The building is located on 2201 Adam Clayoton Powell Jr. Boulevard in Harlem, NYC. This building has been becoming a migrant shelter for people who need a home, like the homeless or migrants. This building contains an indoor pool on the roof, marble floors, marble bathrooms, granite countertops, and kitchens.
“We have too many homeless shelters in this community”, Regima Smith said. “We have a dearth of affordable housing. We’re being priced out of the community … the lack of respect is absolutely appalling.”
It is said by the New York State Department that this place has been empty for the past decade, until the neighbors, people who live near the Luxury apartment, noticed boxes of bunk beds going through those doors.
“We were trying to find out what was going on, and we weren't getting any answers to our questions,” Harlem resident Regima Smith.
Soon enough, residents nearby realized what City hall was planning, to make the building a homeless shelter for poor families who have children.
However, residents who live near the apartment are outraged right now, angry, saying things like
“No, I don’t agree with it turning into a sanctuary for asylum seekers knowing we have people right here that need the space,” Tiffany Fulton, the director of Silent Voices United Inc.
“We’re not moving folks into a brand new building when you have long term needs into a community. That’s not gonna happen … You will not have migrants and asylum seekers in that property,”
“We have too many homeless shelters in this community”, Regima Smith said. “We have a dearth of affordable housing. We’re being priced out of the community … the lack of respect is absolutely appalling.”
Nobody is staying silent, spying into the apartment, seeing bunk beds being built, people constructing, and looking at the interior design. People are outraged about the way the state is handling the situation with the amount of homeless people in and the overpopulation in NYC. People are also outraged that they are not getting informed about information like this.
New York City State Department of Social Services finally spoke out and sent a reporter to the CBS New York to state the following:
"Despite the developer's initial plans for market rate condominiums, development had been stalled and this building left indefinitely empty—it would not have advanced as luxury housing. Instead of sitting vacant, this site will serve as high-quality transitional housing for long-term New York City families with children experiencing homelessness. We will be working with an experienced not-for-profit provider to help these families stabilize their lives and ultimately move into permanent housing. As we have always done, we will continue to maintain open lines of communication and work closely with the community every step of the way to ensure that we are collaboratively working to provide critical services for our neighbors in need."
One thing that CBS was told is that they do not have a direct date on when this new shelter will open.
But on February 21, 2024 on ABC15 News, the NYC Mayor Eric Adams disregarded and stopped the plan to lodge migrants in the vacant luxury apartment building after public opposition. It was then announced that the building was to be used for long-term city residents.
This decision came through to the Mayor after members of nearby apartments were raising complaints and sending concerns about the plan. Tiffany Fulton, an United Executive director, then suggested that the building be used for people with disabilities or who are senior citizens.
Commentaires