NYC neighborhood outraged over proposed homeless shelter: 'Not the real solution'

NEW YORK CITY (TND) — Demonstrators in Brooklyn, New York took to the streets Saturday to protest a proposal that would introduce a homeless shelter to the area, PIX 11 reported.

Hundreds of individuals hoisted signs and U.S. flags while joining in chants in a mass show of opposition against the shelter. The proposed shelter would take the form of a 32-room hotel, which will primarily house adult men with mental health and addiction problems.

Locals say they are concerned over the location’s proximity to several schools and its potential to make traveling at night unsafe.

There’s a school right here,” resident Izzy Wu told the outlet. “There’s a lot of stuff right here. That [shelter] will increase the crime rate so that will make the whole thing get worse and worse. So we had to come here to support a no homeless [shelter].”

“I can work late and come home at seven, eight, nine — I feel ok,” resident Vivian Tran said. “But now with the homeless shelter, I don’t think I can take the train anymore. Especially the wintertime when it gets dark quick. I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”

A petition to oppose the shelter has earned nearly 30,000 signatures.

“Building temporary homeless is not the real solution to the problem of homelessness and will not help homeless families,” it reads. “Such temporary shelters often make money only for the developer and provide little services or security, while damaging communities. The real solution is to build permanent affordable housing for families and seniors in COMMON SENSE.”

Assemblyman Willian Colton, D- District 47, who represents the area, said the shelter represents a means to make the wealthy richer without doing anything to combat homelessness.

Homeless shelters do not help homeless people and do hurt neighborhoods,” he said. “They only benefit the wealthy owners and developers who get a lot of taxpayer money which should be used on the programs needed to help solve homelessness.”

The New York Department of Social Services did not respond to a request for comment from The National Desk Monday.

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