CB8 Meeting Tuesday Night to Discuss Bedford-Atlantic Armory

mister softee · August 2008

This Tuesday evening, CB8, the community board for most of Crown Heights and Prospect Heights will be holding a special session to discuss the city's plan to move NYC's only homeless men's intake shelter to the Bedford-Atlantic Armory. For anyone not familiar with this issue, the Department of Homeless Services is planning to convert the City's only male homeless intake center in Manhattan into a luxury hotel, and redirect 15,000 homeless men a year through Brooklyn to the Bedford Atlantic Armory in Crown Heights. Already opposed by almost every Brooklyn elected official, the Manhattan Boro President, the public advocate, the City Comptroller, and the city's homeless advocacy organizations, this plan is now being opposed by fast-growing and increasingly organized grassroots group of neighborhood residents. Everyone is encouraged to attend this meeting on Tuesday night. George Nashak, a deputy commissioner from DHS will be making DHS's case, after which there will be a question and answer period.

CB8 Meeting
Tues, August 12
6:30 p.m.
Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation
727 Classon Avenue (between Park and Prospect)

webster · August 2008

Did anyone go? How did it go?

faithful · August 2008

The meeting was fantastic. I felt very proud to be part of the community last night. All of the speakers were well informed with facts and statistics. Father Buchanan was excellent in voicing his opposition to this awful plan. Everyone expressed passionately their opposition. Crown Heights really came together. It was a great turn out, but think if everyone who lives in Crown Heights would have come out!!! Wow!!! Numbers are everything!!! Get involved, complaining on a blog or in the comfort of our homes is not going to get the job done. C'mon we can get this done if we unite!!!!

webster · August 2008

How and what was George Nashak's response/explanation to the changes?

daver · August 2008

Brownstoner has something about it:

Community outrage at the city's plan to relocate the the homeless intake center for all five boroughs to the Bedford-Atlantic Armory in Crown Heights reached fever pitch last night at a special Community Board 8 meeting attended by Deputy Commissioner of the City’s Department of Homeless Services George Nashak and three of his staff members. In his introductory remarks, Nashak emphasized that as part of the plan to bring the intake center to the armory, Crown Heights would be benefiting from a net reduction in beds from 350 to 230. This didn't fly with the crowd, one of whom pointed out that this reduction would really only result in Crown Heights having four times the number of beds of the average neighborhood from five. Several members of the audience tried to paint a picture for Nashak of what a negative impact the homeless shelter has on the surrounding area—and were met with pat, bureaucratic answers. One man who had recently spent three months in the armory shelter because of mental illness described crack being smoked openly and sex being solicited, which contrasted sharply with Nashak's efforts to talk up DHS's track record and reliability going forward. The combined effect: Nashak came off looking out of touch with the reality of the situation in and around the shelter.

boogieknight · August 2008

"Pat bureaucratic answers" is right on the money.

The city plans to open a new intake center in Manhattan after the Bellevue center closes - but that just "plans to" - meaning Bedford will be the only operating one for the entire city. Also not mentioned - any word that the proposed new Manahattan center would be as large or larger than the one they're closing.

Also Nashak kept mentioning how there'd be fewer beds - but not that daily traffic would increase exponentially. Bluntly put - when the homeless men are in their bed s at night isn't the problem - is when they're wandering loitering throughout the neighborhhod for 12hrs a day. That number is going to increase dramatically.

Also not mentioned - DHS plans to reduce the number of social service beds in the neighborhood - but does that mean just the beds that DHS is directly responsible for? On my block alone two brownstones have been converted into DHS sponsored SRO's. DHS pays the landlord for the beds but technically those beds aren't under DHS supervision. Is there any mechanism to reduce or curtail the growth of such "privately run beds"? Because that's also a problem. If there 5 empty buildings on your block owned by one owner - he can fill those buildings with anyone the DHS or any other social service groups cares to send over with absolutely no community oversight or say whatsoever.

This administration doesn't give two shits about CH or that shelter. This "plan" is going through - come hell or highwater.

faithful · August 2008

check out today's NY Sun

http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/homeless-center-roils-a-brooklyn-neighborhood/83831/

daver · August 2008

On Thursday, Heather J. Janik, a spokeswoman for the city’s homeless services agency, said an additional intake center would be opened in Manhattan to lessen demand at the proposed Brooklyn site. She said it would open “in tandem” with the new Brooklyn intake center, at the same time that the current central intake center, the Bellevue Men’s Shelter on the East Side, closed down. The site of the new center in Manhattan, which will be open 24 hours, has not been determined.

NYTimes - Concessions Made in Plan for Homeless in Brooklyn

lo kee · August 2008

Hi I.m new to the area and I've read about this is a couple papers, but I don't know where it is.

Where is it?

homeowner · August 2008

The southwest corner of Bedford and Atlantic Avenues

lo kee · August 2008

Thanks homeowner.

CB8 Meeting Tuesday Night to Discuss Bedford-Atlantic Armory

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