Greenwood Heights Association voices opposition to new DHS men’s shelter
Residents claim the neighborhood already has existing shelters that are creating issues and feel that adding another one would disproportionally target their community.
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The Greenwood Heights Association is hoping to get more information on, and ultimately block, a proposed Department of Homeless Services shelter located at 225 25th Street.
Residents say their Community Board and the Office of Council Woman Alexis Aveles were told by DHS that the facility would be moving forward with a plan for a 200+ bed men's shelter this week.
"We are saturated, we feel that there are a number of these facilities in the community, and it is becoming a quality-of-life issue,” said resident Don Gabor.
Residents claim the neighborhood already has existing shelters that are creating issues and feel that adding another one would disproportionally target their community.
"The city has a fair share policy and that promises an equal distribution of services throughout every neighborhood. And we just don't see that happening," said resident Nathan Wasserbauer. “People feel unsafe early in the morning or late at night. You add another 200 men to that situation and it isn't fair to the people who are in the shelters. They deserve to be spread out a little bit."
Resident Barbara Lee tells News 12 she currently lives next to one of the existing shelters and is not confident a larger scale building would be a solution. She says she was in the homeless shelter system herself back in the 1980s, and believes the current system is not working.
"We had to show proof we were working. We showed the counselors like every week what we worked and how much we made and how much we were putting away until we found housing," she said. "They're constantly…yelling, and they're drinking. They're smoking weed. It is every day…If they build this facility this large with that many people, it is going to totally ruin this neighborhood."
Residents are calling on Council Member Alexis Aveles to oppose to the project, as well as learn what the scope of programs planned for potential shelter residents. "We think this is warehousing people that deserve more space. We'd like to see the capacity reduced but we do not even know what to ask for, what to push for because we feel left in the dark," Wasserbauer said. News 12 reached out to DHS and the Department of Social Services for comment and are awaiting a response.
