(Google Maps)
The safe haven at 106-108 West 83rd Street welcomed its first residents on Thursday, Patch was first to report. The facility, operated by Breaking Ground, has been the topic of community-wide debate since it was first announced earlier this year.
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“Breaking Ground is pleased to welcome individuals to the West 83rd Street Safe Haven this week,” a spokesperson for the organization told Patch. “Tackling our homelessness crisis is a collaborative effort, and we look forward to serving the Upper West Side community and remaining good partners for the long term.”
The facility has sparked concerns from community members who are frustrated with the lack of communication and clarity surrounding local shelters. The West 83rd Street Breaking Ground facility follows the opening of two emergency shelters at the Belnord Hotel on W. 87th and Riverside Terrace on W. 88th – these, however, are housing asylum seekers, not formerly homeless New Yorkers.
The Safe Haven is offering its residents daily meals, counseling, job training, clinical staff, and 24-hour security.
While there will not be a time limit for how long a person can stay at the safe haven, the residence is meant to be a stepping stone between living on the street and moving into more permanent affordable housing.
The building, which is across the street from P.S. 9 and the Center School, has been unused since 2021. It previously served as a shelter which housed a maximum of 130 men. The Breaking Ground facility is open to all genders.
According to its website, Breaking Ground operates nearly 4,000 permanent and transitional housing units across NYC.
How much of our taxes are going to housing and feeding these people who won’t control to the economy or community? We work hard to put a roof over our heads and they just get handed it. It would be cheaper to just hand out one-way bus tickets to these bums.
With respect, you need to do some research,
Over one-half of all “homeless” people (that includes both “sheltered” and street homeless) have at least one job. So they ARE contributing to the economy. It is simply that one job – particularly if it is at minimum wage – is not going to allow them to afford an apartment. So they are left to make use of opportunities like Safe Havens.
As for the “community,” there are as many (maybe more) people who are welcoming these new neighbors as there are who oppose them.
You are certainly entitled to your feelings and opinions. But you might also want to add some FACTS to your knowledge base.
Our group of hundreds of UWS neighbors is so excited to welcome new neighbors to this Safe Haven! When the homelessness crisis is the worst it’s ever been, we’re proud to be part of a community that is stepping up as part of the solution. THIS WEDNESDAY, we’re going to put together welcome kits for these new neighbors and would love for you to be involved! There are two ways to be involved, donating items for the kits and volunteering to assemble them. Learn more and RSVP here: https://openheartsinitiative.org/events/w83rdwelcomekits.
And where do you live in proximity to the new shelter, Mr. Bennett?
Please see this letter from 215+ Upper West Side residents who are in support of this Safe Haven, who live and send their kids to school right near the Safe Haven (including PS9) and are excited that their community is now part of the solution to homelessness: https://patch.com/new-york/upper-west-side-nyc/100s-uwsers-sign-letter-support-new-83rd-street-safe-haven. This neighborhood is filled with people who want to welcome their homeless neighbors
Hmmm… would you consider the executive director of Open Hearts Initiative “part of the neighbourhood”? Doesn’t she teach in Wharton which… *checks notes* … is not exactly in UWS, is it?
People with pied-a-terres in UWS or those spending the majority of their time in second homes should not be speaking for the whole community.
I don’t have time to go back and forth with disingenuous arguments intended to push out homeless New Yorkers, especially not when the crisis has grown so severe, but you’ll notice that Corinne doesn’t appear anywhere on the letter or the list of 300+ people from the Upper West Side who co-signed the open letter
NYC is a diverse place. You can always find people to support your cause. However, it is telling that many activists advocating for this particular shelter live pretty far away (think – 10023 or 10025) and sometimes very far away (think – Pennsylvania) from their projects.
I have personally lived on West 83rd Street for over 50 years. I went to PS9 as a child. I am the former president of the West 83rd Street Block Association, and remain an active member of it. I fully and completely support this program, as does the overwhelming majority of the members of the Block Association.
While it is true that the number of “conservative-minded” people is growing, even on the UWS, you (conservatives) still make up only 15%-17% of the voting population of the UWS. So you will ALWAYS be “outnumbered” with regard to support (or lack thereof) for projects like this. And there are as many of YOU living FAR away from this project as there are those who support it. In fact, I would bet FAR more.
So you might want to reconsider your belief here that many or most of those who support the project “live far away”; that is a right-wing talking point that is, and has always been, hopelessly inaccurate. This is further proven by the number of parents of children who currently attend PS9 who have little or no worry about this project or its residents, including many who openly support it.
Your lack of acceptance and tolerance of those in need is truly sad.
As you said above, everyone is entitled to their feelings and opinions.
I find it telling that we always see the same people (usually those associated with the Open Hearts Initiative) advocating for UWS shelters in public and social media. Of course, you might think what you are doing is “compassionate” and “kind” but reasonable people may have different views on the topic.
When residents of the West 59th Street were protesting against a MICA shelter, it was one of the Open Hearts posters here who travelled to the construction site to write “welcoming messages to homeless neighbors” on the sidewalk. It looks like the mission to find any legit local residents supporting the project was unsuccessful.
Setting aside that, once again, you are mistaken (E.g., I support the 59th Street shelter, as do many others I know, including people who live closer to it than I do), you seem not to realize that the vast majority of OHI members ARE UWSers who live in the area. Yes, there are a few who come from further (though some of them not so far), but by and large OHI was created by people who live within the immediate surrounding area of the Lucerne.
And it was not just “one” OHI member who wrote welcoming messages; there were several.
Where exactly do YOU live, and why do you have such an issue with this?
First, I believe everyone should have housing and I’m very concerned about the current crisis.
That said, since you mentioned Ms. Low, let’s talk about disingenuous. During the pandemic, when she found out I am a 30+ years permanent resident of the Lucerne Hotel, SHE UNFRIENDED and BLOCKED ME from the Open Hearts Facebook page. I can only imagine it was because my and the other tenant’s stories didn’t fit in with her narrative. Also, curious that Ms. Low didn’t sign; wonder why?
Don’t worry about replying, I understand your time is much more valuable than others.