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Local Pols Blast Proposal to Install Carroll Gardens Homeless Shelter

By Heather Holland | October 18, 2012 11:41am | Updated on October 18, 2012 2:13pm

CARROLL GARDENS —Local elected officials blasted a proposal to install a homeless shelter in a Carroll Gardens building, saying the plan was ill-conceived and in need of more time for community input.

Bronx-based Housing Solutions USA sent a proposal to the DHS on Oct. 4, describing a plan to install a homeless shelter in the 10-unit building at 165 W. 9th St., with 170 individual residents expected to move in if the plan reaches fruition.

Politicians including City Councilman Brad Lander and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz sent a letter to Seth Diamond, the commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services, on Tuesday, demanding that the agency answer community concerns regarding the plan.

State Sen. Daniel Squadron and Assemblywoman Joan Millman also signed the letter.

“If DHS will work with us and our community in a collaborative fashion to develop an appropriate proposal, we are committed to supporting a shelter in Carroll Gardens,” the letter says.

“However, that must not mean using the City’s emergency contracting provisions to rush an ill-conceived project through a half-page, 30-day notice to the community, squeezing 170 people into a 10-unit building, with no plans provided for social services or security, and disregard for city rules and processes.”

The politicians highlighted a concern of security, inquiring whether provisions for security and social services were provided in the proposal.

The DHS is currently reviewing the proposal, but plans to hear the community’s concerns at a Community Board 6 meeting scheduled for Oct. 24.

“We are currently reviewing the proposal and will be meeting with the community next week to establish an open dialogue and hear their concerns,” said Heather Janik, press secretary of the DHS.