3 BRONX WEEKLY May 12, 2019 www.BXTimes.com
Residents show fervent disgust during homeless shelter meeting
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
The controversy surrounding
a proposed men’s
shelter boiled over last
week.
At a Parkchester town
hall on Friday, May 3, an
angry crowd gathered at St.
Helena Church for an informational
session about the
proposed NYC Department
of Homeless Services men’s
shelter that is stirring up
controversy.
The shelter, to service 165
single homeless men at 2008
Westchester Avenue, would
be an employment shelter
where the individuals would
be working or seeking work.
But the town hall hosted
by Senator Luis Sepulveda
and Assemblywoman Karines
Reyes ended in an uproar
and confusion as a sizeable
number of the attendees
were upset that they were
not allowed an opportunity
to express their views that
the location wasn’t appropriate
for a men’s shelter.
Many in the crowd were
holding signs reading ‘No
Men’s Shelter,’ ‘Protect Our
Community,’ and the like.
As the discussion began during the town hall at St. Helena Church, and at some other times during the Friday, May 3 meeting, the crowd
listened calmly. Photo by Laura Stone
Sepulveda descended the
stage to calm the crowd at
the end of the evening and
spoke to a few of the frustrated
individuals, some
of whom had swarmed the
stage earlier after hearing
the shelter probably couldn’t
be stopped.
“There has been a lot of
misinformation going back
and forth as to what this
shelter will be,” the senator
said after the town hall.
“The intention of the town
hall was to clarify information
so they have a clear understanding.”
Sepulveda said he believed
that certain individuals
with an agenda had
planned to disrupt the meeting,
possibly encouraged
by others seeking political
gain.
While he said he doesn’t
favor the shelter’s site because
it is in a congested
commercial area, Sepulveda,
a lawyer for 30 years, said
legally he doesn’t believe a
court challenge to the ‘as
of right’ shelter plan would
prove successful.
Sepulveda said that a rumor
claiming sexual predators
would be among those
living in the shelter when
it opens was false. He said
DHS screens for sex offenders
and places them in a separate
shelter.
The senator said he is
working behind the scenes
to get a more favorable outcome
for the community.
“We are very disappointed
that things didn’t
go as planned,” said a Reyes
spokeswoman Glendalys
Delgado.
“We wanted to share information
with our neighbors
that was given to us by
DHS and the provider, but
unfortunately we weren’t
able to get that information
relayed because of the uproar,”
she continued
Town hall attendee Afzal
Helal feared that women and
children would be disrespected
by the shelter residents.
“This community doesn’t
want a single men’s shelter,”
said another attendee Syed
Kasru. “They are not against
shelters, but they want this
one somewhere else in the
Bronx.”
Annabel Palma, former
councilwoman, represented
DHS at the town hall.
“Every neighborhood
across New York City has a
part to play in addressing
this citywide challenge,”
stated DHS spokesperson
Arianna Fishman. “The
city and not-for-profi t social
service provider partner Samaritan
Village are moving
forward with opening this
facility as soon as possible to
give individuals experiencing
homelessness from the
Bronx the opportunity to be
closer to the communities
they called home as they get
back on their feet.”
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