Shelter Woes Spread From Crown Heights to Bed Stuy
It’s hard for a neighborhood to pull itself up when the government keeps pushing it down. On the heels of this summer’s shocker that the Department of Homeless Services was planning to move its main intake center from the east side of Manhattan to the Bedford-Atlantic Armory comes news that the Sumner Avenue Armory (now…
It’s hard for a neighborhood to pull itself up when the government keeps pushing it down. On the heels of this summer’s shocker that the Department of Homeless Services was planning to move its main intake center from the east side of Manhattan to the Bedford-Atlantic Armory comes news that the Sumner Avenue Armory (now on what’s called Marcus Garvey Boulevard) is about to get dumped on as well. As per an email we received yesterday, the shelter, which currently houses 200 men, is scheduled to get more than a thousand new bodies sent its way as a result of the Manhattan dislocation and a reshuffling at Bedford-Atlantic. Sounds like a shaft to us. There’s a meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the St. Christopher-Ottilie Beacon Center (PS 35) 272 MacDonough (between Lewis and Marcus Garvey). For more information you can also call Ms. Blackshear at 347-325-4635, Ms. Robinson at 718-574-8199 or Ms. Cobbs at 347-683-5047.
Important Town Hall Meeting This Thursday [Bed Stuy Blog]
Homeless Intake Center Plan Provokes Broad Opposition [Brownstoner]
Pols Gather to Pan Crown Heights Homeless Plan [Brownstoner]
March, Rally Held Over Crown Heights Homeless Plan [Brownstoner]
Photo from Bed Stuy Banana
Department of Homeless Services, but it comes from the top, we’re pretty sure.
“Can someone please tell me what government agency or council member allowed this?”
From what I’ve read it’s a Bloomberg decision.
Stonergut, I don’t know what year you were talking about, but the issues you mentioned were happening all over the city during the 80’s. It was never unique to Ft Greene or shelter neighborhoods.
This news is infuriating. Everyone has to do their part to support the homeless, but the armory on Bedford is more than Bed-Stuy’s fair share. You better believe that in this economy there will be a large increase in the numbers of unemployed and potentially destitute men.
What are Bed Stuy residents to do when the plight of the city is being dumped in our laps?
Can someone please tell me what government agency or council member allowed this?
If I was homeless I’d “take the summer off” and walk to the west coast or the south or the southwest to live in a warmer climate. Always wonder why these guys stick around these nasty NE winters!!!!
i probably am still a lil drunk from last night (i stole a shopping cart btw!) well it was just sitting outside my building. i dragged it into my bedroom! sorry for the off topic. but um well if im ever homeless ill have my own cart? i dont need no damn shelter!
-r
As much as I’d like to be generous about this and say “But the homeless need a place too” I’d like to point out the difference in day to day quality of life which occcurred in Fort Greene as SOON as the previous residential hotel for homeless men opposite BAM (the parking lot adjacent to Mark Morris is there now) was closed and then demolished.
Before – when there were hundreds of beds there – Fort Greene had our garbage cans stolen almost weekly, plants stolen, other petty crime, agressive squeegee guys and radios stolen. In a famous rant Garrison Keillor – who briefly broadcast from BAM back then – talked about walking up Flatbush Ave. to BAM and noting all of the “No Radio” signs in the windows of almost every car asked “When I’m recording a radio show, it kind of makes me wonder ‘why bother?’.” In those days I’d have my battery stolen then I’d walk down to Park Ave. to a place that sold re-habbed batteries and buy back the one they’d stolen the week before.
As soon as the building was demolished and services moved elsewhere, this constant background of petty crime stopped.
Given the current financial turmoil, I’d want homeless New Yorkers to be given the best treatment possible. I think they deserve Manhattan condos.
“I think they should turn the armory in the south slope into a homeless shelter.”
Hello, try a little Google guys:
“Since the 1980’s, the garrison of the Park Slope Armory has been used as a municipal shelter, and currently hosts a 70-bed program for homeless women …”
Instead of arguing over where the homeless should be sheltered, why not fix the problem of homelessness once and for all by addressing the bigger picture so there are no more homeless. After McCain-Obama finds a solution to this problem along with the rest of our current challenges only then can we start thinking about converting these beautiful buildings into condos.
Anyone on the forum ever checked out the interiors of these buildings?
I haven’t been inside my self and wonder what shape they’re in.