A MESSAGE ON THE UWS HOTEL CLOSURES

Yesterday, June 28, a bus arrived at the Lucerne Hotel to take the men still residing there back to their congregate shelters, capping off a year-long effort by West Side Community Organization to bring attention to, and ultimately end, the dangerous practice of using hotels as homeless shelters.  Truth be told, this move comes far too late.  The men inside the Lucerne withered and suffered from the lack of services their mental illnesses and addictions demanded.  The community suffered a drastic decrease in public safety and was targeted by opportunistic politicians who threw words like “racist” and “NIMBY” around like so many campaign flyers.  

Still, we prevailed. The Lucerne is no longer a shelter.  On July 8 the Belnord Hotel residents will return to their shelter of origin in the Bronx and the Belleclaire men will be leaving in mid-July.  We wish them all well and are gratified that they will be living where on-site services for their mental illnesses and addictions will be provided, as was woefully not the case at the Lucerne.

The effort to close the hotels as shelters program was a Herculean, community-wide effort.  The lawsuit we were forced to launch cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Generous donations from hundreds of neighbors came in, some in increments as small as $20 because of the drastic surge in crime.  This community came together as we endured a rash of bank robberies, open drug use, drug dealing, assault, public defecation and diminishment of public safety.  This cannot happen again. Those that sought to use our community as a testing ground for progressive policies jeopardized both the community and the unhoused men.  Neither was served by the idea of hotels as shelters and we must be forever vigilant regarding radical groups that seek to impose their misguided visions on the Upper West Side.   As Upper West Siders, we have the fortitude to bounce back from the invectives and false characterizations that came our way, but we may not survive another influx of shelters in a neighborhood already home to more homeless shelters than almost every other NYC district.

The West Side Community Organization remains steadfast in its mission to end the addition of any more shelters on the Upper West Side and to advocate for community safety.  This will not be easy.  Our newly elected City Councilwoman, Gale Brewer, is eager to open up more shelters in this community, even as plans proceed to open a 200-bed shelter for mentally ill women, managed by the same provider, Project Renewal, that managed the Lucerne.  We hope she will be open to hearing our voices, representing the majority of her constituency, before committing to any agenda.  It will be incumbent upon all those in this organization and beyond to hold the Council’s feet to the fire, have them observe the Fair Share laws that govern the siting of shelters among NYC neighborhoods, demand transparency about any more shelters, and be sure that Project Renewal is held accountable so that a Lucerne repeat does not occur.  

The Upper West Side is the second densest neighborhood in the country.  That fact alone should be reason enough why there must be a moratorium on shelters in this community.  We hope and pray that Eric Adams, whom we supported for Mayor because of his keen attention to this issue, follows through and sites shelters in neighborhoods with a less proportionate share of shelters.

Moreover, we must take better care of our NYCHA neighbors.  While the City spent $183,000 a week on homeless men without ties to this community, our NYCHA neighbors lived without gas and heat for two years and are still battling to get proper gas pipes into their apartments.  These hard-working people have been overlooked and need our attention.  WestCo pledges to do better by our NYCHA neighbors.

As always, our work takes money and so on this day, the day we finally see the closing of the Lucerne, we ask that you consider donating.  Your dollars ensure that we can remain focused on keeping the Upper West Side safe and prosperous for all.  https://www.westsideco.org/donate

Thank you in advance for your consideration.