Temporary Locations Until County Finds Additional Space
By Dan Murphy
A long-discussed plan to move a homeless shelter from downtown Yonkers has finally come to pass. On June 30, The Sharing Community closed its Getty Square location at St. John’s Episcopal Church. The lease, which expired at the end of 2018, was not renewed at the request of the church and its leaders.
Both parties agreed to a six-month extension to allow Westchester County, which is responsible for the housing and the costs of the homeless population in Yonkers – and all across the county, to find another location.
The county was actively looking to purchase for a shelter last year and this year. A dozen spaces were considered for purchase, and in January, the county made an offer for one of these properties, which was accepted. That deal fell through after the county required an environmental review be completed, which the owner did not want to allow.
In the spring, the county released a request for proposals for drop-in shelter services, and the contract was awarded to the Yonkers YWCA. On a temporary basis, the YWCA will be housing and feeding the homeless at 68 Palisades Ave., at the Kingdom Christian Cultural Center. Issues regarding obtaining a certificate of occupancy at this location that would allow for men to stay overnight at the shelter are being resolved with the City of Yonkers.
For our readers and the people of Yonkers, it is important to understand that the role of Yonkers city government in the housing of the homeless is limited; county government is making the decisions and has contracted with the YWCA to provide services.
The plan is for the Palisades Avenue location to be short term, until another space, at 21 St. Casimir Ave., is ready. And the county is still looking for additional space to purchase in Yonkers for a shelter that it will not have to rent.
The official statemen from Westchester County government reads: “The Westchester County Department of Social Services is committed to providing a vital safety net for those in need of housing during their most vulnerable time. The county has long provided shelter services in Yonkers. While that commitment continues, the Sharing Community’s Men’s Drop-in Center at 1 Hudson St., Yonkers, will be closing June 30 at 6:30 p.m., and the drop-in shelter will be moving to a YWCA site at 68 Palisade Ave., beginning June 30 at 6:30 p.m. The YWCA staff will also be available at 1 Hudson St., and Larkin Plaza on June 30, at 6:30 p.m., to answer questions and coordinate rides to the new location.”
For many years, The Sharing Community was running two programs, the shelter at 1 Hudson St., which was the county-funded drop-in shelter, and a soup kitchen, not funded by the county. For several weeks before closing the shelter and the soup kitchen, The Sharing Community advised people attending the drop-in shelter that it would no longer be running the location as of June 30, and ceasing operations of the soup kitchen the last week of June.
The Sharing Community usually served 60 to 80 men per night at St. John’s. The organization applied for the new RFP, but was not awarded a new contract. The Sharing Community is also merging with Westhab, another organization focused on helping the homeless.
Executive Director of The Sharing Community Nadine Burns-Lyons expressed fear that “more people will be wandering the streets.”
But many stakeholders in downtown Yonkers, not only developers, have advocated for another location for a homeless shelter, citing both the renaissance in the downtown and the fact that The Sharing Community location was not large enough, and did not include additional programs and services for the homeless population.
That argument has been made by City Councilwoman Shanae Williams and County Executive George Latimer. Williams has, for her two years on the council, worked with the city and the county to find an alternative space with more services.
Earlier this year, Latimer said: “Additionally, advocates have requested additional space for day programs for the homeless to keep then gainfully engaged and off the streets, or away from congregating in other public buildings with other functions (libraries, transit stations).
“There are voices in the community that do not care whether we help the homeless at all, seeing it as not their problem; they believe these individuals must do more for themselves. There are other voices in the community that insist we do more for the needy. The emotion of this issue exceeds any rational discussion. The answer is in finding an appropriate facility in a workable setting, and we will continue trying to find the balance to better address the matter.”
This problem is not unique to Yonkers; in Peekskill, residents came out to oppose the proposed relocation of the only 24-hour, 365-day-a-year homeless adult shelter in the northern part of the county.
The Jan Peek House homeless shelter is currently located at 200 N. Water St., Peekskill, and is operated by Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill. CHHOP has purchased another building in Peekskill, located at 851 Washington St., that it wants to relocate so that it can better provide services to the homeless.
“The new facility is vastly superior – we’ll have a full-size cooking kitchen, which means we will be able to cook better meals for our residents, as well as teach residents how to cook, and other types of skills that help them to move forward with their lives,” said Cynthia Knox, executive director of CHHOP.
But neighbors and residents of Washington Street packed a recent Peekskill City Council meeting to express their concerns and opposition to the plan, saying they fear their property values will be affected and the safety of young children could be at risk. The shelter has operated on North Water Street for 30 years.
Some Yonkers residents posted online that The Sharing Community’s closing was a sad day. But others who questioned the timing of the move need to understand that discussions have taken place for more than a year, that the current landlord did not want to renew a contract to keep the shelter in Getty Square, and – as in Peekskill – it is difficult to find a new location for a homeless shelter.
