CARROLL GARDENS — The proposed homeless shelter aimed for Carroll Gardens will have plenty of communal spaces for its residents, meal services, security, and a 10 p.m. curfew for its residents, the developer told Community Board 6 in Brooklyn.
Bronx-based Housing Solutions USA sent a proposal to the Department of Homeless Services 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.
While some nearby residents were concerned that a homeless shelter on a residential block would lead to more crime, the agency told the community board that it will make provisions to keep everyone safe.
The agency has promised to provide a seven-person security staff on duty 24 hours a day. The shelter will also be decked with security cameras throughout the facility, and the exterior perimeter.
All residents at the shelter will first be assessed and processed through the DHS' city-wide intake facility at Bellevue, said Craig Hammerman, district manager of Community Board Six, in a written announcement.
“The placement guidelines for the West Ninth Street shelter will specify that no mentally ill or chemically addicted clients may be referred to this facility,” Hammerman said in the announcement.
“If any are sent in error, Housing Solutions will refer them back to DHS.”
Housing Solutions has also told the community board that the shelter was designed with a plenty of internal open spaces, including an upper-floor terrace, so that residents will be encouraged to congregate and socialize inside rather than outside on the sidewalk.
The facility is open all day, meals will be served, and residents will be required to meet a 10 p.m. curfew.
The community board has also learned that the development of the shelter is being treated as an “emergency” contract, which could mean the shelter could lawfully open as early as Nov. 4, explained Hammerman.
“Through other inquiries, we have learned that this facility is being developed as an ‘emergency’ contract, a conditions that exists since the demand for the shelter exceeds the City’s supply of beds,” Hammerman said.
“If the demand for beds in New York City has exceeded the supply for a considerable period of time, then it’s disingenuous to keep referring to the situation as an ‘emergency.’ Some may say there’s been too much consolidation of power in the government.”
CB6 has invited representatives from both Housing Solutions USA and the DHS to attend a community board meeting dedicated to the issue, on Oct. 24. This will be the only time the community will have the opportunity to learn more about the proposal and to voice their opinions, said Hammerman.
“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.
The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 24, in P.S. 58, located at 330 Smith St.
