Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, with Congressman Jerry Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Assembly Member Danny O'Donnell, and Council Member Mark Levine have sent a letter to Commissioner Steven Banks, who oversees the Department of Homeless Services, strongly opposing a proposal to transition a women's shelter on the Upper West Side into a men's shelter. The planned transition, which was met with fierce objection at a September 24th Community Board 7 meeting, may be imminent and involve significant eviction and displacement.
In their letter opposing the plan, the elected officials said that "We take issue both with the process employed by your agency and, more pressingly, with the substance of the proposed change," and "We ask that you reconsider your proposed change to the resident population at the 107th Street shelter." The full letter is below and can be downloaded here. October 2, 2019
Dear Commissioner Banks: We write in opposition to the proposed changes to the resident population at the HELP-USA-run shelter at 237 West 107th Street. We take issue both with the process employed by your agency and, more pressingly, with the substance of the proposed change.
On September 16th, some elected officials received phone calls informing them of the shelter's transition from a women's shelter to a men's shelter. We asked the Community Board (CB) to take up this issue and on September 24th, over 70 shelter and neighborhood residents attended the CB 7 Health and Human Services Committee meeting. Everyone attending that night asked that the current shelter population of women remain. The Committee then unanimously passed a resolution requesting that the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) keep the shelter as is. No one from DHS attended that meeting, either to present information or to answer questions. In addition, on September 26th, CB 7 wrote a letter to HRA reiterating its position. On September 30th, over 100 shelter and neighborhood residents met in a nearby church. Shelter residents expressed anxiety about the lack of information, while neighbors expressed their strong support for the women at the shelter as well as their equally strong opposition to changing the current resident population to men.
As the elected representatives of the neighbors and residents of 237 West 107th Street, we have a primary responsibility to advocate for our constituents. Many of the women who currently reside in the shelter have jobs (some work for the City of New York) and all are members of our community. We want them to remain here. Because there has been no formal communication, presentation at the Community Board or for community residents, rumors abound. We are only able to determine your agency's proposed plans for the women and the building through individual phone calls to members of your staff. This is in itself a disservice to all who are actively engaged in our communities.
We ask that you reconsider your proposed change to the resident population at the 107th Street shelter, and that your agency communicate with all involved. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your response.