A Quiet Welcome for Homeless, Blocks from Disputed Shelter
(THE CITY) June 25, 2019
Just blocks away from the planned Billionaires’ Row shelter that’s sparked a raucous legal battle, another refuge for the homeless is getting a quiet welcome.
The 120-bed Hell’s Kitchen facility, to be run by Care for the Homeless, will cater to women in need of mental health services, with an on-site clinic and case managers. It’s located on a mostly residential block on West 52nd Street, sandwiched between an apartment building and an elementary school.
The building at 427 W. 52nd St. stands about a 15-minute walk from the West 58th Street former hotel that’s the subject of an ongoing court fight over the city’s plans to open a men’s shelter there, in the shadow of Billionaires’ Row.
The Hell’s Kitchen structure previously served as a shelter for young mothers and their children, privately run by Covenant House for three decades until last year.
Care for the Homeless Executive Director George Nashak said he’s been talking with locals about the West 52nd Street shelter plan since December. He praised areas leaders for being “remarkably generous and welcoming.”
“They absolutely raised legitimate questions. They had wonderful, thoughtful questions. But this is not a community that has reacted in the way other communities have,” Nashak told THE CITY.
The nonprofit has reached out to three nearby block associations, staff and parent leaders at P.S. 111, the local community board, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and the area’s police precinct, Nashak said.