard, while ensuring the City is on track to open a shelter in every council district and begin to alleviate the excessive density of shelters in certain communities. The 12 new shelters will be spread across Manhattan (4), Brooklyn (3) and Queens (3), Bronx (1), and Staten Island (1), and will all open between 2027 and 2030.”
The spokesperson also told News 12 that the city needs additional shelter capacity to "meet rising demand from single adults and meet its commitment to get families out of hotels."
"We deserve our understanding," said Narcisse. "We deserve to sit down and make a plan for our community with engagement of our people!"
Narcisse told the crowd that she requested a meeting with the DSS commissioner for Thursday, to which the crowd chanted, "We want the mayor!"
