New York Mayor Eric Adams (Democrat) announced On Friday, the city announced plans to close more than 20 immigrant shelters, while also opening a large new facility in the Bronx to house single adult men.
in decemberThe Adams administration announced the closure of several shelters, including facilities at Floyd Bennett Field and Randalls Island. Both locations had large tent cities, and local residents claimed that the areas had become hotbeds of criminal activity.
“It's going to get more violent.”
Adams believes the closure is due to a drop in new arrivals.
New York City plans to close several more locations Friday, but will “open a small brick-and-mortar complex on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx exclusively for single adult men transferred from the tent-based emergency scene on Randall's Island.” announced. ”
More details about the new shelter have emerged since the Adams administration's announcement.
of new york post The city reported in December that it received approval for the 2,200-bed facility, noting it would cost taxpayers between $250,000 and $340,000 to operate it.
The shelter will be located near The Hub, a commercial district known as one of the city's most drug-ridden areas.
A city spokesperson told the Post the new shelter is a “temporary relocation.”
“Thanks to our strong response to this unprecedented humanitarian crisis, New York City saw its emergency shelter system population decline for more than six consecutive months and was able to close 46 migrant shelters in one year. “The spokesperson said.
The city says closing the shelters will save taxpayers $2.8 billion.
Bronx residents told news outlets they were unaware of the city's plans to open new shelters in their neighborhoods until recently.
Congressman Ritchie Torres (New York) harshly criticized the Adams administration's decision.
“Instead of dismantling the hub's open-air drug market, the city is treating the South Bronx as a dumping ground for an endless influx of shelters,” Torres said.
“The Bronx is treated differently than other parts of the city,” Torres added. “We are treated as a second-class borough of New York City.”
Serene Bilal, 21, a Bronx resident, told the Post that opening the shelter was the “wrong move” and questioned the administration's choice of location.
“We need to work with the people who are already here. We have a problem,” Bilal continued. “It's going to be dangerous.”
“We don't know who these people are. We're not talking about 10 people. We're talking about thousands. That's a lot,” she said. added.
A local store manager told the news outlet that he was “concerned” for the safety of his female employees and may consider changing some shifts.
“We are generally concerned because we have people on the streets and reports of theft. The situation will only get worse,” he said. “I think they're disposing of it in a shady area on the edge of the Bronx where they don't think it's going to affect people.”
A woman who works in the area also told the Post she was concerned about safety, saying, “There's no police around here.”
“There will be more problems,” she said of the new shelter. “I think it's going to be more violent.”
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