Upper East Side Safe Haven Plans Jolted As Shelter Provider Drops Out

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The nonprofit that was supposed to operate the Safe Haven shelter in Yorkville withdrew from the project this week after the city changed its model — the latest setback for the long-delayed facility.

Goddard Riverside, which had been attached to the East 91st Street Safe Haven since it was first unveiled well over a year ago, told people involved in the project that it was pulling out in a Monday email.

"In recent communications with the Department of Homeless Services and Department of Social Services, we learned that they have decided to change the model design of the facility on East 91st Street," Goddard's executive director, Roderick Jones, wrote in the email, which was shared with Patch.

"This model is inconsistent with Goddard's service delivery approach and so we as an organization have decided not to continue as the operator."

City Councilmember Julie Menin's office told Patch that the change involved tweaking the Safe Haven to be more of a "welcome center" where unhoused people would stay for shorter periods, rather than the longer-term stays that had been envisioned earlier.

The defining characteristic of Safe Havens — low thresholds for admission and fewer rules governing clients' behavior — would remain unchanged. Still, the changes were deemed unacceptable by Godard Riverside: a prominent nonprofit based on the Upper West Side that operates four supportive housing facilities in Manhattan and another Safe Haven in Queens.

Goddard was not able to comment on the situation before this article was published.

The Department of Homeless Services told Patch that it will find a new provider with the goal of opening the Safe Haven by 2024 — two years later than originally planned.

"Working together with the community, we’re confident that these New Yorkers will be warmly welcomed—and through collaborative and compassionate support, we will make this the best experience it can be for these individuals as they get back on their feet," spokesperson Neha Sharma said, noting that the Upper East Side has no full-time facilities devoted to homeless services.

The agency did not comment on the apparent changes to the proposal, saying only that its process for picking a shelter provider "allows for reasonable changes to the proposal during ongoing contract negotiations, as long as the stakeholders are aligned."

"We look forward to bringing a high-quality first-of-its-kind Safe Haven in this community, offering approximately 80-90 New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness a place to come inside, receive support and continued staff engagement, and begin to rebuild their lives as they transition off the street and subways," Sharma said.

Menin, in a statement, said the city "must now identify a qualified and experienced provider who can deliver high standards of service and care while working with local stakeholders."

In April, Mayor Eric Adams's administration opened a first-of-its-kind "welcome center" in a former Bronx hotel building, using a new model that the publication City Limits described as "a sort of way station between the streets and other shelter settings, like Safe Havens and stabilization rooms."

Zabar squabble

Initially slated to open in January 2022, the Safe Haven has been significantly delayed — in part due to opposition from some neighboring residents and property owners.

The most notable detractor has been the restaurateur Eli Zabar, who owns several buildings surrounding the planned site of the seven-story Safe Haven at 419 East 91st St.

Zabar has insisted that his opposition centers on the construction plans for the shelter, which his attorneys say would risk damaging his own building. A Manhattan judge agreed with Zabar earlier this year, ruling that developers had not proven that their plans were safe.

The developers, Bayrock Capital, counter that Zabar is motivated by more classic "NIMBY" concerns — alleging that he privately vowed to do "everything he could to delay" the Safe Haven, namely by refusing to grant temporary access to his own building.

A new lawsuit by the developers seeking an order that would grant them access to Zabar's property is now pending.

The Safe Haven has been supported by elected officials including City Councilmember Julie Menin and her predecessor Ben Kallos, as well as a coalition of community members who wrote an open letter to Zabar earlier this month, urging him to let the project move forward.

"Increasing Safe Haven beds is absolutely critical to addressing the homelessness crisis in our city as our most vulnerable New Yorkers need dedicated resources," Menin said in a statement this week, after Goddard withdrew. "The City must transition individuals off the streets and into supportive housing."

Some in the neighborhood were left puzzled by Goddard's withdrawal from the Safe Haven, since the city's tweaks to the proposal did not appear to include any drastic changes.

One community leader, who asked not to be identified, told Patch they found it "odd" that Goddard had pulled out, noting that the organization had also faced scrutiny this year for firing the beloved leader of the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center without any public explanation.

Related coverage:

• Eli Zabar Is No NIMBY, Lawyers Tell Upper East Side Shelter Defenders
• Stop Blocking UES Shelter, Neighborhood Leaders Tell Eli Zabar
• New UES Shelter Overwhelmingly Backed By Community Board
• New 'Safe Haven' Shelter On Upper East Side Welcomed By Board