By Carol Tannenhauser
It’s been nearly two months since a group of homeless veterans living in a shelter in Brooklyn applied for and were accepted into permanent affordable housing at 330 West 95th street. In early December, they were told by representatives of the City’s Human Resources Administration (HRA) and Bailey House, a nonprofit contracted to provide services to the vets, that they would be in their own homes by the new year. At a meeting that month, HRA officials said that as many as 20 vets would get rooms before the end of the year, with 135 total being placed by early 2016.
“We’re still waiting,” said Bruce Rutherford, one of the vets.
And they haven’t heard a word from either agency since.
They soon will, according to an HRA deputy commissioner, David Neustadt. “There seems to be an unfortunate misunderstanding about the plan for West 95th Street,” he said. “We will be communicating directly with the veterans to clear that up and explain the plan.” Another government official told us the vets will start moving in next month after renovations are made to the building.
Neustadt did say that the city has “been able to secure significant improvements in direct response to some of the community concerns cited in the December community meeting that we held at the school across the street. But it is taking some time for construction of those improvements.”
He declined to discuss the specifics of the improvements or community concerns. Bailey House did not respond at all.
Meanwhile, Bruce and his fellow homeless veterans wait. It’s been a frustrating and demeaning process, as Bruce describes below:
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By Bruce Rutherford
On December 7, 2015, representatives from Bailey House, a social service agency, arrived on the second floor of the Doe Fund’s Porter Avenue facility in Brooklyn. The second floor is where some of New York City’s homeless military veterans are temporarily sheltered, subsidized in part through the Veterans Affairs Administration’s Grant Per Diem (GPD) program.
Bailey House (BH), along with Harlem United — another social service agency — had been contracted to manage and provide supportive services at 330 W. 95th Street, on Manhattan’s UWS, a forthcoming affordable housing and multi-dwelling-unit building for formerly homeless veterans.
The purpose of the visit by BH representatives was to encourage veterans to sign-up for those available units on 95th Street. We were shown exterior and interior pictures of the building depicting some of its amenities. The application and screening process was initiated; a toured viewing was scheduled for the following week. Some veterans, including myself, signed-up for the units on that very same day — physical site unseen. More veterans would sign-up after the toured viewings. The only thing that remained was for the veteran applicants to be sufficiently screened, so we were told. There should have been no expected problems for rent payments, since virtually every veteran who applied for a unit on 95th Street receives either a Section 8, LINK or SEPS monthly rent voucher. The people from BH went on to tell us that because of the Mayor’s initiative to house homeless veterans, we should be moving into the units before Christmas, or at least before the new year.
When we signed-up for the units, HRA workers informed us that as a bonus/incentive we would be receiving a $1,000 Target gift card from the city.
Those dates seemed doable to us, considering the recent sense of urgency the city had put on housing homeless veterans, even placing Department of Homeless Services and Human Resources Administration staff at the Porter facility — seven days a week — for that express purpose. In fact, David Neustadt, an HRA deputy commissioner, speaking with much fanfare stated, “In keeping with the mayor’s initiative on homelessness, the veterans will be moving into the 95th Street units before Christmas” on Dec. 16. Thus, many of us prepared for what we thought would be an imminent move. That was two months ago. We’re still waiting.
It’s deplorable that veterans who’ve applied for permanent housing at the 95th Street building continue to remain in limbo, without any notification whatsoever from a city agency on the status of our applications, despite it being more than two months since our supposed move-in day. We all had made plans to move-in, many foregoing the search for other housing. It imposes an extreme hardship in trying to make plans for gaining or maintaining employment, for instance, when you’re unaware of what your housing status will be from week-to-week. But this is what the city is putting us through. Our housing vouchers will expire, if not used by a certain date, and may or may not be renewed. In grappling with the overall challenges of just being homeless, we are now dealing with the added stress of waiting for 95th Street, although we have no idea when it will happen. It’s a shame that the city is treating veterans – anyone for that matter – with such indifference.
At 8:30 last night (2/2/16), a Ms. Dean — an HRA supervisory-level employee — convened an impromptu meeting of all the veterans at the Porter Avenue facility. She announced that the city had “switched its focus from housing homeless veterans to housing homeless families.” Thus, they would have scant housing listings for veterans in the immediate future. At one point during this very short meeting, one of the vets inquired about the impending status of 95th Street. Her response: “95th Street is up in the air right now; it might happen next month, or it might happen in July.” She went on to say that there are ‘some problems’ with the community wanting us there. When I pressed her to elaborate on this, she declined.
In recent days, I’ve reached on the phone one of the vice presidents of Bailey House, who told me that the city is still in negotiations with the landlord of the building and that he had no idea when, or if, we’ll be able to move-in.
Will the city treat me and my fellow veterans with at least a modicum of courtesy by giving us information on the continued viability of the 95th Street building? We feel that they owe us at least that, so that we can try and move on with our lives.
Bruce, what can we do to help? While housing homeless families is important nobody should be promised housing and then have the city renege on the promise.
Thanks,Anon, for responding. What I would advise concerned citizens to do, particularly upper-west-siders, is help keep the city’s feet to the fire by imploring that the project is expedited. Contact the office of HRA’s deputy commissioner, David Neustadt and council woman’s Helen Rosenthal’s office, whose district covers community board 7 where the proposed affordable housing for veterans is located. Let them know that the city needs to stop dragging its feet and house the homeless veterans on 95th Street. Thanks, again, Anon!
Come on people, the HRA’s primary focus is to provide low-cost housing to gang banging crews like Money Comes First and No Love City. Homeless vets who served honorably are way down the priority list. #DeblasiosNY
Because they have Ended Chronic Veterans Homelessness. They made an announcement. They specifically mentioned this building that Bruce isn’t being allowed to move into.
https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/984-15/federal-government-new-york-city-has-ended-chronic-veteran-homelessness
It’s shameful.
I still don’t understand what this housing facility is all about as there is a lot of vagueness and unanswered questions concerning this project.
For instance, is it supposed to provide short-term housing for troubled veterans in order for them to receive assistance and then move on?
Or is it supposed to be a permanent housing solution for these veterans?
What about spouses and families? Are a veteran’s family allowed to live there?
I wish there would be more clarification.
To answer your question, Shapiro, it will be affordable, permanent, housing for single veterans, who may or not be any more troubled — your word — than having the misfortune of being without a home.
Apologies, that should of read Shamir.
It’s for single adults, and it’s meant to be permanent affordable housing, with some services to help people get back on their feet. WSR
I would also love to hear how a concerned community can help, Bruce.
In the meantime, it’s possible to write to the HRA commissioner about this issue:
https://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mailhra.html
It seems the snow on the sidewalks lasted longer than the city’s word
i hope this gets cleared up QUICKLY and the vets are allowed to move in.
Bruce Rutherford, thank you for the update… and let us know if there is anyone whom community members can write to in order to speed things up.
Hello, again, Mr. Bernstein, largely due to the stellar reporting done by Carol Tannenhauser and the Rag on this issue, I’m happy to report that those of us veterans who are waiting to move-in to our permanent housing on 95th just received a letter — today — from the city’s HRA commissioner, Steven Banks. In the letter, he stated that the first fifty vets should be moving into 330 W.95th Street in about a month, in no small measure to tolerant neighbors like yourself, Mr. Bernstein. I look most forward to being your UWS neighbor.Thanks friend.
That’s great. Please let us know through the West Side Rag of any further delays. Can’t wait to welcome you to the neighborhood.
Is there any particular reason that this shelter has to be on the UWS where there is a massive housing shortage? As opposed to an area where the housing could be built and operated more cheaply with more units?
The days of your part of the Upper West Side being desirable is over, I hope you didn’t pay too much to live here
It’s always been a shelter. Read the WSR’s earlier articlehttps://www.westsiderag.com/2015/12/16/city-plans-to-affordable-housing-for-veterans-at-shelter-site-on-95th
Regardless of how you feel about the location of these vets, promising them homes are just a few days away and then not delivering is abhorrent.
Point of clarification – it was not always a shelter. It was an SRO until 2012, when it was turned into the notorious “Freedom House” homeless shelter. It wreaked havoc on the neighborhood and remaining SRO residents, and the community fought hard to remove it. Eventually the number of residents was reduced from 400 to 200. Permanent housing for Veterans is certainly preferable than another shelter. However, if the agencies involved mismanage this project like they did Freedom House, then everyone – including the Vets themselves – will suffer. The City must be held accountable.
IT IS NOT A SHELTER. SHELTERS ARE MEANT TO BE TRANSITIONAL. THIS IS PERMANENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING MEANT TO LIFT VETERANS OUT OF HOMELESSNESS..
That HRA staff member name is Sharlon Dean. She introduced herself as the Assistant Commissioner of HRA.
Curious Bruce if you received your Target card…I’m a Vet that moved into my permanent housing on 97th st UWS in Nov 2015…
I was sceptical about the Target card nevertheless I signed up through a case worker for vets at my house…I’m waiting to see if it was a real offer?
David, we did not receive the gift card. From what I understand, it is due at the lease signing. I’ll keep you posted.