Homeless Shelter Relocation Plan Opposed On UWS

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Upper West Side's local community board has voiced opposition to a city plan to relocate a neighborhood homeless shelter to another site a few blocks away.

Community Board 7 overwhelmingly passed a resolution to oppose the movement of West 94th Street's Freedom House to 306 W. 94th St., located between West End and Riverside Drive, and in favor working with the city Department of Homeless Services to relocate the shelter to a more appropriate site. The issue was not on the agenda for the board's Tuesday night meeting, but was thrust to the forefront due to a large amount of public comments opposed to the new shelter.

In addition to the resolution, Community Board 7 will task several of its committees to investigate the city's proposal as well as identify possible sites where Freedom House could be moved to.

The public opposition to the plan was led by Aaron Biller of the community group Neighborhood in the 90s. Biller called the city's plan a "crazy backroom deal" and said that the West 94th Street block where Freedom House will be relocated already contributes its "fair share" to homeless services.

"How fair can this promised redistribution be when you are opening a shelter on a block that is already doing more than most communities to house facilities that serve the homeless?" Biller said during the meeting.

Biller also claimed the proposed new shelter represents a safety risk for residents of West 94th Street and linked crime in the neighborhood to the existing Red Cross and Rustin House facilities on the block.

Thirty members of Community Board 7 voted in favor of the resolution compared to just two votes opposed.

The city's plan will closed Freedom House and open a new facility with a new operator, Praxis, that will accommodate 110 families.

"This new high-quality facility will offer 110 adult families experiencing homelessness the opportunity to be sheltered in their home borough, closer to their support networks and communities they called home as they stabilize their lives," a spokesperson for the Department of Homeless Services said in a statement in October.

Local City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal is supportive of the plan and said in October that she is "cautiously optimistic" about the new facility due to the city's previous partnerships with Praxis and the "more appropriate physical space" on West 94th Street.

The city first notified the community of the new West 94th Street shelter during a community meeting on Oct. 4, a city Department of Homeless Services spokesperson said.

Watch a stream of the full Community Board 7 meeting here:

Photo by Google Maps street view