New York City reversed its decision to move homeless people out of a luxury Upper West Side hotel, after some residents protested the move and others expressed outrage that the program was allowed to continue.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday that “the whole system is under review at the moment” after being criticized from all sides over his plan to house some 13,000 homeless people in hotels in the city during the coronavirus pandemic.
“As the mayor said this morning, at this time, as Commissioner Banks and corporate counsel Johnson review the situation, we are not transferring any clients from these locations as part of this initiative (moved to the normal course, eg to permanent housing. eg can continue), ”the Department of Homelessness Services said in a statement to WABC-TV.
“We want to make sure that every person is treated with dignity,” de Blasio said at a press conference. “Again, I don’t think a temporary hotel placement should be misinterpreted as ideal. I don’t think this is ideal. It was never meant to be ideal. We have to get people to the right kind of place for them, which is why the whole system is under review right now.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday that “the whole system is being examined” after being criticized from all sides over his plan to house some 13,000 homeless people in hotels in the city.
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Last week, residents of the Upper West Side and supporters of the UWS Open Hearts Initiative gathered at a press conference outside the hotel in Lucerne to support the homeless who are currently staying there.
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UWS Open Hearts initiative opposed the transfer of homeless men from Lucerne, saying they had suffered enough
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It follows competing protests over the plight of the men staying at Lucerne on the Upper West Side, after homeless advocates pleaded with the city to rethink their transfer.
The UWS Open Hearts initiative, which has advocated for homeless men to stay in hotels, responded to the pause with a statement encouraging the movement.
“This victory belongs to the residents of Lucerne and Harmonia who spoke last, at the risk of their own account given their vulnerable position. Now we have to keep up the pressure and keep fighting – it’s an opening, but we have to keep making our voices heard, ”the group said.
A group opposed to the hotel program, the West Side Community Organization, issued its own statement, saying: “We understand and hope the city will honor its commitment to move people out of Lucerne and to state-accredited shelters with appropriate on-site services by the end of this month. ‘
“As the mayor explained, ORS hotels should only be temporary housing, and what is happening on the Upper West Side is ‘not acceptable’, so this decision will be a win-win for this neighborhood and this vulnerable population, ”the statement continued. .
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A group of homeless people likely passed around a bottle of alcohol in the open air around the corner of W79th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side earlier this month
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A homeless man sleeps in a chair on the corner of W80th Street and Broadway on the Upper West Side earlier this month
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The homeless men were quietly transferred to the hotel in July, and the city had started transferring them after a massive outcry from residents who said open drug use and obscene displays had become commonplace in the neighborhood. chic.
But then it emerged that the men were being moved to the Harmonia in Midtown, which resulted in the displacement of the disabled residents of the Harmonia.
Homeless advocates reacted with fury, marching from Carl Schurz Park to Gracie Mansion and demanding that de Blasio quit with chants as police guarded the property.
A large sign read: “Because you are moving 900 homeless NY and you think ‘shelters are better environments’, know that you will be moved from Gracie Mansion to a homeless shelter.
The Department of Homeless Services only suspended plans to relocate families staying at Harmonia after Legal Aid filed a complaint on their behalf.
On Sunday, members of the Open Hearts Initiative urged the Upper West Siders to show compassion for those stranded without homes, without means to earn a living and many living with mental illness.
“A lot of us are just trying, like I said, to get up and move on,” said Mario Charles, a resident of the shelter.
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Protesters marched to Gracie Mansion in Manhattan to demand the resignation of Mayor Bill de Blasio
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A sign read: “Because you are moving 900 homeless NY and you think ‘shelters are better environments’, know that you will be moved from Gracie Mansion to a homeless shelter”
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State Senator Brian Benjamin attended the protest to express how the local government was not showing enough kindness to the less fortunate.
Councilor Helen Rosenthal said as officials listened to people who “don’t like to see poverty…. the mayor’s decision to get people out of Lucerne had a ripple effect that no one could have expected.
New York MP Linda Rosenthal added, “It is our responsibility as a society to save those less fortunate than us during a pandemic.
After four hours of effort from activists and politicians outside Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s administration agreed to open a line of communication with homeless voters affected by resettlement and displacement.
‘The victorious advisor @HelenRosenthal can finally go home and eat !!!! She fought side by side with us for EIGHT hours today, ”the Open Hearts Initiative tweeted.
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