A new homeless shelter is proposed to open on Inwood Avenue by West 170th Street, and local residents say this isn’t fair to their neighborhood.

“There should be shelters in Riverdale, there should be shelters in the Pelhams, there should be shelters in Morris Park,” said Martha Reyes, a frustrated member of Community Board 4. “By bringing in more homeless population, how are we helping the others that live here already?”

The shelter is set to be in close proximity to a school and in a residential area.

Council member Althea Stevens also vocalized her concerns about the new shelter.

“Why does every time a new shelter comes, we are the first stop?” said Stevens. “We’re not saying we don’t understand the housing crisis that we’re in, we're willing to do our part, but we need other people throughout the city to do their part as well."

Council member Stevens believes the best solution would be to open more permanent housing solutions in the community.

The Department of Social Services provided this statement:

"This new high-quality facility will serve as a replacement for an older shelter building currently being used to serve families with children experiencing homelessness in this community. Since we notified the community about this site in October 2021, we have phased out the use of all cluster units in this Community District. As part of these efforts, we are also looking at phasing-out the use of certain buildings for shelter services that are nearing the end of their useful life. To that end, the high-quality facility at 1298 Inwood Avenue will serve as a replacement for an older building currently being used to operate a traditional shelter program for families with children experiencing homelessness in this Community District."