Of course, now these people will be relocated to a neighborhood where the residents can't organize and hire top-notch lawyers. In reality it's more services they need, not relocation.
City pausing Lucerne, other shelter transfers after outcry
By Janaki Chadha (Politico)
09/14/2020 03:16 PM EDT
The de Blasio administration is holding off on plans to transfer hundreds of homeless individuals out of the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West Side and a family shelter in Midtown following pushback from numerous elected officials and advocates.
The mayor announced last week nearly 300 men would be moved from the Lucerne, where they were staying to reduce their risks of coronavirus exposure, after weeks of complaints from well-heeled neighborhood residents. As a result, more than 100 families staying at the Harmonia shelter in Midtown — many of whom have disabilities and need an accessible facility — would also be moved to other shelters, per the city’s plans.
Now, the city will not transfer any other people staying at these facilities while Commissioner Steven Banks and Corporation Counsel James Johnson review the situation, according to the Department of Homeless Services.
“We got to get people to the right kind of location for them. So this is why the whole system is being looked at right now. Everything is being reviewed quickly, how all the pieces fit together,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press briefing Monday.
The Legal Aid Society, which said last week it was preparing a lawsuit against the city over the decision, is in ongoing conversations with the administration on ensuring people staying at the facilities have their needs accommodated at any future location.
Anonymous
Sep 15, 2020 · Edited: Sep 15, 2020
This was a classic NIMBY play and in my opinion it was impossible to reconcile liberal values with pushing families with disabled children out of a Midtown shelters to protect veal children on the UWS. Whoever commented that the addicted homeless men in the Lucerne would be "closer to services" if they were moved to the Penn Station must...never have been to Midtown before. So hypocritical!
He had always said it was temporary, but never gave a timeline for it.
Didn’t he say when the pandemic was over?
Of course, now these people will be relocated to a neighborhood where the residents can't organize and hire top-notch lawyers. In reality it's more services they need, not relocation.
true, but they are saying they will go back to original shelter which one would hope is in closer proximity to services.
@Anonymous But the idea was to limit Covid. If a new wave hits, what are they going to do?
haha, joke's on us. they're not closing anymore.
Link?
City pausing Lucerne, other shelter transfers after outcry
By Janaki Chadha (Politico)
09/14/2020 03:16 PM EDT
The de Blasio administration is holding off on plans to transfer hundreds of homeless individuals out of the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West Side and a family shelter in Midtown following pushback from numerous elected officials and advocates.
The mayor announced last week nearly 300 men would be moved from the Lucerne, where they were staying to reduce their risks of coronavirus exposure, after weeks of complaints from well-heeled neighborhood residents. As a result, more than 100 families staying at the Harmonia shelter in Midtown — many of whom have disabilities and need an accessible facility — would also be moved to other shelters, per the city’s plans.
Now, the city will not transfer any other people staying at these facilities while Commissioner Steven Banks and Corporation Counsel James Johnson review the situation, according to the Department of Homeless Services.
“We got to get people to the right kind of location for them. So this is why the whole system is being looked at right now. Everything is being reviewed quickly, how all the pieces fit together,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press briefing Monday.
The Legal Aid Society, which said last week it was preparing a lawsuit against the city over the decision, is in ongoing conversations with the administration on ensuring people staying at the facilities have their needs accommodated at any future location.
This was a classic NIMBY play and in my opinion it was impossible to reconcile liberal values with pushing families with disabled children out of a Midtown shelters to protect veal children on the UWS. Whoever commented that the addicted homeless men in the Lucerne would be "closer to services" if they were moved to the Penn Station must...never have been to Midtown before. So hypocritical!