Homeless 'Behavior' Around Park Slope Women's Shelter Will Be Subject Of Community Meeting

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Are you concerned with the behavior outside of the Park Slope women's shelter? Have any feedback you'd like to give the people who run the place?

Community members will have a chance to share their opinion about the shelter — located at an armory in the neighborhood between Seventh and Eighth avenues and 15th and 14th streets — at a community meeting this week.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Bishop Boardman Apartments, on Eighth Avenue between 16th Street and Windsor Place. It will address "community concerns about residents' behavior around the Park Slope Women’s Shelter," according to a notice sent out by the board.

The meeting is sponsored by CAMBA, a nonprofit that operates the shelter along with several others across the city. Community Board 7 is co-sponsoring the meeting. City Councilman Brad Lander will also attend.

CB7 District Manager Jeremy Laufer told Patch that the meeting wasn't called because of "a specific incident, but a number of complaints from the community."

In 2013, the shelter expanded and now holds 100 beds for homeless women.

"The supportive, structured and therapeutic facility provides temporary housing, nutritious meals and comprehensive services and assistance for mentally ill, substance-abusing women," CAMBA's website says.

"The shelter enables women to stabilize their condition and move toward permanent and/or supportive housing. Meals, 24/7 security and on-site medical and psychiatric services are provided. Residents are supported in accessing online resources, completing a virtual resume and applying for jobs."

Earlier this year, Community Board 6 hosted an informational meeting with the community about homeless shelters in the neighborhood (the shelter sits on the border of both community districts).

Community District 6, which includes Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Red Hook and Gowanus, will see an increase in shelter capacity under Mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to curb homelessness in the city, de Blasio said in a radio appearance this summer.

The Park Slope Women's Shelter is the only homeless shelter in that district.

Community District 7 includes Sunset Park, South Slope, Windsor Terrace and Kensington. It's not clear what the implications of the mayor's plan will be on that area.

Image via Google Streetview