Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Chelsea Residents Protest New Homeless Shelter

By DNAinfo Staff on May 5, 2011 7:50pm  | Updated on May 6, 2011 7:31am

By Tara Kyle

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

CHELSEA — Dozens of Chelsea parents and business owners took to the street Thursday to protest a homeless shelter set to open in the neighborhood.

The multi-service facility, operated by the Bowery Residents Committee at 127 W. 25th Street, has sparked tensions around Chelsea since last summer and is scheduled to open later this month.

The BRC facility contains a 200-bed program for homeless men with histories of mental illness, a 32-bed chemical dependency crisis center and a 96-bed reception center for homeless men and women.

"I'm concerned about having my only child walk in and out when this is the most troubled portion of the homeless population," said Julia Lazarus, a 42-year-old fundraiser who lives and works on the block.

BRC executive director Muzzy Rosenblatt said he was "saddened" that organizers did not take advantage of opportunities to get to know his organization, through either attendance at community advisory committee meetings or visits to other facilities they manage.

"All of us at BRC look forward to our move to Chelsea, and to working together with our many open-minded neighbors, in successfully helping people reclaim lives lost," Rosenblatt wrote in a statement Thursday.

Rally attendee Lorna Label, a 32-year resident of the block (stretching between Sixth and Seventh Avenues), said she remembered a time 25 years ago when the it looked like "the porno capital of the world" and didn't want to see it degenerate again.

"I want to be able to walk down the street coming home," Label said. "I want to be able to walk my dog in the middle of the night."

Business owner Anita Stern said she had recently installed a new security system and eight video cameras at This 'n That Jewelry located across the street from the facility.

For their part, BRC's literature on the Chelsea project points to a thriving retail scene around its existing centers at 324 Lafayette Street and 315-317 Bowery.

Across the street from the protest, Community Board 4 Chair John Weis looked on. CB4 is on record as supporting the 32-bed chemical dependency crisis center and a 96-bed reception center, but not the 200-bed program.

"Once you start getting above 100 beds, it's problematic and tough to fit into the fabric of the neighborhood," Weis said. "At this point, there's nothing the Community Board can do to stop this thing from going forward. We're hoping to get everybody on board to help integrate it into the community."