New York City is planning to quietly open a homeless shelter for drug users and ex-convicts just five feet from the entrance to a Lower Manhattan elementary school, according to information obtained by The Washington Post.
The city’s Department of Social Services waited until June 13 to notify local elected officials and zoning board members about its controversial plan to convert the former Hampton Inn at 320 Pearl St., in the shadow of the South Street Seaport, into a 106-bed “shelter” attached to Peck Slip School.
The facility would be a “low-barrier” facility, meaning barriers such as alcohol status and criminal history that are typically used to screen residents for community safety could be removed.
Meanwhile, students and faculty began their summer vacation on Wednesday, with the shelters scheduled to open in the fall.
“It seems like they want to push this through when no one is there,” said an exasperated parent with a son in third grade. “I know there are evacuation centers in many areas, but they’re not attached to schools.”
Parents and students at Peck Slip High School were not informed of the shocking news until June 19, and only after it was confirmed by members of the kindergarten through fifth grade school’s PTA.
Advocates said the shelter plan is especially infuriating given the sheer number of mentally ill homeless people roaming Gotham’s streets.
“There are so many homeless people who suffer from mental illness, and people with mental illnesses can become aggressive,” said a parent whose daughter attends kindergarten. “So [a shelter] Occupying the same space as a public school raises concerns.”
“There are so many empty hotels, so many empty buildings, so many empty things, surely they can find another place to move this,” fumed Kenny Grant, who also has a child in the kindergarten.
The future shelter will be just 55 feet away from an unfenced playground that students use every day during recess.
The nonprofit organization Breaking Ground runs the shelter.
The company has similar contracts to operate “safe shelters” across the city as part of Mayor Adams’ $300 million annual investment to expand outreach and programs aimed at getting homeless people with mental illness off the streets and subways.
“These types of facilities are typically single-sex and primarily serve men experiencing homelessness,” the Peck Slip PTA said in a letter to parents.
“We believe that if a shelter must be opened at the location, it should be a family-oriented shelter,” the letter adds.
DSS spokesman Nicholas Yacobelli said Friday that Breaking Ground will provide 24-hour on-site security with cameras and security guards to ensure new residents are good neighbors.
“We remain committed to maintaining open lines of communication with our community, working together to support our vulnerable neighbors and addressing concerns as they arise,” Yacobelli said.
“It is critical that these accessible beds are established throughout the city, especially in areas that have traditionally had high concentrations of unsheltered patients,” DSS Chief Strategy Officer Christopher Gonzalez said in a June 13 letter defending the plan to Community Board 1 District Manager Zach Boomer.
