Judge Pauses Plan To Move NYC Homeless Shelter To East Village

NEW YORK CITY — A state judge has temporarily blocked a planned homeless intake shelter in the East Village after a group of local residents sued the Mamdani administration over the proposed move.

Justice Sabrina B. Kraus filed a motion to pause the planned shelter while the lawsuit proceedings continue in court.

The city announced last month that it planned to move an intake shelter from a building near Bellevue Hospital on East 30th Street to a smaller location in the East Village.

The planned intake shelter was expected to be open on May 1. The East Village building at 8 E. 3rd St already serves as a homeless shelter for men with substance abuse problems.

Local residents in the lawsuit have argued that there was no public review and that city officials skipped notice requirements and used emergency executive orders.

In addition, residents are worried about security in the area with the influx of individuals being moved to the shelter.

This is an important start, and we appreciate the judge’s fast action on this crucially important matter,” Trisha Goff, a member of Village Organization for the Integrity of Community Engagement and a longtime neighborhood resident said . “But it is only the beginning. There’s much more work to be done. Now there’s time for due process, to listen to the community, and to find a far better solution to this challenging problem.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani previously defended the planned move earlier in the week.

City Hall has said the move to the East Village facility was needed — citing worsening conditions at the facility at East 30th Street.

“We look forward to addressing the immediate need to relocate shelter intake with the Court on May 7.”

We are pleased that the Court recognized that a full hearing was needed before the City makes such a consequential decision as opening a citywide homeless adult male intake center on a crowded residential street in the East Village,” Steven Engel of Dechert LLP, who argued the case on behalf of the residents. “We look forward to proving that the City’s decision was not just rushed, but illegal.”

You can read the full lawsuit here.