Residents fear new men’s shelter will disrupt the Westchester Square neighborhood
There’s a new men’s shelter opening on Poplar Street in Westchester Square and residents are not happy about it.
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There's a new men's shelter opening on Poplar Street in Westchester Square - and residents are not happy about it.
"It's not good for the community," said one resident.
"I don't feel safe walking around here," said another.
News 12 spoke with a resident who lives next door to the shelter.
He said he wants to move, but he can't afford it.
The shelter is less than a mile away from an existing men's shelter on Blondell Avenue.
"The city's not supposed to place shelters with the same population to close together," said Sandi Lusk, from the Westchester Square-Zerega Improvement Organization. Lusk has advocated against this shelter and the one on Blondell Avenue.
There's also a special needs school across the street. Teachers told News 12 they fear for their safety and for the kids. One teacher even said strange men stare at the children as they board the bus.
News 12 reached out to the Department of Homeless Services. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
"In order to meet our legal and moral mandate to provide shelter to every individual and family in need, we must necessarily ensure that adequate shelter capacity is available to meet demand. As such, DHS continues to work to open new, high-quality facilities, like this one, across the five boroughs. This site will provide individuals experiencing homelessness with a safe and dignified place stay and an array of services designed to help them access critical care, stabilize their lives, and ultimately transition to stable, permanent housing. We look forward to working with Children's Rescue Fund, the not-for-profit provider who will operate this site, to bring this facility online and provide crucial supports to an incredibly vulnerable population. As with all DHS facilities, we are committed to prioritizing security, maintaining open lines of communication with the community, and working collaboratively with all our partners to support these individuals on their journey to stability."
DSS also said it notified residents of the shelter in July 2021 and it is set to open this upcoming spring.
