Bronx neighbors push back as city shifts plans for housing project
City Council held the first public hearing for the Just Home project, two years after it was initially announced.
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After years of feeling like the forgotten children in The Bronx, the city may finally be listening to Indian Village neighbors.
City Council held the first public hearing for the Just Home project, two years after it was initially announced.
The housing initiative aims to provide studio apartments for the formally incarcerated with medical needs, who would otherwise be homeless.
Dozens of Morris Park residents packed the chambers in opposition to the Jacobi Hospital location that would overlook their homes.
“We are losing the community, and we cannot all that,” said Franchie Muniz, who lives just blocks from Jacobi. He added that families in the Morris Park and Indian Village neighborhoods have repeatedly asked for assisted housing for their elderly neighbors but feel their voices have been dismissed.
Community frustration only grew when Health + Hospitals, the agency behind the proposal, did not appear at the hearing. Several council members also left before the public had a chance to testify.
“What’s happening? We’re forgetting about the family values in the area,” Muniz said.
While the opposition has been fierce, the city now says it is no longer pursuing the Just Home project at Jacobi Hospital. Instead, officials are considering other potential locations for the housing initiative.
The project’s future is unclear. For now, the council is accepting written testimony on the matter for the next three days.
