100s Of UWSers Sign Letter Of Support For New 83rd Street Safe Haven

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — More than 200 Upper West Siders recently signed a letter of support for the incoming West 83rd Street Safe Haven.

The letter —shared exclusively with Patch — comes around two weeks after the announcement at a Community Board 7 meeting that an 108-bed safe haven for people experiencing homelessness will open in March or April at 106-108 W. 83rd St.

"Some folks have been asking 'why here?' with regard to this Safe Haven," reads the letter signed by more than 215 Upper West Siders. "Much of the rhetoric around the Safe Haven has relied on an unspoken assumption: that some neighborhoods are appropriate locations for housing and services for folks experiencing homelessness, and that the Upper West Side is not one of them."

"We ask: why not here? The Upper West Side is a high-opportunity, amenity-rich neighborhood, with lots of parks, jobs, and excellent public transit access," the letter adds. "It’s an ideal place for people to get back on their feet, for the same reasons that many of us chose to live here. Regardless, the Upper West Side is not a gated community; no one has a right to decide that a certain “type” of person is unwelcome in this neighborhood."

The incoming Upper West Side safe haven will serve all genders, with residents getting directly referred by outreach teams who will walk and monitor the surrounding Upper West Side-area to build a rapport with people living on the streets.

It will be operated by the provider Breaking Ground.

There were both community board members and Upper West Siders who voiced their support and worries about the incoming facility during the meeting on Feb. 28.

Many of those worries were about the proximity of the new safe haven to P.S. 9 and the Center School, as well as its very large playground yard directly across the street.

Qualms were also raised about the lack of discussion that went into picking the location, and the number of beds in each room, which will range from one to four.

"Finally, a common concern we have heard is that this Safe Haven is close to several schools. Those of us who are parents care deeply about our children’s well-being and safety," reads a different section of the support letter. "Having a shelter in our neighborhood is an opportunity to help our children develop empathy and caring."

"We would rather explain to our children that the UWS is welcoming people who need homes than explain that we are leaving people to sleep unsheltered because our city of wealth cannot be moved to help them," the letter added.

The letter of support from Upper West Siders also comes 10 days after The New York Post published an article that shared exclusively comments from locals opposed to the safe haven.

“I foresee fighting, I foresee public drinking and drunkenness. I foresee a lot of bad stuff, and that’s not just me holding my pearls — that’s just the reality,” a woman who is a mother of a student at P.S. 9 told the Post.

The 106-108 W. 83rd St. building housing homeless people is not new.

While it has been unused over the past year during renovations, it most recently served as the Basics Housing Men's Shelter, which was open from 2012 until its closure in 2021. It housed 130 men at its capacity.

The letter of support for the safe haven was addressed to multiple elected officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, Council Member Gale Brewer, and Borough President Mark Levine.

You can read the full letter — HERE.