New York’s Staten Island.After six years of community concern, three homeless shelters have now opened on Staten Island, but their integration into the community has received little attention.
The establishment of a family shelter at 1 Van Duzer St. has gone mostly smoothly, according to Eileen Harrington, president of the St. George Civic Association.
She answered, “We haven’t heard anything bad about it.” They appear to be quietly residing there. There is absolutely nothing bad that we have seen or heard about it.
The Audre Lorde Family Residence, named for the poet who lived a large portion of her life on Staten Island, opened in February, according to WIN, a non-profit organization that was once known as Women in Need.
The center launched in October of last year and is presently serving 165 families, according to a representative for the charity, which is led by former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
According to city officials, who initially approved the shelter’s plans in early 2019, it can house 200 families, or roughly 500 individuals.
According to Harrington, WIN has made an effort to establish a rapport with the civic association.
A family that WIN was able to assist in finding permanent accommodation was recently revealed by representatives of WIN, who frequently attend the civic organization’s meetings.
The civic leader stated that while there have been few problems with the five-story shelter since it opened, there are still some drawbacks.
Vacant retail space
According to an agreement the site’s owner made with the city, the ground floor of the building was supposed to be used for commercial space, but it is still unoccupied.
Harrington believes that the promise of a new business venture in the neighborhood will never materialize, despite the fact that it was exploited to win support for the shelter in the community. She added that she hasn’t noticed any progress at all on the property.
As you pass by, you notice this enormous structure. There is no signage there.No landscaping was ever done in front of it. “It’s a bare, kind of really stark, very ugly building because they didn’t put any trees or [anything] in it,” she remarked. The main drawback is that no business will open there.
According to her, the neighborhood is still worried about shelter residents relocating there.
The new shelter’s occupants have mostly blended in with the neighborhood despite the ongoing worries.
According to Nicholas Siclari, chair of Community Board 1, the board has not received any concerns regarding the 100-men shelter located at 119 Tompkins Ave. in Stapleton or the Van Duzer street shelter.
This image was taken on Friday, July 18, 2024, at 119 Tompkins Avenue, a homeless shelter in New York City. (Paul Liotta/Staten Island Advance)Liotta, Paul
Due to its proximity to two school buildings, PS 78 and I.S. 49, which also house the Eagle Academy for the Young Men of Staten Island, the latter shelter was perhaps the most contentious of the three.
It launched late last year and is housed in the old New York Foundling local headquarters.
According to a shelter spokeswoman on Wednesday, a third shelter, located at 1055 Hylan Blvd., Grasmere, opened on July 2 and currently houses roughly 50 women over 50.
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