The controversial homeless shelters at 316 and 330 West 95th street are still operating, even though it does not appear that the shelter operator has a current contract with the city. The 400-adult shelter was opened on a temporary basis last August without public review, and the operators are now seeking a five-year contract with the backing of the city Department of Homeless Services. After a heated meeting on January 30, we haven’t heard much from elected officials — including from Borough President Scott Stringer, who had vowed to block it. Comptroller John Liu has to sign off on the shelter before it’s approved, and there’s no mention of the new contract on his website. His spokesman hasn’t gotten back to us.
Meanwhile, DHS Commissioner Seth Diamond penned a letter to the mayor attempting to justify the contract and refute critics. In it, he says the city has done outreach to the community and even has a “community advisory board,” which comes as news to us. He also said the shelter is “cost-effective,” despite costing taxpayers more than $3,300 per unit (about $3,700 under the proposed contract), even though the units don’t have bathrooms or kitchens. Diamond now calls the shelters “Freedom East” and “Freedom West.” The full letter is here. Aaron Biller of activist group Neighborhood in the Nineties responded to Diamond’s letter here. (both are pdf’s)
One of the few bits of news we’ve heard recently was from a shelter resident, who told us that the shelter lost heat about a week ago. Gale Brewer’s office told us they had to scramble last week to get the heat turned back on.
Neighborhood in the Nineties will hold a meeting on Tuesday night to sort through the shelter issue and other local concerns. It will be held at Symphony Space at 6:15 p.m. Details here.
Check out all of our coverage here.
We cannot attend the meeting but we are in full support of
Neighborhood in the Nineties. Seth Diamond has proven himself to be just a politican without any morality or sense of ethics.
A sincere thank you to Mr. Biller for his efforts.
Thanks to Neighborhood in the Nineties and Aaron Biller for keeping up the pressure. It is appalling how our community is being treated with such disregard by our city. We deserve better.
“Freedom East” and “Freedom West”….I like it
I am wondering, do we yet know why these shelters are still allowed to operate WITHOUT a contract?Isn’t that illegal? Taxpayer money is being used to fund these operations without any oversight. It is law that any taxpayer funded facilities MUST have a vetted and signed contract. These shelters have now operated a full month with NO CONTRACT. How can this happen? I have no idea why we don’t have a lawsuit here. They must be having a good laugh at our expense, especially Alan Lapes in his 3.5M home in New Jersey-nice to be in the slumlord business!!!
Is there an official schedule of NiN (the genX-er in me can’t resist…) meetings? I *just* found out about tonight’s meeting on this blog, and can’t go.
Hi Amy,
Check out the NiN website: http://n90s.org. We’ll also try to stay on top of the issue and any meetings at West Side Rag. Avi
You ultra liberals on the upper west side have only yourselves to blame.
and Gale Brewer.
Let these buildings be renovated to the normal housing they where originally built as.
SRO days are over.
if not , you get this.
wake up
If these so called do gooders and advocates for the poor, really cared about the people, they would seek lower cost locations so they could help twice as many folks at half the price.
This is just a land grab pure and simple and paid for by you and I.
Read today’s NYT article on Century Village and Kings Point , Florida.
It would be cheaper for the New York taxpayer to buy condos in Florida for the so called homeless out of state then to warehouse them in the country ‘s most expensive county (New York).
Also, can they appeal the law the requires New York to house each and everyone who demands it. NO OTHER CITY OR STATE HAS TO DO THIS. You know this was a lawusuit and ruling by an equaly biased judge.
There are no gates at our entrances and plenty of affordable housing elsewhere.
And if are you not here in New York working and are on the government teet, sorry we have nothing more for you.
You do not deserve or are entitiled to a Manhattan pied a tiere.
Any more new on this?