East Flatbush residents rally against planned men’s shelter
Dozens of people gathered outside the Holiday Inn on Kings Highway on Wednesday to protest the change, arguing the city failed to consult residents or local leaders before moving forward with the conversion.
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Residents and elected officials in East Flatbush are criticizing the mayor and the Department of Social Services after learning that a women and children’s shelter will be converted into a shelter for single adult men.
They say the decision was made without community input and displaces families who had established roots in the neighborhood.
Dozens of people gathered outside the Holiday Inn on Kings Highway on Wednesday to protest the change, arguing the city failed to consult residents or local leaders before moving forward with the conversion.
Councilmember Farah Louis said she received an email from the Department of Social Services on Monday notifying her that the women and children’s shelter would become a men’s shelter.
Louis said her district already has five homeless shelters and argued that converting the facility violates New York City’s Fair Share mandate, which is intended to promote the equitable distribution of municipal facilities, including homeless shelters, across the five boroughs.
She also said the neighborhood had embraced the families living at the shelter. Children attended local schools, community members organized food and clothing drives, and nearby businesses hired some of the mothers.
According to Louis, most of the families were relocated Tuesday night, disrupting the support systems they had established in the community.
Residents and local leaders said the decision disregards the wishes of the neighborhood and called for greater transparency and community engagement in future shelter placement decisions.
We reached out to the Department of Social Services and the mayor’s office and are waiting to hear back.
